REGIONAL NEWS & INVESTIGATIONS
PO BOX 161702, Duluth MN 55816
Email contact@duluthmonitor.com
Phone (218) 391 - 8791
Links
Follow Us
Free Newsletter
- All rights reserved.
REGIONAL NEWS & INVESTIGATIONS
PO BOX 161702, Duluth MN 55816
Email contact@duluthmonitor.com
Phone (218) 391 - 8791
- All rights reserved.
vote him out ^
He’s a snake in the grass!! They screwed the city of Two Harbors in the middle of the pandemic by raising the price of natural gas 131%!!!! Now he wants to build an underwater hotel, wonder where he stole that idea from. I’d love to vote him out, but no one runs against him
If he was passionate about this business and he planned it for a year, why didn’t he make a move? He called City Hall, got no answer–OK. Had a discouraging meeting with Swanson and Jones–OK. And then…? Did what? Passionate entrepreneurs will do almost anything to get their businesses off the ground. “Well, if I can’t find information here, where am I going to find it?” A litany of inspirational quotes should come to mind at this point, but I guess not for Entzion. So from May 2017 until the closing in March 2018 plus his 12 months of planning. This guy sat on this idea, waiting for someone to hold his hand for 22 months? I feel it was on him to have the NDA signed, whether or not he felt silly. Please go back to reporting actual news, Mr. Ramos. This is juvenile–he stole my idea, she wont say hi to me anymore. This is below you. I’ll stay tuned.
You apparently failed to digest the part where Entzion was rebuffed at every turn for advice, and was sent by the people he was querying, to talk to the city manager, who refused to help. And then he approached the mayor, and the Chamber of Commerce…and got no help. If you are not a businessman and do not know how the wheels of business turn, and you get no help from the local experts, what are you going to do, if you do not even know what questions to ask? Passion is not enough. You failed to notice the part where his efforts to get the NDA were rebuffed…”We’re all friends here,” etc.
This whole episode is about a betrayal of trust. Trust. Get it?
For the citizens of Two Harbors, this is ‘actual news’. Chris Swanson has been a slime ball since his youth up in Silver Bay. I wish Mr Ramos would interview his victim and report that ‘actual news’.
Why didn’t Swanson and Jones mention the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund to Entzion? The original, fruitless meeting was on May 5, 2017. Three months later, on August 15, 2017, the mayor’s wife formed CREW17. Six months later. on February 6. 2018. CREW17 bought the property. Doesn’t take much to read between the lines.
Although I prefer not to promulgate via “yellow press” (and personal snipes/character assassination through carefully chosen, colorful adjectives and a definitive “Fox-faux-News” approach), rather than simply reporting the facts of the matter, I – like “Sherman” here – wonder why Brian Entzion apparently chose not to pursue other avenues available for assistance with procuring the business he sought (North Shore Business Enterprise Center, IRRRB, etc.)?
From the article, it appears that nine months passed before the sale of that property was actually transacted.
And though there may have been some “face value” faux pas with regard to public perception and the appearance of impropriety, the Chris Swanson that I’ve known for years has maintained substantial integrity in both his personal and professional lives.
Having served on the City Council with Chris, I can attest to the disparagement and vilification that “outsiders” (or anyone venturing to proffer new or different ideas) face in small communities such as Two Harbors: I, myself, was accused of corruption when – as a city councilor and a member of the cable commission – I had been placed in charge of replacing a substantial amount of equipment damaged in a lightning strike at City Hall. The insurance carrier sent the reimbursement check to me – in error – which I immediately endorsed over to the city clerk. Didn’t stop another councilor (related – as so many are in this burg – to office staff, and others holding multiple city and county positions) from publicly castigating both Chris and I on the public access cable channel during the live broadcast of a council meeting. When challenged to re-examine his “facts” before exposing himself to potential slander and libel charges, this individual later recanted and apologized – in private – but never before the public.
Only one of innumerable slights we experienced over the years – and which Chris Swanson continues to endure.
Chris chose to remain in the political arena and attempt to continue advocating for community improvements. I did not.
Was I dismayed when Chris projected by intimation (as Mayor) that this community supported the Trump-Pence ticket at a political rally? Yes, of course: Political endorsements of either party have no place in municipal governments.
But like the reporting in the recently resurrected local tabloid, this website appears to favor “coloring” stories with personal imprecations – as certain ignominious networks and political organizations do, these days – rather than simply reporting the facts (not to be confused with “alternative facts”) and letting readers draw their own conclusions.
I surmise that – were a number of the “old guard” establishment of this community subjected to the same myopic scrutiny as Chris Swanson’s peccadilloes – similar sensationalized articles would dramatically proliferate on this site.
