One-On-One: Reinert Talks First Month As Duluth Mayor; ‘The Time Is Now’

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert is closing in on his first 30 days in office. And in his first sit-down interview since Inauguration Day, 53-year-old Reinert shares how the jobs is going so far, his management style and his lack of patience when it comes to the status quo.

“You know, we need ‘the time is now’. Most people know I’m a Buffett fan, Jimmy Buffett. And there’s one of his old school songs. There’s a line that says, according to my watch, the time is now — the time is now,” Reinert told FOX 21’s Dan Hanger.

Reinert said there’s no room for delays when it comes to getting projects done and securing new business.

“Staff is learning I don’t have a ton of patience,” Reinert said with a smile.

Reinert believes his mayoral campaign to make Duluth a better place to do business is working, with developers coming back with renewed interest.

“We’re not just hearing that locally, we’re hearing that from other population centers, we’re hearing that from the metro, people that are, that have long thought about Duluth, are now really interested in Duluth,” Reinert said.

Reinert said the importance of making big development deals work without unnecessary roadblocks means he will be at the head of the table when he and his leadership team sit down with developers.

“[The] meeting I had earlier today, the last thing I said was, you’re in good hands with our staff. But if for any reason you’re feeling stuck, like here’s my number, call me … we’re gonna figure that out and keep moving forward,” Roger said.

Reinert believes the experience of his leadership team is something the city has not seen in a long time. He brought back veteran Administrator David Montgomery who served under mayors Ness and Larson. Newly hired City Attorney Jessica Fralich is a former prosecutor and court referee. And Reinert retained Planning and Economic Development Director Chad Ronchetti with decades of experience, and someone who was hired last year under Mayor Larson.

But Reinert said the change in leadership within Duluth goes outside the walls of City Hall.

“Now, I think, some real alignment between the Chamber, between our economic development staff, the new council, myself … we have a window here where people are looking at Duluth with kind of fresh eyes. And what I have committed to everyone I have a chance to talk to is we can’t squander this opportunity. I mean, this is the time for us to not only say we’re excited to have you here, we want to work with you, but then actually deliver on that,” Reinert said.

Meanwhile, with development, comes the need for housing. And as Reinert voiced on the campaign trail, business development goes side-by-side with housing development.

“When we’re doing a good job on providing the housing that the workforce needs, we have the talented workforce that then can support those additional businesses. So, they all have to link together and they’ll have to move forward,” Reinert explained. “The related taxes that those projects paid, just make all of our bills more affordable.”

It’s a vision from Duluth’s newest mayor that’ll be closely watched by his critics looking for results. But one thing is clear, Mayor Reinert says he is determined to make change that may make some people uncomfortable, as he recently shared in a letter to his staff.

“I said there will be change. You’ve experienced some already, some pretty significant for the top of the organization, there will be more. And what I encourage you is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We cannot be stagnant, we cannot be status quo. We have to be looking for those opportunities to learn, develop and grow. And that’s not over the years, that’s over months,” Reinert said.

Reinert’s changes have not come without a cost. The city is paying a total of $170,000 in severance, which is required under the previous administration’s contracts for the city attorney and administrative officer positions that he replaced. Reinert said, going forward, he is changing that policy to make certain mayor-appointed positions can be replaced by incoming mayors without cost to the city. Reinert said he is holding off on filling two leadership positions in his office to help offset the $170,000.