Photo courtesy of the State of North Dakota
“ He very much supported us in the field ,” Iverson said . “ He ’ ll be missed by the law enforcement community ."
Court considerations
Stenehjem early in his political career became a supporter of open records and open meetings laws , said Jack McDonald , attorney for the North Dakota Newspaper Association . McDonald was starting out as a lobbyist about the same time Stenehjem was elected to the Legislature , before his time as attorney general . McDonald appreciated Stenehjem ’ s outgoing personality and cordial treatment of lobbyists .
“ That isn ’ t always the case ,” McDonald said .
The state ’ s original open meetings laws were passed in 1957 and revised in 1997 . Stenehjem about 20 years later organized a task force to make sure the laws got tweaked to move along with the evolution of technology , according to McDonald .
“ He made sure they fit ,” he said .
Stenehjem formed friendships years ago with two men who now hold federal judicial seats in North Dakota . U . S . District Judge Daniel Traynor as a University of North Dakota freshman met Stenehjem in the late 1980s . The two once faced each other before the North Dakota Supreme Court in a ballot measure case , and as recently as last month Stenehjem argued an oil and gas lease case with Traynor behind the bench .
“ It was always a great honor to have him argue a case before me ,” Traynor said .
Stenehjem ’ s demeanor never turned stern in the courtroom – he instead used his sense of humor to make a point and had “ an ability to converse that was effective in the courtroom ,” the Bismarck judge said .
The outcome of the ballot measure case – in which “ the AG and his view won the day ” – or any other cases never changed their relationship , according to Traynor .
“ He was always very thoughtful ,” the judge said . “ He was interested in how my parents were . He was interested in how my children were . He was interested in me .”
U . S . District Judge Peter Welte said he saw similar traits in Stenehjem when the two were handling public defender contracts , and that Stenehjem ' s demeanor held true when he became attorney general .
“ He was a sincere human being ,” the Fargo judge said . “ He didn ’ t like to see people hurt , but he believed very strongly in the rule of law .”
Family and friends of Stenehjem have established an endowment in his name to fund student scholarships at UND , where Stenehjem graduated from law school in 1977 , according to the Grand Forks school ' s alumni association .
Consumers and charities
Stenehjem ’ s legislative experience and the relationships formed in that time helped smooth the budgeting process for the Attorney General ' s Office , boosted legislation and seemed to make every legislative session more successful than the last , Grossman said , adding that legislators often weighed “ if this is important to Wayne ” or said “ I want to hear Wayne ’ s thoughts on this .”
“ Some of that was just because he was Wayne ,” Grossman said .
As a boss , Stenehjem led with an understanding of issues and an easygoing way of resolving them , according to Grossman .
“ He knew what to do in every circumstance , but he trusted me and my staff to work out the details ,” Grossman said .
The state ’ s consumers were always on the attorney general ’ s mind , as evidenced by Grossman ’ s receipt of countless early morning and late-night emails , he said . Often those emails were to say thanks after a positive outcome on a lawsuit or the resolution of a consumer complaint . If he was ever not pleased “ you never knew it . That wasn ’ t Wayne Stenehjem ,” Grossman said .
Charitable organizations were another priority for the attorney general .
Michelle Erickson , executive director of the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck , said Stenehjem spoke at Take Back the Night events and supported legislation to battle domestic violence , abuse and human trafficking . The center is among the charitable organizations listed in Stenehjem ’ s obituary . Erickson said that though she is saddened by his death , “ it ’ s nice to know he thinks of us in that way .”
“ He ’ s always been in our hearts here ,” she said .
This article originally appeared in The Bismarck Tribune on Feb . 2 and is reprinted with permission .
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