#DuluthDownload 24.12
Following the happenings of the 2024 Duluth City Council and more.
Happy fall Sunday! Dang, that was a close Vikings game. Some good news is that there are only 16 days until the election ads stop. That’s something Viking and Packer fans can both celebrate!
Before diving into the latest scuttlebutt from the Council, I want to take a moment to honor Congressman Rick Nolan. Congressman Nolan was one of the most effective and bipartisan members of Congress while serving (two different stints from 1969-1973 and 2013 - 2019). He was also an amazing mentor and friend to many younger professionals in the political arena, including me. Long after he had hung it up as an elected official, Rick continued to help his former constituents solve problems and enthusiastically support candidates like me running for office.
The kindness and character Rick showed in private exceeded even what he showed publicly. I’ll never forget a hilarious voicemail he left for me after I fell short in a tough election about how he lost his first few races and then went on to be the only person in history to explore for oil in the Middle East and not find any, encouraging me to keep my head up and keep after it. Never afraid to be self-deprecating and always quick with a supportive word, they truly don’t make them like Rick anymore. RIP, Congressman.
Taxes, Paper, and a New Med School?
Since my last newsletter in September, the Council has been busy passing our preliminary levy (flat for next year), keeping our crisis response program operating (funded for next year), approving a plan that will enable our paper mill to complete a $200 million expansion and add 160 jobs, funding a $500,000 storefront loan program in neighborhoods like downtown and Spirit Valley, and advocating for a new Medical School that could be built downtown if funding is approved by the University of Minnesota and the Board of Regents.
Fall is also a frequent time for events, and it was fun to be in Gary last week to celebrate the completion of the GND Rec’s skate park. The council and county provided funding to help complete the facility. I was glad to attend with my kids and see all of the boys and girls who were thrilled for the adults to get off the new facility once picture time was over so they could finally shred the halfpipe. The GND Rec is a wonderful organization doing amazing things in our city and I was so glad we could help get this one across the finish line.
Councilors Step into the Fire
Being an elected official means occasionally taking some heat. But those of us who participated in Fire Ops, a day-in-the-life program put on by our Duluth Firefighters Local 101 last Saturday at the Lake Superior College Emergency Response Training Center took it to the next level.
Designed by our brave professional firefighters, Local 101 split local elected officials and community leaders into small groups and tasked us with completing three educational stations: Search & Rescue, Vehicle Extraction, and Live Fire Demonstration.
Search & Rescue
My group started with Search & Rescue. Built from shipping containers, we went into a mock home to simulate what it would be like to find and rescue people in a burning building. We started by dragging a 165 lb. dummy down a hallway to get a feel for what it’s like (it’s hard). Then, filled with smoke from a movie-quality smoke machine, our crew (myself, Councilor Lynn Marie Nephew, and Tiegen Fryberger) got on our hands and knees and started to search for other victims. We worked together to clear each room one-by-one by methodically hugging the walls. Visibility from the smoke was so bad that if I didn’t stay within inches of Councilor Nephew as we crawled, I couldn’t see her at all. We eventually recovered the dummy simulating a child from a bunk bed and dragged them to safety.
Vehicle Extraction
Most of the calls our firefighters get are unrelated to fires, and one of the more common involves car accidents. The next station allowed us to safely use the tools that firefighters have to remove parts of a vehicle from a victim to safely pull them out. We got to break windows (safely), cut and spread metal car doors to remove them, and then see how the pros do it much better than we could. I had a chance in high school to see a demonstration of what it was like for first responders to do a lot of this, but it is another thing to have the tools in your hand being tasked with getting someone out safely.
Live Fire Demonstration
Last and perhaps most impactful, was the chance to experience a live fire up close and personal. Words will not do this experience justice. We’ve all sat around a campfire or bonfire, but nothing compares to a fire in a structure that feels alive.
Set in a shipping container and using hay and OSB to simulate a bedroom, we each sat and watched a fire be lit and experienced the aftermath. Within about a minute, visibility dropped so low we could only see the fire in front of us and could barely see each other. It wasn’t long before we had to crouch down low to stay below a thick black layer of smoke descended on us from above. Within another minute or two, visibility was completely gone as we were enveloped in black and couldn’t even see the fire roaring in front of us. The isolating feeling of sitting there, feeling alone, relying on our breathing equipment and turnout gear, was one I won’t soon forget. What felt like hours (but was just a few minutes) ended when Councilor Nephew was directed to open up the hose nozzle and put the fire out (essentially by pointing where we thought the fire was by sound alone since we couldn’t see it). The door was opened to simulate a hole in the roof being made to let the smoke out, and as the water did its work and the smoke started to clear, our visibility returned, and our appreciation grew for those who do this in uncontrolled environments with real lives on the line.
We wrapped the day with a demo of how the professionals do it and left with an understanding of how important the work these folks do every day in our community. Thank you, Local 101, for the invitation and for educating me and Councilors, Swenson, Nephew, Kennedy, Tiegen Fryberger, Mike Maxim, Jena Evans, Tony Rubin, and Melissa Garrick! Special thanks to folks like Eric Thompson, Adam Casillas, Lisa Consie, Ben Evans, Pete Johnson, Kevin Haney, Dan Sarvi, Chief Shawn Krizaj, and all of our firefighters present who helped make the day possible. And special thanks to Katie Sandstrom who led our small group and put up with us all day!
Important Things to Know
City Attorney Jessica Fralich was selected by Gov. Walz to serve as a judge and Deputy Attorney Terri Lehr has been nominated by Mayor Reinert to replace her. Terri will be the fourth city attorney I will work with during my 6+ years as a councilor.
The Council heard a presentation last week on what the future of Central Entrance could look like. Worth a look!
DPD recently got over 1,700 pills off the street in a recent bust.
The Duluth Workforce Board recently released a new strategic plan to help elevate our local workers and employers.
The new snowplow naming contest is still open for a week.
Thanks, folks. Have a great week!
Any follow up on Isaac Murray-Stark's struggle with the city? Was that DPD officer disciplined for their reckless driving or do they remain unaccountable for their recklessness? I really feel for Isaac and hope the city does right by him and all its constituents who are negatively impacted by reckless and unaccountable law enforcement.