A REBEL WITHOUT A CLUE ♪ >> ERIC: DULUTH IS ONE OF MANY CITIES AROUND THE STATE THAT WILL HAVE A NEW MAYOR AT THE HELM IN EARLY JANUARY.

FORMER STATE SENATOR ROGER REINERT WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF THE NORTHERN MINNESOTA CITY EARLIER THIS FALL, BEATING TWO-TERM INCUMBENT EMILY LARSON BY A WIDE MARGIN.

WELCOME MAYOR-ELECT.

THANKS FOR DRIVING DOWN 1-35 TO JOIN US.

60% MANDATE TO DO WHAT?

>> I THINK WHAT WE SAW IN THE ELECTION, WE SAW IT CONSISTENTLY FOR TEN MONTHS, WE REALLY WANT THE CITY TO DO CITY THINGS GANG, TO REALLY PRIORITIZE THOSE CORE CITY SERVICES, STREETS, UTILITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARKS, OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS, THE -- FELT LIKE WE HAD GOTTEN AWAY FROM THAT OR MAYBE IT JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THE TOP PRIORITIES.

>> Eric: DOES THAT MEAN LESS EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE, RACIAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, CLIMATE CHANGE?

>> IT MEANS MAKING SURE THAT THE CORE CITY SERVICES ARE THE PRIORITY AND WE'RE DELIVERING WELL ON THOSE SO THAT PEOPLE TRUST US TO WORK ON SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS AND I THINK WHAT WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE ELECTION WAS JUST THIS ISSUE OF TRUST.

I'M NOT SURE I TRUST WHAT THE CITY IS DOING OR THAT IT'S REFLECTING WHAT I FEEL LIKE I'M PAYING PROPERTY TAXES FOR THE CITY TO DO.

YOU KNOW, AND IN VISITING WITH FOLKS THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN, THAT WAS THE ISSUE THAT EPT COMING UP.

THOSE ARE IMPORTANT ISSUES, O BE SURE, BUT I WANT YOU TO DO THE BASICS FIRST AND DO THEM RELEVANT EASE WELL SO WE CAN PARTNER ON THE OTHER ISSUES.

>> Cathy: LIKE FILLING POTHOLES, DULUTH STREETS ARE NOT GREAT, WE ALL KNOW THAT.

SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING DO ABOUT THAT?

>> WELL, I MEAN, THAT IS THE AREAS THAT WE REALLY DO HAVE TO DIG DOWN IN, RIGHT, SO IT'S GOING TO BE WORKING WITH, FIRST OF ALL, WHERE DO WE HAVE UNEXTENDED ARPA FUNDS THAT WE CAN REPROGRAM TO PUT INTO STREETS, NOT JUST STREETS BUT ALSO UTILITIES, WE HAVE WOODEN SEWER TILE IN SOME PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY SO THOSE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.

IT'S PROGRAMMING OUR LGA, SO THAT WE HAVE BUDGET PRIORITIES, I KNOW ONE OF YOUR EARLIER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT IS St. PAUL COUNCIL, LIKE I'LL COME IN WITH SOMEBODY ELSE'S BUDGET O WHERE DO WE HAVE LATITUDE TO MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AND THEN ENSURING THAT WE'RE STAFFING THOSE CRITICAL AREAS ON THE RONT END WELL.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LEARNED FROM OUR PARTNER, St. LOUIS COUNTY, IS BONDING AGAINST THE HALF-SCENTS SALES TAX THAT WE HAVE JUST FOR STREETS SO WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THAT HILL.

>> Cathy: I'M SORRY, SPEAKING OF BONDING, WHAT MIGHT YOU ASK FOR THIS COMING SESSION?

>> SO, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT -- YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THAT WE'VE GOT SOME REPAIRS TO MAKE WITH ONE OF OUR WATER FACILITIES, SO THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR US, IT'S A LITTLE BIT UP YOUR WAY AS WE MOVE NORTH, OUT OF TOWN.

WE WANT TO MANGE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING A GOOD PARTNER FOR PLACES LIKE OUR AIRPORT WITH THE 148th AND CIRRUS, SO WE NEED A NEW CONTROL TOWER THERE AND ALSO LOOKING AT SOME FUN DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, MOVING DOWN THE WATERFRONT SO THE LOT D PROJECT.

>> Eric: MADAM PRESIDENT TO DULUTH RAIL.

>> YES.

