Found money can be exciting if it was only true, especially here in the Land of Oz. Winter cold, snow and off-lake winds will soon rear their ugly heads, and reality will set in for all to see and all to get accustomed to -- yet again.
Puzzling, of course, are comments coming from the weather experts, some predicting we will experience a colder, snowy winter and others just the opposite. El Nino, an abnormal warming of the ocean's surface, seems to be the culprit but in reality, weather patterns through the ages have remained pretty constant and the four-season experience in our area has not diminished much. For you history buffs, the weather pattern called El Nino, which is Spanish meaning "The Christ Child," was so named because it seems to surface around the birth of the Baby Jesus or more specifically, the Christmas season.
This week, however, I am not writing about the "weather" or featuring a history lesson, but instead, let's explore the word "whether," a challenging expression in the English language suggesting choices, which is most appropriate here in Duluth.
The daily newspaper headline last Tuesday recorded "Money found for Lakewalk extension," which seems to allow the Duluth City Council to dip into property tax receipts and use the money for some shoreline development, principally to support the ongoing extension of the Lakewalk. Sounds great, but wait a minute. Even with the ability to borrow for the project, which is estimated to be around $2 million, is this really a priority item considering the predicament the city seems to be in at the moment with a pending employee health care liability soon to top $300 million and an array of needed street repairs, that if pictured on the surface of the moon, would fit nicely on that landscape?
I am advised a major update is also being planned for the Duluth Steam Plant, the facility that heats most of the downtown business area. What ever happened to the planned improvements on the Aerial Lift Bridge? I was advised the State Legislature authorized a grant of $1 million, which of course required additional funding from the city. There are other money concerns on the table, too, so for the sake of the taxpayers, let's stop, look and listen and come up with a realistic priority list that taxpayers can accept and be willing to pay for.
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With all the hoopla recently about the deficit employee health care issue, it seems rather weird that the City Council would even think about a perceived low priority project that doesn't fit into the basic category of needs vs. wants for our citizens. The problem is politicians like to get their names associated with improvement projects, it's good for the image and whether or not such projects ever see finality, the politician can take credit for trying and plaster his or her re-election campaign messages with a positive image of community support regardless of the need or responsibility associated with such efforts.
In the opinion of this writer, the city of Duluth is at a precipice, a steep cliff with the bottom obscured because our blinders are blocking reality.
What happens when an individual or a corporation faces bankruptcy? Generally assets are sold, a serious belt-tightening program is initiated and priority-spending limits are put in place. Or, the doors are closed and the creditors take a bath. Obviously, the latter would destroy a beautiful community with more potential than current and past leaderships have failed to develop for any number of reasons.
Infrastructure is the key to community viability and strength. Duluth has the potential, but we have failed to recognize real assets when we see them. Instead, personal pique and political nonsense have all but destroyed our ability to change with the times and seek new opportunities with long-range promise and security.
Today, Duluth is in difficult financial straits. We have a pending financial health care deficit facing the citizens of this city that exceeds $300 million. Our population continues to recede simply because we cannot provide jobs that don't fit old-style labor demands. We have allowed our social services department to expand, and there is no question our crime rate is increasing accordingly. Our streets are a mess, neighboring communities like Hermantown and Proctor are showing limited growth, and we still maintain an anti-business attitude that shields us from the real world.
The truth, Duluth has more potential than any other city here in the Upper Midwest, but without new political leadership with ideas, we don't have a chance.
On the lighter side
You've heard about bad cooks? Lena actually keeps Alka Seltzer on tap.
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Dick Palmer is the former editor and publisher of the Budgeteer News. He may be reached by telephone at 729-6470 or by
e-mail at rpalmer@duluth.com .
