By GORDON WEIXEL
Bismarck Tribune
Three candidates have come forward to challenge three recalled Mandan officials in the Nov. 7 general election.
But unless further petitions are turned in by 4 p.m. today, at least one of the commission candidates is assured a seat on the commission following the vote.
Wes Eisenmann and Susan Beehler turned in their petitions to.... run for mayor to deputy auditor Phyllis Hager on Tuesday. On Thursday, Kathy Parkes filed petitions to run for a city commissioner seat.
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Mayor Ken LaMont and Commissioners Dan Ulmer and Sandra Tibke are the subjects of the recall, which was organized by attorney Ben Pulkrabek. Recall petitions cited the city's settlement with BNSF Railways as the reason for the recall. On Thursday, LaMont, Ulmer and Tibke announced their names will be on the ballot and predicted the election will validate the commission's efforts.
All three challengers say they had nothing to do with the recall, and for the most part are not critical of the BNSF settlement for cleanup of the downtown diesel fuel contamination that brought the city $30 million. Each has their own issue and believes he or she can make a difference if elected.
Eisenmann is a 67-year-old retired rail worker, having been with BNSF for 38 years. He has lived in Mandan for 37 years on and off, raising a family of six with his wife.
"When I see people, retired people, forced out of their homes because they can't afford property taxes ... something has got to be done with property taxes," Eisenmann said. "Mandan is the No. 1 highest in property taxes among the state's largest cities. Taxes are my main gripe, and the way our local commission is so fiscally irresponsible."
Eisenmann, making his first run at a public office, said he doesn't have any concerns about the BNSF settlement, and taxes are the basis of his campaign. He does believe that Beehler's run for mayor will hurt both of their chances to get a seat on the commission.
Beehler, 48, campaigned for Tibke and believes that longtime commissioner Ulmer will be very difficult to defeat at the polls, so she decided to run for mayor. A wife and mother of five, Beehler has lived in Mandan since 1992 and worked at her parents' business in Mandan four years prior to that.
"I wasn't part of the recall and don't even know who was involved," Beehler said. "What made me decide to get into the race was when I saw the recall petitions and saw there are a good number of people in Mandan who are not happy."
Beehler places a lot of importance on Mandan's history and has opposed the demolition of some of the downtown buildings as part of the remediation project. She said the Furniture First building could have been saved with the money that was paid for its buyout.
"We lost eight or nine buildings that are historic. The city commission doesn't understand the value of these historic buildings," Beehler said. "Business owners could have rented these buildings for less than what they'll pay for space in new buildings."
Beehler also said the mayor and commissioners haven't been as accessible to the public as they should during this time of transition in Mandan. If elected, she plans on spending a lot of time finding out what people think and want.
Parkes, 50, grew up in Mandan, only to move away after school, returning in 2005. She ran in the June regular election, finishing fourth behind Tim Helbling, Jerry Gangl and ousted incumbent Stan Scott. Parkes received 18.5 percent of the vote, just 3 percent behind Gangl and 0.03 of a percent behind Scott.
During her run in the municipal election, Parkes said she too was upset with city commission decisions leading to the demolition of historic downtown buildings. Parkes described the mood of the community as angry, but felt headway was being made to dissipate that anger through better communication efforts by the commission.
Parkes said she wasn't a part of the recall and sees the election as an opportunity to get in a position to help guide the direction the community is taking. She has few, if any, issues with the BNSF settlement.
"I plan to be a little more visible this time," Parkes said of her campaign. "I learned that there's a large number of people that vote in these elections, and that's encouraging. I want to get out and talk to more citizens and business owners, and get input on the issues and the direction they want the city to take."
The issues concerning Parkes most are property taxes and special assessments. With Mandan among the highest property taxes in the state, she said ways need to be found to alleviate the heavy burden being put on residents. Parkes also wants the city commission to make Mandan more business-friendly, helping to cut through the obstacles and red tape slowing them down.
(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)
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