The Bismarck Tribune from Bismarck, North Dakota • 11

INSIDE: DAKOTA SECTION District 1 profile (2B) Bismarck High royalty (2B) The Bismarck Tribune Thursday, Od 10, 1996 DirDDDoKoJ (Sj1Du 1a)D Bismarck officials not surprised, expect to know more today "We have talked to Mr. Thomas and we made the offer authorized by the commission and he's thinking about it," said Human Resources Director Chuck Klein. "We should know more by noontime (today)," said City Administrator Bill Wocken. Meanwhile, the Beloit Daily News said Thomas has applied for several police chief positions in the past few months, including the job as Beloit chief. Thomas is deputy chief at Beloit, where he has spent his entire law enforcement career since joining the department in 1971 "I know he's interviewing all over the place.

He's been first runner-up in two or three others, including here in Beloit," said Shawn Stapleton of the Daily News. "He was passed over for someone from outside." Mayor Bill Sorensen said Bismarck officials knew of Thomas' other job applications and it's not a problem. "He's a finalist for another position, suggests Bismarck respect Thomas' wishes as to how much time he may need to finish work in Beloit Thomas makes $37,500 in Beloit and was offered $60,000 by Bismarck. Chief Robert Matzke was making an annual salary of $59,356.88 when he retired in June. Klein and Sorensen both said the city and Thomas expect to discuss fringe benefits and moving expenses.

"They're all pretty set up in the ordinances," Sorensen said. which is why we've got to get a commitment from him," the mayor said. "The fact that he's got other options means he is a good candidate." Sorensen said he would have been more surprised if Thomas had said "yes" immediately with no negotiations. The mayor wants a commitment by the end of this week. Klein said no starting date has been discussed yet.

"That is up to him," Klein said. Klein JANELL COLE, Bismarck Tribune Richard Thomas has not yet accepted the job as Bismarck's new police chief, city officials said late Wednesday. Thomas declined comment when reached by the Tribune. TV, RSvaEs spJIl DON DAVIS, Bismarck Tribune 3 TO 2M to aft DON DAVIS Bismarck Tribune North Dakota's congressional candidates agree campaign financing needs reforming, but sharply disagree on how to handle it. "It's completely out of control," Rep.

Earl Po-meroy, said on a KFYR radio debate. "I support campaign finance reform in a big The second We the People governor debate pits a more confident challenger against an lis liairtfrrtef IH-II i'tis friirif Eifn incumbent who continues to yk st) iS jl v- By MIKE MCCLEARY of the Tribune Rep. Earl Pomeroy and Kevin Cramer discuss issues during KFYR Radio's talk show 'What's on your Mind' Wednesday morning. pay for this plan is to cut budgets in areas like education and homes." The first We the People governor- debate, Sept. 19 in Dickinson, gave" Kaldor a lift, the Democrat said.

-r "The debate in Dickinson had a positive impact on me," he Kaldor would like to get a similar lift from the second debate. It will-be at Sidney J. Lee Auditorium Schafer Hall, Bismarck State Uni- -versity. Members of the audience may submit written questions, which will be mixed with questions from the sponsoring media the Tri- -bune, Prairie Public Radio and i KXMB News 12. Tonight's debate will be aired live on Prairie Public Radio and ta-1 pe-delayed at 2 p.m.

Oct 19 on' KXMB and other stations on the KX network. The C-SPAN public affairs cable television channel also plans to replay the debate, but no date has been set. I This is one of about half a dozen debates between Kaldor and Schaf- er. That contrasts with four years ago when Schafer and Nick Spaeth met at least three times that num--ber. -1 enjoy a big lead in the polls.

"I've really felt good in the last week," challenger Lee Kaldor said heading into the 7 p.m. debate at Bismarck State College. Kaldor is riding as high as be has in the campaign, following announcement of the backing of the state teachers' union, a news conference with other Democratic office holders and the start of new television commercials. Now, the Democrat said, voters recognize him and want to talk politics at community events. "It's a psychological lift when people seek you out," Kaldor said.

Ed Schafer, the Republican incumbent, already is one of the most recognized people in the state. Without a need to build name and face identification, Schafer has continued to point out reports which paint a pretty picture of the state's economy and questioning Kaldor's proposals. "Kaldor's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and then trying to tell voters it's tax relief," Schafer said about his challenger's plan for $40 million of tax relief. "He should be held accountable. The only way he could CAMPAIGN CLIPS way," said his challenger, Republican Kevin Cramer.

The two discussed issues during the two-hour "What's on Your Mind?" talk show hosted by Mark Armstrong on Wednesday. A caller asked about campaign financing. Cramer supports a variety of measures which he said would reduce the advantage an incumbent has. Pomeroy, meanwhile, said he wants a limit on how much can be spent on campaigns. Cramer's first reform would be to cut in half the amount of contributions which can come from a political action committee.

