Duluth Councilor Derek Medved Steps Down Early in Term, Council to Begin Interviewing Candidates to Fill Seat
According to Council President Forsman, Medved was a Councilor-At-Large, so anyone in the city can apply through the city clerk’s office.
DULUTH, Minn.- At-Large Duluth City Councilor Derek Medved has decided he will be leaving his term two years early to focus on his growing business.
“It’s great to see a young entrepreneur continue to succeed locally so that’s really great. On the council front, it’s sad to see him go,” newly-appointed Council President Arik Forsman said.
In a statement only to FOX 21, Medved said:
“I have things on the horizon I need to focus on for business. Growth has always been a focus for our company and it has taken a major turn in the past year, leaving me with more of my focus on work. I want to ensure that my level of public service to my constituents is top-notch, and I feel like now is the time to step down, before our growth.”
The 25-year-old owns a chain of KornerStore locations in the Northland, opening his first store in Gary in 2016.
At the point of Medved’s resignation, this year’s Council had only one meeting under their belt, a spirited and at times tense one which resulted in them voting down a city-wide mask mandate. Mayor Larson announced one a day later.
According to Council President Forsman, Medved was a Councilor-At-Large, so anyone in the city can apply through the city clerk’s office.
“You definitely don’t want to be without full representation for longer than you need to be so we’re trying to fill that seat quickly,” Forsman said.
The 8 remaining councilors will interview all applicants on February 24th and narrow it down to 3 finalists to interview 4 days later.
They’ll select the new councilor from there.
“There’s a lot of different factors to weigh in my seat when we have this sort of challenge in front of us to find somebody to fill in for a councilor,” said Forsman, “and every circumstance is different but the things you look at include what skill set that person brought sort of their background that made them somebody people wanted to elect.”
Medved said his last day will be the February 14th council meeting.
His term lasts through January 2024.
FOX 21 reached out for an on-camera interview Friday, but Medved declined.
