DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Duluth City Council voted 7–to-2 Monday night to keep two Lester Park Golf Course petitions off the November ballot, claiming state law would override a local vote like this.
It’s a debate that’s been building for years — and city leaders say it traces back to 2020, when Lester Park Golf Course closed and questions about its future took off.
Monday’s vote was the latest example of the controversy, but Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert says the bigger decision is still ahead, with the land-use study in the works.
Reinert says it’s been a long-running discussion, with priorities like green space, recreation, and possible housing on Lester Park Golf Course—but last year’s park-status vote intensified the backlash.
Mayor Reinert said, “so, all of that separate from the question the council was presented last night, which was, are these ballot questions actually legal questions that the council can put on the ballot?”
The mayor along with the majority of council, under guidance by the city attorney, believe the answer is no.
“We had a pretty clear opinion that they’re not legal questions because the zoning area related to land use is actually superseded by state law, and that fits with how we deal with zoning generally,” said Mayor Reinert.
Many residents opposed the vote—especially petition signers seeking a public referendum.
Michael Bernstein, director of ‘Our Park Our Vote’ said “a certified petition goes to the voters unless it is manifestly invalid, so clearly unlawful there is nothing left for a court to decide.”
But Mayor Reinert says it isn’t that simple, “often we are asked to make the right policy decision that’s not necessarily the popular or political one.”
Reinert called the Monday evening vote good governance but says backlash has been unfair—reigniting tension over claims he influenced the legal opinion.
“What concerns me about this sort of attacking people’s integrity and ethics for a short-term political points, is long term harm to the organization,” said Mayor Reinert.
In regard to the current lawsuit filed by Bernstein against the city, Reinert says it’s time to seek a quick district court ruling.
“We believe there would be a positive ruling. But that needs to happen since it is an election related question,” said Mayor Reinert.
He urges people to stay engaged, saying despite online rumors, no developer deals have been made, and the land-use study is still underway.
“It’s really easy to say no, it is much harder to say, maybe no, but, or yes, which are some of the more challenging things we have to do as city leaders,” said Mayor Reinert.
The land use study recommendations will be made public at an open house on Thursday.
However, there is plenty of information on the study already available to the public. That information can be found on the Lester Park Golf Course Land Use study website.
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