Duluth Primary Election: Residents highlight top concerns as they head to the polls

The Duluth primary elections will be held on Tuesday 8th of August and thousands are preparing to head to the polls to choose candidates in multiple city-wide positions.

One of the several electoral seats up for grabs is that of the Duluth mayor. There are five candidates on the ballot and the primaries will determine the top two that will advance to the November general election.

The mayoral candidates are – Roger Reinert, Emily Larson (incumbent), Robert David Schieve, Jesse Peterson and Julie A. Mead. Other city-wide elections include City Councilor: At-Large (2), first, third, fourth, and fifth district.

Polls close at 8 p.m. We will have race results available on the election page as numbers come in.
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We spoke to Duluthians on what their top concerns are.

“I feel half the people in the city feel abandoned, I mean I won’t get into it, but I feel the leadership hasn’t been consistent or strong. I hear about some businesses coming from the cities and taking over here. I think that’s concerning and that it should be addressed in this election.’’

This individual went on to highlight some of his other concerns which included homelessness, property tax, and what he called criminal activities in the area due to several gunshots he hears.

Another person we spoke to is Dan Clement, who is concerned about potholes, taxes and homelessness.

“Duluth is a beautiful city, but I feel it is falling apart. I am concerned about the issue of low-income houses, because they have rents of over $1,000. Some of these low-income people cannot afford it. I think they should just lower the rent and help these people.”

Voting did go smoothly on Tuesday. Sarah Priest, head election judge for Precinct 22, told us she considered it a great opportunity to participate in democracy, and work with great volunteers.