Yesterday, across Minnesota, battered women’s shelters closed their doors. Why? Not for lack of need, but for lack of priority by the state. So far shelters and childcare for low-income families have been placed in the “non-essential” services category. What then are “essential” services and who gets to decide?
Duluth citizens desiring to be a candidate for elected office must file before July 19. Candidates for city offices file with the city clerk; candidates for school board file at Historic Old Central High School in room 215.
(The list below is a final list of who filed. Updates were made to this post as filing was happening, so some comments to this post predate the completion of the list.)
Mayor of Duluth
Don Ness (incumbent)
After making the official announcement today that she’s running for President of the United States, Michele Bachmann told Fox News: “Just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa — that’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.”
One little problem: The famous star of western films is from Winterset, Iowa — 150 miles from Waterloo. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy lived in Waterloo, though.
Help kick off the campaign to re-elect Mayor Don Ness!
Wednesday, June 29
Noon Kickoff Speech and Reception
11:30am – 1 pm @ The Great Lakes Ballroom at the Holiday Inn
Mayor Ness will speak at 12:15pm
After Work Reception
4:30pm – 6pm @ The Zeitgeist Arts Café – 222 E. Superior St.
Meet and Greet with Mayor Ness and friends!
“In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts. I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: ‘Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.'”
– Jimmy Carter, New York Times Op-Ed 2011/06/16
So yeah, you can find it at the Electric Fetus. If you’re like me and you think it’s pretty neat that our little city produces so much incredible talent, maybe you should buy this CD. It has a low-key vibe to it, good for your family BBQ this summer …
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
It’s official now. He said it.
“I’m Tim Pawlenty, and I’m running for President of the United States.”
I had been wanting to see if we could have a somewhat level-headed informed and nuanced discussion on the challenger pool for Chip Cravaack in MN 8th Congressional District. I figured I’d wait until after the homegrown fog burned off to post anything, but this morning the Duluth News Tribune has a bombshell from John Lundy saying Tarryl Clark is running for the seat. Was that a bombshell for anyone else besides me?
Before I knew about Clark’s bid, I wanted to talk about other un-announced candidates. In addition to Daniel Fanning and Jeff Anderson who appear to be in Pawlenty mode, that is, campaigning-but-not-campaigning not officially in other words. Here are the people who are not campaigning but that I think might make the race interesting: Tom Rukavina, Tom Bakk and Don Ness (Donny says he doesn’t want the job and that is fine with me, I’d like to keep him as mayor for a term or 3 more). The DNT identifies a few other candidates in the article that I did not know were considering a run, including Yvonne Prettner Solon, but most of them I don’t know so I can’t comment (but you can).
So we’ve already got a half dozen “local” candidates mulling a run and then Clark rolls in from St. Cloud and changes the entire chemistry of the race. Or does she? Banter away PDDers but please save the frothy mouthed passion for the Troll Zone thread. I’m looking for thoughts and analysis here, not bile. Thanks.
Update: I discovered that MN Brown Iron Range writer/college instructor Aaron Brown, already wrote about this a couple of months ago, including the possible Clark bid.
Also, I forgot to add Karen Diver, Chairwoman and CEO of the Fond du Lac Band to my potential candidates list. She has a great deal to recommend herself for the position and to me, she’s actually the most interesting potential candidate, although I have no idea if she or anyone else besides Tarryl Clark is actually gonna run.
Update 6/14/11
“I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today and I very soon will be making my formal announcement.”
Michele Bachmann last night on CNN one of her classic headline stealing moves that has to have Tim Pawlenty’s stomach all tied up in knots today. But this means that Bachmann can not run for her 6th District seat and president at the same time.
So Today MinnPost is asking the same thing I want to know: Does this mean Tarryl Clark will give up her bid for the 8th District so she can run for an open seat in the 6th? She recieved 38% of the vote there vs. Bachmann’s 52% in 2010 according to those geniuses at wikipedia
I was reading this month’s new FDL Band Newspaper (PDF) and about halfway through I found a breezy little history piece on Chief Buffalo: Hero of the Lake Superior Ojibwe by historian Christine Carlson. The article was already interesting, then I notice mention of Duluth’s Point of Rocks which has been discussed extensively here on PDD. It sounds like the area surrounding Point of Rocks was selected by Chief Buffalo as part of one of the articles of the Treaty of 1854. The area would have also included Wisconsin Point and much of what is now considered Downtown Duluth and West End/Lincoln Park.
This Friday, my dad (and uncle, I think) will accompany 2004 presidential candidate, David Cobb, on the Twin Ports leg of his national speaking tour for Move to Amend. Mr. Cobb will speak about the perils (i.e. 2010 WI governor’s race) of corporate personhood and what is happening, nationally, to abolish it. For those who don’t remember or weren’t aware, “The Monahan brothers” walked across the U.S. last May-October to raise awareness about this issue. So, come have a pint and/or some noms and get informed about an issue that is sure to foul up our lives for generations to come!
State Finances: Federal Taxes Collected vs. Federal Funding by State
According to this, Minnesota ranks #50, meaning we get about $0.50 back in federal funding for every dollar in taxes we pay (using 2007-2009 figures).
This does not make me want to take former Senators Dayton and Coleman out for dinner in downtown Duluth.
It also brings this question to my mind: how much influence do governors have over federal funding? Are governors involved in the discussion of federal funding in any concrete way?
Another from our Rep.’s crack staff:
Cravaack Statement on Anniversary of Obamacare
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Congressman Chip Cravaack (MN-8) released the following statement on the one year anniversary of Obamacare being signed into law:
“Today marks the one year anniversary of Obamacare being signed into law. Obamacare puts government between doctors and patients; is harmful to our job creating entrepreneurs and small business owners; and has been ruled unconstitutional in federal court. Despite broad opposition from the American people, the Obama Administration and their allies on Capitol Hill used every procedural trick in the book to ram through their nearly 3,000 page partisan health care takeover.
“Since then, report after report has shown Obamacare will cost significantly more than we were told, kill jobs, raise taxes, expand government control, and increase the cost of health care for northeast Minnesotans. In response, my colleagues and I in the House passed a simple, two-page bill to repeal this legislation and begin the process of replacing it with true reforms that will expand coverage while at the same time cutting costs to consumers. I will continue to fight against the folly of Obamacare and for common sense solutions to issues within our health care system.”
