.png)
These are not talking points. They are the things I have been hearing from people across District 1, the things that keep me up at night, and the areas where I believe county government can and should do better.
Issue 01
Hyper-scale data centers extract enormous value from our communities while consuming electricity, water, and land. They generate relatively few local jobs and have the potential to strain our ability to regulate and destroy our ability to negotiate.
I support a moratorium on large-scale data center approval in St. Louis County until we have a transparent, community-driven process for evaluating their real costs and benefits. The Hermantown data center proposal should not move forward. This decision belongs to the public, not a closed-door negotiation.
Issue 02
The housing crisis touches all of us. I know this firsthand and I understand what it means when stable housing feels out of reach. Building more housing, supporting rent stabilization, and making sure St. Louis County is doing its part to address homelessness are all priorities.
I support expanding housing options across the county, including affordable units and support for people experiencing homelessness. St. Louis County should step up as a co-investor in long-term solutions.
Issue 03
I know firsthand how important Medicaid is. When I was starting over in Duluth, getting on Medicaid until I had steady insurance was genuinely transformative. Access to healthcare is not a luxury, it is what allows people to work, to parent, and to function.
Issue 04
I will push to prohibit ICE from accessing county-owned properties and ensure our community not only knows the safety plan but helps build it.
ICE enforcement, the way it is currently being done, creates fear, not safety. St. Louis County should be a place where everyone, regardless of immigration status, can access county services and live without fear of being targeted on county property.
Issue 05
As an openly gay person, I will use my position to protect civil rights. I will fight to preserve legal rights and reject attempts to roll back protections at any level. I will fight against any local or national initiatives that target queer or trans people and their rights.
Issue 06
Tribes are sovereign nations. Working with tribal partners means taking on collaborative roles including listening, really listening, not just consulting. We should be taking direction from Tribal nations, not just checking boxes of compliance.
I will approach tribal relationships as genuine government-to-government partnerships, grounded in respect and a commitment to keeping promises.
Issue 07
NDAs are not appropriate for elected officials. When elected officials sign non-disclosure agreements, they are legally prevented from telling the people they represent about decisions being made in their name. That is a fundamental violation of public trust.
I will never sign an NDA as an elected official. I support an immediate ban on elected officials in St. Louis County signing NDAs, and will push for that protection at the state level as well. No more closed doors.
Issue 08
I support the Prove It First bill and will stand firmly against sulfide mining that threatens our water and ecosystems. The St. Louis River restoration took decades and $74 million. We cannot allow another generation of contamination in exchange for short-term extraction profits.
Clean water and clean ecosystems are not a special interest, they are what this region is built on. I will fight copper-nickel mining and any other threats to the natural resources we depend on.
Issue 09
I fully support reproductive freedoms, including universal access to IVF and abortion. At the county level, I will work to ensure that St. Louis County actively protects the reproductive healthcare rights of its residents.
Stand with Kris on the issues that matter most to District 1.
Paid for and prepared by the Kris Eilers for Duluth Committee, 324 E 8th St Duluth MN 55805.