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Duluth's new mayor: Don Ness
Duluth City Council Member Don Ness beat businessman Charles (Charlie) Bell for the mayor's seat on Tuesday.
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Duluth City Council Member Don Ness beat businessman Charles (Charlie) Bell for the mayor's seat on Tuesday.
Ness was ahead by about 3,000 votes with 35 of 36 precincts reporting results, according to the Duluth News Tribune. Ness had 53 percent of the vote to Bell's 47 percent.
Unofficial results were not yet available from the Minnesota Secretary of State's office about the Duluth mayoral election Tuesday evening. A voting-machine malfunction held up counting in one precinct.
Incumbent Mayor Herb Bergson, who made history years ago by having been elected mayor -- at different times, of course -- of both Duluth and Superior, lost his bid in the primary as he sought a second term in Duluth. Bergson's successes in Duluth had been marred by a drunk-driving arrest and criticism over the way he handled the firing of a key city worker, and voters showed they were looking for a change.
Bell and Ness handily defeated Bergson and eight other candidates in the citywide primary to secure their spots on Tuesday's ballot for the mayor's post. In the primary, Bell received 32 percent of votes, and Ness got 24 percent. Bergson trailed with 14 percent.
Ness, 33, is a former campaign manager for DFL U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar.
Ness will take the helm of the Lake Superior port city, where retiree health care and negotiations with city labor unions have been among the most pressing local issues.
Tuesday, the News Tribune predicted voter turnout could eclipse the 52.6 percent from the 2003 election. That's given the attractions: the race for mayor, along with five city-council seats, three school-board seats and two referendums.
JOY POWELL
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