​Republicans missing from local candidate forum

FARGO – Instead of coming together to debate local issues, state Republicans were oddly all simultaneously missing from a televised open forum Tuesday evening coordinated by the League of Women Voters of the Red River Valley.

The forum between districts 11 and 21 occurred at the City Commissioners meeting room, and was televised on Fargo’s cable access channel. The forum is an opportunity for constituents to ask their legislators questions and become informed about elections and local issues.

A total of six Republicans failed to show for the televised forum.

“Great ideas but where are the Republican candidates,” a person on the organization’s Facebook page said.

Three empty seats for Todd McMichael, Bridget Ertelt, and Kathy Jorgenson all of District 11 were scheduled to represent the Republican viewpoint.

Democrats state Senator Tim Mathern and Representative Ron Guggisberg, also of District 11, showed. Gretchen Dobervich couldn’t attend the forum, but prepared a statement.

Later that evening lawmakers from District 21 were also prepared to talk about local issues.

State Senator Kathy Hogan and representatives Mary Schneider and Laurie Beth Hager showed up to debate Sierra Heitkamp, William H. Kloubec, and Madison Rodgers, who also did not show.

Most political debates in the United States are coordinated by the League of Women Voters.

Nationally, the League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan civic organization trying to encourage informed and active participation in government and have been active since the 1920s. Locally, the organization has been active since the 1950s, and has coordinated debates for decades.

State Senator Tim Mathern had heard "rumblings" of Republican candidates not showing, he said. 

“It really didn’t surprise me," Mathern said. "Frankly I pursued the path that we took of going ahead with the debate or the discussion. The citizens still have a right to hear what people are thinking and believing and this was established as a public event and was to be available on public access TV.”

State Senator Judy Lee, of West Fargo, a Republican, said there was no boycott, but she will not be able to make her scheduled appearance October 3. The League of Women Voters then told her she could prepare a statement that would be read, but that is "not an appropriate solution," Lee said. 

"Of course it was not an organized boycott," Lee said. "I have no idea why those district candidates did not show up. Why don’t you ask them? I have been told that a League person is spreading the rumor that I orchestrated a boycott. That is so ridiculous that it does not even deserve a response.

"I was an active LWV member for 35 years, but it has become a far different organization in recent years, no longer known for its fair treatment of candidates and issues.You can help stop this smear right now by disregarding that ridiculous suggestion."

Mathern declined to say if the Republican no-show was an organized boycott, but said it did look like a pattern. The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan, and that the organization's primary goal is to inform the public on political candidates and policies. 

Some of the issues the Democrats debated pertained to problems with property taxes, Social Security issues, state finances including the tax cut for the industry, the Legacy Fund, behavioral health issues, and the state’s initiated measures, which include the ethics commission, qualifications to vote, legalizing recreational marijuana, and license plate issues for law enforcement.

Questions as to why Republicans failed to show up to the forum on local issues was not discovered. Attempts were made to contact Republicans scheduled to debate local issues, but no one could be reached.  

“Democracy survives only where citizens take part,” Mathern said. “I commend the League of Women Voters for being a building block of democracy by their work in holding candidate forums.” 

[This story was updated to reflect comments from participants.]