mayor grid - Duluth News Tribune

Duluth mayoral
candidates
Q:
What motivated you to
run for mayor, and what
would make you an
effective city leader?
Q:
What is the most critical
challenge facing Duluth,
and what would you do
about it?
Q:
What would you do as
mayor to foster economic
growth in Duluth?
NAME: John Howard Evans
OCCUPATION: Former
accountant, retired
AGE: 57
EDUCATION: Duluth Central
Class of 1976, University of
Minnesota Duluth, bachelor’s
degree in accounting
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
30 years of accounting analysis
and preparation. Audited and
prepared financial statements
for the city of Brooklyn Park,
Community Development Block
Grant member.
ENDORSEMENTS: No response
FAMILY: Three children and two
grandchildren
WEBSITE (if applicable):
[email protected]
I am motivated to run for mayor because I
want to be a part of the process that
improves Duluth. Effective city leaders
listen to their department managers for
input and suggestions. I may align those
recommendations to better prepare the city.
There are so many exciting things
happening in Duluth, and I want to lead the
city into the next era.
The most critical challenge is something
unseen in Duluth. The sewer and gas lines
are aging and break in the winter. Street
repair is another issue. My background in
accounting and finance would serve the city
well in being able to attract businesses to
the area, leading to a diversified economy. I
am for a livable wage. (L.A. is going for $15
per hour.) You would be surprised but there
are a lot of different industries and
corporate headquarters in Duluth.
Challenging them may create economic
growth.
The workers of Duluth are our greatest
asset, and if we harness that energy it will
create economic growth. Not only do we
have a diversified economy with various
employers, we have the Duluth experience
with Bayfront and various parks and
recreation areas within the city limits. We
have a quality of life in Duluth that we can
all be proud of. The city has only so many
resources, and its primary responsibility is
to provide for the safety of its citizens
(through police and fire protection) and
basic utilities. On larger projects, we can
provide the financial backing of the city or
tax-increment financing. Those methods
should foster economic growth.
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
Duluth City Councilor, 4th
District
ENDORSEMENTS: None
FAMILY: Wife Beth (married
nearly 35 years), son Ben (31,
school teacher), daughter Emily
(22, college student)
WEBSITE (if applicable):
HowieBlog.com
Howie Hanson
NAME: Howie Hanson
OCCUPATION: Full-time real
estate investor and print
journalist
AGE: 60
EDUCATION: Attending
Wisconsin-Superior (Expects to
graduate in the fall of 2015,
journalism major and finishing
an educational goal started in
1974)
The next chapter for Duluth cannot – and will
not – include higher taxes and fees.
Together, we will fight against additional
disguised fees on our monthly utility bills.
The current approach of “We have no other
options but to raise fees and taxes in Duluth”
is simply not accurate. Serving the last two
years on the Duluth City Council has helped
me understand the complex government
process needed to move our city forward. I
understand the importance of providing
good, efficient government services. City
finances should be transparent and easier to
understand. We will defeat, though a
beefed-up police force, the tsunami of
out-of-town thugs here only to practice their
illegal activities in our city.
Duluth has a $125 million unfunded retiree
health-care liability. We have streets in
need of repair, an aging Lake Superior Zoo,
a $37 million library project being
discussed, major financial challenges at
Spirit Mountain, and a $27 million Norshor
Theatre project and a major downtown
Duluth Superior Street project in the works.
We have committed a lot of resources to
improve our image, and now we will live up
to it. We will add job-producing, tax-paying
businesses in our city to help with our
priority projects.
We will ask the business community how
the City of Duluth can help it grow. Creating
more jobs is a common-sense approach.
Business retention and recruitment is a
priority. Fresh water is the world’s future,
and Lake Superior is in our back yard. Lake
Superior water is more valuable than any
oil, any diamond. We will preserve Lake
Superior, protect it, and leave it in better
shape for our grandchildren — versus what
was left by earlier generations that today
we are working to clean up. Hopefully
working collaboratively with federal, state
and county governments, we will provide
economic incentives for a major water
bottling company to expand to Duluth.
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
Reconnaissance scout for U.S.
Army 1985-93
ENDORSEMENTS: Wife:
Carinda, and five children ages
14-23
FAMILY: No response
WEBSITE (if applicable):
chuckhorton.net
Chuck Horton
NAME: Chuck Horton
OCCUPATION: Former boxer,
trainer and fight promoter, now
preparing for new career as
chemical dependency counselor
AGE: 49
EDUCATION: Denfeld class of
’84; Military leadership training;
Associate’s degree from the
Fond du Lac Tribal and
Community College
I’m running because so many people have
asked me to. I’ve always been a
no-nonsense guy who would help anyone
who asked. That’s just who I am. But I’ve
just gotten sick of watching things get
worse instead of better. Kids overdosing
and dying, an increase of drugs and
drug-related crime, crumbling infrastructure, and embarrassing roads, the list goes
on. Mostly it infuriates me to see these
things going on, and being told we don’t
have money to fix them. Then we watch as
bike trails go in, theater projects progress,
and plans are made for multi-million-dollar
libraries. It just does not make sense. I
would look at the big picture, what’s best
for the whole community, not just a select
group.
