Is WSI a boon or bane?
Jim Long for ND Senate
District 14, ND 58504
askjimlo
News
Jim has been prominently covered speaking out against corruption he observed at North Dakota's embattled Workforce Safety and Insurance. Some of the coverage has even achieved a national audience with articles in major insurance industry magazines.
Read some of the coverage in the media below.
March 20, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"One state Senate candidate, Democrat Jim Long in a rural district east of Bismarck, is a direct result of WSI. A dismissed WSI whistleblower, Long said his biggest motivation for entering the race was to help change WSI."
ND's Workers Compensation Conundrum
Forum editorial: Ask WSI: How stupid can you be?
March 16, 2008
Fargo Forum editorial:"It’s difficult to fathom just how tone-deaf are the remnants of the embattled management of North Dakota’s workers compensation agency. The firing last week of employees who had sought whistle-blower protection for revealing the agency’s problems was as clumsy and arrogant a move as any we’ve seen in the saga of troubled Workforce Safety and Insurance . . . Generally, the fired workers seem to be guilty in the board’s eyes because they found malfeasance in the agency that the board didn’t want to find."
N.D. work comp report's detail of management turmoil overlooked
March 16, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"Board members have embraced the conclusions of the report, done by Conolly & Associates, a firm whose namesake, Henry Neal Conolly, presented it to board members and the Legislature's interim Industry, Business and Labor Committee.
"They used its recommendations to justify firing three Workforce Safety and Insurance managers and eliminating the jobs of two others."WSI Firings
March 13, 2008
KXMB Video of Jim"Jim Long:'We're suing, we're coming at 'em. It's very clear that it's retaliation for cooperations with law enforcement. I couldn't think of myself possibly not cooperating with the cops when they asked me to.' Long's job as chief of support services has been eliminated as part of the shakeup."
WSI Fires Three Executives
March 12, 2008
"Three top executives at North Dakota's workers compensation agency have been fired . . . Human resource manager Billi Peltz, chief of support services Jim Long and internal audit manager Kay Grinsteinner were dismissed today.
"Peltz, Long and Grinsteinner have previously raised concerns about problems at Workforce Safety and Insurance. They've asked for whistleblower protection from Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem."ND workers comp employees mostly mum at hearing
March 05, 2008
Fargo Forum article:"James Long, Workforce Safety's chief of support services, said he believed workers were keeping quiet because they fear retaliation from upper management. The agency's employees do not have civil service job protection and can be dismissed for almost any reason.
"Long himself has been suspended from his job with pay since last November. He has requested legal protection against on-the-job retaliation and has given information to prosecutors about what he believes is wrongdoing at the agency.
"They're absolutely scared, and I don't think that that surprises anyone," Long said of employees' reluctance to speak publicly. 'They know that this is going to be recorded. They know that there's press here, and they've seen what's happened to other people who have stepped up.' "
WSI employees don't speak at hearing
March 05, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"Long says WSI employees are afraid of retaliation if they tell their stories to legislators. He says the panel should develop a way for employees to give their comments anonymously."
Most ND workers comp employees mum at legislative hearing
March 05, 2008
Grand Forks Herald article:"Jim Long, WSI's chief of support services, said he believed workers were afraid of retaliation from upper management if they tell their stories to lawmakers. Long himself has been suspended from his job because of disagreements with other managers."
Jim Long gets Senate nod
March 04, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"Jim Long, 38, was unanimously endorsed by the District 14 Democratic-NPL Sunday for a state Senate bid."
Suspended WSI exec, Jim Long, is now running for state legislature
March 03, 2008
Fargo Forum article:"Suspended Workforce Safety and Insurance executive and agency whistle-blower Jim Long is now a candidate for the state Senate."
Suspended WSI exec is ND legislative candidate
March o3, 2008
Grand Forks Herald article:"Suspended Workforce Safety and Insurance executive and agency whistle-blower Jim Long is now a candidate for the state Senate."
Jim Long Endorsed for State Senate
March 03, 2008
North Dakota Democratic NPL article:"Jim Long, 38, was unanimously endorsed by the District 14 Democratic-NPL Sunday for a state Senate bid."
Jim Long Seeking Senate Seat
March 02, 2008
Bismarck Tribune Article:"Long, 38, said the problems at his agency are his main motivation for running.
" 'I had a position at WSI where I've found myself unable to fix it from within. Now I want to fix it from outside,' he said."WSI board action wrong
March 01, 2008
Letter to Bismarck Tribune:"There seems to be a conspiracy at Workforce Safety and Insurance. It's difficult to understand why its interim director can't or won't answer Jim Long's questions."
Jim Long responds to WSI
Feb. 14, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"Long's recent letter addresses the lack of performance issues recorded in his file and continues to address his perceived illegal activity of members of WSI management staff."
- WSI looks for more info from Long
February 9, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"The public battle between a state workers' compensation whistleblower and the agency continued, after the agency released another letter chiding the whistleblower's actions and requesting further clarification on several issues."
WSI's Long submits 18-page rebuttal
February 5, 2008
Bismarck Tribune article:"Long refuted all of Halvorson's allegations, saying there seemed to be no documentation to support any of the accusations. Long quoted one of his performance reviews, which said, "I am not sure how to heap enough praise and points for Jim under this section ... . WSI is a significantly better place because of Jim."
WSI - Part II
February 12, 2008
KXMB article with video:"WSI executive Jim Long, who was Chief of Support Services at the agency for three years, has become a whistleblower against the agency.
He has been suspended from his job while an investigation goes on."Long Interviewed by KVRR's Jim Shaw
February 2008
Jim Long was interviewed by Fargo's KVRR Fox affiliate regarding wrongdoing at Workforce Safety & Insurance. Click here to view the video. The interview with Jim was the third installment of a three part series.
About Jim Long
Jim Long is a life-long North Dakotan. He grew up in Minot and Bismarck, and graduated from Bismarck High School.
After high school, Jim served in the United States Marine Corps, beginning as an avionics technician and ending as a Maintenance Control Supervisor. He served in high-tempo combat operations overseas, including the first Persian Gulf conflict; he was awarded a combat action medal for his service.
After his military service, Jim returned to North Dakota and worked full-time while attending college full-time. He graduated with two Masters degrees and later, with a PhD in Organization and Management with an emphasis in Leadership. His doctoral research concerned the effect of leadership among nurse-managers in a major North Dakota hospital.
Jim teaches for a private college located in Bismarck. He teaches a wide-range of business and accounting classes ranging from Business Ethics to Government and Fund Accounting.
He has been married for 18 years to his wife, Kimberly. They live in rural Burleigh county where they raise quarter horses on a small hobby farm.
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District 14, ND 58504
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