News, descriptions, comments, opinions about Carrington (Foster County), North Dakota and surrounding areas. This blog was created to supplement CarringtonNews.Com and to give local residents an outlet to express their opinions regarding the attractions, events, sports, politics of the area.
01/06/2016: FOSTER COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY, PAUL MURPHY, TURNS IN HIS RESIGNATION
Today, Wednesday, January 6, 2016, State's Attorney Paul Murphy turned in his resignation to the Foster County Board of Commissioners. After his resignation, at a special Foster County Commission meeting later in the day, it was decided to have all the County files and equipment moved from Paul Murphy's office to the Courthouse where the new State's Attorney's office will be located. A notice will be published in the newspaper regarding the opening in Foster County for a new State's Attorney. 01/07/16 Interestingly enough someone sent me a photo of all the Foster County legal files and filing cabinets sitting out on the sidewalk in front of Murphy's office. There was no one in sight to protect them. We made sure Commissioner Josh Dreher was notified about the unprotected files, and he immediately sent people to bring them to the courthouse.
A visitor on my Carrington News Facebook site posted the following: "Were these deliberately left here by Murphy with no intention of getting them to a safe place? If so, isn't this an ethical concern that should be reported to the state office that oversees county state's attorneys? or state bar association? I have no idea what is in these files, but I can only assume there could be private information on victims of various crimes, and I can't imagine this is the proper way to transfer files to the new states attorney."
Josh Dreher - Foster County ND - Commission Chairman
BREAKING NEWS 01/05/2016: Foster County Commission Chairman Josh Dreher Called for State's Attorney Murphy's Resignation.
After a lengthy discussion at the Foster County Commission meeting today - January 5, 2016 - Chairman Josh Dreher called for State's Attorney Murphy to resign. Voices of frustration were heard throughout the meeting from both Chairman Dreher and Commissioner Gussiaas regarding Murphy's poor performance as State's Attorney for Foster County. Reasons given for their frustration with Murphy included the facts that he seldom shows up for commission meetings, that he doesn't give them valid legal advice, that he says he will get back to them with legal advice but doesn't do it, that he uses his office for personal preferences as opposed to public fairness and the good of the community.
Paul Murphy - Ex Foster County State's Attorney
Also, during the meeting, Ted Keller was on the agenda to point out that most, if not all, of the procedural problems of the new country shop were the direct fault of State's Attorney Paul Murphy. Keller stated that Murphy failed to advise, counsel and direct the commission in the proper procedure of handling the construction process of the shop from its inception. He stated that to make matters worse Murphy advised the commission in an executive session to disobey the law because insurance would cover the county for any losses. Keller went on to play parts of the executive session, pointing out how Murphy misled the commission.
Ted Keller - Foster County Resident
Lastly, Keller pointed out that he had been threatened by Murphy about six months ago regarding a post on this website. He disclosed to the commission that he feared reprisals from State's Attorney Murphy. He produced a copy of an email from Murphy in which the ND State's Attorney stated that "Law enforcement can either be your friend or your enemy, it is your choice." Keller went on to say he has been hesitant to come forward because of the threat from Murphy.
After Keller's presentation, the commission continued discussing Murphy's position with the county. They decided to have a special meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, at 8:30 p.m. to discuss the matter further.
Watch the entire meeting which will be televised on Dakota Central's Channel 17 this week, and judge for yourself whether Murphy should resign or be removed from office.
01/06/2016: FOSTER COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY, PAUL MURPHY, TURNS IN HIS RESIGNATION Today, Wednesday, January 6, 2016, State's Attorney Paul Murphy turned in his resignation to the Foster County Board of Commissioners. After his resignation, at a special Foster County Commission meeting later in the day, it was decided to have all the County files and equipment moved from Paul Murphy's office to the Courthouse where the new State's Attorney's office will be located. A notice will be published in the newspaper regarding the opening in Foster County for a new State's Attorney. STATEMENT FROM COMMISSION CHAIRMAN JOSH DREHER:
Thursday January 7, 2016 Statement in regards to SA resignation
On Tuesday January 5, 2016 at the regular Foster County Commission meeting much discussion took place in reference to the past and present performance of Foster County State's Attorney Paul Murphy. In the past several months our county has received inaccurate and unreliable legal advice in relation to the Foster County Shop. He refuses to accept any accountability on this and several other issues. It is my belief that in the last few months Mr. Murphy has allowed personal issues to cloud his judgment and negatively affect his performance as State's Attorney. Other issues were discussed including alleged misconduct of Mr. Murphy in his official capacity against another county employee and the potential liability issues of the State's Attorney office being located off county property within a private residence. After these issues were discussed, I called for the resignation of Paul Murphy. Later Tuesday Afternoon a special meeting was called for Wed. January 6 at 8:30 pm. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss moving the SA office to the courthouse. At the meeting auditor Casey Cables presented us Mr. Murphy's resignation. We will be holding a special meeting Monday Jan 11 at 9am to move on accepting the resignation, and moving forward to fill the vacant position.
CARRINGTON/FOSTER COUNTY: ARE YOU VOTING YES OR NO ON THE TAX INITIATIVE TO BUILD A NEW SCHOOL, ETC.?
