Public policy group seeks review of Duluth's city charter Baird Helgeson Staff Writer News article - Duluth News Tribune - Aug. 14 2001 Barbara Olsen Browne watched in quiet horror as two Duluth boards recently approved work permits for the embattled Spirit Mountain golf course. Duluth Mayor Gary Doty has been a steady supporter of the project and the mayor-appointed Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Board seemed unflustered by testimony from a dozen residents with environmental and legal concerns, she said. "I felt like residents' concerns were ignored,'' Browne said. The project's seemingly quick ride through City Hall reignited concerns from Browne and others that the mayor-appointed boards are too insulated from public input and that Duluth's mayoral position wields too much power. The Duluth Public Policy Alliance, a nonprofit community group that Browne heads, wants city leaders to consider overhauling the city's charter and possibly give Duluth's nine city councilors more authority. "We want to make city government more open to the community,'' she said. The group has not settled on any one model of government, Browne said. But, under one scenario, the council would oversee the city administration and the budget process and make appointments to the city's nearly 50 boards and commissions. The mayor would likely have a vote on the council, but could lose veto authority. Under the existing system, the full-time mayor oversees the city administration and part-time councilors deal with policy. "There are a lot of different combinations and possibilities,'' Browne said. "We just want to get people talking about it.'' City leaders crafted Duluth's charter, the Bible of local government, in 1958. Before then, the city was run by elected commissioners who also served as the heads of boards, such as the parks board and planning commission. At the time, many community leaders felt Duluth's city government was deeply flawed and that powerful commissioners could hoard resources and influence for their boards. The new system has worked well, Doty said. Duluth has become a refined governing machine, with a single leader to resolve problems, improve the city and present a vision, he said. But relations between the mayor and the council have grown tenuous in past months. Doty and his staff have worked to get the Spirit Mountain project on track despite council resolutions opposing the plan. Lately, councilors have taken the unprecedented step of rejecting two of Doty's planning commission appointees, asking for candidates with more diverse backgrounds in the environment and education. "The problem is that the council has very little power,'' said councilor Lynn Fena, who is not seeking re-election in November. "We either have to agree with the administration or we can say no. But the mayor doesn't have to negotiate with us.'' Those who want to change the structure of government overstate the mayor's influence, Doty said. The council must approve commission appointments and sign off on the city budget, he said. And when the Planning Commission and Park Board approved the Spirit Mountain work permits, the boards included four pages of environmental and legal conditions to deal with opponents' concerns. The City Council had delayed approving the permits until questions about the lease and project are resolved. The council has until mid-September to act on the permits. "The current system works,'' councilor Rob Stenberg said. "We have a lot of control over the budget and appointments. I don't think that's really a weak council.'' Duluth's government structure is rare in the state. Of 854 incorporated Minnesota cities, 730 have a system with a strong council and a weak mayor, said Laura Petersen, a spokeswoman for the League of Minnesota Cities in St. Paul. The league estimates that about 16 cities have a true strong mayor and weak council, like Duluth. The rest are a mix of the two styles or have city managers who largely run the city. Rochester, Hibbing and Mankato have strong council systems, with part-time mayors. St. Paul, like Duluth, has a strong mayor style of government. Many Duluth city officials and community leaders support a study of the city charter and perhaps tweaking the structure of local government. "I don't know if, in the end, we are worse than any other form of government,'' councilor Russ Stewart said. "It would certainly be a good idea to look into a study of the charter to see what's good and what's bad.'' Stewart said he is concerned that the council doesn't have more say on committee appointments. "It makes us a very reactive body,'' he said. "And that's not healthy.'' City leaders should begin studying the charter now and implement the changes in two years, when a new mayor is elected, Browne said. Public policy alliance members say there is a lot of interest in making city government more open and responsive. The alliance's first city charter meeting drew 65 attendees, the largest gathering in the group's two-year history. The public policy group isn't just talking about changing the city charter from the outside. Four members are running for council. They are councilor Greg Gilbert, Herb Bergson, Nancy Nelson and Roger Reinert. "People don't feel that they are being heard,'' Browne said. "So we are trying to be heard.'' Baird Helgeson covers Duluth city government and the community. He can be reached weekdays at (218) 279-5527 or by e-mail: bhelgeson@duluthnews.com. 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