Brooke Jankowski is seeking your vote for Tower City Council

Brooke Jankowski pictured at her dental station at Scenic Rivers healthcare in Tower.

OCTOBER 19, 2016 — Almost everyone in Tower already knows Brooke Jankowski, age 32. After all she grew up here, just a block from Main Street.

Brooke was born in Toledo, Ohio. Her mom and dad, Cindy (Carlson) and Kevin Jankowski, moved there so he could continue his employment with the company he started working for on the Iron Range, a railroad equipment and supply salvage company. They started their family there but moved back to Tower in 1997 when Brooke was in the sixth grade. Along with Brooke they also brought her younger sister Kristen back to town to enroll in the Tower Schools. Brooke graduated from Tower High School in 2003. Brooke’s family, on both sides, are long time Kugler natives and are well known in Tower.

No stranger to the concept that hard work is they way to get ahead in life, Brooke was always found earning her funds at a Tower business when she was a teenager. Brooke worked at Vermilion Fuel and Food for years and customers still remember her quick and efficient service and friendly, smiling demeanor. When she was in her early twenties Brooke could be found working in the service industry at D’Erick’s Tower Liquors and this was not the only job she held! Brooke also worked at the Soudan Store—all while she was attending Hibbing Community College.

At Hibbing, Brooke pursued her education so that she could become a dental assistant, a position she holds today. She has always valued education and is determined to earn a Bachelors degree taking classes online when she can find enough time for herself, away from her responsibilities to her job and raising her daughter Chloe. Chloe is currently a Third Grade student at Tower Elementary.

Following her graduation from the Dental Assisting Program from Hibbing Community College in 2007 Brooke went to work in an Ely dentist office. She held this job until she came to work at Scenic Rivers Health Services when the company opened its Tower clinic in 2013. Brooke was instrumental in helping establishing the clinic here as Tower patients were very happy to see her working in the clinic.

Brooke served the Bois Forte Head Start program on both its Parent Council and Policy Council for two years. Both were volunteer positions.

One of Brooke’s concerns is rural and small community health care and she attributes her work at Scenic Rivers to helping her build a skill set she will find instrumental while serving on the Tower City Council, should Tower citizens decide they want her to serve Tower. “I think that working in a government funded healthcare system for these past few years has given me some great experience when it comes to working through daily issues and the decision making process. Working in the dental health care field requires a lot of teamwork and I would like to bring this mentality with me to Tower’s City Council,” Brooke said in an interview this week.

Another concern for Brooke is Tower’s future. She has staked her future in the community and is a home owner having purchased the house she grew up in on North Second Street several years ago. “I know Tower faces a lot of big decisions that the council is working on currently. I feel that a big issue is that we see a lot of properties with For Sale signs in the front yards. We need people who want to live here and join our community. Tower’s struggle is not unique, other small towns face similar issues. We definitely need more businesses in town as well as continued support for our current businesses,” Brooke explains.

Brooke has a positive outlook on Tower’s future. Looking forward several years ahead she says, “I would like to see all the empty houses in Tower filled with people. There would be more success for current Tower businesses as well as new businesses opening in town.

“I want to represent my fellow Tower citizens and make sure that their wants and needs are addressed. I think it would be great to see Tower enjoy more community activities, like Soudan has, activities that are geared to our children and our grandchildren! I think that if we start small it could lead to big success in the future.”

Brooke looks forward to meeting with and learning the concerns of Tower citizens. She wants to be a part in creating a future Tower where the needs and desires of its citizens are first and foremost and understands that when we rebuild the community for ourselves it will be extremely attractive to to other people. She appreciates any support the community can give.