Handling the unfunded liabilities while
trying to find money for roads and
infrastructure seems like the biggest
challenge to me. I will take a hard look at
the way we are spending the $281 million
of revenue we are expecting in 2015. Too
many things are being done just because
there’s a funding match. If you don’t have
the money, you just don’t have the money.
We can’t keep pushing the debt down the
road. It’s time to stand up and take
ownership for what we have, what we
need, and what we can let go of. It’s
probably not the most popular position, but
it’s the most common sense approach I can
see.
The city needs to work with businesses that
want to invest, grow and prosper in Duluth.
We need to understand what the labor
market in the entire city looks like, not just
in a segment of it. I don’t think we should
try to pursue businesses that are looking for
a labor pool that just isn’t here, unless
those companies are willing to work with
the local educational institutions to design a
specific training program. I’m all for
business expansion or relocation to Duluth.
But I don’t want to see us giving away the
shop to bring them in. Things like extreme
financial assistance or annexing
neighboring communities to further our tax
base just isn’t what I would do. We don’t
need more empty office space downtown.
NAME: Emily Larson
OCCUPATION: Owner, Emily
Larson Consulting, which
focuses on increasing
effectiveness of nonprofit
organizations
AGE: 41
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree
in social work from College of
St. Scholastica 1995, master’s
degree in social work from UMD
2008
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
Duluth City Councilor At-Large
2011-present; Duluth Economic
Development Authority
commissioner 2011-present;
former board member for Visit
Duluth, Great Lakes Aquarium,
LifeHouse, Arrowhead Regional
Development Commission;
graduate of Intermedia Arts
Creative Community Leadership
Institute and founding Advisory
Committee member of the
Duluth Energy Efficiency
Program (DEEP).
ENDORSEMENTS: Duluth DFL;
TakeAction; womenwinning;
Duluth Central Labor Body,
AFL-CIO; American Federation of
State, County and Municipal
Employees Council 5; Minnesota
Nurses Association;
FAMILY: Husband Doug Zaun
and two sons ages 12 and 14.
WEBSITE (if applicable):
LarsonForDuluth.com
I believe in our current momentum as a city,
but am also aware of the need to ensure
that everyone, and all neighborhoods,
benefit from a vibrant future. Mayors
provide a critical role in the tone, direction
and success of the city where they serve. It
takes good, solid working relationships with
people across the community to get things
done. Now more than ever, it also requires
intentional collaboration with those beyond
it, including our tribal partners, to meet the
needs of people and businesses we have in
common. I bring steady, collaborative and
experienced leadership as your Duluth City
Council president and Duluth Economic
Development Authority commissioner and
have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to
bring stakeholders together to recognize
and build upon shared interest.
Streets: press state and federal partners for
equitable transportation funding and invite
an honest community discussion about how
much we have to work with and what
residents are willing to pay. We haven’t
done that yet. While there is the ability to
find some additional funds within our
existing budget to invest in streets, it would
be incredibly misleading of anyone to
suggest there is enough money in our
municipal budget to fully address this issue
while maintaining other basic services
people rely on. I see two additional critical
issues which need to be addressed
concurrently: Housing: we have affordability
and energy gaps within both homeownership and rental markets; Equity: we have
increasing economic disparity between
people and neighborhoods.
I will build upon our current progress in this
area. In conventional economic development, there are some financial tools we can
access, like tax abatement or TIF. But we
also have the leverage of zoning, land, staff,
policy makers, and relationships with
legislators and neighboring governments, to
package opportunities in ways that can
provide tangible public economic benefit
while creating a positive and reliable climate
for businesses and entrepreneurs. As mayor
I will expand upon convention by incorporating a holistic approach to economic
development, and invest in neighborhood
commercial corridors so people have places
to go and things to do near their home.
Sustainable economic growth is about
business development, but it’s also about
wages of employees and ensuring a broader
community benefit.
NAME: James Mattson
OCCUPATION: Service
department, Kolar Toyota in
Duluth
AGE: 63
EDUCATION: Cathedral
(Marshall) graduate, UMD
bachelor's degree in history with
a minor in art
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
No elected/civic experience, but
I care for my city
ENDORSEMENTS: No
endorsements as of yet
FAMILY: Wife: Laurie, daughters
Ashley and Maloree, and 3
grandsons. Mother Mary, who is
99, still living on her own
My motivation was brought on by how much
this city has been mismanaged. In the past,
it seems that wants far outweigh the needs.
When the Fond-du-Luth Casino was paying
the city the revenue tax that they were
contracted to do, the city didn't use the
money for street repairs and infrastructure.
