Duluth MN Politics and Government Info from Perfect Duluth Day

Next Image

Politics Posts

Duluth deserves better than a mismanaged tourism marketing contract

Dec 02, 2024 1 Comment

The city of Duluth is at a crossroads with its tourism marketing. After years of underwhelming performance from an out-of-town marketing firm, city leaders promised a better process and outcome this time.

City mismanagement, however, undermined that commitment. A poorly-planned and hastily-executed request-for-proposal process, confusing guidance and unnecessary delays have left Duluth with a troubling outcome: A recommendation to hire another out-of-town agency with no knowledge of the city’s tourism industry and significant client conflicts to lead Duluth tourism marketing for the next two years.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Tourism

PDD Geoguessr #30: Minnesota and the Presidential Election

Nov 17, 2024 No Comments

Minnesota 2024 presidential election results by county.

Minnesota’s electoral college votes have gone to the Democrats since 1976, longer than any other state. But unlike Washington D.C., which went 90% for Harris and has given its three electoral votes to the Democrats since 1964 (but is not a state), Minnesota’s politics are a bit more complicated. In its most simplistic form, the strongly left-leaning Twin Cities metro area counters the right-leaning Greater Minnesota population, with a few urban areas creating pockets of blue. But that’s the simplistic version. This post looks at the Minnesota results at the precinct level and includes three Greater Minnesota Geoguessr challenges. One visiting the precincts where Trump had the highest margins of victory, another for the precincts that went most strongly to Harris, and a third for precincts split right down the middle.

Politics Geoguessr Challenges

Duluth 2024 General Election Results

Nov 05, 2024 No Comments

With 4,103 of 4,103 precincts reporting, here are the statewide general election results for races relevant to Duluth.

—FEDERAL OFFICES—

President and Vice-President of the United States
Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz – 1,653,657
Donald J. Trump and JD Vance – 1,514,261
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan – 24,426
Jill Stein and Samson Kpadenou – 16,669
Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat – 15,620
Write in – 13,269
Cornel West and Melina Abdullah – 3,508
Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia – 3,423
Shiva Ayyadurai and Crystal Ellis – 3,226
Rachele Fruit and Dennis Richter – 857

News and Current Affairs, Politics Election Information

Duluth 2024 Primary Election Results

Aug 13, 2024 No Comments

With 4,102 of 4,102 precincts reporting, here are statewide primary election results for races relevant to Duluth.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Election Information

Duluth 2024 Primary Election Sample Ballot

Jul 30, 2024 No Comments

Perhaps the most important thing to note about the Aug. 13 primary ballot is what isn’t on it. There are no city of Duluth or Duluth School Board races in this election cycle. There are several state, county and judicial offices that have no primary, so those candidates go straight to the general election on Nov. 5. And there is nothing on the primary ballot related to the U.S. Presidency because that is up to party delegates to determine.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Election Information

Duluth 2024 Primary Election Primer

May 28, 2024 No Comments

The filing period for candidates running for federal, state and county offices in Minnesota is from May 21 to June 4. The primary election is Aug. 13; the general election is Nov. 5.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Election Information

The Peoples Temple: A Unique Duluth Resource

May 02, 2024 No Comments

My friend and colleague Elizabeth Nelson has donated some remarkable materials to the archives at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The Elizabeth Nelson Peoples Temple Collection contains items relevant to the alternative religious organization founded by Jim Jones, best known for a mass suicide/murder in 1978 at its “Jonestown” settlement in Guyana.

Art, History, Politics

R. I. P. Florian Chmielewski

Apr 29, 2024 No Comments

Florian Chmielewski, leader of the Chmielewski Funtime Band and a Minnesota state senator from 1971 to 1976, died last week at his home in Sturgeon Lake at the age of 97.

Music, News and Current Affairs, Politics, R.I.P. Polka

Duluth Mail Bag: Safe Streets, Tabling

Apr 04, 2024 No Comments

As a two-time former Duluth city councilor, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

Politics Duluth City Council, Duluth Mail Bag, Transportation

Attention Billionaires: Get Bent

Mar 30, 2024 6 Comments

“And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were no longer even remotely human.”

― William Gibson, Count Zero

Attention billionaires: get bent. As the recent “Cheerios” kerfuffle illustrates, Minnesota billionaire ~~Karen~~ Kathy Cargill is acting like a terrible neighbor in Duluth. Google her name to see the universally bad press she has unleashed upon herself. Basically, Mayor Roger Reinert had the temerity to point out that Cargill was not actually being helpful, and she ran crying to the Wall Street Journal, like ya do. It was there Cargill laid bare her toxic billionaire’s view of the world: “The good plans that I have down there […] forget it […] I think an expression that we all know — don’t pee in your Cheerios — well, [Reinert] kind of peed in his Cheerios right there, and definitely I’m not going to do anything to benefit that community.” Imperious much? Get bent.

Politics, Random Saturday Essay

Minnesota Presidential Primary Election Primer 2024

Mar 01, 2024 No Comments

Minnesota’s Presidential Nomination Primary Election is on Tuesday, March 5. The state’s three major parties have an array of candidates to choose from. Each party has a separate ballot; voter’s must request the ballot of the party of their choice.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Election Information

Roger Reinert sworn in as mayor of Duluth

Jan 02, 2024 No Comments

Roger J. Reinert was officially sworn in today as Duluth’s mayor during an inauguration ceremony at Duluth City Hall. City leadership and staff, community members and various elected officials gathered at noon in the first-floor rotunda to mark the occasion.

News and Current Affairs, Politics Roger Reinert

Duluth Mail Bag: Lower Taxes, Viewsheds and Roundabouts

Nov 30, 2023 1 Comment

As a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

News and Current Affairs, Politics DECC, Duluth City Council, Duluth Mail Bag, Taxes, Transportation

Duluth Mail Bag: Tourism Taxes, Bike Lanes and Bonding

Sep 27, 2023 1 Comment

As a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

Apologies for the delay in this column, I’ve been chasing Springsteen across the country and watching the Twins clinch the AL Central. OK, here we go!

Politics Bicycling, Duluth Mail Bag, Tourism

John F. Kennedy’s 1963 Duluth Speech

Sep 24, 2023 No Comments

Sixty years ago today — Sept. 24, 1963 — President John F. Kennedy spoke in Duluth during the Northern Great Lakes Region Land and People Conference. The event was held in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Physical Education Building.

History, Politics UMD