DULUTH – Mayor Emily Larson nominated Rebecca St. George to serve as city attorney, making the longtime advocate for Indigenous communities poised to be the first woman to fill the role that's among the highest-paid city staff positions.
Duluth mayor nominates indigenous advocate, first woman as new city attorney
June 20, 2020 at 9:19PM
St. George served as the staff attorney to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for the past six years. Her appointment will be voted on by the City Council on Monday night, and a city spokesperson said "to the best of our knowledge" St. George would be Duluth's first female city attorney.
"I am thrilled Rebecca will lead our legal team," Larson said in a news release. "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."
St. George has advocated for public policy to address violence against Native American women and published an award-winning seminar suggesting changes to Duluth's criminal justice system. She is a descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and of the White Earth Nation, according to the release.
"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," St. George said in a statement.
Gunnar Johnson, who served as Duluth's city attorney from 2008 until this spring, resigned in April. St. George would receive a base salary of $128,115 plus benefits.
Katie Galioto
The proposal suggests removing the 20-year protection on the Superior National Forest that President Joe Biden’s administration had ordered in 2023.