Now that the casino doesn't have to pay
$13.5 million, it will fall on the citizens. We
can do better. I will dedicate my energy and
time to accomplish the things that need to
be done. I will make decisions and stand by
them with honesty and integrity. I believe in
that. We need a breath of fresh air, not the
same old political agenda. I will take the
common sense approach.
The most critical challenge will be to get
the economy moving onward and upward,
cutting back on “government,” and update
the streets and infrastructure. We need to
bring in good paying jobs, i.e. manufacturing and industry. The tax base needs to be
broadened, and the “fat” has to be
trimmed. There is money spent on useless
things, such as the study that cost $80,000,
in order to talk about building a new library.
Where could that money have been used
more wisely? City employees use
city-owned cars. Why not use their own and
get reimbursed for mileage? It may seem
trivial, but it adds up. I will also take a
$20,000 pay cut immediately, if elected.
Developing the old steel plant site would
truly invigorate the western environs, and it
is long overdue. I would focus on getting
industry, manufacturing plants into that
area to create more jobs. I will work with
the state to attract companies to the area. I
will reduce the many restrictions and
regulations, permit processing, and
inspections. It is overdone. We need a
business-friendly Duluth, and should not
send companies across the bridge to
Wisconsin. Our coffee houses and brewing
businesses are doing well, but in order to
hire more people and keep them steadily
working, the larger businesses would be
necessary to the growth of Duluth.
NAME: Robert Schieve
OCCUPATION: Retired
AGE: 53
EDUCATION: No response
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
No response
ENDORSEMENTS: No response
FAMILY: One of 12 children
from the St. Croix Chippewa
Tribe, Round Lake, Wis.
WEBSITE (if applicable): No
response
My running for office is on behalf of Steve
O’Neil, who taught me a great deal. He was
a man I came to have great respect for. I
learned that going with your heart is what
makes you. I believe in his vision and also
the vision of the honorable Don Ness and
would continue their vision if elected. I’m a
former activist. I believe in standing up for
the people’s rights. I was involved with
keeping the Seaway Hotel open. In 1996, I
sat in front of the historic cemetery on
Madeline Island where some destroyed
native graves and artifacts. That same
month, I was asked to camp out on the
railroad tracks on the Bad River Reservation
to stop an $11 billion company from
transporting sulfuric acid through ceded
territory.
We need to find better ways to help
homeless people. There are empty
buildings that could be looked at for that
purpose. The bricks on Superior Street and
downtown sidewalks need to be repaired or
taken out completely. Safety is my No. 1
priority. There are a number of cracks on
the 53 overpass by my house that need
repair. I would hate to have a disaster like
the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed.
We need a better relationship with the Fond
du Lac Tribe, because the casino is in the
city of Duluth and money would be my
No. 1 issue with them to help with city
plans if I am elected mayor. Taxes, bond
and the library issues will come next
NAME: John Socha
OCCUPATION: contractor
management; private pilot,
Patriot Aerial Photography &
Videography; softball organizer;
charitable gaming manager;
commercial driver; sports
official
AGE: 64
EDUCATION: Duluth Central
Class of 1969; U.S. Army
Infantry 1970-72; UMD/UWS
B.S. in liberal arts/psychology/sociology; UWS graduate
studies in psychology 1977-79.
ELECTED/CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
No response
ENDORSEMENTS: No response
FAMILY: No response
WEBSITE (if applicable): No
response
My passion to contribute to the improvement of Duluth prompts a personal moral
obligation to offer my abilities. Should the
voters consider my experiences,
knowledge, wisdom and integrity adequate
qualifications for effectively representing
and leading Duluth, it will be an honor and
a privilege to serve.
There are many public declarations of
policy for candidates to select from,
including expanding tourism in Duluth,
taxation, infrastructure concerns, housing,
unlicensed county social workers, street
conditions, a new library, privatization of
Duluth’s public services and identification
requirements for voting. Of all these
possible courses of action representing and
leading Duluth with transparency and
integrity and re-establishing relations with
the Native American community supersedes
all other platforms to be addressed by me.
Restoring dignity and mutual respect to
relations between Duluth and the Native
American community will provide the
impetus for moving toward a common
prosperity.
Focusing on promoting Duluth as a tourist
mecca and providing more services for
tourists will enhance Duluth’s popularity for
attracting even more U.S. and Canadian
citizens to this area. Expanding areas of
tourism such as security, shuttling,
information centers, guided tours,
recreational activity areas, housing for
tourists and amusements for their children,
all contribute to employment opportunities
and economic growth for Duluth’s citizens
and businesses. Maintaining a constant
vigil to seek out and develop economic
growth wherever possible serves to benefit
us all.
John Howard
Evans
Emily Larson
James Mattson
Robert Schieve
John Socha
NOTE: Due to health issues, Thomas Cooper did not respond to questions the News Tribune sent to mayoral candidates more than two weeks ago.