Chris was born and raised in Cloquet, with parents and family who taught him the pleasure of a hard-day’s work and the value of a dollar. Like many kids his age, he played baseball, rode bikes around town, fished when he could, went to church on Sundays, and was a Boy Scout. He excelled as a student and was selected “Best Boy Citizen” for his graduating class. After graduation, Chris guided canoe trips in the Boundary Waters and went to college to become a teacher. He was privileged to student teach and work in Barnum in the 2000-2001 school year, later taking a full-time position at the Cloquet Senior High School. He’s been there ever since except for a two-year stint as a Railroad Conductor for Canadian National out of Proctor. On a more personal note, he co-authored the book “Choosing Joy, Our Walk Through Tragedy,” his family’s story of working through the grief of losing their oldest child in an unfortunate accident at home. Chris has taken on various leadership roles in his school and labor unions, been a member of the Cloquet Area Fire District Board, Cloquet Library Foundation Board, Library Board, Cloquet Police Department’s Citizen Advisory Board, his church’s Pastoral Advisory Board, Carlton County Historical Society Board, as well as serving on the Cloquet City Council for Wards 3 and 1. His family and extended family is proud to support his candidacy.
Chris has built a reputation for bringing people together – even when disagreements exist. Whether it’s in his classroom or on the City Council, Chris strives to transform contentious environments into places where people work together respectfully in order to find more common ground.
Chris is deeply concerned about the growing divide in politics. Too often, state and national politics focus on outrage and culture wars instead of real solutions. He’s running to represent the people of District 11A with honesty, balance, and respect.
“I want to be a problem solver, not a culture warrior. People are tired of negativity and deserve a representative who listens and works for them.”
