Part of history
Area delegates to be part of conventionBy JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer, jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
N.D. Democrats go green
North Dakota Democrats won't be leaving carbon footprints when they travel to their national convention in Denver next week.
North Dakota completed the Democratic National Convention's Green Delegate Challenge by offsetting 100 percent of the trip's greenhouse gas production through carbon credits purchased from the City of Fargo.
Chad Oban and Carmen Miller of Bismarck bought the credits for the 25 members of the delegation. Fargo retired 220,460 pounds of carbon offset credits that came from destroying methane at its landfill. The credits will more than equal each delegate's carbon footprint for the trip.
North Dakota is among nine other state and territorial delegations with all members of their delegation participating in the challenge.
DNCC is offering special rewards for the delegation or delegations that demonstrate the highest level of commitment to offsetting their carbon footprint. These delegations also will be recognized in their seating section on the floor of the convention.
Jill Schramm
Jon Erickson of Minot plans to people-watch in his first time at a Democratic National Convention.
Erickson, who has twice heard presidential candidate Barack Obama speak, said the most fun has been watching the audience. Going into the convention next week as one of North Dakota's delegates, Erickson looks forward hearing Obama speak again,
"It should be fun. I think again I am just going to turn around and look at all the people," he said.
The Democratic National Convention runs from Aug. 25-28 in Denver, while the Republican National Convention is set for Sept. 1 to 4 in Minneapolis.
Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, will be attending the Minneapolis event as an alternate delegate. He sought a spot in the state's delegation earlier in the year as a John McCain supporter at a time when there was a slate of potential candidates. His favorite now is the presumptive nominee, which only adds to his enthusiasm for the convention.
"I am looking forward to it," said Nelson, who as a convention first-timer just wants to soak up the experience.
Connie Nicholas of Cando, North Dakota's Republican national committeewoman, is a veteran of such events and expects this year's convention to be much like those of the past.
"It really is an opportunity for us to gather and get excited," she said. "It really is a celebration, and it's an exciting time, especially for all the new delegates."
Nicholas, originally a Rudy Giuliani supporter, said she's been surprised but pleased to see McCain's campaign make a comeback after nearly running out of money a year ago.
"I really think that McCain is going to be a good opponent for Obama. I think there's going to be a real contrast there," she said.
Nicholas has been preparing for the convention by helping to set the state delegation's convention schedule and arrange guest passes for non-delegates who want to attend. The proximity of the convention has sparked more than the usual interest from North Dakota Republicans.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for people that have been long-time supporters, volunteers, donors to actually get to a national convention," she said. "We are trying to accommodate people as best we can."
Speeches by McCain and President Bush will highlight the event.
Nicholas is running for Republican National Committee secretary, which would make her assistant secretary of the convention and put her on stage to share the roll call responsibilities.
Her daughter-in-law, Lana Nicholas of Cando, also is one of North Dakota's 23 alternate delegates who will be attending. North Dakota Republicans will send 26 delegates to their national convention, while Democrats will send 21 delegates and four alternates.
Jennie Pinkerton of Minot will be attending the Democratic convention as an alternate pledged to Hillary Clinton. She was selected before Clinton withdrew.
A secondary math teacher, Pinkerton will be starting her first teaching job just before the convention. She expects to miss the first few days of school but considers the chance to be part of a historical event to be worth the sacrifice.
Pinkerton remembers her first trip to a state convention four years ago as a senior in high school and how impressed and amazed she was at the festive atmosphere and the production.
"I was just blown away. There was just so much excitement," she said. "I am kind of assuming that the national convention will have that same thrill and excitement.
Hillary Clinton, a former presidential candidate, speaks Tuesday and former president Bill Clinton speaks Wednesday. Obama will address the crowd Thursday.
For James Maxson of Minot, the highlight will be "seeing lots of what I would call old friends and acquaintances that I have met over the years, both at the state level and the national level. There's certainly a camaraderie."
Maxson, a delegate and North Dakota's Democratic national committeeman, will be attending his third national convention.
Because of Denver's proximity and the lower expense of attending compared to some previous venues, more North Dakotans are showing an interest in attending as non-delegates, Maxson said.
"I am going to be very generous in letting other people use my floor pass on the dates prior to Thursday because there are a number of people who would like to get down on the convention floor," he said. "By giving them my pass, I will give them what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Erickson has been trying to snare Democratic convention tickets for his sisters from Denver and Oregon so they can join him at the event. He also expects to be busy with agricultural issues at the convention.
Nelson joined the Obama campaign's farm policy committee in January. He said he's looking forward to the first face-to-face meeting of the committee after months of weekly conference calls.
Nelson originally was one of about 30 people on the committee, which since has grown as more people have gotten involved in the Obama campaign. Many have been policy specialists rather than active farmers like himself, though.
"That was the fun part of it that I could bring that point of view to it," he said.
Erickson said he can see how the committee's input has shaped Obama's farm policy.
"You really felt your point of view was being listened to," he said. "That's one thing I really like about his campaign ... They really take the local people's point of view. I think that's a big difference from past presidential candidates."
Marcus Wells Jr., chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes at Fort Berthold, and Roger White Owl, administrative officer for the tribe, will be accepting an invitation to represent the tribe at the Democratic convention.
Wells and White Owl still are trying to determine their schedule for the portion of the convention that they will be attending. There's so much going on with the Native American caucus and with other activities that it's difficult to put an agenda together, White Owl said.
He said the tribe remains nonpartisan when it comes to political parties, but the invitation to connect with policy makers at the Democratic convention is an opportunity that couldn't be passed up.
"The networking ability with individuals who are going to be there is just going to be amazing," he said.
