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Mr.Nice on Parade

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The street scene at Lake and Superior... Don't forget to vote... and go see some live music this weekend... Ness for Mayor!! (oh... i mean... Mr.Nice for mayor...)

Comments

I drove by just as this scene dispersed. As I was sitting at the light, I watched a homeless man as he watched them walk down the street. Then he shook his head and said, "Guess I'd better start praying."


I am impressed that you youngsters will go to so much trouble to have fun. But I wish I felt you had a better grasp of the issues and weren't just voting for Ness because "he went to Homegrown, he must be cool."


Carla- Are you for real? Who are you? If that is a serious question then "I wish YOU had a better grasp of the issues"


Carla is a good person and a successful progressive, business person who happens to be supporting another candidate. I have great respect for her support of progressive causes.

It's unfortunate that some campaigns are trying to promote their candidates by tearing others down - that's the sort of status-quo politics we're out to change.

I would hope, however, that Carla and others would direct their negative comments directly at me rather than making condescending comments towards young voters. Many folks here have a much better grasp of what's going on in town, and love this city, more than most.

One last clarification - the people on this board know that I'm NOT cool, I just have cool friends.

My approach over the years is to do all of the uncool, behind the scenes tasks necessary to celebrate the talent we have in town. Now many of those friends are returning the favor, which I appreciate.


I knew there was a reason you were so cool Donny! Freakin' Homegrown? You kiddin me? Jesh, I tell you. . . I'm putting all my money on that man.


I do have some advice for Carla. Perhaps in your next post you could be a little more condescending. FYI there are a large number of "informed" voters who are supporting Don. If his only base of support were the Homegrown crowd, his candidacy would be doomed. No candidate is going to get through on Tuesday based on how cool a group of kids may believe him to be. I have no problem with anyone supporting another candidate. My problem arises from certain people tearing down other candidates instead of building up their own.


If committee meetings have gotten cool, I'll poke my eyes out.


How did Homegrown get tied in to a sock puppet?

And who said anything about voting for Don cuz he was cool? Sheesh. I'm voting for Don because he's the tallest (oh... I already cast my absentee ballot for Don today...).

Oh, and because he's bright, non-aggressive, talented, with the most BESTest qualifications for the position. And because he's tall.

For the record, I learnt about absentee ballots cuz I went to Homegrown. Homegrown rocks the vote!! Long live Homegrown.


Here, Here. Donny- good to know that Carla isn't just a drive by shooter, even if her comments were way off base and condescending. Good luck in your efforts to get past the primary.


I

I mean, I never used to be one for blood sports, but I make an exception for Duluth.

Pass the popcorn.


err... that first line was supposed to be "I [heart] Duluth politics." but I forgot I couldn't use "lesser than" signs.


I feel the need to slightly clarify my earlier statements, lest I offended anyone. I didn't mean to make it seem like there were just two groups of people supporting Don Ness: informed voters and Homegrown Music Fest fans. That kind of implies that people who go to Homegrown aren't informed voters, and many are. My point was simply that Don's base goes far beyond the relative few uniformed voters who say they're going to vote for Don simply because they saw him at a Low concert.


Luckily, Renegade has several different sketches in mind for each candidate. We are ready for our holiday revue no matter which way you uninformed artists vote!


kind of a strange place to put this Carla, there is a post a few down on the main page that might be a better fit, actually there is more than one post other than this where it is more appropriate. There are a number of decent candidates this primary that would make a good mayor, the sensible thing to do, honestly, is fight a good fair fight in the primary then throw your support to the better of the two winners. Honestly you didn't bring up any issues why people shouldn't vote to Ness. OMG, he went to Homegrown? Hell all that says is that he likes live music, not really an issue that has anything to do with the, you know, mayors race... And yeah, as Chris said if it was just the Homegrowners who supported Ness he wouldn't even be in the running, you probably saw however that Stauber (shock), Stewart, and Reinert have all backed Ness, thats a pretty good range of people. There is a term used on the internet for those that pop in and make inflammatory comments unrelated to the topic at hand, who wants to use it?


