Politics & Government

'Citizens of Duluth': Post 1 Candidate Cossette Sends Message

The City Council candidate posts in advance of the Dec. 3 runoff election.

Note: Duluth Patch asked each of the City Council runoff candidates to write an open letter to voters, in advance of the Dec. 3 runoff election. This is written by Post 1 candidate David Cossette. The posts were only subject to standard editing.
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Citizens of Duluth,
During my campaign I have listened to your concerns and I have spoken to you about the issues I see facing our city. I have written several position statements that provide my thoughts on solutions and they are available in my blogs on the Duluth Patch under the “The Duluth Campaign Trail” or on my web page DavidCossette.com.

I have lived in Duluth for five years and I have been actively involved in the city for over seven years. My first involvement was as a managing partner of the Red Clay Theater. That experience opened the door to many of the public art projects centered in Duluth that I have been involved with. Several of the higher profile projects were “Dogs Days of Duluth”, “Secret Garden Tour” and most recently a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser “Doors to Homes and Hope”. Additionally, I was instrumental in introducing Eddie Owen to the Red Clay Theater. I had a vision for a vibrant downtown and I created an opportunity to bring life to the underutilized Red Clay Theater. 

While my community involvement in Duluth is very tangible I also bring to the table many qualifications and skills of a good leader. My working career has been centered on the operations side of business and manufacturing. Through the years I have cultivated a diverse skill set. These include budgeting, purchasing, communication, project implementation and relationship building. To complete my skill set I possess a common sense approach to decision making. 

During my campaign for Post 1 I have had a direct and positive impact on our city. I have spoken publicly about the importance of allowing our citizens more time to voice their opinions during city council work sessions and meetings. At the most recent city council work session I was pleased to learn that the city expanded the time for citizens to comment by 250%. 

I have spoken on the topic of economic corridors and the winter edition of Duluth Life has an article that supports my general concepts and observations. I have advocated and blogged about financial responsibility and repeatedly positioned myself as communicator and a voice for the people. The open letter from the mayor in Duluth Life shows that we both agree on the critical points of financial responsibility and communication. The mayor states “One of the most important aspects of policymaking is watching the spending…” she goes on to state “Help your elected officials do the right thing by letting us hear from you”. My message is being embraced.

I am a visionary and I recognize opportunities. I will create a “Coalition of Common Sense” that will enable us to focus on vision and policy making that will take into consideration all of the unique attributes of our city.

Please give me the privilege of your vote on Tuesday December 3rd.

Regards,
David Cossette
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Note: An updated photo of Cossette has been included at 10:23 a.m.

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