Tony Sertich is leaving his position as commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board to head the Duluth-based Northland Foundation, several state lawmakers confirmed.
An official announcement is expected later today.
Sertich, who was appointed IRRRB chief in 2010 by Gov. Mark Dayton, is only 38 but already has a decade of legislative experience and four years leading a state commission.
Sertich was elected to the House at age 24 in 2000 and was re-elected five times before resigning as state representative to take the top IRRRB spot. He’s been widely praised for his work to move the agency forward in diversifying the Iron Range economy away from mining, while also supporting existing mining and proposed copper mine projects.
Sertich will replace Tom Renier, who headed the foundation since it was founded in 1986. The foundation has an unrestricted endowment of more than $60 million and another $20 million in assets for loan programs.
“It’s always sad to see someone move on who has as much talent as Tony and who has brought as much good will to this region as he has,” said state Rep. Jason Metsa, DFL-Virginia, who serves on the IRRRB board. “But I know Tony wants to start a family and the foundation is a lot more stable than political life. And I know we will still see him up here a lot in his work.”
Metsa and others said there doesn’t appear to be any clear frontrunner to replace Sertich.
“I’ve heard a couple names mentioned more than once,” Metsa said, including former state Sen. Ron Dicklich of Hibbing and Steve Peterson, the former mayor of Virginia who now heads the IRRRB’s economic development efforts.
Sertich has been widely heralded as a possible candidate for Congress. But he’s repeatedly said he wants to remain in northern Minnesota where he can spend as much time with his family as possible.
Sertich, a Chisholm native, graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul and worked for state Sen. Jerry Janezich, also of Chisholm. When Janezich ran for the United States Senate in 2000, then-Representative David Tomassoni ran for the Minnesota Senate, opening up the House seat which Sertich won.
State Rep. Dave Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, said Sertich called all members of the Iron Range delegation on Wednesday to explain that he was leaving the state job to take the Northland Foundation job.
“Tony did a good job of putting a better face on the organization and was good at communication and kept the board meetings organized,” Dill said, also adding that there was no obvious candidate to take Sertich’s job at IRRRB. “I know the Iron Range delegation will discuss it. But this isn’t our call. This is up to the governor to decide.”
