The race for one of the state's most coveted public offices began to take shape Monday when two candidates announced they want the position.

Democrat Brent Edison, a lawyer who lost a bid to become state auditor in 2004, wants to challenge Republican Cory Fong in the race for tax commissioner. Democrats targeted the office after Rick Clayburgh, a Republican, resigned the position on June 1 to work for the North Dakota Bankers Association. Gov. John Hoeven appointed Fong to the position after Clayburgh resigned.

Both candidates are the first to announce intentions to seek nominations from their parties to run for the position.

Edison said he wants to make electronic filing of state income tax returns free for all North Dakotans, reduce the property tax burden and provide tax relief on home heating.

Edison said if residents can buy hunting licenses and pay their car registration online without a fee, then the same should apply to those filing their income taxes online.

"Why should I have to pay to e-file my North Dakota taxes?" Edison said. "That's wrong and it's old-fashioned. E-filing saves the state money. The technology is there for the tax department to bring e-filing in-house, instead of jobbing it out to out-of-state software companies."

Currently, only some people qualify for free e-file that is provided by various companies belonging to the national Free File Alliance.

Fong said new technology he helped implement in the tax department will allow the state to lay a foundation to provide free e-file for everyone, but he did not say whether providing the service to everyone was something he would be pushing.

Fong said he brings a background in public service to the job, having served as deputy commissioner of commerce, deputy secretary of state and director of elections for the state of North Dakota.

"Not only do Ihave the skills, but Ihave the firsthand experience - Iam doing the job now,"Fong said.

Fong said he wants to build upon the business-friendly climate within the department and work more closely with the economic development efforts.

"The tax department has an important role to play in our economic development efforts, especially in the expansion of our growing energy industry," Fong said. "We are showing that we are open for business."

The two candidates took different approaches to the growing issue of property taxes and education financing.

Edison said he wants to reduce property taxes by advocating that the local governments pay no more than 30 percent of the costs for K-12 education. The local governments currently pay about 42.5 percent of those costs.

Fong said the proper venue for debate about property taxes is at the Legislature. The Legislature's interim Finance and Taxation Committee has been studying the issue of school funding, including the impacts of reducing the local share to 30 percent.

Both candidates have experiences in political campaigns - Edison being a candidate and Fong being a campaign manager.

Edison lost his bid for auditor in 2004, receiving 35.7 percent of the vote. That same year, Fong led Hoeven's successful campaign for governor.

Sen. Dave O'Connell, the Senate minority leader, said that although Edison lost in 2004, having the experience and exposure will help him this time around.

"People will vote for the devil before they will vote for someone they don't know,"O'Connell said.

Clayburgh, who attended Fong's announcement in Bismarck, said Fong has an advantage of already being in the office even though he was appointed to it.

"I'd certainly give him a leg up because he'll have about a year and a half to show the taxpayers he's capable of doing the job,"Clayburgh said.

Fong, 33, was born in Great Falls, Mont., and raised in Helena, where he attended high school. Fong's mother was a Dickinson native, and his father grew up in Belfield. Fong holds a bachelor's degree in political science and speech communications from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.

Edison, 49, grew up in Milnor, where he worked with his father and brothers in the family business, Edison Motors, a Ford dealership. He currently is the assistant disciplinary counsel for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court and Judicial Conduct Commission in Bismarck and is the former executive director and CEO of Workforce Safety and Insurance. Edison holds a business degree from North Dakota State University and a law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

(Reach reporter Tom Rafferty at 223-8482 or tom.rafferty@;bismarcktribune.com.)