ND Senate Campaign Claims | Video

Jessica Roose | 9/18/2012

You can`t escape the election campaign if you watch TV or listen to the radio, the U.S. Senate race in North Dakota has become particularly heated. A new radio ad released by Heidi Heitkamp`s campaign claims that the Goldmark company, which has received a C minus rating from the Better Business Bureau, belongs to her opponent, Rick Berg.

He says that`s not so.

The ad then goes on to say that the company has had its share of troubles and that Berg would use his business experience with Goldmark Property Management in Washington if elected. Berg has denied any involvement with the company.

Goldmark Property Management rents apartments to North Dakotans across the state, but recently there seems to be some confusion as to whether Rick Berg owns the company.

"Well he does own Goldmark does he not?" said Goldmark tenant Kyle Hart.

That`s what his opponent, Heidi Heitkamp, and her campaign want voters to believe.

"In 2000 and in 2007 Congressman Berg listed himself as an employee of Goldmark Property Management on federal forms," said Heitkamp spokesman Brandon Lorenz.

Those forms are records showing donations Berg made to a senate and presidential candidate in those years. A spokesman for Berg`s campaign said the congressman did not fill out the forms and attributed them to a clerical error.

"Congressman Berg had years to correct the record and has refused to do so until now. So I think the fact is he`s let that stand for years," Lorenz said.

Executive Vice President of Goldmark Property Management, Kurt Bollman, says the claims in the ad are incorrect.

"Rick Berg has no ownership in Goldmark Property Management or its formerly named Midwest Management since 1986. He has had no involvement whatsoever."

Berg was a owner of Midwest Management, his campaign says Berg ended all involvement with the company in 1987. Midwest Management became Goldmark in 1994. Berg admits that he was involved with a commercial real estate company, Goldmark Schlossman until last year.

"These companies share an office space, they share a phone number, a website. Those companies are very closely related," Lorenz said.

Bollman says while it might seem that the companies are closely related, he claims they aren`t.

"Particularly for an attorney in Heidi`s case, that is a absurdly ignorant comment to make."

He says that Goldmark has an agreement and charges rent to Goldmark Schlossman for the space they use. He added that they are working on a better designed website to clear up the confusion.

Berg`s campaign has asked that Heitkamp remove the ad from the radio.

Members of her campaign said they have no plans to do so.

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