Five Griggs Commissioners Face Recall

COOPERSTOWN, N.D. (AP) — Residents of Griggs County are deciding whether the five county commissioners stay in office.

A petition drive seeking Tuesday's recall election was launched after the commission voted last spring to proceed with building a $3.5 million courthouse and emergency operations center — despite voters rejecting the idea three times in separate elections in fewer than two years.

County leaders say the courthouse built in 1884 has serious health and structural issues — including mold — and that fixing the problems would be too costly.

The courthouse is the oldest active county courthouse in North Dakota and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.