Troll???


i'm all for voters who turn out in uniform.


Hmmm... so OK I am a condescending uninformed bomb thrower - cool.
What do you all see as the issues and how do you see your candidate being the best person?
I am willing to do the smae for mine - but you first.


Hmmm... so OK I am a condescending uninformed bomb thrower - cool.
What do you all see as the issues and how do you see your candidate being the best person?
I am willing to do the same for mine - but you first.


Carla,

I think the PDD community is attacking you for your prior comment mainly because it was not in context to the post it was attached to. We all have a right to support the candidate of our choice and I don't think there is a single PDD reader that would dispute that. But to suggest that we don't have a grasp of the issues because of a Mr. Nice rally on Lake and Superior just seems weird.

I would also like to point out as the founder of Homegrown that Donny Ness didn't just go to Homegrown but he actually saved it. If it were not for his stepping in and organizing Homegrown it would just be a pleasant memory. Now Homegrown is profitable and I believe it will become as important to Duluth as Grandmas Marathon and the Bluesfest.

Yes we like to have fun in Duluth. We also love that Duluthians run a blue puppet for mayor. So lets all get along and debate the issues that Duluth is facing without attacking.

Peace, out.


hear hear starfire...

if anything, carla, those of us here on PDD are probably more informed than you realize about the issues we face living in Duluth as well as being well tuned in to the national, international, and environmental issues that affect us all.

if you're asking US what the issues are, than you probably need to do a bit more research on your own rather than confront a group of people you barely know anything about.

We'd simply like NOT to turn the discussion into the personal "i'm right, you're wrong" type of thread that you're trying to force here.


Well put Starfire. Really none of these bombs change anything... They just end up getting under peoples skin and what good is that doing? Politics is a very personal thing to some people and some people react in a negative way I guess. I plan to vote the same way as I did weeks ago. I vote on record not yard signs and lame TV adds. Duluth has some of the worst TV adds.


I'm not voting for either of your candidates, but to say Carla's post has nothing to do with the original post which includes 1)Ness, 2)the puppet, and 3)live music seems pretty disingenuous. Heck, let's just say wrong. And whether her impression of voting reasons is accurate or not, it's pretty widespread.


Oops! I read that original post several times and missed the Ness mention. My bad, I apologize for saying it was not in context. I guess I need to work on my reading comprehension. I do however stand by the rest of my comment.


What Carla was doing was making a condescending judgment that the people that frequent this site or get a kick out of Mr Nice, many of whom are Duluth citizens, don't have a grasp of the issues. As Donny pointed out she supports 'another' candidate. Well I'm sure that she thinks Greg Gilbert is the best candidate, her letters to the DNT have made that clear. Greg is a polarizing figure in Duluth politics. He has been for years. So it's no surprise that one of his supporters is making divisive comments on a site that doesn't promote her candidate.

As far as the assumption that having some fun with Mr Nice means that PPD collectively has its head in sand. Well. Not everyone needs to be so outspoken in their support of politics or a particular candidate. If my reaction to your post is any indication then others who quietly proceed with their civic involvement are turned off by your advancement of divisiveness.



Uh-oh! Are we lacking substance again?


Yeah, zra, my other half just told me that it's hear, hear NOT here, here.


I too, offer a partial retraction. Gilbert might make a fine mayor, hell, out of the how friggen many people are running there are at least four I would vote for with no hesitation in the general election. My analysis is entirely my own, and might contain flaws but I suspect Gilbert's time has past to make a strong run for the office, (and I have been getting way too many weird phone calls from his campaign, argumentative and insisting that I belong to a union). We'll see next week.
On a larger scale I've been thinking that Duluth should go the "city administrator" route, give the council the predominant bulk of power and turn the mayor into a efficient clerk and figurehead.


isn't that what i said?

hear hear...as in "i hear you and agree with your statement..." or here, here...take this beer away from me or i'll drink it."


zra-yeah i was wrong, not you.


i dunno...i'm wrong about a lot of things quite a bit of the time...


trying to goad people into a rock fight isn't the most accepted manner of trying to win votes for your particular 'choice' of candidates...regardless of perception, carla's intent was just that.

sorry, i'm not falling for it.


