Ever since Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert took office, in January of 2024, the Monitor has received reports that the mayor’s girlfriend, Amber Gurske, has been doing her best to help run the city. Ms. Gurske, who served as Reinert’s campaign manager, is employed by AMSOIL, in Superior, as their international business development & marketing manager. She is also an avid hiker, runner, and world traveler.
Emails reviewed by the Monitor since the mayor took office show that Ms. Gurske has delegated tasks to city staff on several occasions, and solicited information without going through official communication channels.
There are many reasons private citizens should refrain from conducting business on behalf of a municipality. For instance, private citizens’ communications are not directly subject to the Data Practices Act, which means that reporters and members of the public are unable to request copies of them for inspection, should the need arise. Nontransparent communications like these could be used to intentionally conduct city business with minimal oversight.
Private citizens aren’t featured in governmental organizational charts. The Human Resources Office has not reviewed their credentials or their criminal history. Private citizens are not subject to city employment policies, making accountability virtually impossible. If a city employee does the bidding of a private citizen (regardless of their personal or political connections) and the results have unintended consequences, the private citizen cannot be held accountable for the matter.
The Monitor submitted a data practices request for City of Duluth emails containing the word “Gurske” for the period Jan. 1, 2024 through Aug. 8, 2024.
Jan. 24, 2024
The earliest email received (dated Jan. 24, 2024) was from White House Coordinator of Intergovernmental Affairs Zion Tims. Mr. Tims wrote directly to Ms. Gurske: “For awareness, below is the current order of events for tomorrow.” He included an itinerary of President Joe Biden’s scheduled visit to the Twin Ports the following day.
The schedule included a “Tarmac Greet,” a “Motorcade to Bridge,” and photo ops at both the Earth Rider Brewery and Cedar Lounge, in Superior.
Neither Zion Tims nor Amber Gurske used City of Duluth email accounts. The Monitor is fortunate that Tims also carbon-copied Duluth Police Lieutenant David Drozdowski on the email, or it would not have been included in the response to our data request.
Feb. 6, 2024
When City Public Information Officer Kelli Latuska emailed Mayor Reinert possible social media engagement ideas for the upcoming week, Amber Gurske responded:
Sunday Roger and I put together a list and some of them line up [with your ideas]. All are shared to [Instagram] and then it auto-shares to [Facebook] except for Wednesday.
Monday: I Love to Read Month (complete)
Tuesday: Near Neighbors Collaboration (we will need a photo of Roger (ideally) or just of the meeting in general, or the building/seal, something like that. Roger knows he needs this too, so if you aren’t there he can ask someone else. He can forget these things but we will do our best.)
Wednesday : DNT Editorial share: “Our View: Support Projects with Promise to Transform Duluth”
He did say that you questioned this a little, so I’m interested in your thoughts. My concern is that it is for subscribers only, but in the campaign we would do a really good summary of it in the copy. Thoughts?
Thursday: Downtown Duluth Dinner Recap. We can write copy together after the event or Thursday AM and he can get pics or someone will share with him. Are you going?
Friday: Boy Scouts. This was something he spoke at 2 weekends ago. There are pics of him already. He just needs to write copy.
Sat & Sun: Dark unless one of the three of us wants something.
In addition to providing Latuska with the upcoming week’s social media posts, Gurske also gave her a heads-up regarding a future post.
The Polar Plunge, we thought best to plug it next week on Monday so it’s not so far in advance it’s out of people’s minds. Maybe a video on Monday? I will actually pitch to him maybe Sunday (for posting Monday), going down to the big lake and shoot a video or something that could be used—”Hey Duluth, this weekend I will be getting in the lake with the PD for a good cause.” Something like that.
So we have a Google Docs folder that we are putting copy in and stuff by his request. Is there a way I can add you to it or any suggestions?
Feb. 7, 2024
Amber Gurske emailed Bronwyn Bauer (a long-time City Hall employee and mayoral office administrator): “Can you let me know please if Roger is available March 11th from 7:45-9:15? If he is, please add to his calendar ‘reading to kindergarten’ at Lakewood Elementary? He wanted me to have you add this and I will be staffing him and will provide him all details.”
Ms. Bauer responded: “He has a meeting at 9, but I will add this to his calendar.”
“Ok, perfect,” replied Gurske. “I will factor in some drive time. What is the meeting so I know the degree of effort it will be for him to understand how close I can cut it?”
Bauer responded: “It is a meeting with [City Administrator] Dave Montgomery and [City Attorney] Jessica Fralich.”
Thus, one month into Mayor Reinert’s term, a private citizen is “staffing” the mayor and gleaning information about municipal business matters involving top city officials, while delegating tasks to actual city staff.
March 4, 2024
Mayor Reinert emailed Kelli Latuska: “Can you please connect with Mark [Bobich] and determine what help (if any) we can offer in terms of boosting [the Gary-New Duluth Rec Center]? If we cannot, connect with Amber and we can put it on my other socials.”
