Our View: Councilor Krug puts city ahead of politics

It wasn’t her proudest moment, as Duluth City Councilor Linda Krug readily acknowledged when asked last week by the News Tribune Opinion page about her gavel-pounding, voice-raised, colleague- interrupting outburst at a council meeting on Oct. 27.
No, it wasn’t, but Krug followed it up with a moment on Thursday that would rank high on anyone’s list of just-nailed-it and satisfyingly proudest. In remarks at the outset of the council’s agenda- setting session, Krug acknowledged her wrong-doing, apologized and then took a surprising step to make sure her unfortunate moment wouldn’t be a distraction from the important business facing the council in the weeks to come. Krug announced her resignation as council president before a resolution to remove her from the position could even be considered. In doing so, she put what’s best for the city ahead of self, and she put her commitment to public service ahead of ego. “It’s important that I do the right thing,” she said. And then she did. If only more public officials would act as appropriately. In their four remaining meetings this year, councilors will be tasked with passing a budget, setting a tax levy and deciding and debating everything from rental fees to trail use to the future of the unpopular street-light fee. Without Krug’s action they faced the prospect of having to devote time instead to what she called “the fire pit of politics” and her “fiery redhead moment.” It can’t be taken back, as much as Krug has said she’d like to. By doing the next best thing, stepping down, Krug very well may have headed off a “mudslinging free-for-all,” which she suspected some councilors actually were “looking forward to.”  “We don’t have time to be distracted,” City Councilor Jennifer Julsrud, the target of Krug’s forgettable moment at that Oct. 27 meeting, said in a statement to the Opinion page last week written before Krug’s resignation. “I hope we put this behind us as quickly as possible. There’s too much work to be done.” Indeed there is. By doing the right thing, Krug made sure it was put to rest immediately, decisively and appropriately.It wasn’t her proudest moment, as Duluth City Councilor Linda Krug readily acknowledged when asked last week by the News Tribune Opinion page about her gavel-pounding, voice-raised, colleague-interrupting outburst at a council meeting on Oct. 27.
No, it wasn’t, but Krug followed it up with a moment on Thursday that would rank high on anyone’s list of just-nailed-it and satisfyingly proudest. In remarks at the outset of the council’s agenda-setting session, Krug acknowledged her wrong-doing, apologized and then took a surprising step to make sure her unfortunate momentwouldn’t be a distraction from the important business facing the council in the weeks to come. Krug announced her resignation as council president before a resolution to remove her from the position could even be considered. In doing so, she put what’s best for the city ahead of self, and she put her commitment to public service ahead of ego.“It’s important that I do the right thing,” she said.And then she did. If only more public officials would act as appropriately.In their four remaining meetings this year, councilors will be tasked with passing a budget, setting a tax levy and deciding and debating everything from rental fees to trail use to the future of the unpopular street-light fee. Without Krug’s action they faced the prospect of having to devote time instead to what she called “the fire pit of politics” and her “fiery redhead moment.”It can’t be taken back, as much as Krug has said she’d like to. By doing the next best thing, stepping down, Krug very well may have headed off a “mudslinging free-for-all,” which she suspected some councilors actually were “looking forward to.” “We don’t have time to be distracted,” City Councilor Jennifer Julsrud, the target of Krug’s forgettable moment at thatOct. 27 meeting, said in a statement to the Opinion page last week written before Krug’s resignation. “I hope we put this behind us as quickly as possible. There’s too much work to be done.”Indeed there is. By doing the right thing, Krug made sure it was put to rest immediately, decisively and appropriately.