Sen. Kathy Hogan, from left, Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Sen. David Hogue hold an Ethics Commission selection committee meeting Sept. 23, 2025, at the Capitol. (Photo by Jacob Orledge/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – A selection committee has settled on seven finalists for three open Ethics Commission seats, narrowing down the pool from 39 applicants.
The finalists are:
- Nicole Bredahl, a Fargo attorney
- Patrick Frise, a University of North Dakota law student and former Ethics Commission intern
- Jared Huibregtse, a Mandan resident and project manager for an engineering firm
- Jenna Mueller, a Fargo nonprofit leader
- Murray Sagsveen, a Bismarck attorney and current Ethics Commission member
- Pamela Sharp, a Bismarck consultant and former director of the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget
- Mark Western, a Fargo attorney
The new commissioners will be selected based on a consensus vote of Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, and Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo.
Interviews will start Friday afternoon from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck. They will be open to the public, according to the North Dakota Governor’s Office.
The committee won’t get through all of the candidates on Friday. The remaining interviews have yet to be scheduled.
The seven names were selected based on lists of favorite candidates that selection committee members provided to the Governor’s Office at a Sept. 23 meeting, Hogan said. Names that appeared on at least two committee members’ lists were picked as finalists. The finalists were not discussed or announced during the meeting.
After the application window closed, the committee asked applicants to answer eight questions about their qualifications, how they perceive the role of the commission in state government and what kinds of policies they think the board should implement.
Twenty-five advanced for consideration after two applicants withdrew their names and 11 did not submit responses to the committees’ questions. Another applicant was determined to be ineligible.
The seven finalists have varied backgrounds, though many work in the legal field. They also have different perspectives on the Ethics Commission’s purpose, according to their responses to the selection committee’s questions obtained by the North Dakota Monitor.
Some applicants expressed that they don’t believe the commission has the authority to hand down punishments to people found to have violated ethics rules. Applicants disagreed on whether the commission has a responsibility to educate the public about government ethics.
Multiple finalists also said that the commission needs to do more to clearly define its role in state government.
Some applicants acknowledged the friction between the Ethics Commission and the executive and legislative branches of the state government. The governor and Ethics Commission have been openly at odds over the role of the regulatory agency.
There are three open commission seats. One applicant will be selected to fill the term of former chair Dave Anderson, who died in May.
Two other seats are open after the terms of Sagsveen and Commissioner Ward Koeser ended at the end of August. Both will stay on the commission until the search committee announces their successors. Sagsveen is seeking to be reappointed to a four-year term.
The Ethics Commission was created through a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018. It’s tasked with enforcing ethical behavior in the areas of elections, lobbying, corruption and transparency. It is not part of the executive, legislative or judicial branches of the North Dakota government.
Commissioners’ duties include adopting ethics rules, investigating alleged violations and issuing advisory opinions to help public officials navigate ethical issues. They are paid a stipend for every day they meet, plus reimbursement for travel.
Comments