Guys Guys - it's just not true that i was trying to start a fight - whatever else might be true - that just isn't.
I think we probably have more in common than you all would want to admit. I like Donny as a person. He knows what he did that I didn't like and he has said he regretted it. Some of greg's supporters do seem to be loose canons.
But i still respect Greg for what I believe is his integrity. I also respect Meg Bye.
The truth is, I genuinely do not get what seems to me to be younger people's monolithic support of Donny and i was genuinely just curious as to what you saw there. I like Donny as a person - as I said - but do not have any real sense of what he represents. And I do not believe that is because I have neglected to inform myself.
Fighting is way far off any agenda I might have and has been for probably 30 years. I apologize and it was not my goal to piss anybody off.
CB


backpedal backpedal backpedal.


now now zra, lets just take it at face value and see if we can turn this into something actually interesting.
Carla, most of the people on this blog may not be "old", but I'd also hardly call them young, most everyone I know here are at least in their mid thirties ranging upwards, there are some younger but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule (afaik).
I'm not sure what particular incident you are referencing that Ness failed to impress you with, but in general people make mistakes and do things they regret, our current mayor is a good example of that, yet I still like Bergson and if he makes it through I'd most likely vote for him (depending on who else made it through).
Now taking a stab at the question of why the "younger folk" seem to support Ness so much. It may be that he seems to be much closer to them demography wise, more of a peer than the other candidates, and like it or not those things can be an influence. Why people here support Ness, well you've found a corner of the internet where many of the posters actually know and in some cases (I think)grown up with him (doesn't really apply to me mind you).
But that is kind of issues aside, have you read the Hillsider questionnaire the mayoral candidates filled out? There is some good material there, here's Ness' for example. I'm sure your mysterious candidate has one as well. cheers


now now zra, lets just take it at face value and see if we can turn this into something actually interesting.
Carla, most of the people on this blog may not be "old", but I'd also hardly call them young, most everyone I know here are at least in their mid thirties ranging upwards, there are some younger but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule (afaik).
I'm not sure what particular incident you are referencing that Ness failed to impress you with, but in general people make mistakes and do things they regret, our current mayor is a good example of that, yet I still like Bergson and if he makes it through I'd most likely vote for him (depending on who else made it through).
Now taking a stab at the question of why the "younger folk" seem to support Ness so much. It may be that he seems to be much closer to them demography wise, more of a peer than the other candidates, and like it or not those things can be an influence. Why people here support Ness, well you've found a corner of the internet where many of the posters actually know and in some cases (I think)grown up with him (doesn't really apply to me mind you).
But that is kind of issues aside, have you read the Hillsider questionnaire the mayoral candidates filled out? There is some good material there, here's Ness' for example. I'm sure your mysterious candidate has one as well. cheers


One thing we could do is have a talk about problems and solutions. How about sustainability. To me that is directly related to air,water, food and shelter. The French gov. purchased 10,000 electric cars. Maplewood mn has 450 rainwater gardens. Burnsville reduced water runoff by over 90% in one area, Iowa has three new factories making windmills. California is installing solar electric on new homes. The Chinese are way into electric cars. Tidal power and biomass are going on line. We are wonder how to keep young people here. lets talk about something progressive. Instead of being 30 years behind lets get into the game. There's talk about bringing back the draft. We're going be in a lot of wars over oil. Here's one thing we could do. Let's give the high schools an assignment. You have to research the resources that are available in Duluth. What is our labor pool. you generate a overall look at what Duluth has to offer. You learn how to put it in a letter. you research every company that has anything to do with solar or windpower or the like and you contact them. Do they have something they need . What can we make for you? How many contacts could they make? 5000? 10000? If you were a kid who brought a bussiness to town that was progressive wouldn't you be proud? Might keep you from going of to fight. Let's hear some ideas. What is sustainability Frank Nichols


the "incident" Carla is referring to, i believe, is when he declined to support Nancy Nelson by voting to appoint her to the empty council seat some years ago, which by virtue of her high vote count, was deserved. (instead he supported Roger Reinert.) i don't remember if he said one thing and did another, but he definitely showed that he has a well developed streak of... um... political machination-ability (i'm not feeling very articulate, can you tell?) that turned off many older progressive voters, seemingly for life.

he has apologized to many for this act, oftentimes in person and after lengthy discussion. what those anti-Ness progressives are saying is that he's not to be trusted.

