Sen. Tim Mathern (D-Fargo) North Dakota Monitor
FARGO (KFGO-KVRR) – North Dakota State Senator Tim Mathern has served in Bismarck since 1986.
He says that up until recently, one thing that set this state apart was the level of access it provided citizens to have with their elected representatives.
“Most of us list our cell phones, our telephone numbers, our addresses,” he said.
That all changed after the horrific events of June 14, when Vance Boelter allegedly shot two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, killing Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
“Immediately, that day, our addresses and telephone numbers were taken off the legislative website,” Mathern said.
You already need to pass a metal detector and security checkpoint to enter the Capitol in Bismarck, but Mathern says he and his colleagues have discussed the possibility of locking the doors as well.
For his part, Mathern is not in favor of additional security measures, feeling that added distance between politicians and constituents will only greaten the divide in our country.
“I don’t want that kind of behavior to sort of direct what the rest of us do, or to change our connection with our citizens,” he said.
He believes that greater communication is our only way out of this ugly situation.
Comments