Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, left, talks to Gov. Kelly Armstrong on May 3, 2025, after lawmakers adjourned. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)
Officials tasked with selecting the new members of the North Dakota Ethics Commission said they plan on asking candidates what they think the commission’s role in government should be — a question state leaders have wrestled with for years.
The commission has received 39 applicants for the three open positions. The next commissioners will be selected by a consensus vote of the governor, Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Senate Majority Leader David Hogue are among those who have openly disagreed with the commission about the scope of its authority and some of its practices.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I have some questions I would like answered about the role and guardrails,” Armstrong said during a Friday meeting of selection committee members.
Hogue said he also wants to know how candidates would handle so-called frivolous complaints. Some lawmakers during the legislative session said that people were weaponizing the Ethics Commission by filing baseless complaints against their political opponents.
“I’m not willing to support anybody who is not willing to dispose of non-serious complaints in short order,” Hogue said.
Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, suggested that the committee ask candidates if there are any broad structural changes they would like to see the commission make.
She also suggested that the selection committee ensure candidates can articulate the basic purpose and responsibilities of the commission, which she said many people misunderstand.
The selection committee said it would prepare a list of questions to send to applicants by the end of this week. After that, they would select a smaller group of candidates for the first round of interviews.
One winning applicant will finish out the term of former chair Dave Anderson, who died unexpectedly in May. That term ends in 2026.
Another will replace Commissioner Ward Koeser, whose term wraps up Aug. 31.
Commissioner Murray Sagsveen’s term also ends on Aug. 31, though he is seeking to be reappointed. Sagvseen joined the commission to fill the seat left by former Ethics Commission Chair Paul Richard, who retired last year. The commission sent a letter to the Governor’s Office supporting his reappointment.
The Ethics Commission was created through a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018. It’s tasked with enforcing ethical behavior in the areas of elections, lobbying, corruption and transparency.
Commissioners’ duties include adopting ethics rules, investigating alleged violations and issuing advisory opinions to help public officials navigate ethical issues. They are paid a stipend for every day they meet, plus reimbursement for travel.
North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at [email protected].
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