Last vacancy on North Dakota Ethics Commission finally filled

The North Dakota Ethics Commission finally has a full complement of members. The Governor, and the Senate’s Majority and Minority Leaders agreed on the appointment of Jared Huibregtse of Mandan to the open seat for a four-year term.

Huibregtse, a water projects manager for the Bartlett & West engineering firm, emerged from seven finalists among the 39 applicants for a slot on the Ethics Commission, to garner the required mutual support of Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Sen. David Hogue, and Sen. Kathy Hogan.

The move comes after months of disagreement over whom to appoint, conflict over whether members whose terms have expired can continue to sit as a member of the Commission (even though the position is vacant, until a replacement is appointed), an effort by Governor Kelly Armstrong to subtly nudge out the member who’d hung on, and that individual’s final succumbing to the fact that he would not be reappointed. 

Former Commissioner Murray Sagsveen, who had been appointed last year to fill out fewer than 12 full months remaining in an unexpired term, as we previously reported, sought appointment to a full term. Although enjoying the support of two of the three appointing authorities, he failed to gain the confidence of the Governor, who, instead, sought completely new membership on the Commission. Sagsveen had advocated an expansive view of the Ethics Commission’s scope of authority which had clearly differed with limited views of the Commission’s authority held by several others in state government.

Sagsveen withdrew his application for appointment last week, clearing the way for  Huibregtse’s appointment.

The drama captured the public’s attention and also raised more questions about the function, scope, terms, authority, and potential overreach of the Ethics Commission. Those questions remain unsettled.