DULUTH — Billionaire Kathy Cargill has broken her months of silence on her intentions regarding approximately 20 Park Point properties she recently purchased at above-market value.

Cargill spoke to the Wall Street Journal in a story published Saturday. She told the news outlet that though she still intends to occupy the vacation home she just renovated, she turned sour on other ideas for “beautifying” the other properties after reading a letter from Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert, as well as news coverage and online comments from Duluthians.

“There’s another community out there with more welcoming people than that small-minded community,” she told the Wall Street Journal, saying she had considered putting in a coffee shop and building a complex for pickleball, basketball and street hockey.

Duluth native Corey Lehman told the News Tribune on Sunday that Cargill’s comments in the Wall Street Journal had “such an air of hostility.” To respond to questions about her plans through a national publication as opposed to discussing it with the mayor or the community is reactionary and out of touch, he continued.

Lehman said the nature of the Cargill global food and agricultural business adds environmental tension and concern to the prospect of the family’s plan for Park Point. Kathy Cargill has emphasized that the properties belong to her and her entity, North Shore LS LLC, not the Cargill family at large.

“It’s not over for sure. She’s not going anywhere,” he said.

In the December News Tribune story, Cargill declined to comment on what she had planned and threatened legal action if anything ended up in the newspaper. She characterized the homes, many of which had been bulldozed, as “pieces of crap.”

She doubled down on that statement in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, indicating that mice and garter snakes were found in one of the homes.

Attempts to reach Kathy Cargill on Sunday were unanswered.

City concerns

Residents raised concerns about the millions of dollars in purchases, including the prospect of increasing property values. County Board Commissioner Annie Harala said earlier this month that she shared that concern, as the county has limited latitude regarding sales prices. “Because after awhile, one-offs become a trend,” she said.

Dawn Buck, president of the Park Point Community Club, said at the time that some Park Point homes sold for nearly double their assessed value, and there are concerns about the potential tax implications for other property owners.

In lieu of comment Sunday, Reinert said he was “100% focused on the storm” affecting the area.

Last month, Reinert sent a letter to Cargill requesting a private meeting at City Hall and a public meeting at the Park Point Community Club to share her plans. “I want to be clear that I understand and respect your right to make these purchases through the private real property market,” Reinert wrote. He received no response.

Reinert enlisted the help of city councilors at a March 11 meeting in another attempt at communication while, in the meantime, encouraging residents to avoid the billionaire’s large offers.

“I know it’s tempting, given the prices that are floating around out there. But step No. 1 is: Don’t sell. Then, step No. 2 is to get Ms. Cargill, or her representatives, to share what her plans and intentions are, because in the absence of that, people make up their own stories.”

He said that no matter what, the city will protect public access to the area.

Cargill told the Wall Street Journal that, as far as her vacation home is concerned, she will “make it even more private than it is,” in response to the community’s reaction.

Cargill is listed as the North Shore LS manager on business filings available through the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. According to public records, she is married to James R. Cargill II, who Forbes said is one of 12 billionaire heirs to the Minnesota-based agribusiness Cargill, the country’s second-largest private company. The global food and agricultural company was started by his great-grandfather William Wallace Cargill, and the family still owns approximately 90% of the company. The magazine said James Cargill had a wealth of $5 billion in 2023, ranking him 223rd on its list of wealthiest Americans.

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