Local officials say Auditor Josh Gallion is out to get them, but he says it isn’t so
MINOT, N.D. — Legislation aimed at limiting what state Auditor Josh Gallion’s office can charge for auditing local government entities has become a flashpoint in a long-running battle between Gallion, the Legislature, and now several local leaders.
Gallion has accused lawmakers of “corruption,” and made insinuations about “back room deals.” Local leaders, meanwhile, paint a picture of an auditor who is out to get them, not help them. Rep. Emily O’Brien, a Republican from Grand Forks and the sponsor of House Bill 1508 , which implements the aforementioned limits, and which Gallion has characterized as “corrupt,” says she’s trying to address the concerns of those leaders.
I conducted hours of interviews with Gallion and local leaders and reviewed hundreds of pages of public records to try and shed some light on what’s become a very ugly situation for the state.
