Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Clay County Commissioner District 5

County commissioners are the county s key policymakers. They oversee the administration of the county, set county budget, and participate in county long-range planning. County services that they oversee include a wide variety of social service and welfare programs, as well as certain public health programs. Learn more about the day in the life of a county commissioner in this video from the Association of Minnesota Counties.

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  • Candidate picture

    David Ebinger
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Joel Paulsen
    (NP)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

How would you ensure election laws do not create barriers to Minnesotans’ freedom to vote while also ensuring safe and secure elections? (500 characters)

What do you see as the biggest challenges to mental health and social services in your county, and how would you address them? (500 characters)

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Contact Phone 7012120383
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561649712606
Campaign Email debinger10@gmail.com
1. Continued focus on flood protection through the Metro Flood Diversion Project. As a member of the MFDA Board I will continue to work with our partners at Moorhead to acquire the State funding necessary for the completion of projects on the Minnesota side. 2. Working towards funding for a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) as part of the West Central Regional Juvenile Center. We are also committed to provide addition transitional programs for juvenile ageing out of the system. 3. Completion of the new Dispatch Center being constructed for the Red River Regional Dispatch Center along with the transition necessary to implement next generation 911 (NG911) capacities for the center.
Minnesota has been mindful in eliminating barriers to voters in their laws and the Secretary of State has done a good job providing information necessary for an informed population and trained local officials overseeing elections. As a local official I know we must have a well-funded staff and equipment to handle elections. We are fortunate to have competent staff in place here in Clay County. Coupled with responsible citizens, serving as election judges, our system locally is effective.
The lack of resources for mental health issues is a statewide, and a national problem. Too often the only resource available to people in crisis is the Criminal Justice system which is backed up with persons who need treatment and remain in jail awaiting an opening in limited facilities. Given the broad nature of this problem it is essential that we work with state officials in finding a solution. The PRTF I described in my priorities is an example of how we can respond locally.
Contact Phone 7017814758
Campaign Email japengineer@gmail.com
As commissioner, my top three priorities would be infrastructure improvement, responsible budgeting and taxation, and building stronger relationships with the communities in Clay County, particularly the City of Moorhead. To begin with, safety and economic development depend on timely road maintenance and improvements, drought resilience, and flood control. Secondly, my call would be for more transparent spending so that taxes are kept low and necessary projects maintain their funding. Thirdly, I will work with other political subdivisions to find joint solutions to shared challenges. My greatest strength is collaboration, and I believe different government entities can work together to address broader challenges.
I will support policies to ensure accessibility in voting is maintained, while ensuring the integrity of elections through secure processes, options for voter ID, and clear rules about absentee ballots. We must have open, transparent, and safe elections without unnecessary barriers. I will advocate to expand opportunities for early voting and ensure that polling places are conveniently located for all communities, particularly underserved and rural areas. Voter education will be a priority!
Mental health challenges, particularly access to timely care, and the strain on social services are major issues in Clay county. I will push for better funding for mental health professionals and expand partnerships between local health services and community organizations to ensure residents receive necessary support. These partnerships will be extremely valuable in addressing the current needs for individuals within the county.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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