Don Ness (born January 9, 1974) is an American politician who served as the 38th mayor of Duluth, Minnesota from 2008 to 2016.
His father was the pastor of a small, non-denominational Christian church, who also was chaplain at Northwoods Children's Services.
He founded the Bridge Syndicate, a group of young people whose mission is to increase civic, cultural, and economic opportunities in the Twin Ports.
[6] Two years after election, the national recession resulted in a cut of annual state aid by $5.2 million in 2010.
[5] In 2009, the federal government and United States Environmental Protection Agency mandated that Duluth make improvements to the city's sewer system, which was estimated to cost $130 million.
[11] Duluth has also been referred to as an "aviation hub", with companies like AAR Corp and Cirrus Aircraft contributing to the city's economy.
[12] Since 1987, the Saint Louis River has been listed as an area of concern by the EPA due to many years of pollution from industrial and landfill sites.
[14] In 2009, Mayor Ness organized a St. Louis River Corridor Summit and brought over 70 stakeholders together to develop a comprehensive vision for the area.
[17] Active in community organizations, Laura Ness has run for county commissioner, and had prominent roles on two election campaigns.
She was also co-owner of Green Home Solutions of Duluth, a mold remediation and air quality company.