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Read about Janet’s Experience that Will Make a Difference on the County Board

Profession

  • Owner and Principal Director of Operations: Healthy Alliances Matter LLC Company dba Development Alliances and Solutions

  • Founder/Executive Director: Healthy Alliances Matter for All dba Health Equity Northland

  • St. Mark Church Parish Community Health Ministry, Arrowhead Parish Nurse Association

  • Retired Physical Therapy Assistant Clinician & Director of Rehabilitation

Family

  • Caregiver for aging parent

  • Two adult children, nine grandchildren, dog parent

Length of Duluth Residency

  • Since 1968

  • Western Duluth since 1973

Policy Leadership Roles

  • Spirit Valley Building for Youth & Community Wellness

  • Duluth Economic Development Authority Commission

  • Community Intergovernmental Liaison 2024

  • Indoor Athletic Venues Task Force Committee

  • City of Duluth Council President 2023

  • Committee of the Whole

  • City of Duluth Council Vice President 2022

  • Council Finance Chair

  • Co-chair Spirit Mountain Recreation Task Force

  • Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council Policy Board

  • Council Personnel Chair 2020-2022

  • Northern Lights Express Alliance Commission

  • City of Duluth Planning Commission 2015-01/2020

  • Planning Commission President 2019-2020

  • Vision Committee Member Imagine Duluth 2035 Comprehensive Plan

  • Crowd Control Police Protective Gear Policy Working Group

  • Boards & Commissions Realignment Committee

  • Ordinance Modernization Task Force

Education

  • Urban Land Institute Real Estate Diversity Initiative 2023 Cohort

  • National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health Cohort 9 Fellow: Bridging Health Duluth

  • National Empowering Women Leadership Development Institute

  • Conflict Resolution and Civil Mediation Training

  • Bachelor of Science Interdisciplinary Major: Health and Human Services, University of Superior Wisconsin

  • Associate of Art: Liberal Arts/Associate in Science: Corrections, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

  • Associate of Applied Science: Physical Therapy Assistant, Duluth Technical College (Lake Superior College)

Community Service Positions and Affiliations

  • Co-founded Spirit Valley Center for Youth and Community Wellness Project Working Group

  • Duluth Chamber of Commerce Member

  • Co-chair Bridging Health Duluth

  • St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, At Large 2024 President, 2023 Vice President, 3rd District 2019-2022

  • Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Duluth Alumni 2021-2022

  • RiverFront Community Development, Managing Consultant 2020-2022, President

  • Green New Deal Housing, Founding Executive Board  

  • Management Director Health Equity Northland, COVID-19 Pandemic Community Response Collaborative

  • Duluth Workforce Development Construction Working Group

  • Wealth Entrepreneurship and Economic Sustainability Leadership Planning Committee

  • Cross Cultural Alliance of Duluth

  • Duluth League of Women Voters

  • Health in All Policies Campaign

  • West Duluth Business and Civic Association (West Duluth Business Club)

  • Irving Community Club

  • Head of the Lakes ATV Riders

 

……and More!

 

Janet has over thirty years of experience doing public service work building  healthy communities for everyone! She will continue to Make a Difference and Be the Change we want to see in Our Communities and across our County.

 

 

 

HELLO  

I AM JANET KENNEDY

 

I AM HONORED TO HAVE YOUR VOTE TO BE THE NEXT DISTRICT 3 COUNTY COMMISSIONER TO SERVE ON THE

ST LOUIS COUNTY BOARD, BUILDING OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES

FOR TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE

 

OUR FUTURE IS NOT GRIM. THE TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE IS NOW!

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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I am Grounded in the Neighborhoods of District 3 with Deep Roots
and Lived Experience

I BELIEVE A COMMUNITY WILL SURVIVE AND PROSPER WHEN EVERYONE IS WALKING ON EVEN GROUND!

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Join Us!

