When he was 25 Don Ness grew frustrated when he saw his friends moving away from Duluth to find work.
That frustration propelled him into local politics, first as a city councilor and now as one of Duluth's most popular mayors.
"They lived in a one room shack, no running water, the outhouse was in the side yard...rumor was for a time my crib was an empty sock drawer," said Ness, describing his first home growing up.
From austere beginnings, sprang lessons of faith and public service.
His father Don was a Pastor and his mother Mary worked in a battered women's shelter. They had 4 boys with Ness being the oldest.
"My mom has a very remarkable way of connecting with people to understand the broader context."
When he was five Don and his parents moved to the East Hillside.
"I loved it...you know it was a great family neighborhood," said Ness remembering back to his childhood.
A shy kid at Grant elementary school the mayor said he didn't make friends easily, but found connections in sports and academics. Then in high school he began to rebel against his parents' way of life.
"We didn't have a lot of money to spend so my rebellion was I'm going to ...be in corporate finance and work in the biggest building in Minneapolis and make money hand over fist."
Don majored in Business administration at UMD. In college he learned to appreciate his parents' values, combining them with his interest in politics.
Among his mentors; the late DFL state senator, Sam Solon. Sam was always that person who could work within the party but also with business leaders.
Considered a long shot candidate, at the age of 25 he won a seat on the Duluth City Council.
"It was a tremendous thrill...those early years I made a lot of mistakes ...and I learned a lot about my community."
There are two women who have inspired Ness along the way; his mother and Laura, his wife of eight years.
"I could not do this without Laura...you know and I feel blessed to have her in my life...she is everything to me."
Donny and Laura settled in the east hillside...not too far from his parents' home. They have three children; Eleanor, James and Owen.
"He is so hands on," says Laura. "Like I sometimes find that I, I take cues or learn parenting techniques from Donny."
A husband and father-to- be at 30 Don was also president of the city council. Three years later as Mayor...he successfully tackled the controversial issue of retiree health care.
"Because of the reforms we put into place and challenging the status quo ...we were able to reduce our unfunded liability from 380 million to 192 million."
Steering the city off the path to bankruptcy, Ness won his second term in office running unopposed.
Now he's charting a new course.
"The fact that we are creating entrepreneurs ...creative people adding value to their work place I think Duluth should now change to focus on growth."
Michelle Lee
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