By Sharon Buhr
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The District 24 Democrat-NPL Party nominated its candidates for the election to the North Dakota Legislature on Sunday, January 26. Larry Robinson was nominated for the North Dakota State Senate, along with Naomi Muscha and Bradly Edin for the North Dakota House of Representatives.
District 24 includes Barnes County as well as portions of Cass and Ransom counties.
Outgoing District Chairperson, Justin Sherlock, stated, “We are very proud to have three fantastic candidates nominated for the 2020 election. They are long time community residents and understand the needs of our district, and will speak up for public education, Valley City State University, our farmers, and all the people of this district.”
Senator Larry Robinson was elected to the North Dakota State Senate in 1988 and has worked tirelessly to serve the people of District 24. During the most recent legislative session, he served on the Senate Appropriations Committee as well as on several interim committees including the Budget Committee, Water Topics, Higher Education, among others.
On the many years he has served the district, Robinson had the following to say:
“It has been and honor and a privilege serving the good folks in district 24. I look forward to continuing our work in Bismarck. We have on-going challenges in health care, supporting our developmentally disabled citizens, property tax relief, maintenance of our roads and bridges, the care for our senior citizens, Veteran’s, funding for education, and behavioral health and addiction. In addition, the 2021 legislature will be appointing a redistricting committee to determine new district lines for the next ten years. I want to be there to insure District 24 has a voice in those decisions.”
Robinson is the Executive Director of University Advancement at Valley City State University. He is married to Mary Lee Robinson; they have two children and three grandchildren.
Naomi Muscha previously served as a District 24 Representative during the 2012-2016 legislative term and is once again looking forward to meeting with district constituents and hearing their thoughts on North Dakota and District 24 issues as she again runs for this position.
Muscha, a resident of Fort Ransom, is a retired secondary teacher and has long been interested in education. Now as a grandmother, she has a newly invested interest in North Dakota’s educational system because a number of her grandchildren attend North Dakota public schools and two are students in North Dakota’s university system, UND and VCSU. Since retirement, Muscha has been a substitute teacher which has kept her abreast of current educational issues. She is a strong proponent of life-long learning, especially in the area of travel.
Muscha has participated in many mission trips, student trips and several personal trips. One highlight of her retirement is the trip she took with six of her grandchildren and one daughter to Ensenada, Mexico. The various mission trips have been great learning experiences in carpentry and learning about another culture; one trip was going with Homes of Hope to build houses.
“As a retired teacher, District 24’s schools and university are of high importance to me. I will aim to help them maintain their high standards and also help with their needs. Also important are the District’s medical and long term care issues. I consider drug pricing as a vital component under medical issues. I have a daughter who has had Type 1 diabetes for 34 years, so I’m extremely cognizant of how challenging it is to maintain one’s health,” states Muscha.
Muscha and her husband, Mike, lived in Enderlin for 43 years and have recently moved to Fort Ransom. They have four children and 15 grandchildren.
Bradley Edin, long time resident of Barnes County will round out the ticket of District 24 Dem-NPL candidates. Until his retirement last spring, Edin was pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran (Kathryn), Waldheim Lutheran (rural Kathryn) Messiah Luther (Fingal), St. Petri Lutheran Church (rural Nome) and Zion Lutheran Church (Nome which had closed a few years ago).
Edin is a North Dakota native growing up in Jamestown and graduating from Jamestown High in 1975. He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead and then attended Luther Seminary in Minneapolis graduating with a master of divinity degree. When he moved to Barnes County, he started a small sheep enterprise on the farm his grandparents settled in 1920 which is south of Valley City.
“I am excited about the campaign, looking forward to meeting the voters of District 24 and visiting with them about their concerns and hopes for our state. Infrastructure, use of the Legacy Fund, and property tax relief are issues of particular concern to all of us. So are honesty, integrity, and transparency,” states Edin.
Primary elections in North Dakota will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020.
