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TRANSPORTATION

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Duluth is AMAZING!

and

there is more work to do...

  • Walkability to Town Center - I believe in the concept of "walkability" to the downtown center. There are plans and studies in place to continue adding and extending sidewalks to our beautiful downtown.  I will make sure we keep moving forward with these projects.

  • Pedestrian Friendly areas/crossings - Who would have ever thought we'd be crossing roads like 120 and Buford Highway, but with the housing and retail, this is a reality. So it's very important to make sure that we work with the state to continue to add and enhance Pedestrian Friendly areas/crossings. 

  • Planning for the future with Autonomous Cars - Neighboring cities are already planning for this. I think this is an issue we need to get in front of and plan for the future of self-driving vehicles. 

  • Connectivity to other cities - It is important that we regularly evaluate our connectivity to other cities and try to work with other cities on issues like walkability and transportation initiatives. The Rogers Bridge project is an excellent example of how Duluth spearheaded the restoration of the new bridge to connect to John's Creek! Let's continue that momentum and look for other areas we can work together. 

  • Electric Charging stations - With the advent of more and more electric cars, we need to consider our public parking areas to make sure we are able to accommodate this anticipated demand. 

JOBS

  • Many live in Duluth but don’t work here. How do we attract more jobs to Duluth? What are we doing as a city to invite businesses to locate into our city limits to keep our residents right here supporting our local economy? I would work towards a study to identify ways to achieve this goal.

HOUSING

​Does Duluth have enough workforce housing? YES - there are many neighborhoods in our city where new families can start out at their right budget. But, the city needs to support these neighborhoods with:​

  • More Sidewalks

  • Maintaining Streets

  • Continued Sewer Management

  • Maintain our city parks as an amenity for all families in Duluth

APARTMENTS: ​

  • Two years back the Planning and Development Department started the required Multifamily Housing Inspection Program which holds landlords accountable to maintaining their communities.  As a landlord in Duluth, I have not only 100% complied with this program I fully support the program. It makes our communities better when we take care of our multifamily housing (apartment communities).

  • Specifically the goal of the program is to: 

"to adopt and enforce, in all respects, minimum standards to maintain the quality and stability of multifamily rental housing; to correct and prevent conditions that adversely affect, or are likely to adversely affect the life, health, safety and general welfare of occupants of multifamily rental housing; to provide minimum standards for multifamily rental housing; to provide standards of maintenance of multifamily rental housing to prevent blight; and to preserve the value of land and buildings throughout the City."​

  • Code Enforcement – I am very proud our our Code Enforcement Team in Duluth. But they need more officers to maintain the standards we all want. One great program is Duluth NOW available to any neighborhood where the city team members will come to neighborhood meetings and discuss the resources available to the community. 

  • THE QUESTION: The county is expected to grow significantly, how is Duluth going to be a part of that? The City Council needs to consider how the growth will impact the city.

PUBLIC SAFETY / CRIME

FUND THE POLICE! To be clear, as it relates to the City of Duluth Police Department I want nothing more than to support the path and trajectory of our police department. Recently I completed the Duluth LEAD program and had a first hand tour of the department. They engage with citizens in so many ways: 

  • Nextdoor Program

  • Citizens Police Academy

  • Hispanic Citizens Police Academy

  • Youth Police Academy

  • School Safety Initiative

Just visit any of our fabulous Downtown Duluth Events and you'll always see our police visible and helpful. ​

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If you don't follow the Duluth PD on Twitter - you should it's very entertaining and informative. Also, on a fun note - when our kid was age 3-5 and obsessed with all things police - we just dropped by several times and the officers were kind enough to hang out with a kid and show off their car (including the lights!).

FORWARD DULUTH

Recognizing we are only 10.7 square miles, and we don’t have more land; how do we encourage quality development with smart and sustainable growth? Forward Duluth!  Read on...

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A few years back, the city staff and City Council completed a document called Forward Duluth. This is a Comprehensive Plan for the city's vision for the future. It sets out goals and objectives for 5, 10 and 25 years. This is a really fantastic document and if you want to know the recipe for how our previously sleepy town grew to it's vibrant city life, just peruse this plan. 

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I support this plan as the touchstone/guide for the vision of the city. 

KEEP GOING!

Some other thoughts I have and want to hear your feedback:

  • As our city grows, we recognize we are an older, mature city. How do we maintain the vibrancy and life of downtown with sustainable growth?

  • We are a diverse city, how do we continue to welcome and encourage people of all backgrounds?

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