Duluth Mayor Don Ness had a chance to take his kids to Washington, D.C., on an invitation to the White House Easter Egg Roll. But his wife and three kids, ages 8, 6 and 2, will have to settle for a Midwestern Easter egg hunt.
Cue the sorry game show music.
"We'll hide some plastic eggs in the back-yard snowbank and save $3,000 in flights and hotels," the mayor wrote on his Facebook page. "The kids will probably enjoy that just as much AND we'll be able to afford groceries for the next six months!"
The trip would cost more than the value of the truck he drives to work, he commented.
The mayor's post got more than 700 "likes," with some commenters praising his practical thinking and others offering to chip in to send Duluth's first family on the trip.
As a public official, Ness said, he can't take such contributions. "The thought was very meaningful," he said in an interview. "We appreciate that."
Pam Louwagie
@pamlouwagie
