Duluth Chamber Speaker Responds to DWI Allegations – Duluth News Tribune

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DULUTH Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Baumgartner apologized to chamber members in an email as ‘undoubtedly disturbing’ news surfaced that he had been charged of second-degree drunk driving in September. Baumgartner pleaded not guilty to both charges earlier this week.

“I’m sorry for this because it undoubtedly bothers you, not only as a member of the chamber, but as someone who drives the streets of Duluth,” Baumgartner said of the allegations. “It’s certainly unsettling for me as well.”

In Thursday’s statement, Baumgartner said he continues to decline to comment on the charges under the advice of his legal counsel. However, he told members he had taken “much-needed and overdue” sick leave for the past three months to receive counseling from Hazelden Betty Ford, a Minnesota-based addiction treatment center.

“Additionally, since the incident and my discharge, I have continued to work on my mental health and life balance, and I continue to take steps that make me a better person, leader, husband and father,” Baumgartner said in the statement.

According to a criminal complaint, Baumgartner was arrested Sept. 20 at a Duluth parking ramp after the vehicle he was in drove through a door. He was found unconscious with an open container of vodka in the vehicle. A blood sample revealed a blood alcohol concentration of over .295, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

“I apologize for the justified concern this has caused,” Baumgartner said of the news. “…I pledge to work tirelessly to rebuild any breach of trust that has occurred. community progress and economic development. At this time and as the legal process unfolds, my priorities are my job and taking the necessary steps to support my family and protect their privacy.”

Baumgartner has been chamber president since July 2021.

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