Is Congressional Hopeful Neal Tapio accusing the Governor of something?

Pat Powers

This e-mail came out a short while ago to a number of legislators, media, and their little dogs… and correct me if I’m wrong, but is Congressional Hopeful Neal Tapio accusing the Governor or his staff of something?

This GOAC fact finding mission needs focus. We need to understand why it took a murder/murder-suicide to take serious corrective action to this program. If our government employees have such difficulty determining corruption, it seems there are only two likely reasons. They either knew of the problems and were too weak to make changes, or they were too incompetent to take these allegations seriously. Either way, I have lost confidence in the leadership of the Department of Education, and I have concerns it reaches to even higher levels of government officials.”

If Senator Tapio has concerns that the problems with Gear Up “reaches to even higher levels of government officials” as in higher than the Department of Education…. I’m not sure there’s much higher than the Governor and his staff.

So, what exactly is he accusing the Governor of?

74 thoughts on “Is Congressional Hopeful Neal Tapio accusing the Governor of something?”

  1. Obviously he is asserting this goes right to the Governor. Pretty serious innuendo. Proof or evidence? I am SURE he has evidence before he would do this.

    But does he not know the Secretary withdrew the grant and the suicide occurred after?

    And, this copying the media and liberal blogs for items I presume is official business is bizarre.

    It appears he is running for the US House.

    1. “But does he not know the Secretary withdrew the grant and the suicide occurred after?”

      True, and that hand was forced by the audits. The whistleblowing was three years earlier.

    2. As I understand it, the Secretary and Department of Education are under the excuctive branch. Anything and everything that happens, the Governor is responsible for, the good and the not so good.

      I have some questions about who approved the way the grant was set up. Along with what rules do these cooperatives work under.

      1. BAH, Mrs. Volesky. Self-serving back-patters like Messrs. Tapio and Nelson just cater to the weak-minded blogs out there and the press to get their own name out there. Gravy hounds, we call them.

        One crazy woman apparently being fired for personnel issues lashes out to an insaner senator and it’s “fact.” Mr. Nelson truly was just a janitor back when he was a marine, not a real investigator.

    2. MC – Dakota Free Press is a horrible, hateful site as many of us know. My question is why would anyone want to be associated with him?

      PP is usually one step ahead of them anyways. The conversation here is much more interesting and open. And the information is much more genuine.

    1. I think it is to go after corruption. This just might turn him into the front-runner. Substance folks.

      1. Mr. Dusty is winning in the elections, it seems. This might get Mr. Tapio into 3rd place behind that nice young woman.

  7. What if the education department does spill the beans about why that lady got fired. What if they come and and say ‘she did a really bad job and should have been fired before and she did all these other things really bad and golly we just can’t have a slackard like that in the new administration’?

    Then can she sue Sens. Tapio and Nelson for not only lying to her about keeping her information as a source private, but for making the state publicly embarrass her for a terrible job done. Now that would be entertaining.

    1. But, what if their conscious comes clean and they confess that LuAnn Werdel did a great job and is telling the truth?

      1. What if she did a crappy job and got fired for it, and only she thinks she did a great job? It’s odd but it seems to me nearly everybody who gets fired thinks they were doing a good job and the boss was just an asshole. Now it gets to be public that she did a crappy job. Way to go, LuAnn. Good luck going forward now.

  8. You know it is all about running for higher office and trying to bring Dusty Johnson down with allegations and mud slinging that doesn’t have any facts.

  10. Laughing about what? Instead of laughing, he needs to get on board with Nelson, Tapio, and Hubbel.

  12. Hey Pat, can you post the letter from Stace Nelson that Neil Tapio responded to….Got to remember the big Marine was way out in front of the issue. I think Tapio is a smart man. There will be others coming out too. Stay strong boys and girls.

  13. Questions:

    Grudz brings up a good point.

    Do Legislators have a right to employee personnel files or probe their superiors in open session about their employment files, especially employees who are fired? Former Employees have legal protections (federal and state) with regard to what is in their file.

    If Legislators have right to information in personnel files or probe their superiors in open session about their employment files, especially employees who are fired, are there limitations on what they can say about what they see? I’m not sure state employees are feeling good legislators can say “I want” and it is turned over.

    Which specific sentiments (who agrees with sentiments anyway) is he agreeing with of Senator Nelson? Senator Nelson has a lot of sentiments.

