By the way, the front-page teaser on the Strib's print edition features this photo of the mayor looking not particularly young or hip.



Which reminds me of some notes I've been holding on to for about four years that also highlight Don's not-necessarily hip side. 

I wrote a profile on the mayor for Duluth-Superior Magazine back when he was first elected. I decided to interview his brother Patrick, who unlike the other Ness brothers hasn't lived in Duluth for over a decade. Patrick's silly little recollections never made it into the story, but I kind of enjoy them. Now is as good of a time as any to share.

* Patrick told me Don pulled all-night study sessions as a 7th grader. "He would always keep two jars in the drawer for those wee hours -- a jar of cherry pie filling and a jar of cake frosting. But c'mon, a 12-year-old studying until 3 or 4 in the morning?" 
 
* Don was painfully shy, according to Patrick. "He used to pay me a dollar to call Collector's Connection to ask about a particular baseball card."
  
* Don saved Patrick from drowning in Lake Superior. "I was 12; he was 16 (and about as tall as he is now). Big waves. I got pulled out with an undertow. I almost drowned him as well while he rescued me."  
 
* Don was the only older kid in the neighborhood who Patrick's friends were allowed to trade baseball cards with. "(Their parents) knew he wouldn't rip them off."

Try to dig up dirt on the mayor's past and you just find out he's a bigger nerd than you ever imagined.