Civil engineer Brad Scott interviews for Duluth Public Utilities Commission seat; council to consider appointment March 20

Brad Scott, a civil engineer and project manager at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), interviewed with the Duluth City Council’s personnel chair on his application to the Duluth Public Utilities Commission. Scott described nearly 25 years of engineering work in the Duluth region and said he wants to “stay connected to the city” and to “advocate for dependable, safe, healthy infrastructure.”

The commission interview focused on Scott’s relevant experience and how he would approach current utilities issues. Councilor Azreeno, the personnel chair, opened the interview and asked Scott to introduce himself and outline his qualifications. Scott said he had worked as both a consultant and as city staff, that he was lead designer and engineer of record for the reconstruction of Superior Street, and that he previously worked on municipal water, storm sewer and sanitary projects in Duluth and the Arrowhead region. He said he transitioned to MnDOT about three months earlier.

Nut graf: The council used the interview to probe Scott’s technical experience and his views on two pressing utilities topics — the city’s lead service line replacement program and a proposed water-infrastructure surcharge — and to check for scheduling or ethics conflicts before placing his appointment on a future agenda.

Scott told the council he was “pretty heavily involved” with the lead service line replacement work while at the city, including securing PFA funding and working with staff on program development. He recommended moving quickly to pursue available federal and state funding, saying there is “a window of opportunity” for the city to secure external funds. On the water-infrastructure surcharge, Scott acknowledged the tension between raising revenue and minimizing the burden on ratepayers and said the commission must find ways to deliver services “efficiently and affordably.”

Councilor Mayo asked how Scott would balance program costs and rate impacts; Scott repeated that federal and state funding opportunities make it important to move at pace. When asked about diversity, equity and inclusion, Scott described a career effort to address power structures and cited establishing a scholarship at the University of Minnesota Duluth in honor of engineer Roberta Dwyer to support young women in engineering.

Scott confirmed he has no known conflicts of interest and said MnDOT saw “no real or perceived conflicts.” He told the council he did not anticipate regular scheduling conflicts with the commission’s meeting time (the commission meets at 7 a.m.).

Discussion versus decision: The interview was discussion only; the council did not vote on an appointment at the interview. Council staff told Scott that a resolution to consider his appointment will be placed on the next council meeting cycle. The personnel chair said the council would take up the resolution on “the twentieth of this March.”

Ending: Scott thanked the council for considering his application and offered to answer follow-up questions. The council indicated it will place a resolution for consideration on the March 20 council agenda; no appointment vote occurred during the interview.