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N.D. (AP) – A critic of the five Griggs County commissioners who were voted out of office this week says it’s a victory not only for county residents but also for accountability in government.

Commissioner elect John Wakefield says the first thing he and the other four new commissioners plan to do is call for an independent audit to get more information about the actions of their predecessors.

All five current commissioners ousted in Tuesday’s recall election voted last spring to proceed with building a $3.5 million courthouse despite public votes against it. Doing so helped secure a $1 million federal grant for the project. But Wakefield told the Grand Forks Herald that the decision was “political suicide.”

Ousted commissioner Keith Monson says the commission knew the decision wouldn’t be popular.

Below photos are construction of the new Griggs County courthouse in Cooperstown, North Dakota. Photos by Steve Urness.