Lianne Zeltinger , Minot

Duane Brekke and I go back many years. He sold class rings to my graduating class. But, 6 or 7 years before that, he was a student teacher for my 6th grade class. I am currently in my 70s so this was more than a couple of years ago. To this day he asks me who was my favorite teacher, or who was my best teacher. It may surprise him when I say he continues to teach me to this day.

I always thought he believed in the Bill of Rights, in the freedom of speech, in the right of the individual to have representation. But, his letter to the editor on the 20th of May doesn’t support those beliefs. He espouses the belief that no one outside the city limits of Minot deserves or should expect representation. The city of Minot has a city council to represent them. Who would the people of rural Ward County and all the smaller communities have to represent them if it wasn’t for the Ward County Commission? Why do they NOT warrant representation? The State legislators believed they should have a voice in many actions that may affect them. They believed that when they wrote the laws concerning the T.I F. or the tax incremental financing for private developers through public funding. The law states that each entity that would be affected by the TIF should have a voice in the decision-making process.

He criticized the commissioners for not being a mouthpiece of the city council. They (the county commissioners) asked questions. They wanted to see the independent report on the feasibility of the TIF and from a lengthy back and forth discussion determined what best represented their constituents for all of Ward County.