Ron Gilmore’s Dec. 11th letter contends that Rep. Al Carlson’s defeat was because Carlson was no longer conservative enough for District 41 and he failed to represent District 41. He further makes the point that Carlson would not work with the Senate.
The fact is as the majority leader Carlson represents the policies of the House of Representatives. That’s the majority leader’s job, and it’s unfortunate that Gilmore seems unaware of how the legislative process works. Gilmore should explain to Forum readers why District 41 re-elected Pam Anderson who is a liberal democrat. Furthermore, District 41 voted for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. The fact is that District 41 voted for two liberal Democrats, but "un-elected" a conservative
I had the honor to serve with Carlson from 1993 thru 2015, and for Gilmore to make the accusation that Carson is not conservative is absurd. Fargo lost two outstanding legislators in the last election--Rep. Randy Boehning of District 27 and Carlson of District 41. This was a great loss of political clout for Fargo.
The election and re-election of two liberal Democrats is a political setback for Fargo. There is a real reason not identified by Gilmore that Carlson and Boehning were not re-elected. That issue needs to be aired, but this is the season for Peace and Joy and I’m not going to start that political debate at this time.
