Benjamin Tompkins appointed to Stutsman County Commission
May 20—JAMESTOWN — The Stutsman County Commission in a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, May 20, appointed Benjamin Tompkins to serve on the board.
Tompkins was one of 11 applicants who applied to fill the vacant seat on the county commission.
"I'm very excited," Tompkins said. "I think that I can bring a lot of perspective that not everybody gets to see."
The other applicants were George Barnes, John Baumgartner, Paul Belzer, Dernel Denning, Steven Gerszewski, John Grabinger, Daren Peterka, Trever Sahr, Taylor Vining and Alan Williams.
Tompkins took the oath of office and filled the vacant seat after he was appointed on Tuesday.
Earlier at a special meeting, the county commission voted to narrow the field to one. The commission recommended appointing Tompkins at the special meeting.
County Commissioner Levi Taylor said the commission appreciates having a wide range of applicants to choose from.
"Competition is a good thing for our county," he said. "I would encourage you all to stay involved and continue to engage if you can."
The vacancy was created after the death of Commissioner Jerry Bergquist on April 24. Bergquist was elected to the commission in November 2022.
Tompkins will hold the office at least until the next general election. North Dakota Century Code 44-02-05 says the appointee holds office until the appointee's successor is elected at the next general election that occurs at least 95 days after the vacancy and the successor has qualified. The next general election cycle is in 2026.
The commission narrowed the field of 11 to five with the first round of voting on a paper ballot. Peterka got four votes, Tompkins received three and Grabinger got two. Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser was called to be the fifth member to decide on two of the three final applicants for the top five between Baumgartner, Denning and Vining, who each received one vote. Kaiser voted for Vining and Denning.
The final five applicants each spoke in front of the commission for about a minute before the commission narrowed the field to the final three.
The commission chose Peterka and Tompkins, each with three votes, and there was a tie for the final applicant between Denning and Grabinger with one vote each. Kaiser chose Grabinger as the final applicant to break the tie with Denning.
Tompkins received three votes and Peterka got one for the final vote.
Tompkins resides in rural Pingree, North Dakota. He farms from Buchanan to northeast Stutsman County.
Tompkins said he has lived in a rural area his entire life and understands what the gravel roads look like in rural Stutsman County. He said county roads need to be safe for motorists.
"(I) want everybody to have good access to all the wonderful things that Stutsman County has to offer," he said.
Tompkins said he wants to help find solutions to any issues in Stutsman County.
"If there's any problems, I feel like I'm good at finding solutions for them," he said.
Tompkins said he's willing to listen to his constituents in the county.
"I'm easy to get a hold of," he said. "If anybody has any concerns or questions, feel free to call."
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Benjamin Tompkins appointed to Stutsman County Commission
May 20—JAMESTOWN — The Stutsman County Commission in a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, May 20, appointed Benjamin Tompkins to serve on the board. Tompkins was one of 11 applicants who applied to fill the vacant seat on the county commission. "I'm very excited," Tompkins said. "I think that I can bring a lot of perspective that not everybody gets to see." The other applicants were George Barnes, John Baumgartner, Paul Belzer, Dernel Denning, Steven Gerszewski, John Grabinger, Daren Peterka, Trever Sahr, Taylor Vining and Alan Williams. Tompkins took the oath of office and filled the vacant seat after he was appointed on Tuesday. Earlier at a special meeting, the county commission voted to narrow the field to one. The commission recommended appointing Tompkins at the special meeting. County Commissioner Levi Taylor said the commission appreciates having a wide range of applicants to choose from. "Competition is a good thing for our county," he said. "I would encourage you all to stay involved and continue to engage if you can." The vacancy was created after the death of Commissioner Jerry Bergquist on April 24. Bergquist was elected to the commission in November 2022. Tompkins will hold the office at least until the next general election. North Dakota Century Code 44-02-05 says the appointee holds office until the appointee's successor is elected at the next general election that occurs at least 95 days after the vacancy and the successor has qualified. The next general election cycle is in 2026. The commission narrowed the field of 11 to five with the first round of voting on a paper ballot. Peterka got four votes, Tompkins received three and Grabinger got two. Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser was called to be the fifth member to decide on two of the three final applicants for the top five between Baumgartner, Denning and Vining, who each received one vote. Kaiser voted for Vining and Denning. The final five applicants each spoke in front of the commission for about a minute before the commission narrowed the field to the final three. The commission chose Peterka and Tompkins, each with three votes, and there was a tie for the final applicant between Denning and Grabinger with one vote each. Kaiser chose Grabinger as the final applicant to break the tie with Denning. Tompkins received three votes and Peterka got one for the final vote. Tompkins resides in rural Pingree, North Dakota. He farms from Buchanan to northeast Stutsman County. Tompkins said he has lived in a rural area his entire life and understands what the gravel roads look like in rural Stutsman County. He said county roads need to be safe for motorists. "(I) want everybody to have good access to all the wonderful things that Stutsman County has to offer," he said. Tompkins said he wants to help find solutions to any issues in Stutsman County. "If there's any problems, I feel like I'm good at finding solutions for them," he said. Tompkins said he's willing to listen to his constituents in the county. "I'm easy to get a hold of," he said. "If anybody has any concerns or questions, feel free to call."