The Republican also called for allowing no more than half of donations to come from outside a congressional district. "We need to do away with the unsolicited junk mail called franking," Cramer added. "What I do not support is a cap in Cramer said. "That favors the incumbent." But Pomeroy said the finance cap is the way to go. If political action committees' ability to donate is cut, be said, candidates will be forced to look for more rich people as donors.

The congressman said that would be bad. Limiting spending would make campaigns shorter and less costly, he added. "I think if you took a poll in North Dakota you would find about a 100 percent response on this proposition: Campaigns go on too long and they cost too much," Pomeroy said. Kaldor said, "but unless Schafer addresses the state correction system's needs, he cannot guarantee that he won't shift the burden to counties." "As Lee correctly pointed out," Schafer said, "we pay the counties when we put a state prisoner there not only a daily fee, but medical costs, etc. No county is forced to take them.

I don't know what burden is put on them." Kaldor claimed the Schafer administration took money from counties when the unified court system took effect. But Schafer said counties ended up with $2 million more. Money the state took out of courts is used to pay court-related bills the state took over, Schafer said. two prepared to appear at the annual North Dakota Association of Counties meeting. "Ed Schafer has abused the State Aide Distribution Fund by using it to balance his own budget, and in doing do he has shirked the state's responsibility to fund education and human services, which has forced the counties to raise property taxes and many cities to raise city sales taxes," Lee Kaldor told reporters.

Schafer said that isn't true; counties really are better off under him. "I'm concerned Lee Kaldor missed his logic class when he went to college," the Republican governor said. The Democratic challenger said he plans to use $35 million from the general fund and $5 million of state budget surplus money to cut property taxes $40 million in the next biennium. Tax Commission Bob Hanson, agriculture commissioner candidate Roger Johnson and public service commissioner candidate Sen. Steve Tomac joined Kaldor at his Bismarck news conference and praised his plan.

One example Kaldor used to show that Schafer is a problem for counties is the state's sending of prison inmates to county jails. "Counties may be reimbursed by the state," Roth to visit Hit ti Rep. Toby Roth, a Strasburg native, will campaign for Kevin Cramer Friday in Mi-not. Cramer is running for Congress against Democrat Rep. Earl Pomeroy.

Roth will be at a noon luncheon at the Minot Eagles Club. The next day, House Republican leader Dick Armey, a Cando native, plans to attend a lunch fund-raiser at the Fargo Jet Center. ai' as 'Counties hurf TOC Gov. Ed Schafer has cost North Dakota's counties, his opponent charged Tuesday as the Is discovery law unconstitutional? SAUERKRAUT DAY JANELL COLE, Bismarck Tribune says the state's prosecutors first -went to the Supreme Court Joint Procedures Committee in 1994 and asked for a reciprocal discovery rule. They failed.

"When the prosecutors could noty persuade this court to expand their discovery rights, they thumbed their prosecutorial noses at the se; paration of powers" and went to the Legislature, he says. Tuntland represents Dale Clayton GUf GOP chairman offers no apologies i sj fx Hanson of Wolf Point, who was charged on March 14, 1995, Morton County with driving while under the influence. In January, Erickson invoked the reciprocal discovery law, asking Tuntland to furnish him with the names and address of any witnesses Tuntland might call at trial, along with any information from statements witnesses might have made, any test results or expert i VICKI VOSKUIL Bismarck Tribune i 1 lose witnesses Tuntland might use ox! A 1995 state law giving prosecutors the right to know the defense attorney's trial evidence comes under attack before the North Dakota Supreme Court todav. The court will hear the case at the Unversity of North Dakota law school, where it annually conducts an October session during UND's homecoming. In arguments today, Mandan defense attorney Tom Tuntland will ask the justices to find the 1995 "reciprocal discovery" law unconstitutional.

He will have to convince four of the five justices that the Legislature violated the state constitution's separation of powers doctrine when it enacted the statute. No decision will be made today. Morton County Assistant State's Attorney Ladd Erickson will argue for the state; the attorney general's office has filed a friend of the court brief. The law is known as reciprocal discovery because prosecutors say it only evened the playing field in criminal cases. For years, the prosecution has been required to tell defense attorneys what their evidence is and who will be called as witnesses.

Prosecutors said it was unfair for them to be surprised by unknown defense witnesses and evidence at the trial. But Tuntland says in his brief that the state constitution reserves all court rule-making to the Supreme Court and the Legislature had no business stepping in. He a I any other physical evidence the defense might introduce all items he is allowed to demand under the reciprocal discovery law. Tuntland filed a motion in protest, saying the law is unconstitutional. South Central District Judge Burt Riskedahl agreed and the state has now appealed Riskedahl's decision to the Supreme Court.

