I finally contacted nine of the ten city council hopefuls and quizzed them about their thoughts on the Red Plan. Only one thought well of it but even he conceded it should probably have gone to a vote.
With his exception all of the candidates expressed some willingness to interject the City into the development of the Red Plan if it could be determined that the continued development of the Plan would pose a danger to Duluth.
I called several councilors and warned them about the one Red Plan enthusiast. Apparently that candidate didn’t get very far in tonight’s balloting. As I said, all the others expressed some level of unhappiness about the Red Plan and the School Board including the eventual selection, Gary Eckenberg. Gary was coy when we talked but he did express concern with the District’s excess in dipping into the community’s tax base. He lives in one of the Lincoln Park neighborhood whose school, the soul of the community, is being discarded.
He voted tonight along with the majority of councilors to table the proposed closing of the Duluth Zoo. A little of the Red Plan money could have kept it open.
It will be interesting to see if he’s willing to step into another elected body’s foolishness to set it right.
