DULUTH — The city will hire a private investigator to look into allegations that Mayor Roger Reinert’s former campaign manager and self-described “significant other” may have exercised undue influence on city staff after his election.
City Administrator David Montgomery told the City Council on Monday evening that staff retained the services of Michelle Soldo, of Soldo Consulting Group, in a contract drawn up to not exceed $10,000 in cost.
The examination was prompted by the recent disclosure of
emails between Amber Gurske and city staff.
Those communications showed her stepping in to occasionally direct staff, shape social media content and press releases, and coordinate the mayor’s activities after he took office.
Montgomery said the city attorney’s office completed an internal investigation. Montgomery went on to express his “complete confidence in the impartiality” of the city attorney’s review of the case.
“That being said, in an effort to be completely transparent, I directed the city attorney’s office to engage an independent attorney to conduct an outside investigation,” Montgomery said.
All documents collected for the city’s review will be delivered to Soldo this week.
“Her investigation is completely independent,” Montgomery said. “And she has full authority to conduct any additional investigation if she feels it is appropriate.”
He said a final report will be presented when Soldo completes her work.
Documentation as to the findings of the initial internal review has not yet been made public.
A website for Soldo Consulting P.C., located in the Twin Cities metro area,
says the firm represents governing boards and councils and consults with human resources and labor relations personnel, managers and supervisors on matters related to compliance with policy, Open Meeting Law, Government Data Practices Act requirements, governmental regulations and other concerns, including internal harassment.
Councilor Wendy Durrwachter asked how Soldo was selected.
“Her firm is involved in these types of municipal investigations,” Montgomery said. “They are known to be competent and involved in these sorts of investigations.”
He also noted that the city has used the same firm “on prior occasions for other investigations and found their work to be very excellent.”
Montgomery said he was “very confident” Soldo would do a complete and thorough investigation.
Reinert said Gurske provided her assistance on a volunteer basis and did not receive any compensation for her services. Some authorities have questioned whether those activities crossed ethical, if not legal, boundaries.
David Schultz, a political science and legal studies professor at Hamline University, told the News Tribune: “It comes down to accountability, tax dollars and transparency.”
Reinert defeated incumbent Mayor Emily Larson in November. At age 54, he is a former city councilor who went on to serve in the Minnesota House and Senate. Reinert, an attorney, also serves as a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Peter Passi covers city and county government for the Duluth News Tribune. He joined the paper in April 2000, initially as a business reporter but has worked a number of beats through the years.