It will be interesting indeed to learn how these concerns ultimately play out, particularly given the stratagems of the new city attorney (upon whom the council’s collective remonstrance may now rest, as the Minnesota AG has declined to proffer an “independent” analysis of their inquiries). Those who reside in glass houses…
To Sherman
Amen! What a bunch of crybabies! 😆
This is yet another case of extreme jealousy shown by many in this town because someone else succeeded at something they had every opportunity to do themselves but didn’t. A number of people in Two Harbors don’t like Chris Swanson because of envy.
I’m not directly involved, so I have a very clear vision of what has happened to Two Harbors since Chris became Mayor. Storefronts are occupied again. Businesses are flourishing. Streets and alleys are being repaired. New businesses have started. The town is alive again!
I’m very disappointed in the Mayor’s recent gullible judgments involving a mysterious “Mr O” and a ludicrous underwater hotel scheme, but that doesn’t take away from his accomplishments and successes.
Chris is a businessperson. He’s good at it. Obviously, Brian is not.
I was in business for over 50 years. I took a lot of chances and took whatever risks it took to succeed. When someone told me no or ignored me or sidetracked me, it made me all the more determined! That’s what it takes to succeed.
Success or failure is up to the individual.
Exactly where does the success come into play? It’s no different than insider trading, except instead of stocks it’s people and businesses. Mayor Swanson is a serious compulsive liar and so far detached from reality it’s scary.
Imagine his pathetic life, where he goes about telling everyone how great he is as a business owner and creator. He basically lied, cheated and stole his way to the top, if you can call it that. I would say it has him more towards rock bottom and all because he cannot shut that large mouth of his and keeps upping the stakes with his Bitcoin, Underwater Wonders and different nonprofits where he charges exorbitant fees for his incredible knowledge. Just like a true criminal, they never know when to stop. Mr. O Lite!
Let’s also start looking into all the VRBO rentals that he and all his close friends own in town. Oddly enough, in some way, shape, or form all lead back to Mayor Swanson. I bet he had no trouble helping them get the rehabilitation loans they need to get these homes repaired and on the market. We have businesses in town that need employees and there is not a single housing unit to rent, BUT Mayor Swanson wants to get past all of this nonsense as it’s not true or, as he said, “gossip” and focus on the housing issue he created himself.
Al Peterson, there is no hope for you if you cannot see what a dark person he is. He will sell his soul to the devil to make his next calculated move (meaning another setup) to get what he wants. I cannot wait to see how deep this goes within the council itself.
Hi Chris, I mean Sherman…
Bingo! Well put! Thanks
Yes….great drama story preparing readers to bite! How do you steal an idea….. turning a smoked fish house into a smoked fish house? Wow, doesn’t take a genius to keep that idea going. And if you are looking for a business to purchase, how many others were available at this time? I am surprised there wasn’t many many people looking to purchase this place especially at the affordable price! Also correct, he didn’t try too hard. Who needs a third party to introduce you to your Mayor???? And if someone doesn’t answer your calls, go find him! Hind-sight is always 20/20 and many are full of regrets, and there is always someone else to blame….scapegoats! Kick your own ass, not someone else’s ass! I would have this story buried because it is silly! There has to be better drama stories out there. Wink!
Mr Sherman it seems from your comments you unfortunately have never dealt with small town politics.
I worked with Darcie for several years and have never known her to exaggerate or make up things. She says it like it is.
It’s sad that Chris called Darci and tried to play it off. “Yeah, my voicemail has been real spotty.”
Sad, and also funny. This guy is the mayor. Ha!
What an embarrassment to the city of Two Harbors.
He thinks that his pathetic little string of lies now, four years later, will give him some type of defense.
What a fool.
And to involve his whole family…
RECALL. RECALL. RECALL.
JAIL.
Hello…! Who’s the “Angry Citizen”? At least have the courage and conviction to identify yourself, or crawl back into your cave.
Maybe try coming back out when YOU have something positive to say and contribute to the betterment of the city of Two Harbors.
Exactly
Many concerned citizens of Two Harbors, some of whom were supporters of Swanson’s initial campaign for the Mayor’s office, would now like to see him respectfully resign. They are ALL active members of the community, who regularly contribute to the betterment of Two Harbors.
“The dog ate my homework……..”
My View: I enjoy running into mayor Chris Swanson. for his enthusiasm and quick smile here in Two Harbors. Yet, he allegedly has made a series of unwise and seemingly underhanded decisions as mayor. This one, posted today, in my view, seems a very dirty trick. You don’t take private info from a meeting with a citizen and use it for your own financial gain. On top of his blurred lines as mayor and his unwise association with the dubious ex-con Mr. “O.” what’s next? Recall…recall…recall!
