AP Chief Asian Photographer David Guttenfelder has been covering Afghanistan since 2001. His photos are impressive to say the least.
He vacations every summer with his wife and two daughters at Three Lakes, near Eagle River, Wis. His wife is from Neenah.
Listen to Mike Simonson’s interview with Guttenfelder on KUWS.fm.
View Guttenfelder’s photos on Denverpost.com.
These are the final numbers.
Still no mandate on the school district’s long-range facilities plan. Half of the opponents of the plan were elected, and half were not. Jim Stauber is the comeback kid in the at-large city council race.
Duluth Second District City Councilor
Patrick Boyle – 2,543 | 78%
Rob Wagner – 668 | 21%
Duluth Fourth District City Councilor
Kerry Gauthier – 1,932 | 52%
Gordon Grant – 1,779 | 48%
Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top two candidates are elected
Dan Hartman – 9,322 | 26%
James Stauber – 9,045 | 25%
Beth Olson – 8,851 | 25%
Becky Hall – 8,256 | 23%
Question 1: Amending the city charter so the mayor can appoint a communications and policy officer and a community relations officer.
Yes – 10,797 | 59%
No – 7,431 | 41%
Question 2: Amending the city charter so city employees are not required to take a leave of absence from city employment to run for any political office, except city offices or Duluth’s board of education.
No – 9,069 | 50.07%
Yes – 9,044 | 49.93%
Duluth District One School Board
Ann Wasson – 2,925 | 54%
Marcia Stromgren – 2,513 | 46%
Duluth District Four School Board
Art Johnston – 1,972 | 53%
Laura Condon – 1,770 | 47%
Duluth At-large School Board
Top two candidates are elected
Tom Kasper – 11,757 | 32%
Mary Cameron – 8,960 | 24%
Nancy Nilsen – 8,308 | 22%
Maureen Booth – 7,975 | 21%
Tuesday, Nov. 3, municipal elections will be held in Duluth. Vote early, vote often.
AFSCME’s endorsed candidates are: Kerry Gauthier, Beth Olson, Daniel Hartman, and Patrick Boyle. If you are a public employee, my wife is probably going to knock on your door or call you tonight. Be nice.
I cleaned the gutters on my house today and found, among the clumps of various yard waste, a flier for a school board candidate forum and a slice of bologna slathered in mustard.
Trick or treat?
Although many of its highways and bridges are in severe disrepair, the traditionally undemanding state of Minnesota isn’t comfortable asking for more interstate funding, sources reported Monday.
“Duluth said it has some scrap metal we might be able to melt down to make some lamp poles.”
According to estimates by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Minnesota could raise $10 million in tax revenues simply by allowing liquor stores to sell on Sundays.
Read this brief story from Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report for more info.
But the real reason to allow liquor stores to sell on Sundays is because it’s stupid not to, right?
Do you know how you’re voting on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3? There’s no substitute to hearing the candidates speak in person. You may surprise yourself and change your mind after attending the following candidate forums.
Please join us:
School Board Candidate Forum
Thursday, Oct. 22
Lowell Elementary Music Magnet School
2000 Rice Lake Road, Duluth, MN 55811
6:30 – 7:00 PM Tour Lowell’s renovation
7:00 – 9:00 PM Forum with Questions from Co-Sponsors, Students, & the Audience
Co-Sponsored by League of Women Voters Duluth and the Duluth PTSA Council – Parent Teacher Student Association
At-Large, District 2, and District 4 City Council Candidate Forum
Thursday, Oct. 29
Holy Family Church
2430 W. Third Street, Duluth
6:00 – 8:30 PM Forum
Co-Sponsored by League of Women Voters Duluth, Community Safety Initiative (Duluth Local Initiatives Support Corporation), Neighborhood Housing Services, and Churches United in Ministry.
Vote on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
If you have any questions about where to vote or exactly what school district you live in check out www.lwvmn.org. The Minnesota League of Women Voters website can help you answer any of your questions about election day.
You’ll probably be surprised to discover there are two questions on the Nov. 3 ballot regarding amendments to the City Charter. There’s nothing highly sexy about the questions, so there hasn’t been much reporting about them. Read the questions and you’ll pretty much get the gist.
Another note: There are more races going on than the ballot image above indicates. What will be on your ballot depends on what precinct you vote in.
A complete and more legible list of candidates can be found here. PDD presents this ballot image because, well, some of us are visual learners.
On his DNT blog, Buzz Duluth, Brandon Stahl interviewed St. Scholastica Econ Professor Tony Barrett about the city council’s frequent talk regarding “expanding the tax base,” and what that actually means. In the post, Barrett explains that the only direct way that the council can expand the tax base is to attract new business “through subsidies or TIFs,” or through zoning changes, or “to eliminate steps” involved with business development.
Barrett then goes on to explain that Duluthians are often resistant to this kind of growth.
“Every community has certain groups that oppose growth; environmentalists who don’t want to see trees cut down, or less green space… people who fear that growth is going to require higher taxes,” he said. “Duluth has a strong element of people who just don’t want Duluth to change. They like it the way it is. That’s why they didn’t move away to the Twin Cities, maybe get a better job. Duluth, of all the communities I’ve lived in, has the strongest anti-growth sentiment. And I think it’s really our culture of people liking Duluth just the way it is.”
The comments, of course, blame the DFL and “environmentalists.” But in light of the recent Honking House fiasco, the Lakewalk townhomes, and the debate over the reorganization of Duluth’s schools, it seems that the conflict in opinions is far more complex than some would like to admit.
So what do you think?
Here are a few excerpts from Duluth’s Skyline Parkway Corridor Management Plan of 2003:
“New buildings should be compatible with surrounding buildings in size and scale and SHOULD NOT BLOCK IMPORTANT VIEWS.”
“Limit residential development where it can damage … IMPORTANT VIEWS.”
“Avoid lakeside (downslope) development whenever possible.”
Duluth School Board & City Council Candidate Forum
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
6:00-7:15 PM School Board Forum
7:30-8:45 PM City Council Forum
Lakeside/Lester Park Community Club
106 N. 54th Ave. E.
Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters & the Lakeside Lester Park Community Club
”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’
At-Large Candidate Forum
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
6:00-7:30 PM
Damiano Center
206 W. Fourth Street
Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Community Action Duluth, Twin Ports Action Coalition, and the A.H. Zeppa Foundation
The League of Women Voters and all above sponsors are nonpartisan organizations that neither support nor oppose political parties and candidates. The purpose of these forums is to provide voters with objective information on the views held by candidates running for office so that they can make informed choices on election day.
There’s a resolution on next Monday’s Duluth City Council agenda requesting that no parking be allowed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the pull-off area of Skyline Parkway near the house.
The Superior Grown Food Summit seeks to provide a forum for strengthening our food system according to community needs and desires. As a public conversation on our food system, the Summit seeks to engage food related issues, questions and concerns relevant to the Lake Superior bioregion. It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, from 9 am – 5 pm in the main ballroom in Kirby Plaza at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Registration will be $10 and will include a local food meal.