Carla, i still sometimes waver toward Gilbert. i like Meg. and i still like Herb. they all have their attributes, and their values match mine. however, there is an element of pragmatism that comes to mind when i lean toward Ness. i don't think that Gilbert has demonstrated himself as a good leader, and he hasn't demonstrated, repeatedly, that he can beat a conservative candidate. in many ways, i think he's an element of the past, as is Herb, for other reasons. Meg has a strong whiff of that, but i mainly don't think she's presented herself as a strong candidate, and i'm no longer a woman who votes for a woman simply because she's a woman. i don't think that "being a good mediator" is enough to lead our city into the future.

i'm voting for Donny because i think he can beat Bell. (if Bell doesn't make the cut, which i suppose could happen, i'll have to rethink.) i also think that despite the fact that i don't always agree with Donny's votes or his politically expedient nature, he's forward thinking in a way this city needs desperately, and he understands what it will take to get there. i trust him to work with people, and i trust him to listen to me when i call and tell me what he really thinks, even though i don't necessarily know if he'll cave to interests i despise. (but see, i don't trust any of the others not to do that either, being an anarchist sort.)

i think he's a smart guy who has a better grasp of what's coming down the pike than the other alternatives.

what most people here are reacting to, IMO, is your expressed condescension toward people you perceive to be "young" because they're younger than you. (and therefore somehow intellectually deficient.) however, they're fully adults, many of whom now have children. they are avid readers of the issues, but they have a strong sense of the absurdity of politics and its bullshit--hence Mr. Nice. i think that many of us do think of Gilbert/Bergson/Bye as representatives of a older Left that has proven to be ineffective for their respective reasons.

Ness isn't getting votes just because people see him at shows. But the fact that he shows up to things (and actually does things to make them happen/survive) means that people see him as a human being, and one who is deeply connected to the culture that many of us see as integrally Duluthian.

what have any of the other lefty candidates done on the ground to make downtown into a place to be, and foment the arts culture we care about? little to nothing, that's what. for many older people who couldn't give a fuck, it's irrelevant. but it's not irrelevant to the people who post here.


one more thing: i think the conservative voters/PTB around here (and everywhere) are prone to relentlessly attack any progressive candidate who gains leadership. they will use their money and power to destroy anyone who gets in their way, whether by picking apart their reputation or by portraying the person as weak or ineffective. i think that Donny's less vulnerable to those sorts of attacks than the other candidates, and that we are thus less likely to get a rebound conservative influx at the end of his term.


i'm voting for ness cuz he bought me a beer once.


Oooooh - 39 comments. It's been a while since we had a PDD shitstorm!


hbh...one of the only issues they can really dig into...and keep doing so, and rather relentlessly I might add, is Mr. Ness' decade old financial misstep concerning his automobile.
kind of like a bad penny, they keep digging it up over and over and over...


Thats pretty good for "not feeling very articulate" hbh. (btw I still have your photos from last year, I need to get them back to you or pay you for them or something. sorry


I'm voting for the puppet...


...which could be any number of candidates. Ba Da Bing!


*goes out to pop some more organic popcorn*

Duluth politics... gotta love it.


As two old farts my wife and I were talking while riding home today and realize there really is no one to vote for in this election. Just more of the same. Oh you could vote for one that is not in the top four but they won't make it through the primary anyway. I'll just be glad when I don't have to see any of their names plastered all over town. These lawn signs start to get quite unsightly. All of them want to pick your pockets once in office.


