DECC Board ‘Charged With Fiduciary Oversight And Governance’; Board Members Chosen By Mayor, Governor

DULUTH, Minn. — There’s been a lot of attention on the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center over the past couple weeks involving financial troubles and job eliminations, like 28-year employee Jeff Stark.

DECC Exec. Dir. Dan Hartman, who has been on the job for 2.5 years, has said expenses are too high when it comes to increased wages and replacing failing equipment within the aging DECC.

And while Hartman is leading the charge to turn the DECC around, he’s not the only person responsible for the DECC’s successes or failures.

“The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center is an authority created by state statute with a Board made up of four members appointed by the Governor of Minnesota and seven members appointed by the Mayor of the City of Duluth.  The Board Members are charged with fiduciary oversight and governance,” according to the DECC’s website.

The DECC’s current board members include Chair Peter Singler, Vice Chair Martha Bremer, Laura Mullen, Lynn Williams, Josh Axelson, Carrie Heffernan, Bill Nelson, Tony Sertich, Mary Finnegan, Pat Mullen and Jason Vincent.

Board meeting minutes are posted on the DECC’s website, but the DECC does not record its meetings like the City Council, Duluth School Board, and Duluth Airport Authority.  On Saturday, FOX 21 sent an email to the only email available for board members — board@decc.org — looking for comment on the DECC’s recent financial struggles before our 9 p.m. newscast Sunday, but did not hear back by news time.

Meanwhile, Mayor Larson and her opponent in the mayoral race this November, Roger Reinert, released statements to FOX 21 about the DECC’s recent issues.

Mayor Larson said:

“The DECC is a valuable and important resource in the City of Duluth. As with the Duluth International Airport, Spirit Mountain, DTA and HRA, all of which are also authorities, the City is not responsible for operations or staffing. Also, as with all our authorities, the City recognizes that the DECC’s long term success is critical to the health of our community and region.”

Roger Reinert said:

“The DECC holds a special place for me after serving on the Board for nine years, then stepping off the Board to help provide leadership during the darkest days of the pandemic. Those were 11 very challenging months. We received no government stimulus dollars, and had little way to earn revenue due to city and state indoor gathering restrictions. Actively managing the budget was key to surviving.

While it’s been three years since then, clearly the DECC is going through another challenging period. Dan Hartman, and the DECC Board, have difficult financial decisions ahead of them to keep this critical regional asset moving forward. I support the extension of a line of credit, and I’m hopeful this combination buys the facility needed time to even out expenses and revenue. Duluth, and our region, need the DECC to succeed. It serves as a foundation for our hospitality industry, home to the DSSO Symphony and Bulldog Hockey, and an important civic gathering space.

The line of credit Reinert referenced involves a $1 million line of credit the Duluth city council recently reluctantly approved at the request of Hartman in case the reserves dipped too low before the busy Bulldog hockey season moved in, which brings in a substantial amount of money for the DECC.