Bismarck City Commission Candidate's Support for Leftists May be Problem for Voters

Five years ago I wrote about the Bismarck City Commission denying a resident the opportunity to build a home on her own property. It was a despicable move. One that was reversed just two years later when some new faces were put on the Bismarck City Commission.

That property owner was Bismarck native Anne Cleary. The same Anne Cleary who is now running for Bismarck City Commission herself.

On the surface, it certainly appears this is one of those situations where a citizen — as a result of their own experience — sees a need to get involved in local politics via becoming a candidate themselves. You know, to make a difference. Yet, voters have an obligation to find out exactly what kind of difference such a candidate envisions for those whom they will represent. In other words, what’s the candidate’s philosophy in relation to government?

Based off of information obtained by The Minuteman, this may well be where Anne Cleary will face some problems with many of those headed to the polls on June 14th.

As you can see below this article, Ms. Cleary donated to the Biden Campaign in 2020. Liberal United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death that same year caused Cleary to declare 2020 “officially the worst year”. She lauded the pro-abortionist Ginsburg as a “true warrior” while acknowledging her “years of service and championing of women’s rights”. In Burleigh county — which includes the city of Bismarck — where Biden garnered just over 28% of the vote in the 2020 election, support for national political figures like these could prove problematic for Cleary.

It goes without saying that Americans are going through a rough patch under the Biden administration. And that’s putting it mildly. Inflation alone is brutalizing the average American. There’s certainly a host of other problematic issues worthy of discussion as well. As a result, Biden’s approval rating is underwater. So, it certainly seems understandable why some would question whether it’s a good idea to cast a ballot for a local candidate who supported the party and the man now viewed by so many as partly responsible for the mess we’re in.

Anne Cleary’s affiliation with Democrats doesn’t end there. Shortly after announcing her candidacy, Cleary appeared on former Democratic State Senator Joel Heitkamp’s program. It was there that they briefly discussed the fact that Heitkamp had served with Cleary’s grandmother, former State Representative Audrey B. Cleary— also a Democrat.

Interestingly enough, Anne Cleary’s brother Sean Cleary is also running for political office— but as a Republican. He’s taking on District 35 Republican endorsed candidate Ryan Eckroth in hopes of succeeding outgoing Democratic state senator Erin Oban.

An affinity for Democrats may not be the only challenge here though. In December of 2019, refugee resettlement was a hot button topic in the city of Bismarck and Burleigh County at large. That same month Anne posted a profile picture of herself on Facebook seemingly indicating her support for the program. About that same time, there was so much angst regarding the issue that a county commission meeting had to be rescheduled because there wasn’t enough room for everyone that showed up when the topic was addressed. Cleary’s apparent support for the controversial refugee resettlement program could certainly be viewed as a negative by those who opposed it.

To be clear, city commission races are nonpartisan. Efforts by some in the North Dakota Legislature to change that have been defeated. Yet, declared or not, I truly believe that political affiliations like those we are seeing from Anne Cleary make a difference to a significant number of voters.

Note: Brittany Leischner, Mike Connelly, and incumbent Greg Zenker are also running for the two open seats on the Bismarck City Commission.

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