North Dakota Governor Candidate, Marvin Nelson. Dustin White photo

Dustin White
Editor

“I’ve always been politically active,” Marvin Nelson, candidate for North Dakota Governor said. “It’s always been a part of family life.”

Growing up on a small diversified farm, with the school house for the township voting on their land, politics would form a special part of Nelson’s history. Going out to the school house on election days, he recalls a few of his earliest memories.

“We’d go out, with dad, on election day, to the house and see the results from the last election still on the board,” Nelson said. “We’d sweep up the dust bunnies, check the outhouses to make sure they had all the necessities, and start the wood burning stove for those days that it was a bit cold.”

That involvement would stick with him as he completed high school and went off to college. Returning to Rolette County, Nelson would serve as the treasurer, and eventually became active in a number of other organization. But agriculture seemed to his main calling.

Working as an agricultural consultant, Nelson would stay involved in farming. Really enjoying talking about policies, he would make a name for himself.

A change
As with many people’s lives, change often occurs quite quickly. For Nelson, that was no different. That change started with a firefighter.

“It was a volunteer firefighter that got me to run for office,” Nelson said. “He had been injured, he was self-employed, with three children, all under the age of six. The community had came together and filled his house with toys for the children for Christmas. But he was losing the house.”

Having applied for disability, the firefighter was earning just a couple hundred dollars a week, which wasn’t enough to live on. Under today’s policy, he would have gotten $0.

“How can we do that to our volunteers, who are subsidizing the state by risking their lives,” Nelson said. “They are subsidizing the state monetarily by millions of dollars.”

That injustice was too much for Nelson. He would throw his hat into the ring, and found himself working to change the system from the inside.

People
The State Congress seemed to be an ideal fit for Nelson. Enjoying debate in school, he was right at home when participating with those who had differing views. And as with many of those elected, he was looking for change.

Seeing the most important aspect of North Dakota being the people, he set out to help change the system for their better good.

“We should expect, rightfully so, that the government should be concerned with the welfare of its people,” Nelson said. “This current government is not.”

Moving forward, Nelson acknowledges that there is an uphill battle. But its a fight he is willing to take.

“We’ve had 24 years of wealthy Republican businessmen serving as the governor of North Dakota, and after each session, things have continued to get worse,” Nelson said. “I can’t conceive how we’ve gotten here.”

But while the path to where the state currently is may be a bit murky, the path forward is more clear, and it starts with one idea: responsibility.

“When you start representing other people, you’re also responsible for them,” Nelson said. “It really is a different experience, one that my opponent hasn’t gone through.”

Financial shortfall
The issues that Nelson has spoken about came to a culmination during a special session in August. Facing a $300 million budget shortfall, a bill was forced through the N.D. legislature in just three days, the shortest time allowed, in the state’s constitution, for a bill to be passed.

“We were told we didn’t have time,” Nelson said. “The troops were told to shut up and ram it through. It was kind of a waste of three days.”

With a bill that went unchanged, the cuts made have a potential to hurt those most in need. For Nelson, one of the major concerns is the rural health care providers.

“The cuts make running a nursing home almost impossible,” Nelson said. “Then we are cutting medicaid, which nearly kills hospitals. The policy has been to close local hospitals.”

The fear that Nelson has is that the quality of life for many will be lowered.

“Where are our priorities?” Nelson said. “We have home maker services that save the state money, but the government cut their budgets. It will definitely lower the quality of life for some. When do government officials become responsible?”

The problem is potentially larger. With a need to build additional infrastructure in the state, that opportunity is being cut as well. Cutting daycare support, an increasing amount of individuals are finding it nearly impossible to work and have their children properly looked after. Without a workforce, the economy is unable to diversify.

Change is needed
For Nelson, the current situation is reminiscent of the 1980s farm crisis. A quick fix simply won’t work.

“During the farm crisis, suicided rates shot up above normal rates,” Nelson said. “Programs were put into place, but once the rates declined, they were pulled. Those running the state always take the cheap way out. Do they believe in people?”

While Nelson saw a need for a change, what would push him to enter into the race for the position of governor though was a bit of a nudge. With a small class year, many didn’t want to jeopardize their seats in a reelection year.

“Maybe I’m crazy and the rest aren’t,” Nelson joked. “But I was asked if I would enter the race. Somebody’s gotta change it.”

It was another uphill battle, but Nelson is confident that it is doable. And knowing that change is needed for the betterment of the people of North Dakota, it is a task he is willing to undertake.

However, Nelson also knows that the change can’t happen all at once. Real change will take awhile, but someone needs to start it. Nelson is willing to do just that.