It's usually a good thing to have watchdogs paying attention to the way North Dakota state government spends money. But in the case of state agencies providing small perks for state employees, there's no reason to bark.
Apparently Rep. Frank Wald, R-Dickinson, N.D., sees it differently. The chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee said he had questions about agency administrators' memberships in service clubs and local chambers of commerce. He wondered whether their agencies should pay the bill.
Well, why not? If anything, state government should encourage state employees to participate in the civic life of their communities. It is relatively common, for example, for private sector businesses to pay dues and memberships in service clubs and business groups. If government - through its key workers - is to be connected to the people and communities government serves, state employees should be active. Part of the role of state agencies should be to encourage and support community involvement. Paying a few dollars for memberships in civic organizations is a good investment.
We agree with Carol Olson, longtime director of the Department of Human Services, whose agency spent a few bucks for memberships in the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck. The memberships help serve clients, she said, and further "enhances our ability to know the community..." Nice way to go.
So what's Wald's beef? Could it be he's trying to draw a parallel between the scrutiny of the alleged misappropriation of funds at Workers Safety and Insurance and the clearly budgeted expenditures in other state agencies? Wald has been a defender of WSI and its embattled (felony charges) top managers, despite evidence in a couple of state audits that confirm the agency's managers were playing fast and loose with funds.
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If that is Wald's game, he should give up what could be construed as a petty and mean-spirited ploy. There is no legitimate comparison. In the WSI situation, managers face serious criminal charges based on thorough investigations. No one (we hope) is suggesting paying a state employee's membership fee for a local service club is a felony.
Fact is, expenditures to promote community involvement by state workers (by all workers) should be encouraged. Such support goes to the heart of the public service ethic that is integral to civic life in North Dakota. If it's done within the constraints and mandates of an agency's budget, we say go for it. And Wald and the "watchdogs" in the Legislature should applaud it.
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board.
