Citizen alert! If you are a student, resident, renter, landlord, senior citizen, etc., please read this notice.
Mark your calendar for a very important meeting at 7 p.m. Monday. Attend the Duluth City Council meeting to protect your rights and interests in the property you own or rent. Two agenda items are important to Duluth citizens. One is the 300-foot rule and the other is the new parking regulation the council seems determined to pass in spite of the number of people it will harm.
At the Dec. 6 City Council meeting, I was shocked at the insensitivity of some of the council members and David Montgomery, the chief administrative officer for the city of Duluth. That meeting was obviously not an example of "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." To even consider demanding that off-street parking be required, with a fine when that is not possible, was ludicrous!
Yes, we have a lot of rental housing in Duluth. Why does anyone think that is? Is it perhaps because we have students from all over Minnesota and beyond attending college here in Duluth? That reality supports the economy in numerous ways in Duluth. The City Council does not seem to appreciate the financial benefits that are a result of all of the people who have no choice but street parking.
Those council members who were sensitive to the needs of citizens and who tried to talk sense to the majority can be thanked for their input. They represented hope in a gloomy setting. The city has not revealed how much the penalty fee would be but said it needs to be steep. Will it be high enough to force evictions of Duluthians and shut down apartments?
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Elaine Fealy
Duluth
The writer is a renter with four grandchildren who came to Duluth from around Minnesota to attend college.
