Yeah! I was young but those were the good ol' days. We could brick the rest of the city if John comes back!

Duluth..You're Terrific!

Of course I remember Fedo since he was mayor for my entire childhood, but I don't really know what he did to be so hated among Duluthians.

Anyone care to educate me/us?

When I moved here in '94, it was Mayor Dooty ruling the roost. What a rube he was, I too don't get why people hate Fedo when Dooty was just as corrupt and didn't do very much for this city, but lead us on this sorry road to bankruptcy.

Fedo is as much liked as hated, and known for getting things done as much as being corrupt.

It's safe to give him much of the credit for turning the city around after a difficult recession in the early 1980s. (Although the free health care for life for city employees deal was struck under his watch, but few could have known back then how bad that decision would ultimately end up being -- except, of course, for Meg Bye, who voted against it as a city councilor.)

Fedo went on trial in 1988, charged with accepting a bribe and misusing city money. There were something like two-dozen charges against him. He was acquitted of all of them. Mr. Nice would be proud.

[scurries up]
Fedo cheated on his wife.
[scurries away]

Jed, don't make us throw you off the island again.

I've got my Trevanion Hugo for Mayor sign out.

"You go and vote for Hugo!"

Nice! Put up a Vespasian Smith sign and I'll be really impressed.

I imagine Fedo also drew a lot of negative attention for being mayor during a time when Duluth was shifting from being an industrial port to being to tourist location.

I can see laid-off blue-collar workers listening to him talking about great opportunities and wondering how they were supposed to support a family by selling shellacked pieces of bark and saltwater taffy. (Famous though it may be.)

When I was house-hunting about 10 years ago, I happened to look at the house of Fedo's son and daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law was actually home, so we chatted about Fedo. She said that her daughter called him "Grandpa Dirty," which made me kind of gasp, considering the reputation I'd always heard about. His grand-daughter wasn't tuned into Fedo's controversial politics, though. She was just responding to his constant five o'clock shadow.