Farewell to Omdahl

The news came to me in a text message on Sunday. Lloyd Omdahl, former lieutenant governor of North Dakota and writer of opinion columns published across the state each week, passed away at the age of 93.

Although he has been writing his weekly column since before I was born, I did not know much about Mr. Omdahl until I began working for the Transcript in 2015. Truth be told, although I read newspapers, I didn’t really engage with his writing much.

If I read the opinion page, I was often fixated on the Letters to the Editor. Each week the names are different, and the opinions and arguments run the gamut of effectiveness and civility.

Omdahl’s column was printed on page 2 of the Transcript every week when I came to work for Craig Voigt. Omdahl was a well-known liberal voice with experience in both journalism and government, and his columns were sent to every newspaper in the state free of charge. His column was a hook for many publishers, as they are always looking for ways to fill their pages with content that engages readers.

Omdahl was good at engaging readers, that’s what I’ve learned. He also had a special way of writing that helped explain complicated political subjects to the average person.

I had a reader write to me shortly after the 2016 presidential election, and I’ll never forget it. This reader was particularly distressed because I had published a couple of nationally-syndicated columns written by conservative columnist Rich Lowry.

“Is the idea to provide a counter to the Lloyd Omdahl column, a respectful and thoughtful centrist?” the reader asked in her email.

At the time, we were making changes at the Transcript. Staff had attended a symposium at UND where our “editorial” pages were critiqued. We didn’t even have an actual editorial page then! We ran letters from readers once in a blue moon, and Omdahl’s column on page 2, of course.

I replied that he was considered a liberal by many, not a centrist, and yes, Lowry was meant to offer a conservative viewpoint and provide “balance” to our nascent editorial page. It was still a work in progress, I added, and I wasn’t sure if Lowry would make the cut as a future contributor.

Needless to say, the Transcript’s editorial page has evolved significantly since then, and we’ve published columns and letters from a variety of voices over the past five years. Lowry’s column went away, and Omdahl stayed.

Omdahl had his weekly spot on the bottom right of the Independent’s editorial page when I purchased the paper in 2021. For the first year, we continued to run his columns most weeks.

At one point, two or three weeks went by where we didn’t publish a column from Omdahl in the Independent. A reader picked up the phone and asked us to please continue printing his columns, as she appreciated his voice in North Dakota politics. We may not have run his column every week, but we do read every one and publish those that offer a unique perspective on timely matters in North Dakota government.

The North Dakota Dem-NPL responded to Omdahl’s death with a press release to newspapers Tuesday. Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan (D-Fargo) said, “He was a true statesman. He studied issues thoroughly, asked pertinent questions and spoke respectfully to everyone. He loved a good debate on issues and encouraged us to disagree or question his opinions which I did often.”

Republican Governor Doug Burgum had this to say about Omdahl, “Omdahl was a constant presence and passionate voice in North Dakota government and politics for over 60 years. We are deeply grateful for his service and commitment to the citizens of North Dakota, as well as his many contributions to our state’s Scandinavian heritage, in which he took great pride.”

He used his Scandinavian heritage to insert humor into his columns. His dialogue-filled columns about the Homeland Security Committee in a fictitious village taking up important matters were his hallmark.

“I know his humor will be missed greatly, too,” wrote Cecile Wehrman, Executive Director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association. “I, for one, will never forget the name ‘Ork Dorken,’ his mythical city council figure, even if I couldn’t always follow the allegory he was trying to illuminate!”

Yes, there was good ole Ork, pounding his Coke bottle on the hollow core door of the community center to call the meeting to order. Old Sievert, Lucy Crank and Madeleine Morgan, the “immigrant” from Montana, also made appearances in his narratives. I’ve never seen, or read, anything quite like it.

Farewell, Mr. Omdahl.