North Dakota will miss Clare Aubol
North Dakota will miss Clare Aubol
New Town mayor fought hard for his community, state and political party
By MARVIN BAKER
EDITOR
News of New Town Mayor Clare Aubol’s death early Monday morning sent shock waves through the community, the state and the Democratic Party.
Aubol, who was 73, was admired, not only in New Town, but was well liked and well known across North Dakota because he has been active in politics since the early 1970s.
Aubol was one of the first residents of New Town, moving from old Sanish, and often told colleagues and friends he was the first graduate of New Town High School because his name, alphabetically, was first and that he was among the first graduating class.
A former farm implement dealer, Aubol spoke often about the early days of New Town following the building of Garrison Dam. His “pioneer” pride was evident in recent months as he continued to work effortlessly for the residents of New Town.
First elected to the New Town City Council in 1984, Aubol became mayor in 1990 and was in his fifth term as community leader. He was on the board of directors of the North Dakota League of Cities, was a board member of Mountrail-Williams Electric, served on the Souris Basin Planning Council, was on the Mountrail County Planning and Zoning Board and was active in the Kiwanis for many years.
Aubol earned degrees from Concordia in Moorhead, Minn., and Syracuse University in New York. He came back to North Dakota and began a career in politics that would span four decades.
He loved politics, the Democratic Party and his hometown and many of his associates reflected on what Aubol stood for as a neighbor and friend, a member of the Democratic-NPL Party and as mayor of a North Dakota community.
