So, what’s wrong with the Wal-Mart process in Duluth? By Jan Karon For months, there has been talk of a Wal-Mart being built on the North Shore. The talk comes from City Hall - from the auditor, the Planning Department, and the mayor. A brief story appears in the local paper. Talk also comes from Realtors in the area. Who cares? We ought to! A Wal-Mart Super-Store on the North Shore would precipitate tremendous change in our community. This is clear from what has happened following the construction of a Wal-Mart in Hibbing, as well as from the effects felt by the intrusion of Wal-Marts in cities around the country. As members of the community, it is our responsibility and our right to know about any contact our city administration has with Wal-Mart. The only news made public so far, however, is that the mayor would prefer a Wal-Mart on Garfield Avenue rather than up the shore. Local businesses - particularly those in Lakeside and Lester Park - would likely suffer economically if a Wal-Mart were built on the North Shore. In the face of Wal-Mart’s well-documented behavior as an unreasonable competitor, undoubtedly some small businesses would close. Most of these businesses are locally owned and run by families who depend upon our community for their livelihood, and it would be a mark of responsible planning for the city to keep those business owners informed of this potential development. There is no evidence, however, that such a courtesy is being extended to our local business people. When Wal-Mart enters a community, many jobs are lost to lower-paying jobs that offer only high-cost health care coverage or no health coverage at all. And it’s been shown that for every two jobs Wal-Mart creates, three jobs are lost. Wal-Mart would have a devastating effect on the aesthetic future of the North Shore The rugged beauty of the North Shore is beloved by those of us fortunate enough to live here and treasured by our region’s many visitors. A Wal-Mart development, however, would likely change the face of the North Shore forever. From a purely practical standpoint, traffic on already densely used stretches of road - including London Road and the Scenic Highway - could increase dramatically, with higher costs to city and county taxpayers for road maintenance, lighting, traffic control, and police protection. Taxpayers have the right to be involved in any decision to allow or encourage this sort of burden on our local infrastructure. These decisions must not be made behind closed doors. To be responsible and accountable, elected officials must provide an open, ongoing dialogue on the status of a Wal-Mart development. The days are long gone when communities could do their city planning independently of each other. Today, planning must happen on a regional level, to consider the broad effects across great areas that such a development as a Wal-Mart can have. We must cooperate with surrounding cities and townships. Why has there been no economic impact statement provided for this project? Why has Neighborhood Planning District 9 not been included in the talk? Why has the City Council not been informed? Why has City Hall not been more forthcoming? These are the kinds of questions that DPPA members must keep asking the city about the way it does business. If we do, perhaps one day open and accountable city government will be the norm in Duluth. Jan Karon is a member of the DPPA Board of Directors. These articles are retained on the web for historical interest and do not necessarily reflect the views or goals of DPPA today.

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