Gary Doty, former Duluth mayor – "It takes about a year for a Mayor to settle in completely and establish the agenda that is discussed during a campaign. The first step is putting his team in place, which he is methodically doing, so it can carry out his priorities on behalf of the people of Duluth. It is crucial that he develop a strong working relationship with the business community through the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and our labor unions. This is particularly essential for him to carry out his expressed desire to establish housing in the downtown and to encourage downtown growth. These efforts will also inspire existing businesses to expand and will bring new ones to Duluth. He must create a strong channel of communication to the community through active organizations and news media so Duluthians sense an awareness of what is being done to better their city. Change takes time, but I believe Mayor Reinert is moving in the right direction and doing all the above, which will lead to confidence in his administration and growth in the City of Duluth."
Wendy Durrwachter, Duluth City Councilor – "As far as my thoughts on the mayor's early performance and the direction in which he'll take the city, the jury is still out. I hope he follows through on his commitment in his campaign to affordable housing. My interactions with him so far have been positive and I look forward to working with him."
Ryan Kern, president Kern and Kompany – "The communication coming from City Hall and specifically from the Administration has significantly increased and improved since the beginning of Mayor Reinert’s term. It has been refreshing to see him speak directly to Duluthians both when things are exciting and worthy of celebration, and when things are challenging. I believe Mayor Reinert is setting the stage for the changes he committed to during the campaign such as strengthening core city services and addressing the housing crisis and I’m eager to hear the specifics he will share at the State of the City next week. He has surrounded himself with great leaders in our community like Dave Montgomery, whom I have tremendous respect and admiration for, as CAO and Jessica Fralich whose experience and expertise will have a strong positive impact in City Attorney’s office. I’m excited to watch his vision unfold and as someone who has known Mayor Reinert for over 20 years, I know how selfless and hard-working he is going to be for the citizens of Duluth."
Daniel Fanning, Vice President of the Duluth Area Chamber – "Now that we are over 100 days into the new administration, it seems like the general consensus is that Mayor Reinert is saying a lot of the right things, doing a lot of the right things, focusing on many of the right priorities and showing up in the right places so far. A recent example of that was having the Mayor speak at the Duluth Area Chamber’s recent Let’s Do Lunch. We had a record turnout at the event, which demonstrates the amount of interest in the new administration and the direction we’re moving as a community. While it’s too early to judge anything based on results yet, it feels like things are generally going well and moving in the right direction. The Mayor’s focus on core city services and prioritizing key issues like economic development, downtown safety, taxes, streets, and housing certainly resonates with the business community. Those continue to be areas of top concern and where we’re all looking to help deliver tangible results. While we are seeing some positive signs of progress, we know we still have a lot of work to do and can’t rest on our laurels. No one person, or organization, can address and fix all that alone. It’s also going to continued collaboration and time to continue to make consistent progress. That said, we’re seeing a collective effort by many businesses and organizations, citizens, continued interest and investment from developers, and great leadership and cooperation from local elected officials, all working collaboratively to address our shared challenges and opportunities. For those reasons and more, I continue to be optimistic about the direction we are moving as a community while also acknowledging we have much more work to do to reach our full potential. We’re looking forward to hearing from the Mayor at his State of the City address and working together with the City, and other community partners, to keep Duluth moving forward."
GOOD READ
Print It! Roger Reinert on downtown Duluth housing
Duluth State of the City Address next Thursday
Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert will deliver his first State of the City Address next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Denfeld High School Auditorium.
"I'm eager to deliver my first State of the City," Reinert told the HowieHanson.com Thursday morning. "We just passed the 100-day mark, and I promised the public that's when they could expect an update. I'm especially excited to go west and deliver it at historic Denfeld High School. We will spend time talking about the big issues – housing, tax base development, streets and utilities, and downtown Duluth. Effective and efficient core city services at a tax rate we can afford and sustain. The public can expect to hear about the actions we've already taken, and the actions that lie ahead as we turn our 1000-foot ore boat in a new direction."
Zeitgeist to host teen acting camp
Zeitgeist Theater today announced its first-ever summer acting camp. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Teen Acting Camp, which will held at Zeitgeist Teatro on August 5-9, will allow participants ages 12-18 to learn about the fundamentals of theater and gain experience with auditioning for and performing in a theater production.
“Zeitgeist's Midsummer Theater Camp covers just about everything there is to know about what happens on and off the stage, ending with a wild performance of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in the woods at Duluth's Hartley Nature Center,” said Mary Fox, Zeitgeist Theater’s Producing Artistic Director. “The camp will include auditions, playwriting, stage management scenarios, voice and movement, the guts of Shakespeare, and everything from learning to trust your fellow castmates to how to be vulnerable under those big theater lights.
"Each day, kids will also get to experience testimonials from professional artists working in the biz here in Duluth, the Twin Cities, L.A., and New York. This camp is designed for kids to connect, their surroundings, and the beauty of ‘PLAY.’”
US Olympian, 2x Grandma's Marathon champion returning in 2024
By Zach Schneider
By Dakotah Lindwurm will be at the starting line during this year’s Grandma’s Marathon weekend in June, just not as part of the race that’s helped make her a fan favorite in Duluth and one of the best female distance runners in America.
Instead of the full marathon, the Minnesota native will be part of the field in this year’s Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon as part of her ongoing preparations for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
“I’m so excited to wear ‘USA’ across my chest,” Lindwurm said. “I’ve been an underdog my whole career, so I’m excited to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong amongst the best in the world and hopefully, I can surprise some people again.”
Lindwurm qualified for Paris at the US Olympic Trials in February, finishing third and becoming only the third former Grandma’s Marathon women’s champion to qualify for the Olympic Games. The others were Lorraine Moller (won Grandma’s in 1979, 1980, 1981) and Janis Klecker (won Grandma’s in 1987).
One of only eight women to be a multiple-time champion of Grandma’s Marathon, Lindwurm has become a wonderful ambassador for the sport and this race in particular.
“There’s nothing to dislike about Grandma’s Marathon,” Lindwurm said. “From the start you get up the north shore to the serene middle miles to the loud finish, it’s all just laid out perfectly. And what truly makes this race different from all the others is after you finish, everyone’s here to celebrate you. I’ll always have Grandma’s Marathon circled on my calendar because it’s one of my favorite weekends of the year.”
In addition to competing in the half marathon on Saturday, Lindwurm will make several public appearances during the 2024 Grandma’s Marathon weekend.
