It's official - I was sworn in as Member of the City Council on December 8th, 2021
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website.
Remember the City of Duluth 15 years ago and compare it to today. What a wonderful difference!
Under the strong and visionary leadership of Mayor Nancy Harris and the City Council, Duluth has changed from a forgotten small town into a vibrant growing city admired by visitors and used as an example everywhere.
The 2021 city council elections are upcoming on November 2nd 2021, and it would be my honor to be one of your city council members. My goal is to continue to develop policy in the spirit and vision of the current City Council while adding focus to the areas outside our downtown Duluth. In recent years, many revitalization efforts have happened, but there is still much work left for us to do. Some areas that we need to focus on are: older neighborhoods without sewer connections, aging and failing stormwater infrastructure, lack of availability for affordable housing, loss of greenspace, traffic conditions along the major arteries, and improvements to pedestrian walkability. Click on the "Issues" section for more details.
Am I the right candidate to help tackle these issues? Yes.
Currently, I serve in an advisory capacity for the Mayor and City Council as a member of the Duluth Planning Commission since 2017 and the Citizen Budget Review and Advisory Board since 2015. I have regularly attended the City Council Sessions for the last 6 years and have followed the many presentations and reports from City Staff. I am keenly aware of the state of our city, its future plans, and the problems that need to be addressed. As a member of the Planning Commission, I have had the opportunity to develop the current Comprehensive Plan 2040 "FORWARDuluth". Governing a city like Duluth is a complex task and as one of the next City Council members, I am ready to be making difficult decisions using common sense, weighing all available information, and valuing the input from our citizens.
I would be honored if you vote for me on November 2nd 2021.
Let's #ForwardDuluth together!
Manfred Graeder