ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

GRAND FORKS, MAYOR'S OFFICE SCRAPBOOKS

COLLECTION:OGL# 1242

DATES:1976 - 1987

SIZE:12 Linear feet (6 oversize boxes)

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The City of Grand Forks Mayor's Office Scrapbooks were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection as a gift of Pat Owens, Administrative Assistant, Grand Forks Mayor's Office, September 4, 1991.

ACCESS: Open for inspection under rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

On February 22, 1881, Grand Forks was incorporated into a city. Grand Forks chose the Mayor-Council form of city government, which consists of an elected Mayor and Councilmen. The Mayor acts as the presiding officer of the City Council. Under this system, the municipal judge is the only other elected official. All other officials are appointed.

Mayors serve as the chief executive of the city during their four year term. Their powers and duties include:

1. To preside over meetings of the council. The mayor is a non-voting member unless there is a tie.
2. To suppress disorder and keep the peace.
3. To enforce all laws and ordinances.
4. To sign or veto ordinances passed by the council. The mayor can veto specific items in an appropriation ordinance without killing the entire ordinance.
5. To make appointments and remove officers.

The Mayor's Office is responsible for four city agencies: Personnel, Legal Service, Planning, and Budget Analyst and Grants. These four agencies direct the other various departments of city government, such as the police and public works.

(Lloyd B. Omdahl. "City Government," in 1985-87 Governing North Dakota and the Constitution of North Dakota. pp. 144-147. Grand Forks: University of North Dakota, 1985.)

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The City of Grand Forks Mayor's Office Scrapbooks consist of eighteen scrapbooks, compiled by Pat Owens, of newspaper articles dating from February 1976 - June 1987. This period of time includes the administrations of Mayor C. P. O'Neill (1972-1980) and H. C. "Bud" Wessman (1980-1988). The articles represent all the different levels of Grand Forks city government. The broad range of topics include: all city elections, city council meetings, city development projects, economic development, environmental issues, police issues, and much more.

Only the topics that have multiple articles have been listed in the inventory.

SCRAPBOOKS

Box 1
February 1976 - April 1977

• request for a can recycling center
• Columbia Mall: preparations for construction
• fires
• debates over 1% sales tax for Grand Forks

April 1977 - December 1977

• controversy over liquor licenses
• Columbia Mall ground breaking

December 1977 - August 1978

• record year for building in Grand Forks
• Red River flood
• agreement on the Columbia Road Overpass
• censorship targeted at pay television channels
• Columbia Mall opens

Box 2
August 1978 - November 1978

• low police morale
• Mayor to be cable watchdog

December 1978 - July 1979

• Red River: record flood of two centuries
• Columbia Road Overpass funding unveiled / financing approved
• law suit filed to block Columbia Road Overpass construction
• fight over a pornography store opening

July 1979 - March 1980

• smoke detector issues
• elections, election campaigning

Box 3
March 1980 - May 1980

• Wessman winner in mayoral election
• Mayor to review use of vehicles
• elimination of car allowances

May 1980 - October 1980

• City Center Mall and delinquent taxes
• Mayor upset with delinquent taxpayers
• clashes over car allowance
• sewer funding proposal
• mayors unite for flood prevention
• B-52 at base catches fire

October 1980 - March 1981

• State board against the Columbia Road Overpass plan
• pigeon problems

March 1981 - February 1982
(Sept. 1981-Feb. 1982 / Mar. 1981-June 1981)

• Mayor has new ideas for city government
• Mayor's trip to Winnipeg bonds good will across the border
• reorganization of City Hall

Box 4
June 1981 - April 1982

• citizens irate because of delinquent taxes from City Center Mall
• Mayor presents a balanced budget
• Columbia Road Overpass special task force
• voters agree to building the Columbia Road Overpass

April 1982 - June 1983

• liquor licensing
• Mayor pledges support to fight Marshall waste site
• Senator Strinden and Mayor argue about need for state tax hike
• luring of European business
• wind energy
• heat from garbage
• UND and the Humane Society

June 1983 - December 1983

• city agrees to budget cuts
• Columbia Road Overpass construction started
• arguments for city to do county personnel work

Box 5
December 1983 - April 1984

• Federal funding unlikely for water plant
• city looks forward to economic prosperity when the B-1 arrives at Grand Forks Air Force Base

April 1984 - November 1984

• Council committee backs Grand Forks airport expansion
• airport renamed after Senator Mark Andrews
• $12.8 million water plant approved for Grand Forks
• 911 system to be installed
• 45% water rate hike
• Columbia Road Overpass is finished

November 1984 - January 1986

• Garrison water project
• Council approves sales tax proposal
• Mayor's police plan
• toxic waste dumped in refuge disposal site
• water bills may send city and base to court
• plans to widen Columbia Overpass
• no competition with Northwest Airline in Grand Forks

Box 6
February 1986 - October 1986

• violent crimes decrease again in 1985
• Mayor hopes to extend sales tax
• new police chief
• President Ronald Reagan in Grand Forks

November 1986 - June 1987

• burning of PCBs (80+ articles)
• Grand Forks dam project tangled with the Garrison funding
• liquor licensing
• ERC loses permit to burn PCBs
• campaigning for mayor

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