DULUTH — Mayor Roger Reinert announced Wednesday, Sept. 25, that the city will launch an internal review to examine the appropriateness of his campaign manager’s involvement in municipal affairs following his election in November.

The examination was prompted by the recent disclosure of emails between Amber Gurske and city staff, as the result of a data request by an online publication called the Duluth Monitor.

The emails documented Gurske’s continued efforts to assist Reinert after he assumed office, sometimes stepping in to direct city staff, shape social media content and press releases, and coordinate the mayor’s activities.

She also served on a panel that interviewed candidates for a high-level, strategic communications position. The panel also included Essentia Health Vice President of Public Policy Pat Mullen and St. Louis County Communications Director Dana Kazel.

It is not uncommon for the city to use panels of outside experts to review candidates for key positions. Gurske is employed by Superior-based Amsoil as its international business development and marketing manager.

Reinert and Gurske have acknowledged their involvement in a personal relationship.

Reinert declined to speak to the News Tribune on Wednesday, saying that for the moment, he would offer no further comment beyond a written statement issued that day.

That statement said:

“The press recently reported several allegations. The city is doing its due diligence and reviewing these. I want to ensure you that this administration is committed to serving the people of Duluth in an ethical and transparent manner.

“Yes, Amber is my significant other. She is a talented professional, and someone I trust. She is also just as passionate about the future and success of our community as I am.

“I would never intentionally – or ask anyone else – to do something that negatively impacts this office or the city of Duluth organization. Yet in the interest of total transparency, the city is conducting an internal review to ensure that everything that was done was done in a correct, legal, and ethical manner.”

The mayor previously explained Gurske assisted him in an unpaid volunteer capacity at a time when his communications department was short-staffed.

But Gurske’s activities may well have crossed ethical, if not legal, lines according to David Schultz, a political science and legal studies professor at Hamline University.

“It comes down to accountability, tax dollars and transparency,” he said.

Schultz explained that if an unelected person is directing city staff as to how they should spend their time, that individual is in essence assigning work on the taxpayers’ dime.

He noted that any private citizen has the right to call on a public worker or government to address a particular concern.

“But she appears to be in a position of authority, where she can commandeer how staff are using their time. So, that creates a taxpayer problem,” Schultz said.

Meanwhile, he noted that an unelected individual is not subject to the same sort of public accountability as someone who can be voted out of office.

Transparency is another concern with the communications of a private citizen not being subject to Data Practices Act disclosures.

“There’s a lot of stuff we may not know, in terms of: Is she saying to them, ‘Go do X or go do Y. We just don’t have any of that information,” Schultz said.

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