>> Eric: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> WELL, I'M I A ROPONENT, I HAVE BEEN SINCE I WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL I THINK FROM A CITY THAT HRIVES ON TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIONS, WE WANT FREEWAY, WE WANT PORT, WE WANT AIRPORT AND WE WANT PASSENGER RAIL.

A CITY COUNSELOR I WAS ON OUR JOINT POWER AUTHORITY, WE HAD A LITTLE SETBACK HERE WITH NOT GETTING THAT FEDS SELECTION BUT WE DID A LOT OF EAVY LIFTING LAST SESSION SO BAD PUN BUT THAT TRAIN IS MOVING DOWN THE RIGHT TRACKS.

>> Eric: THE BRIDGE NEEDS TO BE FIXED, RIGHT?

>> SO THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A HIGH FEDERAL PRIORITY FOR US BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO BE A HEAVY LIFT.

AND OF COURSE BECAUSE IT NOT JUST BONDS THE CONSTITUENT PORTS COMMUNITY BUT IT'S A SYMBOL OF HE TWIN PORTS COMMUNITY SO WE WANT THAT TO CONTINUE TO BE -- >> Eric: I WAS REALLY INTERESTED THAT YOU'RE GOING DO YOUR STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS OUT OF DENFELD.

>> YOU'VE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK WELL.

>> Eric: NOT AT THE ARENA WHICH I THINK IS MORE TRADITIONAL.

IS THIS A STICK IT TO THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN OR -- >> NO, ERIC, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T PUT ME ON TV AND ASK THIS QUESTION.

[Laughter] >> Cathy: BECAUSE HE'S FROM THE EAST SIDE, YOU KNOW.

>> I'M MORE WEST, BUT I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRADITIONALLY BEEN AT THE DECY AND THAT'S WHERE WE'VE OFTEN DONE THAT SORTS OF THING.

I JUST HAVE A PASSION FOR DENFIELD HIGH SCHOOL, A BEAUTIFUL HIS TORIC SCHOOLING.

>> A BEAUTIFUL AUDITORIUM, GOT TO SAY THAT.

>> ABSOLUTELY, AND I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ELECTORAL MAP, WE WON FROM LAKE SIDE LESTER PARK ALL THE WAY OUT TO FOND DU LAC BUT IT IS A PLACE FOR OUR FOLKS AND I'LL FIND THESE OPPORTUNITIES REPEATEDLY, WE'RE 26 MILES LONG AND WRECK BE CREATURES OF HABIT IN OUR OWN LITTLE PART AND I WANT TO FINDS OPPORTUNITIES THAT BRING PEOPLE TO PARTS OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH.

>> Cathy: WOULD YOU CALL YOUR -- IS T A WEAK MAYOR SYSTEM, A STRONG MAY ORSYSTEM IN DULUTH?

AS A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW THE DRILL.

>> NO, WE ARE A STRONG AND ARGUABLELY THE STRONGEST FORM IN MINNESOTA.

WE'RE A CHARTER CITY SO THAT IS DEFINED IN OUR CHARTER, YOU KNOW.

>> Cathy: SO THE BUCK WILL DEFINITELY STOP WITH YOU.

>> YEAH, YEAH.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE A FULL-TIME AND OF COURSE WE HAVE A COUNCIL OF 9 AGAIN, AS YOUR CONVERSATION EARLIER, WE'VE GOT SIX ELECTIONS THIS CYCLE BECAUSE WE HAD ONE OFF-CYCLE SO WE HAVE THREE NEW, THREE RETURNING AND THREE THAT WERE NOT IN THE ELECTION, SO WE'LL HAVE BOTH A NEW COUNCIL AND A NEW MAYOR COMING INTO OFFICE ON JANUARY SECONDS, AND WHILE WE'RE A STRANGE MAYOR, HAVING BEEN ON THE COUNCIL, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A PRODUCTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP.

I REALLY I HAVE A HEART FOR THOSE COUNSELORS AND THAT SERVES.

>> Eric: DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS OR FOES ON THE COUNCIL?

>> I THINK ONE OF THE GREAT WAYS ABOUT HOW WE DID THE CAMPAIGN, WE DIDN'T GET INTO THAT PICKING SIDES.

WE DIDN'T EVEN DO POLITICAL AFILLATION.

WHEN I WAS A COUNSELOR, I ALWAYS SAID, I NEED FIVE VOTES.

WHICHEVER FIVE THEY ARE, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE THEM SO MY GOAL AS MAYOR IS THE SAME AS IT WAS ATTENTION A COUNCILOR, I WANT TO HAVE GOOD RELATIONS NO PLATS WHERE PEOPLE ARE IN THE POLITICAL