    I am confused. We are to presume Wuerdal is credible but not bring her in to testify and be questioned? Does anyone thing a judge in a trial would accept some people find someone is credible by emails and a taped phone call and then say the person can be cross-examined? We are talking about people’s livelihood and reputations here on all sides. Don’t these current and former public servants deserve better. Or are they just trash to be used and abused as it serves a politician?

    Probably the most prescient thing said is “Thank you for your indulgence” because when I finally had time to actually read this and contemplate it, any polite and respectful response would require a great deal of leniency and generosity.

    Definition of indulgence: “treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration”

    1. Sorry Troy, but I think the taxpayers deserve better. Legislators like Nelson and Tapio are doing what we sent them out there to do.

    1. But isn’t one under oath when cross examined….

      I am no supporter of Stace Nelson, but that was horrible PR to not have Secretary Schopp under oath

  15. When was Schopp under oath? She wasn’t, but she needs to be under oath. Quit covering for the establishment and start representing the people. Grudz, Jones,= GOB not GOP.

    1. Zzzz. Have you met tapio? Mensa won’t be calling. The problem is that this administration did drop the ball on gear up. Are they responsible for the horrific criminal action that occurred. Most certainly no. Should some people have been concerned about their jobs and futures? Yes. Is their a circle the wagon mentality in pierre to protect those in the administration? Yes. Are the tactics of those most vocal damaging their efforts, self serving or otherwise, absolutely.

  16. Tara,

    I asked some questions. If that is covering for anyone, I don’t even know what to say. If you know the answers, I’ll take them from you. Maybe you can convince me with facts Tapio’s email was totally appropriate. Give it a try. What can it hurt?

  17. Thanks Troy, just got to rib you a little bit. Yes, I do know a hell of a lot. I just want to see the letter from Nelson. Tapio got his info from Nelson, and I want to see it. Curious mind. So Pat, did Tapio send you the letter from Nelson?

      1. I am self-employed. This is good for pat’s blog. He’s getting a lot of new viewers. Do you have a problem with my posts no name?

  20. Werdel told Senator Nelson that the only things she knew about were a couple of people on the payroll who weren’t doing any work. I have wondered why, as the new director, she didn’t simply terminate them and eliminate the positions as a cost-saving measure.( It’s hard to sue for wrongful termination if your position disappears after you are let go.)

    She told Senator Nelson she didn’t know anything about Westerhuis, so it follows that she did not notify Dr Schopp about the embezzling.

    1. Tara if he’s a pro why does he tell Werdel, on the phone, that he’s never heard of a murder-suicide case like the Westerhuis family’s?

      Anybody with a minimal knowledge of history knows what went on in Hitler’s bunker May 1, 1945.
      Or at Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978

      Professional criminal investigators know about Family Annihilators. If Nelson has never heard of them he’s not much of a pro.

  22. What’s wrong with telling the truth? Most people do not believe he murdered his family. One family member told me Scott was a thief, but a murderer. Nelson is thorough and precise. I would not put up any roadblocks to hamper this very pertinent information. Peters needs to cooperate with Nelson. Put aside personalities and get to the facts. Nelson is on the right path.

    1. What words did I twist? Luann Werdel told Senator Nelson she knew nothing of Westerhuis’ embezzlement. If she didn’t know anything then it is impossible for her to have told anybody about it. There’s nothing to twist here. If she didn’t know then she couldn’t tell.

      1. You need to listen to the tapes again. Remember the red flags. We just need to let Nelson do his job, and wait for all the evidence.

  24. This is all just a witch hunt by a politically motivated 1/2 term senator to destroy Dusty Johnson. Pure and simple. His blind ambition is disturbing.

  26. Best things on those tapes, really, is Werdel repeatedly asking for assurances that her comments are off the record, requesting confidentiality, etc, and Nelson promising none of it will be made public, and here we are listening to it through links published by CAH.
    And then Nelson is blabbering in the second call about how, out of concern for her safety, he told Jackley’s office all about it. But only because he is concerned for her safety. Not because he couldn’t wait to do some more grandstanding.

    That flap-flap-flap-flap noise on the recordings isn’t a red flag flapping in the wind, that’s Nelson’s histrionics.

  28. Anne,

    I have not listened to the tapes but I would appall me if a non-law enforcement officer (former is not the same) assured a private citizen repeatedly the conversation was confidential yet so openly and blatantly violated that assurance. It appears if the “taper” got the information that served his purpose, there was no intent to honor that assurance.