March 11, 2024
Amber Gurske emailed Kelli Latuska: “Can you please research/chat with folks in the next few days to get an update on Brighton Beach? Folks have been talking about it and Roger wants to on perhaps Thursday do a post and maybe video about where we are at, but we don’t know :)”
March 25, 2024
At the mayor’s request, Essentia Health’s Vice-President for Public Policy Pat Mullen, St. Louis County Public Information Officer Dana Kazel, and Amber Gurske conducted candidate interviews to fill the city’s Communications and Policy Officer vacancy.
According to the mayor, the major tasks of the position included the following:
- Supervising the Public Information Office
- Supervising the Community Relations Officer
- Managing City marketing efforts and engagement/sponsorship of events
- Serving as the primary point of contact for the city’s state and federal lobbying teams
- Functioning as the mayor’s de facto Chief of Staff
After interviewing four candidates, the panelists recommended Jessica Hehir for the position. Ms. Hehir was officially hired by Mayor Reinert in May.
April 5, 2024
Amber Gurske notified Kelli Latuska that she had found a typo in a press release which Latuska had put out the day before, announcing an art exhibit at City Hall.
“Not sure where you see a typo, exactly. Is it ‘plein’? If so, that’s correct use of the term,” Latuska emailed Gurske.
“I think it was the fact that it was underlined so it made it LOOK like there was a typo—it was from Twitter, I think,” replied Gurske.
July 25, 2024
Amber Gurske emailed Jessica Hehir and Dana Schroeder, a local soccer enthusiast.
Hi!
I am putting the two of you in touch regarding the Duluth FC (soccer team). The team is doing very well this year and working their way through the playoffs. Roger is interested in being helpful with a proclamation, or perhaps inviting the team to City Hall, etc.
Please work together to make this happen and ask Roger if there are any questions. He is supportive of the team and fully agreed he wants to lift them up how he can.
Dana is involved heavily with the team and can be the team contact and Jess is Roger’s right hand person for cool stuff going on in the city just like this!!
Having recommended that the city hire Jess Hehir, Ms. Gurske appeared to feel entitled to direct work her way.
What the mayor says
On Sept. 20, the Monitor emailed the following questions to Kelli Latuska:
1) What is Ms. Gurske’s role in the Reinert Administration?
2) Is Ms. Gurske a city employee? If so, what is her title?
3) Is Ms. Gurske authorized to issue directives to city staff?
4) What is Ms. Gurske’s personal relationship with Mayor Reinert?
5) Does Ms. Gurske communicate with city staff in ways other than email, such as phone calls or text messages?
6) Do any other private citizens contact city staff with directives?
The mayor responded the same day:
John,
Kelli made me aware of your note and questions.
Amber has no formal role in the Administration. She is a successful female professional in international business and marketing, and not a City employee. As such, she has no ability to direct City staff and instead redirects them to appropriate City contacts. But also, like every other resident, she can freely contact anyone who works at City Hall with ideas, suggestions, or concerns. This happens hundreds of times daily from residents and others interested in Duluth issues.
Amber is my partner in both life and this work. I am personally grateful for someone who not just cares about my ability to survive the work of Mayoring, but is also deeply passionate about Duluth and the success of our community, and is willing to volunteer in support of those ends.
Roger
Cover photo: Fest Frau Amber Gurske and Fest Master Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert at Oktoberfest. Source: Amber Gurske’s Facebook page
How completely inappropriate and entitled these two are. His response is CLASSIC.
As a person who also loves my city and cares about its outcomes, I will be sure to set up some photo ops for the mayor in the future and email him the deets. Maybe there is a B.S. judging competition coming up he could participate in–with Amber G of course.
My husband was a city councilor in Duluth for 8 years. I never would have presumed to interact with city staff or even District 2 residents as his de facto representative. I am glad John uncovered this, and the mayor should not be defending what she is doing and trying to gaslight us that this is appropriate behavior.
Denying clear documentary evidence seems to be a weird flex for the Mayor.
I admit I don’t know everything about politics, but my understanding is that the job of mayor neither requires nor allows a “partner in the work.” I do know that Amber’s name wasn’t on the ballot last year. Her emails and his response to the request for information suggest that he may not be capable of doing “this work” without her guidance.
Also, describing anyone — much less his partner — as “a successful female professional” is repulsive.
I am pretty good at deciphering politician-speak. Though he never actually addresses the questions, he does, in fact, make a blanket denial. This is a problem for him, in that there is clear, documented evidence that this is not true. The people of Duluth did not elect a partnership for Mayor. It seems he is not using that term metaphorically, but rather he is using it literally.
I wonder what is all in the Google Docs folder she mentions? Is it a city document? Is it a private document? How much city business is in it?
Have they heard about Hillary’s emails?
From my understanding and working with low level city staff, they can not access Google items, such as Google Docs.
This is all troubling, for sure. It’s been rumored for months. Glad someone is exposing issues such as this. Democracy is in trouble. Without local reporting such as this, it will get very dark. It’s really a drip-drip-drip into the dark. Sunlight needs to happen. It’s called transparency!
So if Bill and Hillary are Billary and Ben and Jennifer are Bennifer, what do we call Roger and Amber? I vote Ramburger.