District 6 Republicans endorsed Zach Lessig, Lake Metigoshe, over Rep. Paul Thomas, Velva, for the Senate seat, but Thomas gathered signatures to also be on the ballot, creating a race for that November ballot spot.

Lessig teaches biology part time at Dakota College of Bottineau. He moved to North Dakota, his wife’s home state, from eastern Washington state in 2020 for its Republican values. He served in the Army National Guard and had been deployed to Iraq. He has worked as a scientific technician for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and holds a master’s degree in biology.

Thomas is a fourth-generation farmer on the family farm in southern McHenry County. He has been involved in local organizations, including having served on the Velva City Commission. He has served four years in the state House of Representatives, where he has chaired the Agriculture Committee and held a seat on the Industry, Business and Labor Committee.

In the House race, endorsed candidates are Pat Bachmeier and Kolette Kramer. They are challenged by Rep. Dick Anderson of Willow City and newcomer Dan Vollmer, both of Willow City.

Pat Bachmeier

Bachmeier grew up on the family farm near Granville, where he and his wife also raised their children, and has been employed at Souris River Telecommunications for nearly 28 years, mostly as a wireless technician. He has been active in his community, including serving on the TGU School Board.

Kramer, a Towner native, ranches with her husband near Denbigh. She is the current District 6 Republicans secretary.

Vollmer continues to live and be active on the family farm near Willow City and has been involved in the banking community for 40 years. He is a former vice chairman for the Republican Party in District 9. For many years, he was a volunteer hunter education instructor.

Anderson was first elected to the House to represent District 7 in 2010 and in 2012 was elected in District 6. He has farmed and ranched on his family’s farm and continues to do so with his son, who is the farm’s fourth generation. He has served on several community boards. In the Legislature, he has served on the Human Services and Energy and Natural Resources committees.

District 6 encompasses all of Renville, Bottineau and McHenry counties, a small portion of Ward County, including Sawyer, and northeastern McLean County.

Kolette Kramer

What priority issues would you want to focus on and/or legislation would you introduce, if elected?

Vollmer: With the war going on against fossil fuels, we need to support our oil, gas, and coal industries. Energy development is very important for our state and a major source of revenue. We need to fight against new federal regulations designed to make energy development more expensive. Property tax relief, rural infrastructure, private property rights, fiscal responsibility, common sense regulation and protecting our Second Amendment are other priority issues I would like to focus on.

Anderson: I want to introduce a state-run Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). I feel we need to restore some faith in vaccinations again as I don’t believe many in N.D. trust the Federal CDC data. Natural gas availability to the northern and eastern parts of the state, fertilizer development and property tax relief are all issues I will focus on at the state level. The lack of a reliable workforce is hurting our businesses and especially our healthcare services, so workforce development will be important too. I will continue to work with Dakota College at Bottineau on housing issues and the expansion of the nursing program, which will bring additional students to the campus.

Kramer: I would like to address the illegal drug issues, the border crisis and illegal immigration and government overreach. We need to pull back government interference and its spending. We need to defend our constitution and our state’s rights.

Bachmeier: I would like our state to do everything possible to stop the invasion coming from our national borders. I think stopping the flow of illegal drugs and the human trafficking that comes with open borders needs to be a priority. Protecting N.D. citizens from an overreaching federal government also will be something I would be focused on.

Zach Lessig

Lessig: Addressing the increasing tax burden and infringement on private property rights will be big issues, which will require significant attention from many legislators. I will also work to secure individual liberty, government transparency and find solutions to federal overreach.

Thomas: The top three issues I want to address in the next session include enhanced infrastructure funding, lowering taxes and improving our education system. I will continue to fight for state funds to be allocated for infrastructure needs to political subs for bridges, roads, water and sewer upgrades. Secondly, I will focus on bringing tax relief and meaningful reform to property taxpayers throughout our state. I support continued investments by the state to local government, but significant reform must also be enacted to not only reduce property tax burdens in the short term but also long term. Thirdly, education improvements. The Legislature needs to continue to provide North Dakota educators and administrators the resources necessary for high quality education that prepares students for the workforce. Our educational system needs to be seamless from elementary through post-secondary and be focused on the number one priority, the students’ educational needs.

Do you see areas where the state needs to recalibrate its course? How do you plan to assess whether proposed legislation will steer the state in the right direction?

Thomas: One area I hear from constituents a lot is they miss having local and in-person options when dealing with government services. In some cases, a phone call to a state agency is not even answered by an individual living in our state. While I support making government more efficient and less costly to the taxpayer, I do not support changes that lead to increased costs and burdens on the individuals and small businesses that the government programs were designed to serve. I want to work with our new governor to ensure that North Dakota state agencies are always looking for ways to reduce costs but also meet the needs of our residents.

Lessig: Many state lawmakers are elected as Republicans and yet they do not take into consideration the GOP platform, which emphasizes individual liberty, personal responsibility and limited government. Therefore, I plan to assess proposed legislation by starting with the U.S. Constitution and the N.D. GOP platform as guides. I plan to work with other legislators within this framework and I think we can move forward in a positive direction.

Paul Thomas

Bachmeier: Increased state spending and continued government growth needs to be addressed. When the Legislature spends more than a billion dollars over what the governor is asking for I think we have a spending problem. Along with reading and researching, I will ask myself the following questions on proposed legislation. Does it protect a N.D. citizen’s life, liberty or property? Does it improve or protect N.D. infrastructure? Will it cause undue hardship for companies doing business in N.D.? Does it align with my Christian conservative values? Does it protect the rights of our citizens? Will it make N.D. a better place?

