Kevin Melicher, who was appointed to the State Board of Higher Education by former Governor Jack Dalrymple, was never perceived as a strong pick. He embarrassed himself in front of a state Senate committee reviewing his appointment, and that appointment was only narrowly approved by a vote of the full chamber after a lengthy debate.…
Burgum Education Summit Invitee Drops $10,000 Into Democrat Lawmaker’s Campaign Fund
Republican Governor Doug Burgum has had something of a rocky relationship with our state’s Republican-dominated Legislature which dates back to his 2016 gubernatorial campaign in which he campaigned against the “good old boys club” in Bismarck. The “good old boys” being the mostly Republican men (and women) elected to the Legislature. This has manifested itself…
Podcast: Tax Commissioner Defends Income Tax Cuts, Lawmaker Says Governor’s Office Audit Is a “Witch Hunt”
Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger was on the radio show today and responded to a Grand Forks Herald editorial suggesting the state had gone too far in cutting income taxes. The editorial suggested that successive cuts to income tax rates starting during the 2009 session have narrowed the state’s tax base making us more dependent on…
Don’t Attack the State Auditor for Doing His Job
Rep. Roscoe Streyle, a Republican member of the North Dakota Legislature from Minot, has ripped Auditor Josh Gallion in a letter to the editor. Gallion’s sin? Launching a review of travel expenses in Governor Doug Burgum’s office. “I don’t use this term lightly, but this is clearly a witch hunt,” Streyle claims. That’s not the…
Why Can’t the North Dakota University System Be Satisfied With a 31 Percent Increase in Funding for a 7 Percent Increase in Students?
At a State Board of Higher Education meeting yesterday there was a lot of griping among some board members about Governor Doug Burgum’s suggested budget cut. Board Chair Don Morton sounded a different tone in an interview with me earlier this week (audio here). “Every organization has room to find efficiencies,” Morton told me, adding that…
Podcast: SBHE Chair Says Burgum’s Proposed Cuts to University Budgets Are Achievable, “We Will Live Within the Budget”
Superintendent Don Morton spoke about Governor Doug Burgum’s proposed 10 percent cuts to the North Dakota University System on the radio show today. “Every organization has room to find efficiencies,” Morton told me, acknowledging that the universities “let programs grow” in the past which perhaps shouldn’t have. “I really like Doug’s approach,” Morton continued. “Let’s…
Podcast: Forum Defends Burgum Travel
I had Fargo Forum editor Matt Von Pinnon on my radio show today to discuss their Sunday editorial defending Governor Doug Burgum’s travel. “We dont want our governor to sit in Bismarck and not leave his office,” the editorial concluded. “The job of the governor requires him to be around the state and Burgum has done…
It Is Inexcusable That the North Dakota Industrial Commission Is 8 Months Behind on Meeting Minutes
According to the Associated Press the North Dakota Industrial Commission – a powerful triumvirate consisting of the Governor, Attorney General, and Agriculture Commissioner which regulates, among other things, oil and gas development – is eight months behind in approving meeting minutes. This is absurd. The excuse from the commission is that an assistant working for…
If Democrats Want More Say Over North Dakota’s Budget They Should Try Winning Some Elections
Last week Governor Doug Burgum released budget guidelines which called for state agencies to prepare for more budget cuts in the coming legislative session (Burgum also spoke with me about his guidelines, audio here). In response, North Dakota’s Democrats insulted the governor by implying he’s some sort of a political extremist and demanded the creation…
Print Column: The Politics of North Dakota’s Big Bad Budget Bind
MINOT, N.D. — Gov. Doug Burgum released his budget guidelines for the 2019-2012 biennium this week, and the tone of his fiscal message was grim. We’re in for more cuts. Burgum is asking that state agencies deliver budget recommendations for lawmakers, who will meet for their regular session in January, that reduce spending by 5…