MuniciPals - a City of Duluth, MN Podcast

This month we feature the Special Olympics. Mayor Reinert talks with Duluth Police Officer Ryan Temple to talk about the DPD's long history of supporting these athletes, as well as the 2026 Special Olympics. The national event this year will be held in Minnesota, and Duluth is one of a few communities nationally to participate in the carrying the torch to the opening ceremonies.

This month we feature Beatrice Ojakangas. Bea is an icon of the northland. She has published more than 32 cookbooks, written for a variety of magazines and is familiar face from public television who has shared her love of cooking and Finnish heritage with audiences across the country. Our conversation covered everything from her journey in the kitchen to what it was like to get a call from Julia Childs.  

This month we feature our Chester Bowl Improvement Club's Executive Director Dave Schaefer. Dave gives us some park history, we tall about their programing and our partnership model. We also have a real time update on the Chalet renovations and their Growing Up Chester Campaign.  

This month we feature our Street Maintenance Operations Coordinator, Geoff Vukelich. Geoff. We cover a lot of ground from sled dog racing to carpentry and Geoff's take on pizza (he's done over 900 reviews!). Importantly, Geoff also gives us insights into everything that goes into winter snow removal operations in a city that is 26 miles long, eight miles wide, and has over 1500' of elevation gain. We discuss P1s, 2s, and 3s, snow emergencies, and what to do during the big storms (stay home if you can!).   

This month Nathan Bentley the President of Advantage Emblem and Screen Printing, or as he more famously known - the Mayor of Bentleyville joinrf me in the PACT TV studio.  We cover an array of topics from how a chain letter sparked the start of his multimillion-dollar company, to his global travels and support for the communities he visits.  Of course, we talk about Bentleyville too!

This month Visit Duluth's new Executive Director Haley Hedstrom joined me in the PACT TV studio to discuss her vision for destination marketing, her past experiences as Executive Director of the Lake Superior Zoo, and what she loves most about Duluth

This month, I sit down with Chris Owen. Chris is a renowned tattoo artist and owner of Living Art Duluth. We cover a variety of topics from studying art in Utah to ancient medicinal practices and the emerging cannabis industry in Minnesota.

This month, I sit down with Russ Salgy, Agency Director of Valley Youth Center. We talk about growing up in Upper Denfeld- folks that is a core Duluthian geography reference! We also chat the legendary Ivin Club Table Tennis Team, and their recent merger with Northwoods Children's Services, and the resulting expansion in youth assets and programming as well as additional staff support and training.  

During the final prep weeks for the 49th Annual Grandma's Marathon weekend, I sat down with Executive Director Shane Bauer to talk about this signature Duluth event, its economic impact on the region, and his outstanding volunteer network.  We also talk about his path to this job and what motivated him to become a Duluthian.

In this first episode I had a great chat with our new City Administrator, Matt Staehling. You get a chance to learn more about Matt, and what drew him to this role after nearly 30 years in St. Cloud. We talk about his first weeks on the job and his first takes as a new Duluthian. We also dive into that all-important topic: the difference between the roles of Mayor and City Administrator.