We built this city

So how does one get written about in BUZZ Duluth? Well, you could get elected mayor, spend your first year or so battling a seemingly insurmountable budget deficit, spend the next year or so battling the tribe, retirees and the union, go through several CAOs, then use $2.6 million in tax dollars to buy a rundown theater and office building in hopes of revitalizing the downtown.

Or, you could just go the easy route and ask to be in it. That's what city planner Ben VanTassel did, writing to me a week ago asking that I use the blog to promote an initiative his department is working on. Because I believe this is the first time anyone's ever requested to get something promoted in BUZZ Duluth, Ben's wish is my command.

And actually, this is something that would be good for some of my readers to participate in, if only because they seem to have quite a bit of time on their hands. I cede the floor to Ben:

"The City of Duluth Community Development Division puts on community forums each year to hear about the needs in Duluth. This year we are hosting two forums in the community and one online forum on our website. We have published these in the paper, but we are looking for as much input as possible and we are hoping to connect with the online community as well.

Any mention of this effort on the Buzz Blog would be very helpful to get more input.

The Forum will be held between May 10th and 21st and will feature a different topic every few days. Starting May 10th, the forum will be live on our website. The forum will be linked from our page at: http://www.duluthmn.gov/community_development/index.cfm."

So, go, help out! Build a better city! 

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