Grand Forks business owner David Waterman will run for the North Dakota House of Representatives he announced Saturday at a Tea Party event in the Alerus Center.
Waterman first considered challenging Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., for the U.S. House of Representatives. But a "long process" and advice from friends and strangers made him decide to instead run for the District 17 spot on the state House.
"There were a lot of considerations that I had to take into account and it just seemed prudent at this point to look at serving at the state level at this time," Waterman said.
Rep. Ken Svedjan, R-Grand Forks, has represented District 17 since 1991 but announced in January that he would not seek another term.
Waterman has three children with his wife, Jeanne, and owns Waterman Video Production.
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Reluctant
Waterman is running as a Republican, but said he had never really considered entering an election before this year. "I really don't like politics," he said.
Waterman said he doesn't want to become a politician -- a person who "tells people what he thinks they want to hear" to get elected. Instead, he said he would act as a statesman who speaks what he actually believes "whether certain people like that or not."
"If I ever become a politician while I'm in office, I want them to vote me out," he said.
Waterman said he faced a tough decision and spent time on careful thought and prayer, but ultimately decided something needed to be done about the current situation of the U.S.
"It wasn't until the country came to the point where it is right now where I feel like we're literally teetering on the verge of self-destruction that I decided that it was time for me to make some personal sacrifices."
North Dakota is in better financial shape than most of the country, Waterman said, but there could be improvements.
"We pay too many taxes for too many things and there are government programs that I think are outdated," he said.
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If elected, Waterman said he would balance the needs of his District 17 constituents with what is best for North Dakota. He is also "very concerned" about the cost of public education.
Waterman said he spends $500 to $1,000 each year to home school his three sons, but Grand Forks schools spend more than $10,000 on each student each year. He said the cost per student should be cheaper for a large school district that can pool its resources, and said the state needs to look at its public education system.
"It needs to be more efficient, and it needs to be more affordable," he said. "We're paying 20 times the price, or 30 or 40 times the price, to get a lower quality of education. I don't understand that."
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
