After more than a month without representation on the City Council, the residents of Duluth's 4th District soon will have a voice in Howie Hanson. A 58-year-old local blogger and social networking consultant, Hanson, who was seeking political office for the first time, ran and won when his only competitor dropped out of the race.
He initially stood to challenge incumbent City Councilor Garry Krause for the seat. But Krause stepped down from office on Sept. 27, after landing a new job that he said precluded him from continuing to serve on the council. Krause had already filed for re-election; however, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.
Even though Krause no longer wants the job, he still garnered nearly 38 percent of the vote Tuesday.
Hanson, who received 61 percent of the vote, said he was not surprised that so many people supported Krause, given his strong name recognition.
"I think the vote for Garry says that people in the district value someone who's an independent thinker," Hanson said. "But," he added, "I'm totally an independent thinker, too."
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Hanson ran an extremely unorthodox campaign.
"I never knocked on a door," he said. "I ran my entire campaign on social networking."
District residents cast 33 votes for write-in candidates.
The Duluth City Council plans to appoint Hanson to fill out the remainder of Krause's term at a special meeting Thursday. The 4th District includes Lincoln Park, Piedmont Heights, Duluth Heights and a portion of West Duluth.
Duluth's charter requires the City Council to appoint an interim councilor "without delay" to fill in for any member who is unable to serve, observed Sharla Gardner, who represents Duluth's 3rd District.
"To not have representation is not fair to the people of the 4th District, and it impairs the ability of the council to function," she said, noting that having eight -- as opposed to nine -- councilors, as prescribed by city charter, opens the door to tie votes.
Hanson said he hasn't missed a council meeting or an agenda session since Krause stepped down.
"I've been preparing for two months now, and I think I'm up to speed on the issues," he said.
