They both came to Duluth for college, one for a job, the other as a student. Then they stuck around. They forged careers. They built lives. And they did it here because they wanted to be here.
Now, Linda Krug and Emily Larson are eager to give back in a new way: as public servants. On Nov. 8, voters can pick Larson and Krug from a crowded field for two At Large seats on the Duluth City Council, just like voters did in last month's primary. For their passion, life experiences, energy and more, Krug and Larson jump off the ballot.
"I was the only one of my friends who didn't leave after college," said Larson, a native of St. Paul who moved to Duluth 20 years ago to attend the College of St. Scholastica. "I couldn't leave. I just loved it here.
"And I still do," she told News Tribune editorial board members prior to the primary. "I really, really want my kids to feel confident that if they choose Duluth like I did they'll be choosing opportunity."
Larson would bring to the council 10 years of real-world knowledge gleaned from her experience as a volunteer at the CHUM drop-in center. In addition, she works closely with nonprofits for a living, she owns and runs a small business, and she has school-aged children. Her consulting firm focuses on work force development and economic development, areas the city also needs focus.
ADVERTISEMENT
"My goal is positive, energetic leadership (to) move Duluth forward," said Larson who, like Krug, is endorsed by labor and by the DFL. "I find Duluth to be a community of choice. We have to set a positive tone. ... I'm really ready to listen and work with people."
Krug moved to Duluth in 1986 to work at UMD. Like Larson, she owns and operates a small business, Krug Consulting & Mediation LLC. Her leadership roles in the community are impressive. Until recently she was dean of the University of Minnesota Duluth's College of Liberal Arts. She served as president of the University Education Association, was a catalyst with the city's Creative Communities Initiative, was a board member for both Park State Bank and the St. Luke's Foundation, and, most recently, was a member of the city's Tourism Tax Task Force.
"I'm a process person, very interested in knowing how the city is working and not working," Krug said. "People get blindsided and then they get mad. That can be avoided.
"It's clear we need to expand our tax base in Duluth. We need to have more jobs, industry and entrepreneurs," Krug told editorial board members, also prior to the primary. "I'm a good mediator. I'm good with conflict resolution and at bringing people together.
"The city is on the right path. We're moving forward," she continued. "I've been on the management side of things. I've been on the business side. I bring a breadth and a depth of background."
And, like Larson, a love for and commitment to Duluth -- their home because they want it to be.
Other candidates
Others vying for the two open At Large seats are:
ADVERTISEMENT
Tim Riley, who has worked as a database coordinator and as a one-on-one job coach. "I want to represent the people. There sure is a lot of goodness here," he said. "Public safety and utilities are the No. 1 priorities. The public playground areas and the libraries are things that can be reinstated."
And Chad Smith, a tourism-
industry worker with a degree in political science. "(It's) important to remain willing to compromise, as opposed to holding tightly to ideological talking points," he said in a News Tribune interview. "The state shutdown is a cogent example of what happens'' when politicians become entrenched in ideology.
