Matt Evans: Fargo Voters Get One Right
The results were very close, but the voters of Fargo elected Tony Gehrig to the open city commissioner spot.
Tony has spent the last three election cycles sharing his message of fiscal restraint and tax relief for the Fargo area. This time was the charm, as he narrowly beat school board member John Strand for the open commissioner seat.
Tony stands alone as a vocal advocate of limited government, limited spending, and limited taxes. He has tirelessly provided critiques of city government plans and priorities, most recently, the proposed Fargo city government palace.
[mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#000000″ txt_color=”#ffffff”]Tony is truly a grass-roots candidate. He is not part of a local political dynasty; he is not part of the Fargo power axis of school board members and real estate developers.[/mks_pullquote]
I’ve chatted with Tony at length about the proper role and size of government, and he is right on the money.
Perhaps more important than Tony’s actual positions and priorities is his commitment to accessibility and transparency. People feel further away from their government than ever, and that’s something Tony is committed to fixing. As he claims on his website, he is the only city commissioner to list their personal email address and cell phone number. He is deeply interested in seeing that government business is done by the book and out in the open, for all to examine and understand, and that the people are served by the city leadership, not ruled by it.
Tony is truly a grass-roots candidate. He is not part of a local political dynasty; he is not part of the Fargo power axis of school board members and real estate developers. He was not groomed for this job by any political machine. He worked hard to get his name and his message out, and he inspired lots of supporters to help him. His tireless perseverance has paid off.
For now, he may be a lone fiscally responsible voice on the Fargo city commission, but positive change starts with one voice.
I hope Fargoans and the rest of the city commissioners listen carefully.
