Drovdal elected N.D. Speaker of the House
By Tina Foreman
Farmer Staff Writer
After nine legislative sessions, District 39 Representative David Drovdal decided he needed a bit of a challenge to regenerate himself and his career, a challenge that could ultimately be very good for McKenzie County.
After a close race, Drovdal was elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives.
The race itself was challenging enough to get anyone out of a rut, but after six ballots and a one-vote win, Drovdal is excited about the new position and what it means for McKenzie County.
“Being Speaker of the House means that I will be a lot busier, but it also means that I have the opportunity to give input on all of the bills being presented,” comments Drovdal. “As Speaker, the bills come to me and I pass them on to the appropriate committee. Because I will not be on any specific committees, I am able to listen in on the committee testimony and give my input at a much earlier stage. I intend to take part in as many committee discussions as I can.”
Drovdal is hopeful that his new position will allow him to follow the bills closely, so he can sit in and have as much influence as possible on the bills that will affect McKenzie County, especially those that would give more money back to oil producing counties.
“Of course, this session will be about money, money, money, just like they all are,” states Drovdal. “However, there are going to be a lot of big issues that will affect District 39, which includes McKenzie County. I hope that this new position will allow me to influence those bills in a positive way.”
Even though Drovdal expects to be much busier during the week, he still intends to be back home, weather permitting, on the weekends to have coffee and visit about what is happening in the legislature.
“I’m really excited and fired up about my new position,” states Drovdal. “This is a great opportunity for me to represent McKenzie County and the state of North Dakota.”