Longtime St. Louis County attorney announces early retirement

DULUTH – St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin will retire in late September, more than a year before the end of his term.

A Duluth native who first joined the County Attorney's Office as an intern in 1975, Rubin submitted his resignation to the County Board on Monday.

"It's just the right time," he said in a brief interview Monday. "I've waited for a window for a while."

Rubin, who turns 67 this month, was first elected county attorney in 2010. He was reelected twice and has worked for the attorney's office the bulk of his career, with a couple of years spent in private practice in the 1980s.

"Mark has been such a trusted resource and public servant," said County Administrator Kevin Gray in a news release. "I have always valued his perspectives because I know they are rooted in experience, as well as compassion and connectiveness to the community."

In his letter to the board, Rubin highlighted the County Attorney Office's work to improve services for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and assault, along with the Racial Justice Improvement Project that focused on pretrial release decisions. He represented Minnesota county attorneys in the statewide working group on police-involved deadly force encounters, led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington.

Through those and other efforts, Rubin wrote, "our dreams of a better world have come closer to reality time after time."

Rubin has a "deep concern for victims," said Robert Small, executive director of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association.

From speaking at the Legislature about the need for laws to recognize the dangers of fentanyl to his work on the deadly force encounter group, his desire to serve the public is always first, Small said.

Rubin pioneered new ways to interview children who were possible victims of abuse, said Nate Stumme, head of the County Attorney Office's criminal division.

"He is a true master of the art of advocacy," Stumme said, noting Rubin's love of music and his talents as a guitar player. "He would weave music and literature into his arguments, which made him someone who was extremely effective before a jury, someone you couldn't take your eyes off."

Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken cited Rubin's work to reduce incarcerations of juveniles, specifically kids of color, and "to keep families safe."

He also knew a domestic violence conviction could lead to counseling that would help "break the cycle of violence," Tusken said.

Rubin was an early leader in using a pre-charge diversion program that has saved about 100 people a year from low-level felony charges that could lead to homelessness and joblessness, said Dan Lew, chief public defender for the 6th Judicial District.

"All the people we didn't meet with a felony at the courthouse will be Mark's greatest legacy," Lew said.

Rubin, "well respected" by the legal community, has had "a huge impact on criminal justice" throughout his career, said the county's civil division leader Kim Maki.

The County Board will solicit interest in the appointment of a successor to fill the remainder of Rubin's term, and Maki said she planned to go through that process.

Rubin, who in 2019 controversially appointed his son, Tony Rubin, to serve as a prosecutor in the criminal division of the County Attorney's Office, shared in his letter that he's blessed with his two sons, two grandkids and wife, Nancy, who he's ready to join in retirement.

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450