Sonja Kaye

I am running to bring power and a voice back to the people and local businesses. I believe we must be real about where we are in a changing economy and not fleece taxpayers into paying for things like carbon capture, an expensive distraction that creates more problems than it solves. Instead, we need to focus on issues which are crucial to the well-being of residents: real clean- energy solutions, secure food supplies, affordable and accessible childcare options, and affordable housing.

I have extensive knowledge related to our power grid which led me to run for a position on the board of our local rural electric cooperative. I understand the challenges of small businesses as a former small business owner myself. I also hold a leadership position in a local non-profit.

Our biggest challenges are childcare, affordable housing, wages, and looming energy and climate uncertainty. To solve the first three issues, you need money. North Dakota needs to think of itself as an energy state, not a coal state. North Dakota has some of the best wind energy potential in the country. There is a great deal of money to be made on wind and solar in North Dakota, enough to pay for and solve these challenges. Currently, we are losing large scale wind energy opportunities to other states due to our insistence on holding on to energy systems of the past and our former identity. Additionally, we are cheating homeowners out of opportunities to save money on roof top solar. Residential solar is a great way to add capacity to the grid in places where it is needed most. Plus, it reduces transmission losses.

My top priorities are making life more affordable, fiscal responsibility (making sure the people benefit from government spending), and building a sustainable economy.

Workforce is largely a childcare issue. I am open to a multi-pronged approach increasing the availability of daycare options, increasing training and wages for childcare workers and a combination of tax credits or earned income credits. In the larger business community, we should insist that half of all board members be hourly workers. This ensures that worker priorities become corporate priorities.

I would support tools that can address the following questions: If our community is bursting with jobs and job openings, why are over a quarter of our residents in the “low income” category? How sustainable is our economic growth? How do you keep local money local? How do we create a people- friendly community that doesn’t require burdens such as car ownership?