Mayor Emily Larson announced Thursday her intention to nominate Rebecca St. George to serve as Duluth's next city attorney and likely the first woman ever to hold the position.
Assistant City Attorney Bob Asleson, with nearly 50 years on the job, said that to the best of his knowledge, St. George will be the first female to head the office. The Duluth City Council is expected to take up a resolution in support of St. George's appointment Monday.
For the past 6½ years, St. George has served as staff attorney for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, where she has earned a national reputation for her work as a legal and public policy advocate combating domestic and sexual violence against Native American women. She serves on the 6th Judicial District's Equal Justice Committee and the statewide Criminal Sexual Conduct Statutory Reform Steering Committee.
In a written statement, Larson said: "I am thrilled Rebecca will lead our legal team. She shares a vision for efficient, proactive legal engagement and sees law as a critical means to stabilize communities and innovate systems, while protecting people and seeking justice."
In the same release, St. George expressed her excitement to serve the city and said: "This time in history is a particularly poignant one, and I believe that our local government and our legal community are in a perfect position to ensure movement that will benefit all Duluthians."
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St. George noted that her Native American ties to Duluth go back centuries.
"I hope that the work that I do for Duluth will make my ancestors pleased," she said.
St. George lives in Duluth's Hillside neighborhood with her daughter, Lily, who will be a senior at East High School next year and her son, Jack, who will be a sophomore at Amherst College in Massachusetts next year. St. George is a descendant of the Fond du Lac Band and of the White Earth Nation. She also is a member of the KwePack running group.
If her appointment is approved, St. George will succeed Gunnar Johnson, who served nearly 12 years as city attorney before resigning April 9.
In her proposed new role, St. George is expected to receive an annual salary of $128,155.
This story was updated at 10 p.m. June 18 to correct information on the pay St. George would be offered if she is appointed as Duluth's next city attorney. It was updated again at 8:40 p.m. with information that St. George may become Duluth's first woman city attorney. It was originally posted at 5 p.m. on the same date.