Having known Carla for a few years, I can say with much certainty that she did not intend to sound as condescending as she came off in her post. I also do not think that her intention was to pick a fight, but to stir up the pot a bit, bolster her progressive cause (which she wears in bold letters on her sleeve) a little, and get people talking (which she most certainly has done).
Thank you, hbh, for putting so eloquntly what I have been feeling lately. The dyed-in-the-wool liberal in me says that Greg Gilbert is the candidate who most closely aligns with my values. I'm just worried that if he is elected, Mr. Gilbert will run into more fences than gateways and leave office after 4 years, stymied at every turn.


You all are very silly. But far be it for me not to chime in on a political post.

Now I've read all 46 comments, and I have to say that the one I find most lucid - hell, the only one I really find lucid - is anarch's, second from bottom. There ARE no REAL issues being discussed by candidates in this election, so all you people can do is write notes bashing each other for being "negative" to each other. While this makes for an amusing blog read, it's really disingenuous to call it "politics" at all.

OK, there is one other exception besides anarch, and that's Frank Nichols's post. I think it's a little rambling and unfocused, and I don't agree with some of what he seems to take for granted... but at least the post has some substance to it.

You want issues? Forget about Homegrown. Forget about Nancy Nelson. Forget about how tall Donny is, or who is more "negative," or what any other candidates look and sound like for that matter. These "issues" are fluff that keeps people's brains turned off to what's really going on.

How about homelessness. There are a few hundred people, human beings, many of them mentally ill and many of them veterans, who have nowhere indoors to sleep. I'd say this is an issue - and one that could be fixed tomorrow with the right approach. How about the working poor, people who don't make enough for their families to live decently. How about people without health insurance - while SMDC gets a city-paid parking ramp, people who can't afford insurance or can't find full-time work in this depressed job market are left uncared for. How about the fact that the rich are getting richer and working people are getting poor, the middle class is shrinking and average wages are declining? How about racism and slum lords in the heart of the city? How about the general sense of hopelessness and helplessness that lead ever greater numbers of people to the pit of depression and drugs?

Screw sock puppets and once-a-year college music orgies. I'd like to know, Messers Candidates, what you plan to do about the ISSUES. How are you going to confront the status quo? How are you going to lift the quality of life for everyone, from the bottom up? Who is going to have the guts to really stand up to business, and not give them free passes (TIF districts, etc.) but rather tax the hell out of them and give it back to those who need it? I don't see any hands so far.


My goodness, I feel some heat coming from these postings. Someone said that Don was cool because he went to Homegrown, I believe he puts it on, he is one of the heads of the whole thing. Cheers to Brian M, the local artists are probably one of the most informed groups in the city. Don has no ties to any special interest group. The only people he has to answer to are the citizens of Duluth, an I believe he wouldn't have it any other way. I think it is time to let the next generation in and straighten this city out. I will be proud to cast my vote for Don on Tuesday. I think that every other voter needs to take a strong look in Dons direction.


Ah, a response. You're right I am a little out of focus. Since I turned 60 I have noticed that I do ramble, but then I usually forget about it. Go figure that one. I will try to explain these rambling with a little more focus. I hope you will forgive me if i don't discuss the issues you brought up. They are very real and need to be addressed. I hope I can tie them into mine and show how they are all related. I believe there are serious problems out there and we need to get on with it. I also believe that what happens in Duluth is important to what happens in the country and the world and that we need leadership that not only can see the big picture but can bring Duluth into doing what we can to help solve the mess we are in. There are many positive things happening, not only in Duluth but across the world. Let's not get into why we can't do it. That's to easy and there really is to much at stake. So let's look at my ramblings and let me see if I can be more focused. 10,000 electric cars in France. All my sources are found on Goggle. If you type what I write it should take you right there. I double checked each one . Go to La poste electic cars france. Lets stir the pot a little. Go to NRDC Exhausted by diesel Chapter 2. Now we know the anti smoking lobby is worried about cancer and rightly so. There is a connection between electric cars , cancer and diesel motors. I let you figure that out. Rainwater gardens. Go to Burnsville rainwater gardens,Features vol 48 no 5 Burnsville Rainwater Gardens. How does this relate to the concept of sustainabilty? How many jobs is this creating? What about the quality of your drinking water? Solar electrity Calif. Go to Go solar Calif. Windpower Iowa Go to A powerfull developement West Branch Times West Branch Iowa. Chinese electric cars Go to Marshall's Brain's blog cheap electric cars from China. The draft go to Rangel memoir Reinstate the draft. Here a couple of other ones. Local food Wikpedia the free encylopedia. Then how about Green sewage plant grows greener Oakland tribune or Moco Loco Off the grid house or The Arcata Marsh and Widlife Santuary. Enough for now . I hope maybe this helps a little bit. Oh one more things the schools. The kids can do this because they don't understand no unless that what you teach them Frank Nichols


