Lynne Marie Nephew announces a run for Duluth City Council

Real estate agent, Lynne Marie Nephew announced Monday she will run for a 2023 Duluth City Council At Large seat. Nephew chose One Roof Community Housing to make her announcement. She says her background with housing will help the city meet challenges related to housing.

“I would like to see more supportive housing happening in Duluth. But we also need to think about the middle. So there’s a lot of people stuck in rental housing right now that should really be buying houses and starting to build that wealth, the generational wealth that a lot of us look for and we aren’t building that housing,” Nephew told us.

According to a press release, Nephew is a mother and nonprofit volunteer. In the statement, Nephew said:

“Duluthians deserve the chance to thrive, not just survive. Many of us aren’t doing either right now, and our housing crisis is a big reason why. Rents aren’t affordable, home ownership isn’t attainable, and seniors are struggling to stay in their homes with rising property taxes. I’m running because I’ve worked to fix our housing problems one family at a time as a realtor and volunteer for over 20 years. But I’ve come to realize that if we want to bring real and permanent
change to Duluth’s housing market that benefits everyone, we need people with expertise like I have to step up and serve our city council.

In addition to owning her own small business in real estate for the past 20 years, Nephew brings a wealth of experience serving on housing-related boards in the community. This includes Neighborhood Housing Services, Northern Community Land Trust, 1 Roof Community Housing, Common Ground Construction, the City of Duluth Housing Task Force, Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Duluth, and Housing For Inmates.

Homes are essential for people to be healthy and contribute to their community. A lack of housing in Duluth is contributing to many of the problems that are plaguing our city — mental health, addiction, crime, homelessness, and poverty. I’ll put my experience on housing to work for you right away, if elected to the city council, to start making positive changes that benefit all Duluthians.

Nephew moved to Duluth as a UMD student in the 1990s.

Two At-Large councilors, Arik Forsman and Noah Hobbs, are not seeking re-election.