Christopher Thompson, Minot
One year ago this month, I was watching the episode of CNBC's Mad Money dedicated to the Bakken in my apartment near Detroit. One guest on the program was Gov. Jack Dalrymple. He welcomed all, with his earnest and optimistic tone, to come and see what was going on and to take advantage of the opportunities available here. To North Dakotans, this invitation may have sounded cliche. But for many in the rest of the country, it is an answer to prayers. After careful consideration, my wife and I chose to accept Gov. Dalrymple's invitation, and made plans to make our way out to this last refuge of the American dream.
After spending some time in the oil fields, I was able to land a good-paying job with a law firm in Minot and move my family out. We love it here now. The schools are great. The people are friendly, and they have those values of hard-work and respect that made our nation great. I can appreciate living in a place that attracts hard-working individuals not comfortable with sitting around and subsisting off the government.
When I moved to Minot, everyone was still talking about the flood. And in every story I heard about the flood, the leadership skills Gov. Dalrymple displayed during that time of crisis were mentioned. I've heard people from every end of the political spectrum praise the governor for his work during and since the flood.
More broadly, he's done a great job leading our state during these tumultuous boom times. It's not an easy job. It takes true leadership. He has worked tirelessly to steer state funding to infrastructure and sustainable development projects, ensuring that the state takes advantage of the oil boom, and not the other way around. He's stood up first for the state to keep the federal government off our prosperous backs. He's focused like a laser on those areas of high need, without losing sight of the needs of all North Dakotans.
We're the happiest here that we've been in many years. Our story and the story of many North Dakotans, new and old, is an American story. I owe a lot of credit for our experience to Gov. Jack Dalrymple. For the first time in my life, I'm proud of my elected official. He brought us to a great state that he's making even better.
Come November, why will I back Jack? Because I know he's got mine.