Mayor Ness Lays Out Plan To Increase Duluth’s Population To 90,000

"I am calling on every able-bodied adult to start knocking boots!  Get busy, people, time's a wastin!", Mayor Ness stated.

Okay, that is not his plan and he never said that.  He does, however, have a plan to increase  the population:

On the second day of his second term, Mayor Don Ness renewed his call to grow Duluth’s population to 90,000 by 2020.

Ness unveiled what he called his “prosperity agenda” to an audience at the Kitchi Gammi Club on Tuesday afternoon, saying the keys to growth will include new and better-paying jobs, access to affordable housing and a well-trained work force.

“If we can move the needle on those variables, our city will become more prosperous,” Ness said in a broad-sweeping and familiar-themed speech to members of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. He said the city needs to make a compelling case to prospective residents, both young and old, that Duluth is the place to be.

The last U.S. Census count in 2010 showed the number of people who called Duluth home essentially held flat for the decade. The total population count was 86,265, down just 54 from the year 2000.

Ness said holding steady won’t cut it in the future.

“We can’t be satisfied with stagnation any more, because we’re falling behind other communities,” he said.

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