The DFL Environmental Caucus Endorsement Committee unanimously recommended, and the Board of Directors unanimously supports, Jenna Yeakle for Duluth City Council.
Jenna grew up in Duluth and is a graduate of Duluth East High School. Jenna is an environmental champion for Northeast Minnesota and will be a leader on the Duluth City Council on environmental issues. She believes that government at its best is taking care of each other, and through her non-profit work and as the Duluth organizer for the Sierra Club, Jenna has demonstrated that she knows how to bring people together to organize for change. Jenna has a master’s in public health and understands how to use that knowledge to apply it to her work in the community. She believes that government needs to work through a transparent process that is driven by community. She said, “As counselors, we should be aware of the power we have. When cities move, governors move, when governors move, congress moves.”
Jenna is motivated to allocate the Covid-19 recovery monies and other local governments resources to support thriving neighborhoods, transportation that prioritizes people, and bold climate action. Jenna believes that it is the responsibility of the Mayor and City Council of Duluth to take a position against upstream sulfide mining proposals that would include requesting the DNR expand the scope of a contested case hearing to include the design of the dam and financial assurance, and communicating with the Walz administration about the need to safeguard fresh water while investing in projects that put people first. providing quality union jobs for Duluthians and Northeastern Minnesotans is not a separate issue from environmental protections.