Don Ness hasn't even been sworn in yet, but already the 10 volunteer committees he formed as part of his transition committee have disbanded, after completing their tasks.
The new mayor said he'll also give public updates on his progress every three months.
And at noon today, half of the volunteer committees, announced the sorts of initiatives they've advised the mayor push starting his term in office Jan. 7.
The groups proposed short- and long-term goals for the city, such as cutting nearly in half the poverty rate in our city by 2020, and having a clearinghouse to help link college students with businesses needing workers.
Out of the 10 committees, half focused on larger policy issues, such as poverty and the arts, while the other five focused on more of the basics of running the city, such as the city budget and personnel issues.
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The reports they wrote are for internal use and not public information under the new Ness administration.
The five committees that worked on larger policy themes presented a synopsis of how they've advised the new mayor. The list included environmental sustainability, the arts, poverty, the city's infrastructure and workforce development.
While most of the goals remained more sweeping than specific, Ness promised some initiatives during his inaugural address he's giving Jan. 7 titled "Inspired by Duluth."
During that speech, he'll outline what he intends for the city to accomplish within its first 100 days.
But instead of waiting a full year before giving another progress report, he intends to give a series of updates to the public on April 25, June 30, and Sept. 2 of this year.
"Accessibility, transparency and open communication will be hallmarks of the Ness administration, setting a new tone both inside and outside of City Hall," read a statement issued by Ness today. And these meetings will be some examples of that, he said.