As an outsider who likes to visit the beautiful city of Two Harbors, the whole Mayor Swanson saga is grotesquely fascinating. The family seems to have more LLCs than there are residents of the town; it’s like watching a anthropomorphized version of get-rich-quick schemes. Getting catfished by “Mr. O”, submarine hotels under the ice, a city cryptocoin and now this fishy business? *chef’s kiss*
I’ve enjoyed all the streaming documentaries on the Fyre Festival fraud. I’m looking forward to a proper sequel the mayor and his family are cooking up with the Tall Ships Festival this summer!
Council and Administration knew. The old Chamber website indicated that anyone interested in doing economic development in the city should contact the Chamber. How many of those leads did Jones send to Swanson for personal gain? How many people thought they were in discussions with the right people? How could this have gone on for so many years, yet “nobody knows anything”? Jail cells are full of people who thought they’d get away with it. Hope they have room for quite a few more.
So did all of this go down before or after Janelle Jones hired PureDriven web services to run the Chamber’s website?
Jones daughter is the operations manager for Burlington Station and a previous employee of Garage Starts and Jones husband is employed by the city
Call his actions what you like, but certainly this latest article describes underhanded business tactics. This happens way more than it should. For the Mayor to do this–if he indeed did–tells me everything I need to know about this individual.
It’s a public position to serve the community, not screw the community.
Reading the story about Mr. O really says it all. Mayor Swanson is a carbon copy of him, in a pathetic attempt to be a big-time businessman.
It was also rumored Burlington Station was held up during the building process because the mayor did not pull the proper building permits on the build. Again, the mayor is above city rules.
I have a genius idea. Mayor Swanson loves creating businesses, so let’s go a step further and really crank up the creative juices. Combine Pure Driven and Garage Starts and go with Pure Garbage LLC. We can file for this through a private company down in Wayzata, and obviously no one–and I mean no one–can talk about this.
Sure sounds fishy. Hope they get this straightened out before the tall ships start showing.
Sherman: I hope you’re not using your official email for your comments. Aren’t you in enough trouble?
I would hope the area residents and visitors would support an (out of state) outside venture group to start up another retail fish shop, possibly named “Honest Finn’s.”
I’d forever order my smoked ciscoes there.
Don’t the mayor, council members, and city planner have a fiduciary responsibility for nondisclosure, just by the office they hold? The collusion seems borderline criminal. I would send it to the state attorney’s office–he needs to put people in jail just to get re-elected.
How about the administrator, finance director, and city clerk who oversee the day to day operations of the city? The “officers” of the city. The people in charge. The people who ALL employees take direction from? The ones steering the ship. Those same people have been there as long as the mayor has. Where was the old city attorney while all of this was happening? The attorney for the last 20 years. Turn it ALL into the attorney general and the state auditor. The guilty will go to jail; the innocent will prevail. The taxpayer deserve the truth. Drain the swamp.
All Chris Swanson needs now is a sexual harassment allegation, and he could be the next head of the MN GOP.
Someone equally as worthless and corrupt as Gazelka, and Cravaak, and Coleman.
Northern Minnesota produces some of the finest examples of political titanship in the country.
The cost of this, it seems, is politicians of equal ineptitude and misconduct.
Anonymousenyone
Your selective memory is showing itself. Did we forget about Al Franken, Keith Ellison, Dan Schoen?
Take your political garbage out of here and focus on the facts, or do you just want the Democratic facts? What a joke.
The council should request the State Auditor conduct an audit of ALL of the city’s records. That would put many people’s minds at ease. A legal entity of the state, not an independent third party that does the annual audits. If there is nothing to hide, this shouldn’t be a problem and should have been the first step taken by the council if they are really concerned about the city. If I’m a councilor and I hear these things, I’m requesting the most logical path to get to the bottom of it. Maybe there’s a reason this hasn’t been called for.
Hey- How about an underwater jail?
So where exactly is the YouTube council meeting from this week as they were supposed to discuss the claim of the mayor yelling at people leaving the last council meeting amongst other topics all pertaining to Swanson.
Was there no meeting or did the council not let people record the session.
After, reading my earlier comment, do understand that, I 100% do NOT side or support Chris. This article however seems like a bleeding heart just scratching at the surface of what really needs to be proven. So I say, write that…not the sad story! I have heard all the rumors of wanting Chris out of office. So show, say, tell, write, prove that he needs to be removed. When in office, his dealings need to be upfront, honest, and have a clean past record. If he does not and his wrongdoings catch up to him, I will feel no more sorry for him than I do Brian.
Very sad to read this tale, which I have no doubt whatsoever is accurate. I had no idea of the ethical crimes behind the reopening of this property, but will be pleased both not to stop there again, and to encourage others to pass it by, based on the sad betrayal of all the residents of Two Harbors by their mayor.