Two more things. If you are in high school and can understand my concept try this site Renewable Energy Directory. Also for you blogers, If your going to make opinions about people at least be brave enough to put your name on it.


SO:
Homeless: other than CHUM, LandTrust/Women in Construction, what else? What would work?
Aquarium - should be owned by UMD and be made a homebase for the Blue Heron and other fresh water research/education - like the Shedd.
Business/development - universal affordable healthcare is the single most important business amenity - much more important than JOBZ, TIF, DEDA or Iron Range Resources.
Cars and bikes that can be checked out like library books - slide in your card - vehicle is unlocked.
Peer reviewed access to places like Washington Studios that are TRUELY affordable.
What else?


I will vote for anyone who promises to turn the Aquarium into an indoor water park.

Seriously, does it not make absolutely perfect sense? Huh? Doesn't it?


Well some of these issues are much bigger than city issues. Hells yeah I'm all for Universal Health care, but it needs to come from at least the State level not city level, the numbers are simply not there to be able to implement it on such a small level. A much more progressive tax system would be great as well, but if it is not implemented on a region based system it will gut what industry base we have and excerbate some of the same issue we are trying to fix, significantly higher business taxes in one small city will push many to leave, cause higher unemployment higher homelessness etc. It is really pricey for a small business to operate, I am the owner of a small art sales and promotion company, payroll tax, unemployment tax, sales tax, fees for a CPA, business account fee at the bank, transaction fees for PayPal or credit cards, all so I can employ one person. If taxes went up significantly that would be one more person unemplyeed. Such things should and need to be addressed, but they all pull on one another so simply yelling that we need "X" right now and we need to implement it whatever the cost overlooks that doing so will have unforeseen consequences in other important areas.
I really don't like the JOBZ idea and wouldn't cry a tear if it got axed, but I do understand the potentially good motivations behind it. I think, we have to be careful about what we can realistically expect from any Mayor, what they will do and what they can actually do. Directly confronting the status quo does not get you elected in a democracy, the status quo , largely, is what elects candidates. Anarch's comment speaks to a wider problem, that I'm not sure how we can fix. The systemic mistrust of all authority. Politicians, police, doctors, clergy, etc etc. The overwhelming majority of these folks are not crooks, and do their jobs because they care about what they do, but we are so bombarded with stories of the exceptions that pretty soon we think the exceptions are the norm. The doctor who is willfully inept, the abusive cop, the corrupt politician etc. I think the wider, national/global system we live under has some very deep and systemic flaws built into it to be sure, part of it (a small part) is the automatic cynicism and marginalization in American culture at large. If you don't like the current crop of candidates, anarch, and are not going to vote when was the last time you did vote, granted I have only bee here about 12 years but I can't recall anyone significantly different running.


JOBZ has not benefited small, rural businesses in any significant way. Well intentioned, but cumbersome, the only businesses that can take advantage of it are the companies that have the resources to devote to pursuing JOBZ benefits (often by having additional offices in Minneapolis, ironically).

I WANT TO KNOW WHY some of the largest businesses in the city do not use local resources/services when they're available. Example: One of the hospitals farms out all of their printing to Minneapolis ($400,000+ yearly); so does the Area Woman for that matter; and a list of other medium to large local businesses. To save a buck—thank you, Duluth.

That's a simple example, but illustrative of a broader problem: businesses in Duluth choosing to use out-of-town resources/services to cut costs. Which, IMHO (and not looking to start an economics fight), seems whack: large local businesses utilizing community resources allows those resources/services to in turn utilize other community resources, etc.

