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Duluth elects new mayor
by Bob Kelleher, Minnesota Public Radio
November 5, 2003

Herb Bergson ran a populist campaign. He called for better diversity on city boards and commissions, and updated that theme Tuesday night. (MPR Photo/Bob Kelleher)

Duluth needed a new mayor, so voters borrowed one from Wisconsin. Former Superior, Wis. mayor Herb Bergson was elected mayor of Duluth on Tuesday, beating businessman Charlie Bell 57-42 percent. Bergson, who is a police detective in Superior but lives in Duluth, was already a city councilman in Duluth. Duluth's mayor of 12 years, Gary Doty, did not run for re-election.

Duluth, Minn. — Herb Bergson has been elected Duluth's next mayor, taking a two-way race with 57 percent of the vote over Duluth businessman Charlie Bell. Duluth was set for a new mayor with Gary Doty's retirement from the office. Doty has been mayor for the past 12 years, having served three terms.

This is Bergson's second bid for Duluth mayor. He ran in the general election four years ago, but lost then to Doty, a point not lost on Bergson at his rally Tuesday night.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to all of you. And you know what? We've finally found a job in Duluth," he said.

After losing to Doty, Bergson captured a Duluth City Council seat. But he's probably best known as a two-term mayor in Superior, Wisc. Bergson was a police patrolman when he unseated the incumbent mayor in Superior in the late 1980s. After leaving office, Bergson returned to active duty and is currently a police detective in Superior.

"We didn't have a lot of money. We didn't have billboards. We had a little bit of TV and a little bit of radio. We had a whole lot of heart," he said.

Bergson ran a populist campaign. He called for better diversity on city boards and commissions, and updated that theme Tuesday night.

"I'm not going to forget any of you. And everybody gets treated the same. It doesn't matter what color your skin is. It doesn't matter how fat your wallet is. Man, woman or child, everybody gets treated the same. It's my promise to you," he said.

Craig Grau, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says Bergson was helped by having run for the office before and for having been mayor of Superior. Bergson also captured key endorsements

"But he also worked real hard, especially in the primary. And he came in first in the primary. I cannot recall a time when a person who came in second in the primary won the general election," according to Grau.

Bergson lost only one of the city's 36 precincts, which Charlie Bell captured by three votes. Bell says he ran a great campaign.

"It was all very ethical; above board. And we set a real high standard in this election. I enjoyed it. It was a great ride," Bell said.

Charlie Bell says he won't seek public office again. Herb Bergson will be sworn in as Duluth mayor in January.

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