Why add two
commissioners?#MORECHOICEMOREVOICE

N.D. Senators represent about 14,000 citizens each.

We have one City of Fargo Commissioner for every 24,000 citizens.

Our commission is currently comprised of four commissioners and the mayor, making for a full commission of five members. Given the population of our growing community, we contend that this just isn't enough to meet our needs.

Two more will facilitate more responsiveness for our citizens.

Currently, we have one commissioner for about every 24,000 citizens. With the addition of two commissioners, we'll bring that number down to around 17,000 each.

Two more means two more commissioners for citizens to contact when they have concerns.

Two more means two more viewpoints at the table.

Two more means more representation for all of us.

Two more will facilitate more focus on our city.

Our pseudo-commission-style government works best with engaged commissioners. Commissioners in our city each oversee a portfolio of departments and, at their discretion, are invited to take part in the operation of the city, gaining deep insight into the challenges Fargo faces and how to best serve Fargo by tailoring their governance to the unique experiences each department provides. Adding two more commissioners will give all commissioners more time to focus their attention on their portfolios, leading to better governance through better understanding.

Introducing two more will be simple.

Since our commissioners serve four-year terms, one more commissioner will need to be added to each cycle. It is likely that the new commissioners will either be introduced all at once during the next election with the lowest-vote-totaled winner getting the 'short term', or they'll be introduced one at a time, moving forward with a solitary two-year period of five commissioners (plus the mayor makes six) before reaching a full commission size of seven after the subsequent election.

Either way, majority decisions on the commission will require agreement of four members as soon as the first new commissioner is introduced, so worrying about an even split isn't really an issue.