Chris Tiongson

I have nearly 30 years of experience as a pediatrician. I've served as President of the North Dakota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, have held leadership positions in our local health system, and have been heavily involved in medical education throughout my career.

1. Promote Healthy communities using both common sense and science to prevent diseases and injuries including reducing barriers to mental health care and work to prevent suicide
2. With the potential for state budget constraints this coming year, I will prioritize public education so that our teachers and students have what they need to succeed, including universal school lunch.
3. A healthy community also needs a healthy economy with opportunities for our graduates to enter the workforce, learn a trade, or go to college and have great childcare options when they have a family and enter the workforce.

Among the top challenges are improving access to mental health care for all our neighbors, planning for the future or our public schools and universities so they can provide the education and training for the next generation of North Dakotans, and leaving a better state to our children and grandchildren.

I believe in investing North Dakota tax revenue to benefit North Dakota. A large part of that is keeping our talented young people in the state with good jobs, good wages, fair prices, and through scholarships or loan repayment. Having a culture of innovation, creativity, and hard work retains and draws in folks to North Dakota to make all our lives better.

Yes, I see tax credits and other incentives are an investment of North Dakotans hard earned wages. Like any investment I want to be sure we are tracking the return and seeing that it benefiting North Dakotans overall. Each opportunity would need to be uniquely considered on its own merit.

After reviewing the North Dakota Housing Initiative plan and METROCOG report, a multipronged approach would be needed. One important factor in increasing after tax, after rent income for families is to reduce the cost of child care which could exceed the cost of rent or a entry level home mortgage payment allowing for family budgets to go further. Additionally, expanding low income housing tax credits and allowing for more soft density (2-9 units) across the county.

Child care is a work force issue and can be a rate-limiting step in the growth of the economy and a barrier to families getting ahead. Investing state funds in child care (especially pre-K) through grants or tax credits, will not only pay off with a much healthier employment environment, but also improve the educational readiness of our youngest kids when they get ready to enter kindergarten.

I don't know enough about this project to have a good answer. I will need to read more about this project and understand the different perspectives and values that come into play particularly balancing landowner rights with the public good.

I have not learned enough about the pipeline to have a good answer. From what I have started to read, this also looks like a balance of landowner rights with the public good and factoring the potential environmental impact.