Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Meet Eddy County's new legislators

The 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly got underway on Jan. 3, and for the first time in a decade, New Rockford and Eddy County are not being represented by District 23 legislators.

Following the 2020 census and subsequent redistricting process, most of Eddy County was moved into District 14, as urbanization forced rural districts to become larger. The old District 23 was eliminated entirely.

District 23 legislators who used to represent Eddy County, Joan Heckaman and Bill Devlin, have since retired. Rep. Don Vigesaa now represents neighboring District 29.

Consequently, the individuals now representing most of the local community were not voted for by its residents, as Eddy County is joining District 14 in the middle of its legislators' four-year terms. District 14's last election was in 2020, and they aren't due for another until 2024.

So, as their new legislators get to work in Bismarck, it's the perfect time for residents of Eddy County to get to know who represents them in the 68th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota.

District 14's representative in the N.D. Senate is Jerry Klein, a Republican from Fessenden and currently the Republican party's assistant majority leader, a position he's held since 2013.

Klein attended Bismarck State College and the University of Mary, and he and his wife Bev have four children and 13 grandchildren. Klein has been a senator for District 14 since 1997, and was a grocery store owner for 35 years.

He's also been a member of multiple community organizations. Klein has been President of Fessenden Economic Development, a member of the Harvey Knights of Columbus and the Fessenden Fire Department, and was on the board of the Carrington Health Center, just to name a few.

This legislative assembly, Klein has already been the primary sponsor or cosponsor of 40 bills, which are currently making their way through the necessary committees. The bills that he and every N.D. legislator have sponsored or cosponsored can be viewed at legis.nd.gov.

Klein can be reached via email at [email protected], or by phone at (701) 547-265. Mail can also be sent to him at P.O. Box 265, Fessenden, N.D. 58438.

Representing District 14 in the N.D. House of Representatives are Robin Weisz and Jon Nelson, both Republicans.

Nelson is a retired farmer from the Rugby area and has been in the N.D. House of Representatives since 1997, first as a representative of District 7, and now with District 14.

Nelson attended Minot State University and Dakota College at Bottineau, and has done work with the American Cancer Society, Wolford Wildlife Club, Wolford School Board and the Heart of American Hospital.

So far this legislative session, Nelson has sponsored or cosponsored 47 separate bills. Throughout this legislative session, both Nelson and Klein will be providing legislative reports, which detail their work in the ongoing session. Nelson and Klein's latest reports are on page A3 of this week's Transcript.

Nelson can be contacted via phone at (701) 776-6738 or (701) 771-2193, via email at [email protected]. He can receive mail at 420 Sixth Avenue SE, Rugby, N.D. 58368.

District 14's other legislator in the House of Representatives is Robin Weisz, who, like his colleagues, has also served in the legislature since 1997.

Weisz, a native of Hurdsfield, N.D., attended the University of North Dakota and is a farmer and businessman. He's married to his wife Lori and has two children.

He has also done work with the Farm Bureau and was awarded Legislator of the Year for the N.D. EMS Association in 1999 and 2011, for the N.D. Township Officers Association in 2003 and 2009, and for Mental Health America in 2006.

Weisz can be reached at (701) 962-3799 or by email at [email protected]. Mail can be sent to 2639 First Street SE, Hurdsfield, N.D. 58451.

All residents are encouraged to reach out to their legislators to ask questions or simply to make their opinions heard, as well as to follow along with the legislative session. https://ndlegis.gov has information on every bill currently being debated during this session, as well as live streams of committee hearings, contact information for legislators and so much more.