Who is Kathy Cargill? Wife of billionaire claps back amid dispute with Duluth locals after buying multiple properties

Kathy Cargill, the wife of Minnesota billionaire James Cargill II, who is one of the heirs to the food industry, Cargill, Inc., clapped back at the residents of Duluth's Park Point after they expressed concerns over her purchasing multiple properties in the neighborhood.

Residents of Duluth's Park Point neighborhood were left worried after Kathy Cargill, who first purchased a $2.5 million home in the area, began buying multiple properties unconnected to the initial purchase in the neighborhood, which is located along a 7-mile-long Lake Superior sandbar in Duluth.

Concerns intensified after the homes were razed to the ground and rumors began to swirl that Cargill was set to turn the quiet neighborhood into a playground for the wealthy.

The rumors were compounded by Cargill's reticence to disclose her plans for the multiple homes purchased in Park Point. Amid rising concerns from community members, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert penned a letter last month asking the billionaire’s wife to reveal her plans to city officials.

Months after baulking at the idea of transparency, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Kathy Cargill finally revealed her plans for Park Point while lashing out at the locals and the mayor over the criticism.

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Kathy Cargill told WSJ she purchased multiple homes in Park Point for her relatives

Kathy Cargill is the wife of James Cargill II, one of 12 billionaire heirs to Cargill, America's second-largest private company with revenues of $177 billion, Forbes reported.

The company, founded in 1865 by James Cargill’s great-grandfather, W.W. Cargill, began as a grain storage business in Conover, Iowa, and now they are major players in grain, corn syrup, starch and livestock feed production. The family, which owns 88% of the business, is also involved in meatpacking and energy trading.

The recent criticism over Kathy Cargill purchasing multiple homes in Duluth's Park Point neighborhood, without disclosing her plans for the since bulldozed homes, has left her upset with the small community.

Cargill began raising eyebrows after spending on 20 homes in Park Point, paying above market value for the homes. Concerns were raised after she did not disclose her plans for the homes, prompting Roger Reinert, newly elected mayor of the city to write a letter imploring her to reveal her plans. In a video statement in mid-March, he said:

“So like many in Duluth, I am also concerned about all the Cargill purchases on Park Point. We now know that over 20 homes have been purchased. … I think we’re all just wondering, you know, what is the plan?”

Amid the increasing scrutiny, Kathy Cargill revealed her plans for the neighborhood in a statement to WSJ while also criticizing the small community over their concerns. Cargill said she had initially planned to create homes for her relatives in the area, with plans to also install a coffee shop and courts for pickleball, basketball, and street hockey in Park Point Park.

She added that incessant discourse over her plans for the homes has soured her interest in the locality and she has chosen to take her business to other communities with “more welcoming people than that small-minded community.”

“The good plans that I have down there for beautifying, updating and fixing up Park Point Park or putting up that sports court, forget it. There’s another community out there with more welcoming people than that small-minded community.”

In response to the mayor’s letter asking her to disclose her plans for the homes, she stated:

“I think an expression that we all know — don’t pee in your Cheerio — well, he kind of peed in his Cheerios right there, and definitely I’m not going to do anything to benefit that community.”

Cargill also vowed to keep her plans for the properties private, adding:

“Those people aren’t running me out. They can posture themselves all they want, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Mayor Roger Reinert has yet to respond to Kathy Cargill’s statement about the community.