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Duluth council appoints Deborah DeLuca to fill Second District seat
Summary
The Duluth City Council unanimously appointed Deborah DeLuca to the vacant Second District council seat after public interviews of three finalists.
The Duluth City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 7 to appoint Deborah DeLuca to fill the Second District vacancy.
The appointment followed a public interview process that included three finalists: Craig Bursch, Deborah DeLuca and Janet Nelson. Councilors interviewed each candidate in timed rounds before taking roll-call votes. Council President Timanek announced the unanimous result and congratulated DeLuca.
Councilors said during the interviews that the choice was difficult and praised all three finalists. Several councilors explicitly cast their votes aloud during the roll call: Councilor Forsman, Councilor Randolph, Councilor Kennedy, Councilor Swenson, Vice President Nephew and President Timanek each stated “Deb DeLuca” as their first choice. The clerk then read the formal resolution naming DeLuca to the seat, and councilors approved it by roll call.
DeLuca, who currently serves as executive director of the Port Authority, told councilors in the interview rounds she would prioritize core city services, look for intergovernmental partnerships to stretch scarce funds, and dig into the city budget if appointed. She described experience with grant work and with drafting a climate action plan at the Port Authority, and said she would work with council colleagues to represent both district interests and citywide needs.
The council recorded the appointment as Resolution 649. The clerk and council leadership described the next procedural step: removing the appointment resolution from the consent agenda during the subsequent council meeting to formally add DeLuca’s name to that item for a final vote on the council floor.
The three-candidate interview process, the roll-call voting procedure used because one councilor attended virtually, and the unanimous appointment concluded the personnel session. Councilors thanked the other finalists, Craig Bursch and Janet Nelson, for their participation.
The council will seat DeLuca for the remainder of the term previously held by Councilor Mayo.
