St. Louis County officials have selected a new county administrator: Kevin Gray, chief financial officer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
County commissioners picked Gray over four other candidates, including former state Sen. Ron Dicklich, said the Duluth News Tribune. Dicklich supporters claimed he lost because of the ongoing battle in the county between Iron Rangers and Duluthians.
“This is a north-versus-south battle … and I guess the Confederates are going to win this time,” said Range-area Commissioner Mike Forsman, commenting that Duluth commissioners were ranking Dicklich unreasonably low in the process.
Gray is expected to be paid somewhere between $120,377 and $149,342. The position opened nearly one year ago, when Dana Frey left to take a job in Bosnia. The board immediately hired former County Attorney Allan Mitchell to serve as interim administrator.
Others competing for the position along with Gray and Dicklich were Paula Yancey, legal counsel for the Jackson County, Miss., board of supervisors; Mark Abeles-Allison, administrator for Bayfield County; and Gregory Lewis, administrator for Niagara County in New York.
