High Stakes for Upcoming Elections

Greetings, North Dakota United!

As I write this column, we are in the early days of spring. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you are enjoying the weather and making plans for a rewarding summer. Here are a few things we at ND United are following:

• Though the November elections are still months away, we have several important primary elections on June 11. There are, of course, primary elections for Governor and for the House of Representatives, but there are also important and competitive races in many legislative districts. The outcome of those races will determine whether our Legislature remains right of center or far right of center. If you haven’t already, please vote for candidates whose positions on K-12 education, higher education and public service mirror your own. It is critically important to elect a Legislature that will eschew the culture wars and focus on strengthening education and public service. Public employees, regardless of their job title, have earned the respect they are warranted for providing the vital services our fellow citizens across the state need and deserve.
• Another race that deserves your attention is the race for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. It is clear to me that there is only one serious candidate for the job, and that person is the incumbent, Kirsten Baesler.  Her competitors for this important position have expressed ideas that are very concerning. Jim Bartlett is the former executive director of the ND Homeschool Association and is running on a platform rooted in the false claim that our public school teachers are indoctrinating students. Additionally, he would move to deprive public schools of most state and federal funding without revealing how schools could afford to operate. Another candidate is Jason Heitkamp, a former far-right state senator. He has said that he would go “back to basics,” emphasizing the basics of “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” as if schools do not teach those skills already. Worse still is that he would advocate for moving TFFR from a defined-benefit retirement plan to a defined-contribution retirement plan. Both Bartlett and Heitkamp would vote to eliminate property taxes that fund public schools and public services. Neither gentleman has the skill or disposition to effectively administer the state’s education system. 

Friends, your value to North Dakotans is immeasurable and important. Thank you for all you do, and will do, in service to others. And thank you for your membership in ND United!