    Am I missing something or is this not simply appalling? Give me any justification to not want to puke?

    1. Interesting that the anti-Stace crowd insisted that he provide any evidence of wrong doing, and now that say it is wrong that he told the Attorney General. Another fact the anti-Stace crowd don’t want to accept, Werdel told Keloland before the GOAC hearing.

  29. Steve, what you suggest could have been done via getting her to testify (vs. not advocating she not testify as he is now. Which I think is bizarre when I think about it).

    My main comment is: If it is true (I haven’t listened to the tapes), I think giving someone assurance a conversation is confidential, taping it and then releasing the tape to the entire world is not honorable.

    That is my opinion. If you think it honorable or the ends justifies the means, that is your opinion. And we will disagree.

    1. Troy, if you promised that you will keep a secret, but then found it may include illegal activity, would you keep the promise?

      I have not listened to the tapes as I have been busy reading the audit report. I plan on continuing by research including listening to the tapes. I am not on a witch hunt. I simply want to know as much as I can about what was going on, and secondly, what is continuing to go on.

      I certainly don’t agree with everything Senator Nelson does. I have yet to find a person that I do agree with 100% of the time. We all have our weaknesses. At times I realize that we have our strengths because of those weaknesses. Sometimes one needs to accept the bad that goes along with the good, as long as the good by far out weighs the bad.

      I hope I am treating Senator Nelson in the same way I am treating the Secretary of Education which is: I think they are both good people who want to do the right thing. But at times they mess up. It seems that the political arena doesn’t accept the mess up of those who are not part of the crony network, but are willing to look past the mess ups of those who are a fellow crony. Then we end up with two sets of cronies fighting with each other, while the truth gets ignored. I am also coming to the conclusion that crony capitalism is a function of governmental cronyism.

  30. Steve you ask “Troy, if you promised that you will keep a secret, but then found it may include illegal activity, would you keep the promise?”

    That is a great question here is my answer in the context of if I was in Sen. Nelson’s shoes:

    1) If I was not expecting to hear about something illegal, I would turn over the information to law enforcement and let them discern what is done. I probably would inform the party I was going to do this but may not. I can imagine situations where just turning over to law enforcement is best.

    2) If I expected to hear about potentially illegal activity (as I suspect where Nelson was because that is the purpose of his efforts), I would not have made the assurance as I would not be a commissioned law enforcement officer.

    1. Hold on there Tara, we don’t know that yet.

      She was hired as a program manager.
      She seen the budget and had some issues with some of who was being paid how much.
      She address those concerns with the business manager at MCEC.
      She reported the issues to the Secretary of Education
      then she was asked to resign.

      everything else is hearsay.

      We don’t know why she was asked to resign. it could be she didn’t use spell check, or wore over powering perfume. We just plain don’t know. finding out for sure would require going into personal files. I am not comfortable with the GOAC going there for something that most likely is not relevant.

  33. Tara,

    If she asked the conversation be confidential repeated times and was assured it was to be confidential, I have no desire to listen to them. The ends do not justify the means. Since the information was gained under false pretenses, I’d feel dirty listening.

    Tara, since you have listened, did she ask the conversation be confidential and was she assured it would be confidential?

    1. Apparently she was in fear for her life, so I guess by law he had to report it to the authorities. Don’t take my word for it, listen to the tapes.

  34. Tara,

    BTW, if her request for confidentiality was out of fear (whether warranted or not), the public release and utter disregard for her request makes this even slimier in my opinion. Not sure you are helping Senator Nelson right now,

  35. I believe in transparency and getting to the truth. I like to research and hear all sides, not just one. Does that make me insane?

  36. Tara,

    I’ll take your word for it.

    A woman is scared for her life, she asks for confidentiality, she is so assured, and the promise of confidentiality is met with it being released to the public.

    I need to hear or know nothing else.

    1. Troy, from what I understand, the information was first given to the Attorney General. Then she agreed to a public presentation with Keloland, which also said she will be talking to authorities. Then GOAC here the tapes. Your assumption is missing some steps.

  37. Steve,

    That puts a different spin on it. Are you saying it is GOAC who released the tapes to the public?

  38. Steve,

    I’m confused. Who released the tapes to the public or first said publicly tapes existed?

    GOAC, Werdal, Nelson, Tara, MC?

  39. There you go, Stace is not the guy to after…..KELO should be under investigation for interviewing LuAnn Werde.They are the bad guys, or bad girl for doing their job.

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