A vote will be taken on February 16, 2016, regarding whether or not citizens of Carrington/Foster County want to build a new elementary school and sports complex at a site east of the current high school. This is a serious topic for our community and every property owner to consider because it involves a vast amount of taxes distributed over a 20-year period.
We are attempting to obtain all of the new tax assessments for every land and property owner in Foster County to be able to calculate each individual's tax liability if this tax initiative passes. That way each tax payer of Foster County and we can better understand exactly what passing this tax initiative will mean to our finanial committment for the future. Specific facts/information can help each citizen/property owner determine whether or not they wish to encumber their property for whatever amount for the next 20 years.
We have included a copy of a letter from Russ Heidt, a Carrington resident, who explains what he thinks this initiative will mean to each of us if passed. We've also included an article from the Foster County Independent which sees the initiative from the school district's perspective. We understand that a Facebook site has been established in support of this initiative at: https://www.facebook.com/cardinalpridevoteyes/. Also, you can read very detailed information at the Carrington School District site: http://www.carrington.k12.nd.us/Carrington/bulletin/longrangeplan2.html.
We hope you will take time to thoroughly study and understand what it means to either vote yes or no on this initiative in February. We invite all comments - for or against - this initiative.
The Parade of Lights is a December tradition that takes place during "Christmas around the Town" in Carrington, North Dakota. Many shops around town have extended hours and invite the community to visit and to have drinks and goodies while they browse.
The Parade of Lights, lead by fire engines and ambulances, usually starts around 5:30 p.m. and moves along Main Street till it ends with a police car.
This year the weather was great, so we had quite a few nice floats and community-spirited people marching along with them. It was fun to see so many people working together for a common cause. Way to go, Carrington!!!
Roland "Pete" Peterson celebrates Veteran's Day at CrossRoads in Carrington
We had a wonderful Veteran's Day luncheon in our small town of Carrington, North Dakota, to honor our local veterans and their families.
Marlene Boyer talks to the community about supporting our veterans
The event was sponsored by the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, along with help from other thoughtful ladies in the Carrington community.
Holly, Marlene & Jen help serve the veterans, their families and the community
Marlene Boyer, president of the North Dakota American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, who helped coordinate the event, introduced some very special veterans who live in our area. It was an honor and privilege to hear from Carrington's three World War II veterans, Roland Peterson, Lorraine Schroeder, and Adam Malinski, as well as have lunch and visit with other veterans from the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and Afghanistan.
Roland Peterson - Lorraine Schroeder - Adam Malinski
On September 2, 2015, a complaint and a motion for a restraining order was filed against Foster County regarding a county shop project. The case is entitled Hagel Construction vs. County of Foster - Case No. 16-2015-CV-00037. The attorneys involved are Paul Murphy, representing Foster County, and Elizabeth Lee Alvine, representing Hagel Construction. As we all know, years back the voters approved the building of a new county shop. The location and the type of shop were issues of contention between then Chairman Jim Carr and Commissioner Paul Straley. The shop project stayed in limbo until Bill Bauer became chairman of the commission. The shop was put out for bid, and that's when the controversy was renewed. The controversy centered around whether or not an architect was required to overview and approve the project. Another issue was the type of building structure that the County wanted a bid on. Apparently, the original architect-approved plans required the building of an all-steel structure, in other words, not just simply steel on the exterior or roofing, but a steel building consisting of I-Beam type construction. Somehow in the process, the commissioners gave the decision to move ahead with a none-architecturally-approved structure. Their choice was to substitute a steel structure for a pole-barn-type structure. According to the complaint filed by Kelly Hagel, he submitted two bids. One bid was for a wood structure and one was for a steel structure. The complaint goes on to state that he was $20,000 lower than the accepted bid for a pole-barn-type structure. As well, Mr. Hagel alleges that the bid process involved favoritism in the awarding of the contract, because the winning bidder agreed to buy all the materials for the project in Foster County. Whereas, Mr. Hagel informed the commission that he intended to buy his materials from an out-of-county source. According to Chairman Carr, at a recent commission meeting, Mr. Hagel withdrew his bid and informed him that he had no intention to filing an action against the county. However, as you can see Mr. Hagel, filed his complaint and motion for a restraining order on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
We are wondering if Mr. Schroeder intends to continue working on the shop in light of Mr. Hagel's request for a restraining order stopping all construction. It should be noted that if you examine all these issues, all these problems, all the missteps, all the confusion and all the controversy... they all center around our States Attorney's total inability to do the job that he's been paid to do. That is to counsel our elected officials on how to avoid breaking the law.
The letter below is another example of State’s Attorney Paul Murphy's illegal advice, costing Foster County money once again.
Please understand that it was Mr. Murphy’s advice to former Commissioner Bill Bauer and the other commissioners that they proceed on the shop -- notwithstanding the law. He then repeated this advice to the current commissioners at the August 4, 2015, commission meeting.
Read the letter from Kelly Hagel's attorney and judge for yourself if Mr. Hagel has a case against Foster County.