I'm not talking trickle down theory here, it's just that all I've seen in the past 10 years is pandering to über businesses--for fear that they'll pack up and leave--only to see no significant utilization of Duluth resources/services on their part after being given TIF, parking ramp and other subsidies.

"You scratch my back, and maybe we won't think about relocating our entire operation somewhere else (where they're offering a bigger TIF package and free doughnuts on Fridays!" — WTF.

And then there's UMD. Cloistered? I thought Scholastica was the Catholic Benedictine institution!


In response to Carla's question -

OK, so, a practical solution to homelessness? We just had TWO brand-new luxury hotels open up downtown this year, and I shudder to think how many hours of work it would take for their employees to afford a night's stay at either. 150+ new luxury hotel rooms, half-million-dollar high-rise condos, million-dollar condos on the lakefront, and we can't afford to give everyone a roof over their heads? That's pathetic.

Here's my simple solution. Figure out how much money it would take to end homelessness for real. I'm talking about good, clean housing and nutritious food, but also things like free substance abuse treatment, counseling, mental illness treatment, job training, etc. Hire extra social workers to keep track of (formerly) homeless people and check up on them regularly to see that their needs are being met. Currently, CHUM and other private charities do good work, but I'm talking about a bigger scale, one that could thoroughly address and solve the problem, and paid for through the public sector. So figure out how much funding this would take, then divide this amount by the number of luxury hotel rooms and condos in the city (with the cost per condo 5X that of a hotel room) and charge it to the hotel and condo owners as a special tax. While you're at it, we can pass an ordinance that hotels have to offer anyone who qualifies a job, and pay them a living wage.

It would work. The luxury hotel sector can afford it. They're not going to take their capital and flee to China. Duluth tourism is a cash cow; the Goldfines aren't going to go belly-up having to pay a few bucks a month per hotel room to alleviate poverty. But we all know what would happen to the first mayor candidate who would say such things. They'd be tarred and feathered and dropped in the lake by the businessmen who hold the reigns around here faster than you can say "capitalism."


Other responses -

edgeways, if you don't confront the status quo, then the status quo doesn't change. You're right, though, that mayoral candidates aren't going to ultimately be able to change things, which is why we as citizens need to be organizing ourselves and thinking independent of official "politics", and demanding things from elected politicians that might just grate on their status quo.

Adam is right:
"I'm not talking trickle down theory here, it's just that all I've seen in the past 10 years is pandering to über businesses--for fear that they'll pack up and leave--only to see no significant utilization of Duluth resources/services on their part after being given TIF, parking ramp and other subsidies."

Reaganomics sucks and business is not to be trusted.

Frank, you're right, we need more renewables. I've always thought it would be really cool to put wind turbines on the sides of the archways of the Bong and Blatnik bridges. Speaking as someone of draft age, though, I can't agree with you that returning the draft would have any benefits whatsoever, except getting more kids killed for U.S. imperialism. The rich and powerful would always find ways to get their kids out of it.


rediguana, Thanks for the draft comment. I,m not being clear. I'm saying there is movement by some to reinstate the draft and its going to be about oil. No way would I be in favor of reinstateing the draft unless it was some crazy thing like putting up windmills. Speaking of which. A one megawatt wind turbine generates enough electricity for around five hundred homes and costs in the area of 1,000,000 dollars. Now if you took the 30 to 40 million that we put in the aquarium and put it in windmills, that would power somewhere around 20,000 homes or most of Duluth. One place that might be suitable would be Rice lake dump. Good wind and you won't be able to ever build houses there. If you want to get real innovative you mine the methane and put solar electric under the towers. Who knows there might even be some sort of geothermal there. Frank


Something with a little humor. We all know that electric cars are slow right. We might be drag racing on Garfield next summer so check this out. Wecome to plasma boy racing , home of White Zombie, check out the vidieos. Hey Todd, lets get out car ready


edgeways, First off I forgot to put the Y in anarch. he he I remember when I thought it would be nice to start a small business but after looking at all the regulations just said no. It is ludicrous what they put a small business operator though.
I'm pretty sure I've voted in almost every election for the last 40 or so years. I will probably hold my nose and vote in this primary too. Many many times my choice for candidate does not get in so for me the status quo really does stay the same. The only time I voted but skipped voting for president was the first time Bush ran. I could not bring myself to vote for either candidate. They were both insane but it seems one turned out to be even more insane than I thought. I predict Gilbert, Ness, Bergson, and Bell the top four in votes received.

