Expect a long Duluth City Council meeting tonight that probably will be light on controversy. Among the biggest issues:
- The council will vote on whether to allow the city to spend $50,000 on a law firm to help handle nego-tiations with city labor unions. Many council members oppose the spending, saying that work should be kept in-house and don't believe the costs will stop at $50,000.
- Mayor Don Ness' pick to be his next Chief Administrative Officer, Mark Winson, probably will be ap-proved unanimously. In some doubt is whether the council will approve moving current chief admin-istrator Lisa Potswald to director of public administration. Last week, councilor Jim Stauber questioned the move. When asked what would happen if it wasn't approved, Ness said Potswald would be terminated from working with the city.
- The council probably will approve the mayor's request to lobby for $34 million in federal stimulus dollars for about a two-dozen building and infrastructure projects, but they might quibble with funding for the Lakewalk. Currently, the mayor is asking for about $600,000 for what's titled "Lakewalk Phase III" but some Lakewalk boosters want the word "shoreline" added to the title. Phase III refers to construction of Lakewalk near 47th Avenue East to 60th Avenue East from Lakeside to Lester Park. But by adding the word "shoreline," advocates would also want money for a more controversial Lakewalk construction -- from 23rd Avenue East to 27th Avenue East, between the Ledges Townhomes and the lake. "It needs to be along the shore," said Alison Clarke, an advocate for Lakewalk construction along the lake.
- The council will take up two proposed changes to the city charter. One would make it easier for city employees to run for election by stripping language that requires them to take a leave of absence from their jobs before filing for office. The other change to the charter would allow the mayor to appoint two positions to his staff -- a community relations officer and a communications and policy officer -- instead of hiring them through the civil service process.
