By Dana Kazel
St. Louis County commissioners have chosen Commissioner Mike Jugovich to serve as County Board Chair for 2026, and Commissioner Keith Musolf as Vice Chair.
Jugovich has been on the County Board since 2017 and previously served as Board Chair twice, during the consecutive years of 2020-21. He represents the Seventh District, which covers the southwestern portion of the county from Floodwood up to Hibbing and Chisholm.
Musolf represents the Fifth District, which includes Hermantown, Proctor, Rice Lake and several townships surrounding Duluth. He joined the Board after winning a special election in 2019 and has since been re-elected twice, most recently in 2024.
Jugovich thanked commissioners for entrusting him with the role, and in particular thanked Commissioner Annie Harala for her leadership as Board Chair in 2025.
"This is going to be a challenging year, but I am confident we will be able to work together and with our state and federal partners to best serve our residents," said Jugovich. "We will be actively working to deliver needed services but know we must do our best to minimize cost impacts to taxpayers."
As the new Board Chair, Jugovich assigned commissioners to chair the following standing committees of the Board:
Health and Human Services - Patrick Boyle
Public Works and Transportation - Keith Musolf
Finance and Budget - Annie Harala
Central Management and Intergovernmental Relations - Paul McDonald
Public Safety and Corrections - Ashley Grimm
Environment and Natural Resources - Keith Nelson
Commissioners also approved their meeting schedule for 2026. Consistent with the Board's ongoing efforts to provide easier access to meetings for all citizens of St. Louis County, more than half of the Board's meetings this year will be held in locations around the county, outside of the county seat in Duluth.
Board meetings will be livestreamed on the County's Facebook page when at locations that are equipped with the necessary technology to do so. All other meetings will be recorded and posted later on the county's YouTube channel, as well as aired on Public Access Cable Television. The 2026 schedule is posted on the county website at stlouiscountymn.gov.
St. Louis County spans 7,000 square miles and is home to 200,000 people. The County is divided into seven districts, with each commissioner representing approximately 28,500 people.
