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Fargo City Commissioner John Cosgriff raised an interesting question Monday night. Cosgriff asked whether the Fargo Human Relations Commission had overstepped its bounds by taking a position on the initiated gay marriage constitutional ban last July. He reportedly said the taxpayer-funded group couldn't advocate a position on an election issue. Fueling his concern was a discussion the Fargo City Commission, itself, experienced before the June 8 election. The question on the agenda was whether to approve purchasing ads advocating a "no" vote on publishing meeting minutes in the official newspaper. In actuality, it was HPR that researched that issue and presented Commission members a thorough reflection of state law and Attorney General opinions clarifying that it is inappropriate for public bodies to expend taxpayer money for political purposes, particularly advertising. Buying ads is one thing. Taking public stands is another. For example, the Fargo City Commission has taken a stand on the Ten Commandments monument in the mall by City Hall. That's an example of a taxpayer-funded body involving itself in political issues, it could be argued. Not only that, but the Commission's decision to fight to save the Ten Commandments could cost taxpayers tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars -- taxpayer dollars. Another example is the smoking issue. The City Commission voted to ban smoking in certain bars. Now, it has evolved into an even more of a political issue, with multiple measures on the November 2 ballot. The Fargo Human Relations Commission is designed to advocate. That's the group's job. That's their mission. They advocate about race issues, gender issues, sexuality issues, labor issues, and even the Ten Commandments issue, a situation where their public position starkly contrasted that of the City Commission. It's not like members of the FHRC are spending money to buy ads to oppose the gay marriage amendment to North Dakota's Constitution. But they are advocating. They are doing their job. They are fulfilling their mission. We are fortunate to have the Fargo Human Relations Commission. It is a beacon of hope in North Dakota. To the best of our knowledge, nothing they did is illegal or improper. Yet Cosgriff's question does show sensitivity toward stewarding public funds. Where there is concern about $5,000 for the Fargo Human Relations Commission, we would like to see similar focus on the city's burgeoning budget, exploding special assessments and fees, and unwieldy property tax expansion.
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