SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - JANUARY 25, 2016
HIGH HOPES “One of the reasons I use it is because it doesn't have any drawers in it." -- Former ND governor Ed Schafer describing the oak table he brought to UND. Schafer is interim president at UND -- the oak table will be his personal desk -- it’s inherited from his father, founder of Gold Seal Co. Schafer likes the table because it has no drawers -- no place to hide indecision or procrastination. That’s one of the reasons Schafer is welcomed at UND -- he’s a pragmatic doer.
KEEP QUIET “You know what? UND should not be a training ground for people who want to be president." -- The aforementioned Ed Schafer commenting about candidates for the UND presidency. He noted the list of 40 candidates contained no sitting university presidents, which he attributed to disclosure of candidate names required by ND’s open records law. Schafer feels good candidates may be discouraged from applying and he advocates keeping applicant names “quiet” in the early rounds.
GRAND FORKS NEEDS THE BODIES GF Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel had a long “to do” list for Schafer -- alarmingly long for Schafer’s expected short stay. High on Wenzel’s list was the job of increasing the enrollment of students who attend classes on UND’s campus, as opposed to distance learners. Wenzel said, “Grand Forks needs those extra bodies because they all shop here, eat here and, hopefully, decide to stay here.”
NDSU PRESIDENT DEAN BRESCIANI has been the target of legislators from western ND. This week State Representative Bob Skarphol of Tioga criticzed Bresciani for a trip to India to recruit engineering and science students. Skarphol also questioned whether ND taxpayers should give tuition subsidies to these students. The heat intensified when it was disclosed that Bresciani’s round-trip business class ticket to India cost $8,300 and appeared to violate NDSU travel policy.
NEW FACE Last week, Doug Burgum announced in Fargo and Bismarck that he was a Republican candidate for governor. His plan is unusual, that is, he does not expect to be nominated at the state convention, so he will challenge the nominee in the primary, reflecting a belief he will be more attractive to the electorate (including Democrats and Independents) than party insiders. He runs as an outsider with a background in technology and business, and speaks of putting the state on a new trajectory -- doing more with less. Burgum is well known in Fargo and to a lesser degree in eastern ND, but will be a new name for the rest of the state and its agriculture and energy industries.
FROWNING FACE The Fargo Forum wasted no time showing skepticism about Burgum. An editorial, “Path Full of Potholes,” said few voters knew him and the campaign trail would prove harsher than being a business executive. The editorial said Burgum was unfairly called a “RINO,” meaning Republican in name only -- this was the Forum’s cute, backhanded way of pinning a RINO label on Burgum.
HAPPIER FACE Forum columnist Mike McNeely showed a lot more regard for Burgum, calling him an incredibly intelligent individual who paints himself as a mix between Steve Jobs and Teddy Roosevelt. He wondered if ND was ready for a political enigma who makes presentations in jeans and uses a remote control -- McNeely likened the style to a high tech unveiling. He said, “Burgum represents how Fargo views itself and what North Dakota should strive to be.”
REGROUPING “Oil production has only dipped slightly and employment remains strong.” -- Wall Street Journal article telling how ND is adjusting to the slump in oil prices. The article indicated Williston sees the slowdown as an opportunity to regroup after chaotic growth. An added benefit, because of a slow economy, the city is receiving lower bids for infrastructure projects.
“THE FARM ECONOMY had a near-perfect five or six years . . . there’s nothing left of the boom.” -- Business Week. The BW article reports that low prices and high inventories of farm crops, along with higher interest rates, mean the weak farm economy has a way to go. Farmland prices remain high and have not declined relative to drops in farm income.
BETTER THAN NO PUBLICITY “I’m just thrilled that the Coen brothers didn’t name the movie ‘Brainerd.’ ” -- Karen Stoker, owner of the Hotel Donaldson in Fargo, talking about the movie “Fargo.” The hotel and Fargo are the subject of a favorable January Washington Post travel article. Stoker is one of the growing number of Fargo residents who consider the film a plus because it “put the city on the radar.”
NINE DRUG OVERDOSES and one death -- some of the overdose victims were taken to the hospital with needles still in their arms. A shocking scene from a big city? Nope. It was a recent week in little Williston. Police believe the overdoses may be connected and the heroin had been laced with another substance that amplifies heroin’s effects. Separately, two Denver women face felony charges for having $50,000 of meth hidden in a pillow in their Williston hotel room.
HOW BLACK IS F-M? About 4 percent of Fargo-Moorhead residents are black, a sharp increase from around 1.5 percent in 2006. About half of black residents are foreign born refugees.
