Duluth mayor-elect proposes change in City Hall leadership (2024)

DULUTH — Mayor-elect Roger Reinert announced Wednesday his intentions to replace the city's administrator and lead attorney when he takes office in January.

"I don't think it should come as a lot of a surprise," Reinert said of the campaign that led to his election. "We talked a lot and heard a lot about how it was time for something different."

But Reinert's proposed staffing decisions also will come with a price tag attached to needed severance packages.

Reinert proposes to replace City Administrator Noah Schuchman with David Montgomery, who formerly held the same position under both Mayor Don Ness and outgoing Mayor Emily Larson.

He also proposes to remove City Attorney Rebecca St. George and place Jessica Fralich in that role. Fralich currently serves as a referee with the 6th Judicial District Court and formerly worked for the St. Louis County Attorney's office. Fralich also has experience in private practice, including involvement with domestic violence cases.

Reinert said Schuchman was in line to receive six months' pay upon his departure, worth $84,048, while four months of pay for St. George would be $47,960, putting the total just over $132,000.

In the future, Reinert said he would like to see the contracts of people in city leadership roles run concurrently with the mayor's term.

He acknowledged there will be a cost to the staffing changes and said, "I think the council made a mistake in the past of having contracts that run past an election or past a mayor's term. That puts us in the situation that we're in now."

While Reinert does intend to proceed with these leadership moves at the top of city administration, he's not proposing a total shake-up right out of the gate.

"I'm a big fan of making some change and then kind of seeing how an organization the size of our city responds to that," he said.

As for the selection of Montgomery to lead the city workforce, Reinert described him as a time-tested and respected "known quantity" who has agreed to come out of retirement to serve in a transitional role as the mayor-elect seeks out a longer-term hire within the coming year.

File / Duluth Media Group

Montgomery said he is pleased to serve in a transitional capacity, providing Reinert with the time and space needed to thoughtfully pick his replacement.

"I think that getting the right people is critical if you're going to be successful," Montgomery said.

"As mayor, it's a daunting challenge to think that I'm going to manage this quarter-billion-dollar, 800-plus organization. In the private sector that would be a lot, but now put all the public sector stuff and all the politics into the mix, and it's very difficult. You really need people you can trust," Montgomery said.

Even though Reinert was depicted as "risky" by his opponent during the recent campaign, the mayor-elect said his choice of Montgomery is telling of his management style.

"I want to make change, see how an organization the size of the city of Duluth responds to that, and then make additional changes. The sailor and the pilot in me tells me that's the way you do those activities safely, by making small course corrections," he said.

“I’m grateful to have Dave’s wealth of knowledge and experience as we get underway. He is a proven leader and will be charged with the city of Duluth’s fiscal integrity, and leading the effort to focus our efforts on core city services and the city staff who provide them,” said Reinert.

"Our challenge is going to be: How do we deal with the internal structure and some change there, in terms of the alignment of people and resources to really deliver better on our core city services. In order to do that, I need institutional knowledge, and that rests in my director-level folks," he said.

As for the dismissals of Schuchman and St. George, Reinert said, "There is no shortcoming or deficiency. They are both excellent professionals. It's really more an issue of these two other people being more closely aligned with where I want to be headed in this next year."

In regards to Fralich's proposed new role, Reinert said, "Jessica brings strong relationships with the county, the courts, community agencies, and both Duluth police and the sheriff's office, as well as experience meeting people in their difficult moments and toughest chapters of life. We talked a lot about public safety during the campaign, and I know Jessica will be a community leader in this area."

He went on to say, “The city attorney is a complex role. You need municipal and transactional law experience, and you also need the ability to manage and lead a key City Hall department. Jessica checks all these boxes. I’m thrilled she’s joining our team.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve the city of Duluth in a new role,” Fralich said in a statement. “I am committed to strengthening the relationships I have built over the past 16 years, while forming new ones in order to best serve all members of our community.”

Acting City Attorney St. George also issued a statement saying, "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve as Duluth city attorney for the past three and a half years. It has been an incredible honor to lead a team of brilliant, dedicated public servant attorneys and legal staff, and I am so proud of all we have accomplished together over these years.”

St. George continued: "I wish Mayor-elect Reinert, the new city attorney, and all of Mayor-elect Reinert’s incoming administration, as well as our amazing and dedicated city staff, all the best for the future."

Schuchman, too, issued a statement: "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve this community. For the past five years I have seen the great work of city staff make a difference in the lives of Duluthians, and I am proud to have been a part of it.

"My sincere thank you to Mayor Larson for the opportunity to serve the city of Duluth. I have been honored to serve with her, city councilors and our incredible city staff.”

In conclusion, Schuchman stated: "I look forward to finishing out the next few weeks and wish Mayor-elect Reinert, Mr. Montgomery, and city staff all the best for the future.”