If this case is filed and Mr. Hagel prevails (which we believe he shall), he will most likely be awarded attorney’s fees. Our question to you, the taxpayers of Foster County, is who should be responsible for these attorney’s fees?
Is it Foster County's insurance policy once again? Is it the commissioners, themselves? Is it the taxpayers of Foster County? Or, is it the person who seems the most responsible, the person behind the bad legal advice, who encouraged the commissioners to break the law – our very own State’s Attorney Paul Murphy.
We invite any and all comments regarding Mr. Hagel's claim. Agreeably, shortcuts in the law on the surface make for a less expensive process. In the long run, however, they may be the paved road to Hell for a small county’s finances.
We ask the community what you think of this claim, and do you agree that this problem rests solely on State’s Attorney Paul Murphy’s bad advice to go ahead and violate the law?!
Dolly Footitt is one of my favorite people in the world... a very dear friend who will turn 101 years old on October 4, 2015. No one can ever believe that Dolly is that age... and you can see why when you listen to her on this tape. The sparkle in her eye and her quick, funny comments let you know that you're dealing with someone whose mind is sharp and ready to have fun with you.
This spur-of-the-moment tape came about one day when I was having coffee with Dolly. She is well-known in our Carrington community for sharing her wonderful pies, cookies and doughnuts with friends who come to her house for coffee. She also shares her goodies with her church, the hospital, the fair, the neighborhood and various fundraisers in the community.
Lucky for me, Dolly and I became great friends, so I often go to her house for coffee, and we chat about all kinds of subjects that are interesting to us. I've often thought about recording some of our conversations and sharing them with our community, because I think people are really missing out if they don't know Dolly. In addition to enjoying her personality, you can imagine the great storehouse of knowledge about our area that she has to offer.
After Dolly got such a kick out of this spur-of-the-moment recording, I've decided (with her permission) to record more coffee visits with her to share with everyone. If you have any special questions that you would like to ask Dolly, please let me know, and I'll record her answers for you.
So, here's to having fun with Dolly and hearing the opinion of someone who has lived for over a century!
Result of Death Threats toward Recorder Lynelle Hoppe
I personally appeared before the Foster County Commission on
Tuesday, August 4, 2015, to discuss the death threats which were texted to a
county cell phone about Recorder Lynelle Hoppe on June 4, 2015. I was, and still am, concerned about what is
being done to address this situation.
The seven or eight ex-employees, who were discussing or
"joking" about ways to kill Recorder Hoppe, no longer work for Foster
County. However, one of the texters still works at the courthouse
in an office located on the floor above Recorder Hoppe.
One would think that the employee would have been
disciplined in some way right after the messages with death threats were
discovered. However, after Sheriff
Mattice made his report to State's Attorney Paul Murphy, nothing seemed to
happen. It was as if the event did not
take place.
However, since the issue of texted death threats was published in the Foster County Independent,
and published on CarringtonNews.com, I had had numerous inquiries from the
public wanting to know the status of this investigation and/or
prosecution.
So, on July 8, 2015, I
decided to write some letters to find out what was going on and to shed some
light on this situation.
I had already written a letter to Joel Lemer, since Ms.
Hesch is his secretary, and sent a copy to the North Dakota State University
Extension Office, his employer, but had received no response from them. Since I had been led to believe that Ms.
Hesch was also an employee of North Dakota State University, I wrote a letter to the legal counsel of
NDSU. I enclosed copies of the texted
death threats, as well as a copy of my letter to Joel Lemer and the NDSU
Extension office.
That letter eventually ended up in the office of the North
Dakota State Attorney General who replied (on July 27, 2015) that Melanie Hesch
was NOT an employee of NDSU, that she was an employee of Foster County. Therefore, NDSU's policies have nothing to do
with this situation and that it needed
to be taken care of locally.
I also received a phone call from Governor Dalrymple's
office and a letter from Representative Chet Pollert who expressed the same
opinion as the Attorney General -- that the issue needed to be handled by the
appropriate personnel in Foster County.
Then I received another letter from the State Attorney
General's office. This time they
enclosed a "Letter of Concern" which had been written by Joel Lemer
to Melanie Hesch on July 21, 2015 - over a month and a half since the death
threats took place and almost two weeks after I wrote a letter to his boss,
NDSU. Mr. Lemer basically told Ms. Hesch
that she could no longer text personal messages or use Facebook during office
hours, that she would have to do that during her breaks.
Does anyone besides me think that is a rather weak
consequence for texting death threats during office hours, or during any time,
for that matter?!!
Since I did not receive any kind of response from the
letters I wrote to State's Attorney Paul Murphy or the state's attorney to whom
he had given the case, I decided to appear before the Foster County Commission
to find out if the County was going to do anything at all about the death
threats.
After all, I think the public has every right to know the
facts about this situation. As county
taxpayers, we are paying the salary of Melanie Hesch, an employee who was
texting death threats during her office hours when she was supposedly working
on county business for us.
Watch the video to see the reactions of the commissioners
and State's Attorney Paul Murphy. Also,
the meeting was taped by DakTel, so you can see the entire meeting on Channel
17 at various times during this week.
