Eleven of the 12 Duluth City Council candidates weighed in on modes of transportation and the quality of Duluth's streets during a candidates' forum on Wednesday.
The candidates answered questions about transportation equity, the proposed half-percent sales tax dedicated to street improvements and challenges in neighborhood street projects in a forum at Zeitgeist in downtown Duluth, during which each candidate had 90 seconds to answer each question. Sept. 12 primaries will take place for the council's 4th District and two At Large seats.
Joel Sipress, incumbent for the city's 2nd District, urged people to vote for the proposed sales tax on the November ballot that will be designated solely to improving the city's streets and sidewalks. The city supports a "complete streets" design, which incorporates all modes of transportation in the design, and will be able to address accessibility issues as it fixes the streets, he said.
Ryan Sistad, candidate for the council's 2nd District seat, didn't participate in the forum.
Howie Hanson, incumbent for the city's 4th District, said he hasn't made up his mind whether to support the proposed tax increase because it's "a difficult decision" that could impact the city's tourism industry. When it comes to street projects, it's a balance of fixing infrastructure and addressing what the neighborhood wants, he said. However, investment needs to be made to ensure that streets and sidewalks are handicapped-accessible.
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After asking residents to pass the sales tax increase in November, 4th District candidate Tom Furman pointed out that the funding will address a lot of the city's transportation needs. He said he wants to ensure that city street projects also address the needs of people with disabilities.
On the proposed sales tax, 4th District candidate Renee Van Nett said that, if elected, she'll ensure that people are heard and have the opportunity to voice their opinions. She said she's "a bridge builder" who will listen to the people affected by street projects because it's about residents in the community being heard.
At Large incumbent Zack Filipovich said supporting the proposed sales tax would improve Duluth's streets and sidewalks. He said he supports a complete streets policy to ensure that infrastructure is in place for people no matter which mode of transportation they use. Some street elements, such as bike lanes, don't make sense in every street project, but the city needs to ensure that it has a complete street where it makes sense.
One of the last candidates to comment on the proposed sales tax, At Large incumbent Barb Russ, noted that it's hard to answer other than to echo what others had said about it. She noted that the city needs to work more with the Duluth Transit Authority to have bus schedules that accommodate people later at night and that are more convenient for people to get around. On neighborhood street projects, she said she believes communities should have input, but the experts sometimes need to make decisions in the best interest of the community.
At Large candidate Janet Kennedy said the proposed tax will spread out the burden for fixing Duluth's streets and it's not fair that only city residents are paying for tourists to use the streets each year, as well as people who work in Duluth but live elsewhere. However, she said sales tax shouldn't be the only way to fund street repairs, and called for further conversations on funding.
On the proposed sales tax, At Large candidate Brandon Sorvik said the city should already have a pot of money from taxes set aside for street repair and he would like to ensure that the proposed tax would go toward street repair. He said the city's "wasted money" should be redirected to reconstructing sidewalks and patching potholes.
At Large candidate Jan Swanson said she comes from a family that struggled financially and she doesn't favor the proposed sales tax, wanting the city to be more fiscally responsible instead. However, she supports ensuring that people with disabilities are able to use streets, she said, questioning how people in wheelchairs can travel over crumbling sidewalks.
At Large candidate Rich Updegrove noted that there are a lot of good reasons to support the tax, noting that food and clothing is exempt and tourists will also be pitching in financially. The council needs to think about more than cars with the funding because street safety affects other modes of transportation.
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At Large candidate Richard Williams said some people who aren't bicyclists don't understand why their money should go to bike lanes, but bike lanes are an issue of safety. Williams, who supports constructing light rail in Duluth, said he supports bike lanes and accessibility to trails.
