Jim Shaw
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I hate to bring this up again, but ... • The Fargo city election system must be changed. Tony Grindberg was elected to the city commission with just 16 percent of the vote, and John Strand was elected with only 15 percent. And this was during an election in which we could vote for two candidates.
Now that the election is over, I have some final thoughts about it … First, everyone elected to statewide office should serve their full terms. Most of them are for four years. In recent years, North Dakota has had an insurance commiss-ioner, an agriculture commissioner, and two tax commissioners leave before their terms were over.
With the NFL season upon us, it raises the question … E If the University of North Dakota’s former Fighting Sioux nickname was “hostile and abusive,” then what do you call the Washington Redskins? I doubt many Native Americans are proud of that name. Can you imagine calling a team the “Blackskins,” in honor of African-Americans? Now, several broadcasters and the Washington Post editorial board say they will refuse to call the Washington team the Redskins. Can’t wait to see what happens on Nov.
With the college football season around the corner … E Delighted they are resuming the North Dakota State University-University of North Dakota football game. It was the best rivalry in North Dakota at any level, in any sport. They used to play each other every year, until their last game in 2003. They stopped playing because a feud developed between the presidents of the two schools after NDSU announced it was moving up to Division I. Well, both schools are now comfortably in Division I now, and those presidents have departed.
Lots to talk about, so let’s begin. Lake Park, Minn., Mayor Aaron Wittnebel should resign. He is an embarrassment to Lake Park residents. More than 200 city residents signed a petition asking him to step down, the City Council issued a unanimous vote of no confidence, while similar statements have come from the Lake Park City Clerk’s Office and Police Department staff. Still, he hangs on. The main reason he should go is, he entered an Alford plea to the felony count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
I’m baaaaack, so fasten your seat belts. Speaking of which … North Dakota’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign is well done. Too bad it’s not true. The fact is, you can drive your car without wearing your seat belt and not get a ticket. That’s because it’s a secondary offense, meaning you have to commit another offense to be cited for driving without a seat belt on. Meantime, most of the fatal traffic accidents in North Dakota involve drivers or passengers not wearing seat belts. The vast majority of those deaths are preventable.