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My friend (and former Duluth City Council Member) Howie Hanson recently painted a grim picture of Duluth’s next decade as a city “limping along on nostalgia and denial” in his commentary “Cold lake, cold future” (Strib Voices, Aug. 11). As mayor, and perhaps more so a proud Duluthian, I feel compelled to offer a brighter counterpoint. Duluth is growing and thriving exactly because we are taking the deliberate and measurable action steps necessary to secure the future of our beloved Zenith City.
In Duluth we don’t treat Lake Superior as a backdrop. We are part of strong regional, state and international efforts to protect and embrace our greatest freshwater asset. In partnership with state and federal agencies, we’ve invested tens of millions in clean-water infrastructure, modernized treatment facilities, restored the St. Louis River Estuary, are reconstructing the Lakewalk and this summer opened the new Waterfront Plaza. This is stewardship in action and not the behavior of a city waiting to be exploited.
The Port of Duluth remains the Great Lakes’ leading tonnage port, moving iron ore, grain and project cargo critical to national industries. This year marks 20 years of the port contributing to America’s wind-energy sector. It has upgraded docks, expanded intermodal capacity and pursued cleaner shipping initiatives. I’m also proud to co-chair green transportation efforts for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, because we understand the port’s future depends on it. These aren’t studies gathering dust; they’re real-time investments keeping Duluth competitive now and into the future.
Duluth’s health care sector is more than “glass towers.” Essentia’s Vision Northland and the Aspirus expansion bring hundreds of high-skill, good-paying jobs in Duluth and thousands more across the region. They partner with the University of Minnesota Duluth, Lake Superior College, St. Scholastica and others to keep talented graduates here. And while enrollment trends are challenging, our higher-ed institutions are responding with new programs to serve high-demand fields from engineering to nursing to manufacturing.
Branding campaigns, public input and streetscape improvements are more than distractions. They’re part of a broader strategy to attract residents, support small businesses and grow our commercial tax base. And yet, our top priority remains core city services: streets, utilities, public safety, neighborhood parks and a great library. These are the fundamentals that only the city can deliver.
Housing costs have risen 54% in recent years, reflecting both a national trend and the reality that more people are choosing to call Duluth home. That’s why we’re focused on creating housing at all income levels: New workforce apartments in Lincoln Park and the Hillside as well as new construction and conversion residential units downtown. A priority to implement by-right construction in order to accelerate construction permitting. In 2024, we passed a 0% city levy for the first time in a decade, and this year’s will not exceed inflation. Because both prices and property taxes must be affordable and sustainable.
