Acting St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki Announces Re-election Bid

Kim (Kimberly) Maki announced she is running to keep the St. Louis County Attorney’s office during remarks outside the St. Louis County Courthouse in Virginia, telling attendees she will preserve the rule of law and continue reforms she began after taking over the office. Multiple local outlets reported the announcement at the Virginia courthouse and photographed the event; the Duluth News Tribune credited photographer Brady Slater for images from the gathering.

The campaign launch follows Maki’s selection by the St. Louis County Board to replace longtime county attorney Mark Rubin, who retired after more than 40 years of service. The Duluth News Tribune reported the board’s unanimous September appointment and said Maki began her appointment at the start of October. Fox21 noted Maki has said she “will finish out Rubin’s term through 2022 before the election for the seat in November,” and Mesabi Tribune reported she announced her run Thursday afternoon in front of the courthouse in Virginia.

Maki framed public safety and victims’ rights as central to her bid, emphasizing prosecution of violent crime and stronger partnerships with law enforcement. Northern News Now quoted Maki: “It has been an honor to serve the people of St. Louis County. Over the past four years, our office has worked every day to uphold the rule of law with integrity and fairness. I am running for reelection to ensure that this work continues, guided not by politics or pressure, but by what is right under the law in every circumstance.” Northern News Now and WDIO summarized her priorities as upholding the rule of law and protecting vulnerable citizens.

Her announcement highlighted administrative changes she says she initiated since taking office. Northern News Now and WDIO credited Maki with revamping the juvenile diversion program to support youth accountability and rehabilitation, improving the county’s process for data-practices requests to ensure timelier responses, and expanding community outreach across St. Louis County. The Duluth News Tribune reported a six-month work-from-home trial in the County Attorney’s office and growing use of online hearings during the pandemic; the Tribune quoted Maki saying, “We’ve had to adapt to online court and online meetings and doing business virtually, and to some degree that’s here to stay.”

Fox21 ran extended remarks in which Maki described immediate outreach efforts: “One of the things that I did when I took office over three months ago as county attorney was to start developing relationships right away. I went out to the communities all over the county and started talking to people about what’s needed, you know, what the challenges in their communities are, what are the successes, and how we can better serve those communities.” Fox21 also quoted her on next steps, including a planned review of office policies, procedures, and systems “to ensure they reflect best practices and position the Office to prudently respond to changing conditions and demands.”

Coverage of the announcement contains timeline discrepancies: Northern News Now and WDIO described Maki as seeking a second term and referenced “the past four years,” while Mesabi Tribune, Fox21, and the Duluth News Tribune reported she was appointed in September to finish Rubin’s term and has served only months in the office. The Duluth News Tribune also reported Maki was, at the time of its story, the only county attorney candidate to announce for the Nov. 8 election.

Maki emphasized local roots in her pitch, noted by Mesabi Tribune and the Duluth News Tribune: she is an Iron Range native whose interest in law began nearly 30 years ago on her high school mock trial team and who has lived in St. Louis County for the majority of her life. Her campaign now moves into the filing and election phase, with Maki pitching continued public-safety focus, administrative reform, and expanded outreach across the Iron Range as she seeks to retain the county attorney’s office.