Duluth mayor picks new city attorney as former one becomes a judge

DULUTH – Mayor Roger Reinert has made his pick for a new city attorney, following current City Attorney Jessica Fralich’s recent appointment to the Sixth Judicial District Bench.

Terri Lehr, who has worked for the city of Duluth for 22 years and has been deputy city attorney for the past four, will fill the vacancy — pending the approval of the Duluth City Council, Reinert said Thursday in a news release. The council will vote during its regular meeting Oct. 28 and if approved, Lehr would start the new job on Nov. 1.

“I’m incredibly honored to be nominated for the role, and excited about the opportunity to serve in this role and work alongside administration and the council,” Lehr said in a news release.

Fralich, who was brought in at the start of Reinert’s term, was not even a year into the role when Gov. Tim Walz announced her appointment to the bench earlier this week. The position opened with the retirement of Judge David M. Johnson. Reinert said in a news release at the time that he had written a letter of support for Fralich.

Reinert described Lehr as having a diverse legal background in addition to being well-respected both in and outside of the organization.

“She has served with the last four city attorneys and knows the role better than literally anyone else,” he said.

During her time with the city, Lehr has worked in both criminal prosecution and the civil division. Before that, she was the managing attorney for Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota. She’s served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee and is on the board of the 11th District Bar Association.

Fralich, in a news release, called Lehr’s new role a win for the office and for the city.