We take our Cheerios with almond milk
Sunshine is the best disinfectant and this continuing saga is proof of that. It shined light on who Cargill is and how she approaches (or shuns) community.
There are many examples in the 25 years I’ve lived in Duluth where I have felt a lot of pride in our community.
In 2004, we boasted the highest voter turnout in the country, with 75% of registered voters casting ballots (I’m not actually certain it’s true that we were the highest in the country, but let’s go with it). That percentage increased in 2008. And it increased again in 2012. And again in 2016. In 2020? Yep, another increase.
In 2012, our community rallied to defeat a referendum that sought to discriminate against same sex couples (rejecting the proposal by a larger margin than the state as a whole).
In 2018, thousands rallied and marched to show a visiting President Trump that his hate and depravity wasn’t welcome in Duluth.
In June of 2020, for the celebration of Juneteenth, again thousands and thousands of Duluthians rallied together in recognition and in defiance of the murder of George Floyd and institutional racism.
In 2019 and 2020, Duluth courted the first Costco to the northland (I fucking love Costco). Costco pulled out of the original deal with one sticking point being the requirement to hire local labor at prevailing wages in return for tax incentives and infrastructure investments. Mayor Larson and other City leaders held their ground, lead with our values, and said “we welcome you to our community, but we have standards we’ve set.”
The recent saga of Karen Cargill is another inflection point. Our community (the Park Point community in particular) could have said it’s none of our business what people do with their money. We could have just trusted the benevolent billionaire would bring work to the trades, lots of disposable income to be spent in Canal Park, and hoped for the best. But Duluthians leaned in and asked some questions - how will this impact the existing community? How will plans affect home prices and tax bills for our “piece of crap houses?” How will the current aesthetic and access to Lake Superior be impacted? This line of inquiry tracks with the constant (and necessary) scrutiny of other development projects on Park Point that have asked similar questions.
When residents raised concerns and the DNT dug for information, the Mayor stepped up. I didn’t vote for Mayor Reinert, but when he won the election, I hoped he would do right for Duluth. I’ll be honest, when he spoke up and sent the letter to Cargill, my first thought was that it was typical pandering. The community clearly doesn’t want a billionaire having free rein with a cherished part of our City, so speaking up doesn’t have much of a downside. But he didn’t have to weigh in and he didn’t have to ask questions. He could have said “people can buy whatever they want and can do whatever they want with property they own. As long as they adhere to zoning rules, there’s nothing for government to do.” Maybe it was pandering, maybe it was - and it seemed to be - genuine concern. Regardless, Duluthians took the lead, spearheaded an inquiry about Cargill’s intentions, and asked for a little transparency.
That request for a little transparency was met with the cynicism of privilege. How dare we ask questions? We should just say thank you, been happy to pay the property tax hike, and went on our way like passive little midwesterners.
This whole exchange made me proud of our community. They say sunshine is the best disinfectant and this continuing saga is proof of that. It shined light on who Cargill is and how she approaches (or shuns) community. We are a really great community and she’s losing out. I’m sure she will find somewhere else to spend her money. But missing out on being a part of Duluth? She really peed in her Cheerios on this one.
A great piece! What struck me about Cargill’s face plant is that she totally ignored a basic concept is development called “due diligence.” This is especially true in our Duluth community! Right or wrong, we expect to have our voices heard, to be able to ask questions, question assumptions and, if necessary, take appropriate action. Believe me, as a non-profit leader I have been nearly roasted alive for being willing to challenge assumptions about the marginalized populations that are, and always have been part of our community. In the end, that sometimes difficult and painful process has resulted in better projects that are ultimately embraced by the majority of our generally compassionate citizens. Democracy is still alive in Duluth and we do not intend to trade it in or sell it to the highest bidder!