Downtown Duluth Merchants Honor Phil McLemore

Historic Downtown Duluth merchants and building owners honored retiring Duluth City Adminstrator Phil McLemore, front, left, with a surprise breakfast tribute at the Dec. 19. McLemore is retiring at the end of December after 15 years of service to the city that included serving as the liaison between the Duluth City Council and the merchants on repair needs and other matters.

Merchants related experiences and anecdotes about how McLemore helped them get started in business and resolved their problems. Some of the buildings downtown are owned by landlords and business operators. The shopkeepers in the Old City Hall Block, which is owned by the city, pay lower rents in return for improving and maintaining their spaces. They lease the space by the month because the block was slated to be torn down and redeveloped until the economy tanked.

Among those expressing appreciation to McLemore were Jennifer Freeman, rear, from left, Beth Moody, Shelly Howard, and Judy Wilson. Others participating in the program were Michael and Krista Ganley, Stacie Stamper, Jane Wilson, Jackie Eaton, Mike Burrell, Greg Lindquist, David Cossette, and Larry Hall. They presented McLemore with a travel journal and a set of wine glasses.