Duluth Legislators Host District 8 Town Hall

State Senator Jen McEwen, Representative Liish Kozlowski, and Representative Pete Johnson gather with constituents to discuss legislative priorities and community concerns.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Minnesota state legislators representing Duluth's District 8 held an in-person town hall to share their goals for the upcoming legislative session and hear feedback from community members. The lawmakers discussed priorities like housing, infrastructure, environmental protection, and funding public services through taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Why it matters

This town hall provided an opportunity for Duluth residents to directly engage with their state representatives and advocate for issues important to the local community. The legislators' priorities and responses to constituent concerns offer insights into the policy debates and challenges facing Minnesota lawmakers.

The details

At the town hall, Sen. Jen McEwen, Rep. Liish Kozlowski, and Rep. Pete Johnson outlined their legislative agendas, which included supporting small businesses, strengthening unions, providing $50 million in rental assistance, replacing lead pipes, and defending environmental and labor protections. They also addressed community questions about Capitol security, immigration enforcement, mining permits, and childcare affordability.

  • The town hall took place on February 15, 2026.
  • It was the first in-person town hall for the legislators since 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The players

Jen McEwen

A state senator representing Duluth's District 8.

Liish Kozlowski

A state representative serving Duluth's District 8.

Pete Johnson

A state representative for Duluth's District 8 and a longtime Duluth firefighter.

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What they’re saying

“As we moved into this session, I was really eager to start switching it over and have some in-person and we'll probably have some online too to make sure that we can maximize the number of people who can participate. I'm really pleased that you came. Welcome.”

— Jen McEwen, State Senator (wdio.com)

“At the session, I am on the Labor Workforce Development and Economic Development Committee with, we're very well represented, I'm also on that with Representative Johnson. And we do really great work around supporting small businesses, to childcare, to be able to work on issues of housing and breaking up anti-trust, supporting our union members, strengthening unions.”

— Liish Kozlowski, State Representative (wdio.com)

“One of the big things that we did last session was trying to backstop those gains that these folks made before I got down to the legislature and protect those massive changes and protections and benefits we did for average working folks.”

— Pete Johnson, State Representative (wdio.com)

What’s next

The legislators plan to hold additional town halls, both in-person and online, to continue engaging with their constituents throughout the legislative session.

The takeaway

This town hall demonstrated the value of direct communication between lawmakers and the communities they represent, allowing Duluth residents to voice their priorities and concerns directly to their state representatives.