They couldn't be better aligned: the priorities of City Council candidate Renee Van Nett and the most-pressing needs of her council District 4.
And the choice for voters across Duluth Heights, Piedmont Heights, and Lincoln Park couldn't be easier: Van Nett has the background and the connections to best represent them as their city councilor. The district's voters will narrow a field of three candidates to two in the Sept. 12 primary.
"I'm all about the work," Van Nett said in an interview with the News Tribune Editorial Board. "What I do best (is) connect with people. And it doesn't matter who you are. ... I want to be able to help people. That's what I was born to do is help people."
A long-time resident of Lincoln Park who recently bought a house in Duluth Heights, Van Nett listed public safety as her most-pressing issue. She also is a long-time member of the citizen board in Duluth that reviews police-community matters and has helped our police with such issues as a volunteer.
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"Community safety, public safety, is huge for me," Van Nett said. "I feel like being a volunteer with the department for so long and helping, and then living in Lincoln Park, right in the heart of it, for so long, I need to feel safe. That's really close to my heart."
Van Nett also listed jobs as a high priority. It's another pressing matter she knows first-hand. She's an employment liaison for Community Action Duluth. Her job, literally, is connecting Duluthians in search of work with open positions.
"It's not that I have all the answers, but I know the people to go to to get some answers," she said.
She listed Lincoln Park's lack of a grocery store as another issue that demands to be immediately addressed.
And with communitywide relationships built over many years, Van Nett can effectively address issues. She's involved with the effort to bring the successful community-school model from Myers-Wilkins to Lincoln Park Middle School. She's a member of the Duluth Civil Service Board. She founded a nonprofit called the Cross Cultural Alliance of Duluth, which works to strengthen the community by bringing people together. And she's on the board for the Damiano Center.
She ran unsuccessfully in 2015 for the Duluth School Board. City Council is a far better fit for her experiences, connections, and skills.
"(As a city councilor), I want to be ... really transparent because that gives the power back to the people," she said. "And then just tell me what you want, and I'll take it back there and then I'll tell you back. That's the way I do business all the time. ... I'm excited to serve. I'm excited to get people engaged."
Voters across Duluth's 4th City Council District can jump at the chance to let Van Nett do business for them.
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Others running
The incumbent city councilor for District 4, Howie Hanson, declined to meet with the editorial board.
The other candidate is Tom Furman, a consultant, activist and lobbyist making his first run for public office.
"I decided to run because I had sat in on a number of different City Council meetings and I didn't feel like we had a strong representative from my district," Furman told the editorial board in a separate interview. "I worked on Bernie Sanders' campaign for a while, and he talked about making it grassroots, getting it back to the local level. And it rang so true with me. ... We have so many things we can do locally. I can make a difference."
About this endorsement
This endorsement editorial was determined entirely by the News Tribune Editorial Board after meeting one-on-one with the candidates. One candidate declined to meet.
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About this race
District 4 Duluth City Councilor Howie Hanson faces two challengers, Tom Furman and Renee Van Nett, in this fall's election, forcing a primary vote on Sept. 12. The top two vote-getters advance to the general election on Nov. 7. District 4 includes Lincoln Park, Duluth Heights, and Piedmont Heights.
Deadline for letters
The deadline for letters to the editor related to the Sept. 12 primary is Tuesday. Letters about candidates are limited to 200 words and can be sent to letters@duluthnews.com . Other guidelines for letters are published elsewhere on today’s Opinion page.
