Eckroth resigns from Bismarck School Board in wake of police run-in; recall group was near signature goal
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Embattled Bismarck School Board member Emily Eckroth has resigned in the wake of her run-in with police late last year and a formal reprimand by her colleagues, and in the midst of a citizen effort to recall her from office.
She resigned in an email Tuesday to her fellow board members, Superintendent Jason Hornbacher and the community, citing “personal circumstances.”
“This has not been an easy decision to make. This is a position that I have truly loved and know that I could have made a large contribution to the education of the kids in our community,” she stated. “However, I also came into this position to help address the public concern of increased spending leading to increased taxes. Therefore, I will not be part of increased spending for a recall election. Those that are pushing for a recall based off of 45 minutes of my life may be OK with using our tax funds for this but I am not.”
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Eckroth did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for further comment on her decision.
The School Board met by conference call Tuesday evening and voted 5-0 to accept Eckroth’s resignation. There was no discussion. Eckroth took part in the call and voted.
The Sanford Health family physician was elected last June to the board overseeing North Dakota’s largest school district. School board members serve four-year terms and receive an annual salary of $9,000.
Eckroth in early December pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstructing officers during a Sept. 3 traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Bismarck. Then-South Central District Judge Douglas Bahr approved her plea agreement with prosecutors, sentencing her to nearly a year of unsupervised probation and $325 in court fees. The offense will not go on her record if she stays out of trouble during probation.
Eckroth refused to resign from the school board despite calls by other board members for her to do so. The board last month censured her and also stripped her of her “learning excellence” portfolio and school visit duties during her probation. The board does not have the power under state law to remove Eckroth because she is an elected official.
Bismarck School Board members expressed disappointment and asked Emily Eckroth to resign Monday night.
The North Dakota Secretary of State office in late January approved a recall petition for circulation. The Facebook group Recall Emily Eckroth from the Bismarck Public School Board needed to gather 3,231 signatures by April 20 to prompt a special election. The group had reached 3,000 signatures.
“The committee thanks all of our volunteers who have been collecting signatures for the last month. We also want to express thanks to the many members who have come out in inclement weather to sign the petition,” group Chair Karen Dunlap told the Tribune on Tuesday. “Those efforts were not wasted, because the end goal was achieved. We look forward to seeing the process that the school board follows to appoint a replacement.”
A recall election would have cost between $70,000 and $130,000, depending on the number of polling sites, according to Bismarck Public Schools spokesman Steve Koontz.
The incident
Burleigh County sheriff’s deputies pulled over Eckroth’s husband, Ryan, for driving in the middle of the roadway on Sept. 3. They were conducting field sobriety testing with him when Emily Eckroth approached them from the Eckroths’ vehicle and began filming and talking over the deputies, cursing them at times, police video footage shows.
The situation escalated to where deputies handcuffed and detained her in the back of a patrol vehicle, where she urinated.
Video footage shows Eckroth throwing what authorities later said was a urine-soaked sweater into the ditch, then picking it up after being told she could be cited for littering.
Ryan Eckroth was cooperative throughout the traffic stop and was not arrested. The couple left with another driver.
Emily Eckroth issued a statement in December in which she said she “accepted responsibility for my regrettable actions” but also criticized the media for reporting about her arrest.
She issued a statement to KFYR-TV earlier this month saying: “I appreciate the public’s interest in the school board. However, I would like to see the energy people are putting into my personal life directed toward more important things, such as the search for a new superintendent and the petition for a state financial audit of the Bismarck public school system.”
Eckroth’s statement
The full text of Eckroth’s email follows:
“It is with a heavy heart that I submit my resignation as an elected school board member of the Bismarck Public School District. I have cherished my time working with the students and staff here, and it has been a privilege to be a part of this system.
“However, due to personal circumstances, I have decided to step down from this position. This has not been an easy decision to make. This is a position that I have truly loved and know that I could have made a large contribution to the education of the kids in our community. However, I also came into this position to help address the public concern of increased spending leading to increased taxes. Therefore, I will not be part of increased spending for a recall election. Those that are pushing for a recall based off of 45 minutes of my life may be ok with using our tax funds for this but I am not.
“I want to express my gratitude to the community for providing me with the opportunity to serve as a school board member in this district. I have learned so much in my time here. I will continue to work within the district and community empowering our youth and, God willing, may consider serving on the school board again at a later date.
“Again, this is a very difficult letter to write. Thank you to those who have supported me. I wish the best to my fellow board members, BPS staff, and students.”
