A leading opponent of North Dakota's Measure 3 has been accused of hypocrisy.
It's wrong for Don Morton to oppose the measure when he's also involved in a downtown Fargo project that could collect nearly $1.6 million in tax breaks, Sen. Joel Heitkamp, D-Hankinson, said Friday on the North Dakota State University campus.
Morton, a Fargo businessman, said the criticism ignores the facts.
Measure 3 would give income tax and student loan breaks to North Dakotans ages 21-29, if voted into law Nov. 5.
Morton is chairman of the statewide group Citizens for Effective Government, which is fighting the measure. He's also an assistant to Doug Burgum, Microsoft Great Plains division president, who bought the Northern School Supply building, 17 8th St. N., Fargo, and donated it to NDSU.
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Plans call for the 98-year-old Northern School Supply building to be restored and become home to the university architecture and studio arts program.
Heitkamp charged that Morton, through a company called Kilbourne Design Group, will receive $1.6 million in tax breaks through the Renaissance Zone program to renovate the building.
Given that, Heitkamp said, Morton is a hypocrite to oppose giving tax breaks to young people.
"Mr. Morton's project may have merit. It may even create jobs. But there's more than a whiff of hypocrisy to this," Heitkamp said.
Morton disagreed.
"There is no personal benefit to me or anyone connected with Kilbourne Design Group," he said. "We're trying to help NDSU. Any tax credits we can get will be forwarded to NDSU to help them hold down their remodeling costs."
Richard Rayl, NDSU vice president of business and finance, said it's highly unlikely Kilbourne will receive any tax credits.
Details haven't been worked out yet, but a new private entity likely will be created to own and renovate the building, he said.
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With Heitkamp Friday were several NDSU students who support Measure 3.
One of them, Josh Swanson, said Morton opposes measure 3 for his own benefit, not the good of the state.
Swanson also said that partisan politics should be kept out of the debate.
A news release criticizing Morton was written on North Dakota Democratic-NPL stationery.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jonathan Knutson at (701) 241-5530