Revisioning the County Commission Board to be What We Want to See

To build a county board that works for everyone, it is important to prioritize transparency, accountability, inclusivity, effective communication, collaboration, and innovation. Here are my key considerations for serving in action:

01

TRANSPARENCY

Establishing clear and accessible channel for sharing information with the public, including meeting agendas, board decisions, and budget allocations, how to serve on county boards and committees, encouraging increased public participation and engagement in decision-making

03

INCLUSIVITY

Ensuring that the county board reflects the diversity of the community it serves in terms of geography, race, ethnicity, gender, age, and socio-economic background. Seek input from marginalized and underrepresented groups to inform policymaking locally and regionally

02

ACCOUNTABILITY

We deserve the best: someone who understands the county systems and can work to maintain accountability in actions and decisions, establishing and supporting mechanisms for oversight, evaluation, and feedback. Implementing ethics policies and ensuring integrity in decision-making. I will work tirelessly to maintain high standards so that you are getting consistent service quality and excellence

04

COLLABORATION

Innovation

Implementing forward-thinking creativity and innovation in addressing complex challenges facing our communities and the county, such as infrastructure, roads, bridges, and transportation; housing, economic development, and environmental sustainability that doesn't leave people behind

07

COMMUNICATION

Enhancing communication strategies to ensure that county commissioners are accessible and responsive to the needs and concerns of the community. Utilizing communication channels such as social media, newsletters, and public forums, to engage with constituents

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Fostering a culture of collaboration and cooperation among county commissioners, staff, community members, and stakeholders. Prioritize working together towards common goals and finding consensus on key issues

06

DIRECTION

Directing novel approaches such as community co-design models for community impact projects, placing emphasis on the health and well-being of all community members. Co-creating daycare models to support families and building indoor active living spaces in Western neighborhoods for everyone. Leading solutions for our aging community members desiring to transition out of their homes while maintaining a residence on the Western side of town, with supportive care services for age-related independent living to memory care

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The Time to Make a Change is Now

As a single mother, I raised my kids to work hard, be respectful, and serve others. Anything is possible when you have a good-paying union job and an education if it is necessary to reach your goals in life. Public-health and human-service programs helped me break the chains of generational poverty for my family; it was difficult at times, and we struggled all the way through. After working 25 years in the medical profession, retiring as a director of rehabilitation, I know what it takes to maintain standards for service quality and excellence. By prioritizing oversight using a health-in-all-policies model, evaluation, and feedback mechanisms, I will lead budget actions that support everyone from birth to end of life. I will foster transparency and trust within the community.

I am running for St Louis County commissioner in District 3 because the time to make a change is now.

For the past 10 years, I have worked assessing local community needs in consideration of regional and state priorities. The needs are many, and our population and geography are diverse. My first priority is to foster a consensus for County Board members in understanding that county policy, ordinance, and budget decisions work best if viewed through a framework that considers the factors affecting a person’s health outcomes and quality of life. These are the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, play, and age. We make better decisions when everyone is at the table, so everyone has the opportunity to be in the picture.

I believe a community will prosper when we all walk on even ground. We deserve a commissioner who is rooted in the community, in forward-thinking innovation, and in creativity in addressing complex challenges facing our communities. These challenges include road and bridge infrastructure, transportation, housing, child care, public safety, economic development, and environmental sustainability that does not leave anyone behind.

Serving as past president of the Duluth City Council and current president of the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, and also leading the St. Mark Parish Community Health Ministry as a member of the Arrowhead Parish Nurse Association, I serve communities and community members from western Duluth to East Hillside.

As a former corrections officer, I will lead in advocacy for funding to support updating our jails and public safety, including public-service workers. I am leading community working groups developing indoor active living spaces and supporting aging community members' desire to transition out of their homes while remaining in their current neighborhoods with access to housing and supportive care services.

 

We are at a time in our community and world when making ends meet is tough for families and individuals. One solution is to rethink the workforce model by connecting workforce development directly to the county.

As the next county commissioner for District 3, I will foster excellent intragovernmental connections and collaborate with intergovernmental partners, bringing experienced, balanced, mature leadership focused on ensuring that we are working together to meet all of our community’s needs.

As a daughter, niece, sister, and grandmother of a veteran, and as a caregiver for my mother living with Alzheimer’s dementia, my lived experience is needed on the St. Louis County Board. I have listened to and watched the County Board from my vantage point on the Duluth City Council. We cannot afford to wait another four years. I will step into the work with business, nonprofit, education, and work experience, keeping us focused on the county issues and leading us to quality county services that we all need and deserve.

 

I ask for your vote to serve as the next St Louis County Commissioner for District 3.

 

 

 

FOCUSED PRIORITIES THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

BY FOCUSING ON THESE PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES, THE COUNTY COMMISSION CAN BUILD A STRONGER AND MORE EFFECTIVE GOVERNING BODY THAT TRULY REPRESENTS AND SERVES THE INTERESTS OF

EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY

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