After helping Duluth remake itself, Ness decides not to run again

Don Ness became a familiar figure as the reassuring face of Duluth during the city's recovery from devastating floods two years ago — a youngish mayor whose demeanor embodied that of an active leader quick to roll up his sleeves and solve problems.

He was also known as the cool politician who dove off a stage during a Trampled by Turtles concert at First Avenue, sipped craft beer and touted mountain bike trails as economic development strategy.

But as Ness prepares to step away from the job that has defined him, state Sen. Roger Reinert said there's more to the mayor's legacy than a hipster reputation.

"I think many have forgotten the mountain of problems that were awating him when he came in as mayor," said Reinert, DFL-Duluth.

Reinert, who served with Ness on the Duluth City Council, said when Ness moved to the mayor's office Duluth faced a consent decree from the EPA to end sewer overflows into Lake Superior, as well as an unfunded retiree health care liability.

• More: Ness speaks with MPR News' Cathy Wurzer about his decision

Ness, who grappled with those issues and played a role in helping Duluth transform its image from that of a struggling industrial town to an outdoor tourist mecca, announced on social media Sunday that he would not run for a third term.

At the news conference on Monday, he explaining his decision, likening his nearly seven years in office to a track relay in which he plans to sprint as fast as he can for another 15 months.

"And then at that moment when you're about to collapse because you've been running so hard," Ness said, "you pass that baton on to the next person who hopefully is running full speed going forward, ready to take on the task of bringing our city even further into the future."

Ness, 40, is credited with helping place Duluth on firmer financial ground.

City Councilman Howie Hanson said the two mayors who preceded Ness were unwilling to tackle the health care issue, which threatened to bankrupt the city.

"That wasn't very popular in his DFL party, but he had the courage to do it," Hanson said.

Ness helped hammer out a plan that has cut the city's liability by more than half. He's also helped rebuild the city's budget reserves. But Reinert said his most important accomplishment is something less tangible: "a renewed enthusiasm and belief and confidence in Duluth as one of the best mid-sized cities in America in which to live."

Reinert said Ness focused on what makes Duluth unique, and invested in making Duluth an outdoor recreation hotspot.

City Council President Linda Krug agreed.

"I think of Don for helping to make Duluth more hip," Krug said. "So now we talk about a Duluth nightlife, and about outdoor pursuits, that attract younger people and indeed I think more people, younger people, are coming and staying here in Duluth."

Krug said whoever follows Ness will have large shoes to fill, but she expects a crowded field, maybe even a dozen candidates.

So far the only candidate to announce a run is Hanson, also a longtime Duluth blogger. He said the city's aging infrastructure — particularly its crumbling streets — is the main challenge facing the city.

"I think the next mayor should have a really strong skill set in being a city manager, getting deeper into the nuts and bolts of the aged infrastructure of Duluth, and recommitting and finding the dollars, prioritizing the dollars for the streets and the water lines," Hanson said. "Those are the non-sexy things that need to be addressed."

The city has struggled to finance street maintenance since the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Band stopped sharing revenue from its downtown casino with the city five years ago. That dispute is still tied up in court and the City Council recently imposed a fee on residents to pay for repairs. On Monday, Ness called the continual stalemate with the Band his "largest disappointment" during his time in office.

"Because it's not only the impact to the city's finances, it's not only the importance to our street program, and to the taxpayers of the city of Duluth, but more importantly it's about our relationship with the Fond du Lac community," Ness said.

One of the biggest challenges facing whoever replaces Ness as Duluth's mayor will be to establish his or her own identity and vision. That won't be easy, following a mayor who's repeatedly enjoyed approval ratings around 90 percent.