Griggs County Commission recall, North Dakota (2013)
From Ballotpedia
| Griggs County Commission recall |
|---|
|
| Officeholders |
| Ronnie Edland Dennis Halvorson Ron Halvorson Robert Johnson Keith Monson |
| Recall status |
| Recall approved |
| Recall election date |
| October 8, 2013 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2013 Recalls in North Dakota North Dakota recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
A vote to recall the Griggs County Commission from their positions in Griggs County, North Dakota was scheduled for October 8, 2013.[1] The commission had five members: Ronnie Edland, Dennis Halvorson, Ron Halvorson, Robert Johnson, and Keith Monson.[2] All five county commissioners were recalled from their seats.[3]
Election results
District 1
| Griggs County Commission, District 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage |
 Ron Halvorson, Incumbent | 92 | 40.53% |
 John Wakefield | 132 | 58.15% |
| Loren Alfson | 2 | 0.88% |
| Don Fors | 1 | 0.44% |
| Election results via: Griggs County Elections Office (Accessed: November 11, 2013) |
District 2
| Griggs County Commission, District 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage |
| Ronnie Edland, Incumbent | 90 | 37.5% |
| Shawn Steffen | 150 | 62.5% |
| Election results via: Griggs County Elections Office (Accessed: November 11, 2013) |
District 3
| Griggs County Commission, District 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage |
| Dennis Halvorson, Incumbent | 60 | 29.41% |
| Ron Dahl | 144 | 70.59% |
| Election results via: Griggs County Elections Office (Accessed: November 11, 2013) |
District 4
| Griggs County Commission, District 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage |
| Keith Monson, Incumbent | 71 | 40.8% |
| Troy Olson | 103 | 59.2% |
| Election results via: Griggs County Elections Office (Accessed: November 11, 2013) |
District 5
| Griggs County Commission, District 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage |
| Robert Johnson, Incumbent | 69 | 38.12% |
| Dale Pederson | 112 | 61.88% |
| Election results via: Griggs County Elections Office (Accessed: November 11, 2013) |
Reasons for recall
In May 2013 the Griggs County Commission approved a multimillion dollar renovation of a 130-year old court house that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, in September 2011, June 2012 and January 2013, Griggs' residents had turned down similar renovation proposals in ballot measures. County residents were angered that the Commission approved the renovation.[1][4]
Legal issues
In August 2013, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem declared that the commission had violated public meeting laws in regard to a "community forum" they held in February 2013 without public notice. Stenehjem also ruled that the county had violated open record laws when it took two months to provide John Wakefield, one of the recall leaders, with requested public records. Wakefield had filed the complaints, and stated the rulings were evidence for voters during the recall election. No corrective action was taken beyond requiring the county to provide Wakefield with some of the requested records free of charge within a seven day time frame.[5][6]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in North Dakota
Petition signatures were submitted to County Auditor Cindy Anton on June 14, 2013.[7] The election of October 8 was set on July 3.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Jamestown Sun, "Griggs County commissioners face recall election," July 04, 2013
- ↑ Griggs County North Dakota, "Commission," accessed: July 30, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Grand Forks Herald, "All 5 Griggs County commissioners ousted in recall election prompted by $3.5 million building project," October 8, 2013
- ↑ Crookston Times, "Griggs County Courthouse plans spark backlash," May 13, 2013
- ↑ valleynewslive.com, "Griggs Co. Commissioners Up for Recall," August 30, 2013
- ↑ The Dickinson Press, "Attorney general says Griggs County Commission violated open records laws," August 30, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ kvrr.com, "Petition to Remove Commissioners Presented in Griggs County," June 14, 2013