KEEP QUIET “You know what? UND should not be a training ground for people who want to be president." -- The aforementioned Ed Schafer commenting about candidates for the UND presidency. He noted the list of 40 candidates contained no sitting university presidents, which he attributed to disclosure of candidate names required by ND’s open records law. Schafer feels good candidates may be discouraged from applying and he advocates keeping applicant names “quiet” in the early rounds.
GRAND FORKS NEEDS THE BODIES GF Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel had a long “to do” list for Schafer -- alarmingly long for Schafer’s expected short stay. High on Wenzel’s list was the job of increasing the enrollment of students who attend classes on UND’s campus, as opposed to distance learners. Wenzel said, “Grand Forks needs those extra bodies because they all shop here, eat here and, hopefully, decide to stay here.”
NDSU PRESIDENT DEAN BRESCIANI has been the target of legislators from western ND. This week State Representative Bob Skarphol of Tioga criticzed Bresciani for a trip to India to recruit engineering and science students. Skarphol also questioned whether ND taxpayers should give tuition subsidies to these students. The heat intensified when it was disclosed that Bresciani’s round-trip business class ticket to India cost $8,300 and appeared to violate NDSU travel policy.
NEW FACE Last week, Doug Burgum announced in Fargo and Bismarck that he was a Republican candidate for governor. His plan is unusual, that is, he does not expect to be nominated at the state convention, so he will challenge the nominee in the primary, reflecting a belief he will be more attractive to the electorate (including Democrats and Independents) than party insiders. He runs as an outsider with a background in technology and business, and speaks of putting the state on a new trajectory -- doing more with less. Burgum is well known in Fargo and to a lesser degree in eastern ND, but will be a new name for the rest of the state and its agriculture and energy industries.
FROWNING FACE The Fargo Forum wasted no time showing skepticism about Burgum. An editorial, “Path Full of Potholes,” said few voters knew him and the campaign trail would prove harsher than being a business executive. The editorial said Burgum was unfairly called a “RINO,” meaning Republican in name only -- this was the Forum’s cute, backhanded way of pinning a RINO label on Burgum.
HAPPIER FACE Forum columnist Mike McNeely showed a lot more regard for Burgum, calling him an incredibly intelligent individual who paints himself as a mix between Steve Jobs and Teddy Roosevelt. He wondered if ND was ready for a political enigma who makes presentations in jeans and uses a remote control -- McNeely likened the style to a high tech unveiling. He said, “Burgum represents how Fargo views itself and what North Dakota should strive to be.”
REGROUPING “Oil production has only dipped slightly and employment remains strong.” -- Wall Street Journal article telling how ND is adjusting to the slump in oil prices. The article indicated Williston sees the slowdown as an opportunity to regroup after chaotic growth. An added benefit, because of a slow economy, the city is receiving lower bids for infrastructure projects.
“THE FARM ECONOMY had a near-perfect five or six years . . . there’s nothing left of the boom.” -- Business Week. The BW article reports that low prices and high inventories of farm crops, along with higher interest rates, mean the weak farm economy has a way to go. Farmland prices remain high and have not declined relative to drops in farm income.
BETTER THAN NO PUBLICITY “I’m just thrilled that the Coen brothers didn’t name the movie ‘Brainerd.’ ” -- Karen Stoker, owner of the Hotel Donaldson in Fargo, talking about the movie “Fargo.” The hotel and Fargo are the subject of a favorable January Washington Post travel article. Stoker is one of the growing number of Fargo residents who consider the film a plus because it “put the city on the radar.”
NINE DRUG OVERDOSES and one death -- some of the overdose victims were taken to the hospital with needles still in their arms. A shocking scene from a big city? Nope. It was a recent week in little Williston. Police believe the overdoses may be connected and the heroin had been laced with another substance that amplifies heroin’s effects. Separately, two Denver women face felony charges for having $50,000 of meth hidden in a pillow in their Williston hotel room.
HOW BLACK IS F-M? About 4 percent of Fargo-Moorhead residents are black, a sharp increase from around 1.5 percent in 2006. About half of black residents are foreign born refugees.
DAKTOIDS: Only a small fraction of taxpayers file paper income tax returns in ND -- 86 percent of individual income tax returns in ND are filed online . . . Hotels and restaurants in Grand Forks are a little glum -- the Canadian dollar has dropped to 70 U.S. cents and may fall further . . . MSN picked a top trip for each state -- the sculptures on the Enchanted Highway between Gladstone and Regent were the pick for ND . . . The ND census office indicates the state’s population in 2040 could be as high as one million.
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