The state argues there was nottf ing wrong with the Legislature making a court procedural rule; that there are a "multitude" of other court rules that have been passed by the Legislature with no protest from the Supreme Court, Erickson writes. Erickson warns the justices that many state laws governing the courts may fall if they overturn the reciprocal discovery law. who voted for cuts and ask them not to do it again. His criticism of the AFL-CIO's $35 million education effort rankles local union representatives, who said the spots won't even run in North Dakota. The TV spots, called electronic voter guides, are a continuation of a grass-roots lobbying effort to increase the minimum wage and to inform all voters of candidate positions.

This year, the AFL-CIO held its first special convention in history. About 600 delegates representing 13.1 million members voted to assess their unions $35 million to fund an unprecedented education, training and mobilization campaign around issues that affect workers' lives. They are covered by a new section of FEC regulations that allow unions to allocate money for election-related communications to the public as long as they don't advocate. Comparing candidate records is allowed under the regulation. "And that's what the letter is all about," Porter said.

"We don't believe that agenda is good for small business or working people of this state. We don't have alliances with any group like the Democrats have with unions, and we need to do this to get our message out." Stephanie Reidy, president of the Communications Workers of America Local 7301, said the $35 million education effort isn't a lot of money compared to the $708 million in business PAC contributions invested in political campaigns between 1980 and 1994. "To say that workers have more money in the process than business is patently fake," said Don Morrison, chairman of the Progressive Coalition, adding his organization is not anti-business. By TOM STROMME the Tribune APPRECIATION: The Bechtle family may have been the last to get a free sauerkraut dinner in Wishek on Wednesday but at least they didn't have to wait in line like 1,250 other people did for the 71st annual Wishek Sauerkraut Day celebration. 'We had so many things to do and were busy on the said Blair while holding daughter Amy, 18 months, and serving a big helping of the famous sauerkraut to his wife Doreen.

Every year Wishek merchants show their appreciation, said Greg Salwei, an event committee member. 'J Members of several labor unions 'claim North Dakota's Republican chairman went too far in a letter to small businesses that declares the 1996 election an Armageddon for unions and their agenda a recipe for disaster for the middle class. The fund-raising letter said union bosses nationwide have declared war on the Republican Party and its candidates through a $35 million campaign to educate voters and get Democratic candidates elected to congress. Representatives of five union and advocacy groups Wednesday called the letter "grossly inaccurate" and accused Gary Porter of scare tactics, insults, intimidation and name calling. "This is a desperate attempt to bring life to the campaign," said Chris Runge, executive director of the North Dakota Public Employees Association.

Gary Nelson of Iron Workers Local 793 said Porter's letter treats union leaders like a dirty word. "But we're all people just like anybody else. We just joined for better wages and benefits," he said. Porter, who offered no apologies, admits the letter attacks union leaders. He said they need to get into sync with rank and file members, who are largely more conservative than their leaders, noting that 40 percent of union members voted for Bush and Reagan.

He takes issue with television spots that compare voting records oi two opposing candidates on issues like Medicare. A speaker asks viewers to call the candidate Dim SLUE'S KRIS FEHR, Bismarck Tribune which went through one of Reidhammer's legs. Both had surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital. Ba nyai was released Saturday, Reidhammer was moved from the hospital to the Southwest Multi County Correction Center Monday.

He has been on suicide watch. He is also accused of armed robbery, a class felony, for robbing Big Sky Liquors at knife point three hours before the shooting. He allegedly brandished a knife and forced owner Leroy Jacobs to open the till. Police said $1,300 in checks and cash was taken. State's Attorney Owen Mehrer told the court that if convicted of both offenses, Reidhammer faces a potential eight-year mandatory minimum sentence.

"I have children going to school here," he said. "I think their dad's making it hard enough for them." Reidhammer recently moved to Dickinson from Bismarck, where he lived for several years. He has served seven stints in the State Penitentiary. He is accused of aggravated assault of a police officer, a class felony, for the Friday shooting of police Capt. Gary Banyai.

Reidhammer allegedly grabbed an officer's handgun from its holster while handcuffed from behind. Officers wrestled him to the ground and he allegedly pulled the trigger as Banyai grabbed for it. Banyai's wedding ring deflected the bullet, DICKINSON The man accused of shooting a police officer during a weekend armed robbery requested a court-appointed attorney at his initial appearance Wednesday. Richard Reidhammer, 32, appeared handcuffed and shackled in a wheelchair and accompanied by three Stark County Sheriff's deputies. He sat with his head bowed through most of the proceeding and denied he's sometimes known as Richard uairmont.

Before Judge Maurice Hunke convened the court, Reidhammer asked reporters not to take his picture..