What was said at the Mayor's inaugural address.

Here is were I think Mayor Ness really failed the citizens of Duluth. As I said before I think that the speech lacked in what was going to happen over the next four years. Did he say some good things yes. What he did not do was back them up with how he at wanted to go about solving them or working the issues. Did he say things that I agreed with him on yes. Were there things said that I did not agree with as well. For sure there was.

Mayor Ness said was determent to keep our young people and family's here. He also said he was going to improve our parks and rec especially those in neighborhoods. This is great something I most defiantly agree with. The problem is he gave use no idea how he planned to do this.

He said he was going focus Duluth infrastructure as well. He said by the 2010 the street improvement fund would be doubled. This sounds great but is it? I have some questions about this one. I guess my first question is this. If the Mayor is looking to double the fund how does he plan to do this? Will it take away from other core services? Next would be, tell the year 2010 what can we expect for street improvements? Weill there be any? How much?

He also said he will work to update Duluth very old sewer system and stop over flows. Here again how and at what cost?

These are all things the citizens deserve to know. Yes I understand he has not been in office to fully understand how everything works. He must however have some ideas he would at least like to look at to solve these issues. Those should have been offered in his speech in my mind. We need to have an idea of were any Mayor is going to take us. We deserve to know if our taxes are going to go up or down or stay about the same as inflation.

I think you get the idea the speech lacked information. Very critical information Duluthains should know.

There was also one other thing in his speech that made me very uneasy. This I really wish he would have left out. He made a comment about his family and being able to balance that and being Mayor. It was a clear shot at Charlie Bell who made a comment during the election that people with kids need to make sure that they can run for Mayor. being Mayor is very time consuming. Now I don't agree with Charlie on this. Don had every right to run for Mayor.

Here is why it upset me on Monday night however. Mayor Ness said all along that he was not going to comment on the Bell comment and he was going to let it go. With the comment in his speech it make it clear that he was in fact the one pushing the attain to that issue.