After initially trying to slip it through as a last-minute addition to the agenda, the Minot City Council approved this week a new contract for controversial City Manager Tom Barry. The Council also approved a substantial pay raise for themselves, though I think that move was sorely needed. “If we devalue public service by not paying…
Fresh Off an Open Meeting Violation, Minot’s Mayor Is Trying to Be Sneaky About Major Changes to City Manager’s Contract
You readers are probably aware of the phenomena called a “Friday news dump.” For the uninitiated, it’s the tactic of waiting until late in the day on a Friday to make public things you don’t really want the public to notice. The idea being that by Friday evening, the people who would notice are in…
We Shouldn’t Inflate the Cost of Government Just to Shop Local
In Ward County (Minot)the local government is grappling with a conundrum which really shouldn’t be all that controversial. Some county employees, motivated as they should be by a desire to be good stewards of taxpayer money, want the ability to shop at online retailers like Amazon for supplies. The benefit of this is self-evident based…
It Turns Out Elections Really Do Matter
An update to a hyper local story in my hometown is useful for participants in the American form of government across the nation. Despite all the cynicism about politics, the insistence that the politicians are indifferent to the moods of voters, it turns out elections really do matter. First, some back story. Earlier this year…
It Should Be Illegal for a City to Hold an “Open Meeting” in Another City
Last year the City of Minot held a “retreat” in the City of Washburn, a town roughly an hour south along Highway 83. This “retreat” was also, supposedly, an open meeting at which public business was discuss. Including a hot-button issue related to the city doubling the cost of building permits for people living in…
We Don’t Need More Licensing Requirements for Massage Therapists, We Need Them for Prostitutes
The recent bust of a Minot spa which was also offering sexual services has prompted a Minot Daily News article about sex workers who operate under the guise of lawful business. “Prostitution arrest highlights licensing need in massage therapy,” reads the headline, but that’s a mistaken premise. Massage therapists are already required to be licensed under…
Mayor Disappointed He Won’t Get to Keep Jacking up Fees for People Who Can’t Vote Against Him
“We’re deeply disappointed by the sole action of Representative Dan Ruby for making this local control matter a State issue,” Mayor Shaun Sipma says. Sipma is responding to legislation passed in Bismarck this session which restricts the ability of cities to charge citizens in extraterritorial zoning areas more for building permits. The genesis for the legislation…
City Tells Citizens Who Can’t Vote in City Elections They Have to Pay Double for Building Permits
Extra-territorial zoning is an odd bit of North Dakota law which allows for municipal governments to extend their governance beyond city limits. Unfortunately for the people who live in those areas, they don’t get a say in city government. A particularly egregious example of this is the plight of Patti Eisenzimmer, a resident of rural Minot…
Minot Republican, Defeated in the Primary for His House Race, Considers Unusual Independent Run for the Senate
On primary day last week incumbent state Rep. Andrew Maragos, a Republican from District 3 in Minot, was defeated along with his running mate Alan Walter by two political newcomers named Jeff Hoverson and Bob Paulson. The vote, as you can see, was close: This morning I heard a rumor that Maragos might be considering…
The Government Shouldn’t Compete With Private Businesses for Profits
Garbage collection is a service that, for the most part, ought to be left to the private sector. In some communities it may make sense to have some sort of municipal garbage service. Maybe because there isn’t anyone in the private sector willing to provide it. In that situation, perhaps a government solution makes sense.…