Was just wondering why one person said they would vote for any other candidate to keep Bell from getting in? Is there something about Bell I should know?


I believe Bell would be on the more social and politically conservative side of things, more so than any of the other three or four main candidates. The members of this blog tend to run pretty socially liberal (can you tell?) so Bell isn't the huge candidate of choice around here.


I wish Gary Doty would come back and stomp all of you little pukes in the face.


Get in line.


Wow. Lots of comments. "How do you see your candidate being the best person?" Well Carla in an attempt to avoid the "i'm right, you're wrong" type of thread that zra is trying to avoid and to expand on some of the things hbh said like, Donny is..."deeply connected to the culture that many of us see as integrally Duluthian", I'm going to say that Donny has offered a glimmer of hope for moderates like me. He has put his time in. I believe he has of vision of Duluth that is most like mine. My support of Donny comes not from a single issue or a litmus test, but from years of observing his function on the city council, the way he treats people fairly and the way he is not beholden to any special interest.

If hbh is right and you, and a fair amount of Gilbert supportors, are still pouting about the Rienert / Nelson / Fedora appointment our city leadership will continue to be in tough shape. By my estimate, and your comment... He (Donny) knows what he did that I didn't like and he has said he regretted it", you once were a supporter of Donny but because Nancy Nelson didn't receive the majority of votes needed for her appointment - you are instead supporting a candidate that could enter office with the single largest special interest backing him. How does that benefit Duluth? How severely problematic is that when difficult decisions need to be made? I was at the council meeting that night. It was clear to me that he made an astute political decision and I didn't have a dog in the fight. What that night represents for me is a clear indication that Donny is not beholden to any group - that he'll make a tough call even if it means making some people unhappy. As far as him regretting it. I bet he does. Years later people are still crying about it and supporting special interest partisans as a result.

Wow. Lots of comments. "How do you see your candidate being the best person?" Well Carla in an attempt to avoid the "i'm right, you're wrong" type of thread that zra is trying to avoid and to expand on some of the things hbh said like, Donny is..."deeply connected to the culture that many of us see as integrally Duluthian", I'm going to say that Donny has offered a glimmer of hope for moderates like me. He has put his time in. I believe he has of vision of Duluth that is most like mine. My support of Donny comes not from a single issue or a litmus test, but from years of observing his function on the city council, the way he treats people fairly and the way he is not beholden to any special interest.

If hbh is right and you, and a fair amount of Gilbert supporters, are still pouting about the Rienert / Nelson / Fedora appointment our city leadership will continue to be in tough shape. By my estimate, and your comment... He (Donny) knows what he did that I didn't like and he has said he regretted it", you once were a supporter of Donny but because Nancy Nelson didn't receive the majority of votes needed for her appointment - you are instead supporting a candidate that could enter office with the single largest special interest backing him. How does that benefit Duluth? How severely problematic is that when difficult decisions need to be made? I was at the council meeting that night. It was clear to me that he made an astute political decision and I didn't have a dog in the fight. What that night represents for me is a clear indication that Donny is not beholden to any group - that he'll make a tough call even if it means making some people unhappy. As far as him regretting it. I bet he does. Years later people are still crying about it and supporting special interest partisans as a result.

It's really hard to sum up these issues. But I'd like to be able to address your comment Carla, "The truth is, I genuinely do not get what seems to me to be younger people's monolithic support of Donny...... - as I said - but do not have any real sense of what he represents" he represents the hope that Duluth will move forward at the same time that it abandons the old guard on both the right and the left.


Yep. That is a copy and paste error.


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