Full Transcript: Mayor Emily Larson’s State Of The City Address

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Mayor Emily Larson held her State of the City Address Wednesday evening at The West Theatre.  Click here for the complete transcript from that speech.

The mayor covered a broad range of topics which she believes need to be addressed. Larson has served as Duluth’s mayor for the past seven years. She’s running for another term, with the election coming up this fall.

“The issues Duluth cares about are many – housing, childcare, public safety, parks, places to play, spots and get outside, reliable broadband, good streets, job growth, lead free pipes,” said Larson.

Larson said that when she took office in 2016, just two miles of roads a year were being replaced. In 2022, Larson said 17 miles of roads were replaced, crediting the dedicated Street Repair Fund the city created, which now has $10 million a year for the next 25 years.

With the State of the City Address taking place in West Duluth, the Mayor mentioned a site that has been an eyesore and a challenge for some time and what the city has been doing to change that situation.

“The old Kmart site desperately needs to be redeveloped in a way that connects rather than divides the business district. Finding the right partner to develop this site is a top city priority, and the story of The West Theater and West Duluth make me hopeful that our intention and persistence will pay off,” Larson said.

The mayor also spoke of a project that is in its early stages — removing lead water pipes from more than 6,000 households in the city,