Kramer: We need to defend our right to produce energy, agricultural food,and oil without federal regulations that limit it.

Anderson: Our state is headed in the right direction. Ten years ago, we had one of the oldest populations in the country and little growth in the business sector. This trend has been reversed with a growing and much younger population and is projected to continue.Consistency and common sense are the keys for good government. Legislators need to be involved with communities, citizens, public services and small businesses to address concerns and develop policies when change is needed. The best proposed legislation is often developed with legislators who are involved with our constituents’ concerns. In my experience serving as a legislator, the most difficult concern is dealing with overreach, excessive regulations and inconsistency with policies from the federal government.

Vollmer: State government should be efficient and small, promote common sense regulation, and support our local political subdivisions. We are in better shape in North Dakota than many other states in this Union, however we want to keep it that way and improve our state. I plan to support conservative pro-growth policies to expand our tax base and reduce the tax burden for everyone. Liberty and free market capitalism are the answer, not socialist policies.

Should the state pick up 100% of elementary and secondary education costs? If so, why. If not, what would you like to see in funding?

Dan Vollmer

Kramer: I believe it should. The N.D. constitution states the state of North Dakota should provide education and we should eliminate all federal dollars that come with strings or regulations attached.

Bachmeier: Yes. Article VIII Section 2 of the state constitution states the following: The legislative assembly shall provide for a uniform system of free public schools throughout the state, beginning with the primary and extending through all grades up to and including schools of higher education, except that the legislative assembly may authorize tuition, fees and service charges to assist in the financing of public schools of higher education. Unless the constitution is changed, the state should be funding public education. I would like to see the state funding follow the student. This would give parents more control over their children’s education.

Vollmer: I would support the state picking up a larger share of the costs of elementary and secondary education as part of property tax relief. The cost of education makes up the larger portion of our property tax bill and it is apparent that it needs to be reformed.

Anderson: Yes. School funding will be one of the discussions in the next session for property tax relief. I also think it would take two to three sessions to get it right. I would like to see additional funding that will help counties with road maintenance and bridge replacement.

Thomas: I am supportive of the state taking on a larger portion of elementary and secondary education. When evaluating where to allocate state funds, I like to evaluate the benefit of the expenditure to determine if it is more local or more statewide. In the case of education, the benefits are certainly both. I am supportive of increasing funding for interest rate buydowns for school infrastructure needs as well as the state paying a higher percentage of funding for day-to-day operations and staffing needs. Every decision made must put the students’ educational needs first and any other outcome secondary.

Lessig: Parents should be the arbiters of their children’s education. Educational material is becoming cheaper and easier to obtain while schooling is costing more, and students appear less educated. Perhaps working to disentangle schools from federal funds and regulation is a step in the right direction if parents want more local control. Administrative overhead might be a place to start reducing costs.

Do you support the elimination of property taxes? What would North Dakota’s tax structure look like if you could redesign it?

Lessig: People are frustrated with the idea of buying property, which must be continually paid for through taxes. Because of this, I am cautiously in favor of eliminating property tax. North Dakota’s tax structure is complex and even minor changes to complex systems can have unintended consequences, but a focused effort by many thoughtful and well-informed legislators can remodel it in a way that addresses these issues.

Thomas: I am supportive of legislative efforts to continue to shift a larger portion of infrastructure needs and education funding from local property owners to the state. I do not support the complete elimination of our current property tax system. I will work for meaningful reform. I am a strong believer in local control and local responsibility. If we shift the entire funding stream from local to state decision makers, municipalities with the largest population base will have the most votes and those elected leaders will work to support their communities. Property tax reform that I am working on is focused on addressing the property tax exemptions the state has authorized. Any tax exemption increases the tax burden onto those without an exemption. The state could dedicate a portion of the Legacy Fund earnings to the exemptions it has authorized.

Bachmeier: Yes, Property taxes were first instituted by a king (William the Conqueror) in 1088 so they are Un-American. We should not be renting our land and homes from the government. I would like to see N.D. go to a consumption tax to replace personal income and property tax.

Kramer: I would support property tax elimination if the citizens of North Dakota vote it in. We should have a user tax to replace it instead of an assessed value tax.

Vollmer: It is apparent many North Dakota citizens want property tax reform. I am not in favor of the complete elimination of property taxes; however, I do think the state picking up a larger share of education costs and property tax relief on private residences makes a lot of sense. Rural townships, counties, cities, rural fire districts and ambulance services that rely on property tax and local control are important issues to consider. To redesign North Dakota’s tax structure, we will need to support the kind of pro-growth policy that expands the tax base and adds new business opportunities. We export much of what we produce in this state as raw product. If we can export more finished product, whether it is from agriculture, energy or manufacturing, it will help attract the kind of businesses that expand the tax base and provide employment opportunities.

Anderson: I don’t support the elimination of property taxes as the measure is written. State revenue needs to be consistent to redesign the tax structure. The two biggest industries in our state are oil and agriculture. Prices vary greatly some years based on the supply and demand of the commodity. Oil production accounts for over 50% of our revenue in our state. In the last eight years, the oil market price basically collapsed twice and the last time was in 2020. If it wasn’t for the money we had saved in prior sessions when we had a surplus, we wouldn’t have been able to balance the budget. In 2020, there was a brief period when oil wasn’t even able to be sold as the refineries were full of oil. Consistent state revenue is needed for consistent tax policy. Another issue is a large amount of property tax revenue that major businesses contribute would vanish and some would leave the state. The nonresident competition for our farmland would make it difficult for young farmers to compete for land. To redesign the tax system, we first need to expand the tax base with a growing diverse economy.