Duluth voters shed light on what drew them to the polls

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) -Duluth voters shed light on the biggest races and issues that drew them to the polls Tuesday.

Husband and wife Joseph and Terri Mayrand are current building owners and have lived in Duluth for the past 25 years.

They said they want to make sure their vote can change what they see as many ongoing issues.

“We’ve got to open up the shops,” Joseph Mayrand said. “We’ve got to tear down all these beat-up places that have been burned. We’ve got to get it that the streets are safe again. Right now downtown is so depressed, it’s terrible. We’ve got to get it revitalized.”

His wife Terri Mayrand feels the same about the city’s current condition.

“Safety of the streets especially in the kind of neighborhood that we live. How they’re going to address that? Tourism, schools, just everything,” Terri Mayrand said.

Meanwhile, Tom Sullivan, a retired pilot who wants to uphold his civic duty, says he wants to see some improvement when it comes to taxes.

“I’m interested in seeing lower taxes if possible and I’m interested in seeing most of the money that we collect in taxes originally designed to go like infrastructure,” said Sullivan.

Voters like Jocelyn Heid, a retired health care provider say she’s dealing with the challenges that come with high rent.

“We have a lot of problems where people can’t find places to live so they’re are unhoused or people looking for reasonable rent,” Heid said.

Voter turnout is expected to be high Tuesday, with Duluth’s mayoral race and several other big City Council and School Board races on the ballot.

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