Tuesday night was the last chance for voters to see mayoral candidates Charlie Bell and Don Ness discuss the issues, as the candidates participated in a live televised debate held at the College of St. Scholastica's Mitchell Auditorium.
Their opening statements illustrated their differences, with Bell saying a person was needed to fix the city's financial woes, while Ness provided a more optimistic picture of the city.
"We need to elect a mayor who is free-
thinking, who has organizational and management skills and experience and who has shown fiscal responsibility," Bell said. "We live in a different world today and our City Hall has not caught up."
Said Ness: "I'm excited about the promise of Duluth. I'm excited about our shared future and the steps we can take to improve that. I am convinced that I have a vision that will move our community forward."
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Then Ness said that viewers should pay close attention to the difference between the answers and focus on "whether we give detailed answers or if we're simply defining the problems, and if we describe Duluth in negative or positive terms.
"Charlie's a good and honorable person, but there are clear differences between Charlie and I and our vision and our positions on the issues," Ness said.
The two generally agreed on several subjects, but discussed them in different ways. When former Duluth Mayor Gary Doty, who was part of the debate panel, asked about what each would do when the contract between the city of Duluth and the Fond Du Luth Casino expires in 2010, both said they would work to renegotiate the contract.
"What they've been able to provide has helped tremendously with the needs of our city, in particular the establishment of the street fund, the community investment trust fund," Bell said.
Ness called agreement between the city and tribe a "boon" for Duluth and said he would continue his relationship with the chairman of the tribe.
When the two were asked if they would work to improve the relationship between the mayor and the City Council, both said they would.
"I would look forward to really building a really solid, cooperative relationship," Bell said.
Said Ness: "It's vitally important that we restore this community's confidence in the City Council and our elected leadership. To do that, we have to stop the bickering, we have to stop the grandstanding."
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The first moment of conflict came about 25 minutes into the debate, when the issue of college rentals was brought up by a College of St. Scholastica student. Bell said the issue was something that should have been dealt with four years ago.
"I think we have to bring the students together at the same table with the university, with neighbors, with the landlords and with the city," he said.
When Ness rebutted and said that he created a coalition between the community and students six years ago, Bell responded, "Look where we are today. We're still wrestling with a real hard conflict to resolve. It's not a matter of just establishing a commission. What are you going to do about it? It's about taking action."
Asked if the Fire Department was understaffed, Bell said it wasn't, while Ness said that while he would like to see more firefighters, he wouldn't increase their numbers.
When asked what differentiates the two candidates, Ness said it was their experience.
"Charlie's experience has been running the family business," he said. "My experience has been in city government and understanding the details and dynamics within City Hall. I think that experience is both relevant and necessary to do the job of mayor."
Bell agreed that experience was a major difference.
"I've had experience running a business and also starting other businesses," he said. "More importantly, I've spent 30, 35 years in the community working with community people, neighbors, business people, with the city government establishing new opportunities and job creation and building investment in Duluth."
