Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Gov. Noem Appoints Kellie Wasko as Secretary of Corrections

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that Kellie Wasko will be serving as the new Secretary of Corrections, effective March 7, 2022.

“Kellie will bring an abundance of experience and a steady hand to the South Dakota Department of Corrections,” said Governor Noem. “Her experience in corrections reform and her career-long work on correctional healthcare make it clear that she will prioritize the health and safety of both our corrections officers and the men and women confined at our facilities. We are excited to welcome her to the team and to South Dakota.”

Kellie Wasko has dedicated over 22 years in adult and juvenile corrections and currently serves as the CEO/President of Correctional Health Partners in Denver, CO, where she has been since 2019. Previously, Wasko served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Corrections from 2013 to 2019, where she was responsible for the daily operations of 23 prisons, housing as many as 20,000 offenders; 19 parole offices with jurisdiction of more than 10,000 parolees; and over 6,000 state employees. In that role, she also served as the Health Authority for the department, overseeing all clinical care operations provided to the offender population of all custody levels.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to work on reforms with a team that values correctional professionals and public safety,” said Kellie Wasko. “I admire Governor Noem’s leadership and desire to continue to advance the South Dakota Department of Corrections.”

Prior to serving as Deputy Executive Director, Wasko served as the Director of Clinical and Correctional Services, Director of Strategic Planning and Process Improvement; Assistant Director of Prisons; Warden of four adult institutions to include all custody levels for males and females; Associate Warden to a male close custody facility and female medium custody facility; Health Services Administrator, Nurse Manager, and line staff nurse.

Wasko has worked on numerous reform efforts in her career, and she is active on several national committees.  She has served as the Chair of the American Correctional Association’s Healthcare Committee as well as co-chair to the Coalition of Correctional Health Authorities, where she remains active.  She has served on numerous sub committees and restrictive housing working groups and has presented nationally and internationally on corrections operations, healthcare, and successful reforms.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Women Executives in Corrections.  Wasko was awarded the National Correctional Healthcare Leadership award in 2018.

Wasko has earned nursing degrees from Weber State University and Boise State University.

Doug Clark, who is serving as Interim Secretary of Corrections, will return to his prior role as Deputy Secretary of Corrections.

“Doug stepped up and helped guide the Department of Corrections through a difficult time, and we thank him for his continued service to our state,” said Noem.

You can find a photo of Wasko here.

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The opponents of Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken are doing a lot of whining lately. First, it was about him publicizing already public information. Now, they’re crying about him trying to keep employees in the face of the economy & COVID, pressures which are making it harder for all employers in Sioux Falls:

Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken wants to give nearly all full-time city employees $2,000 to keep them from leaving their jobs in a competitive market.

and..

“If the mayor has waited this long to pay our city employees a wage that they deserve, he can wait until the elections are done,” said Taneeza Islam, who is also running for mayor.

Read it here.

According to the story, nearly 10% of city employees have been rolled over in the last year. And because he’s trying to address the problem that has been building, his opponents are demanding he wait another 4-6 months to fix it.  Nevermind that the State and other entities are working to do similar things to retain employees.

It seems that the only ones playing politics are the opponents. (In addition to the whining.)

The Argus has a story this AM on the strong support behind the Sarah Cole for Sioux Falls City Council campaign that I was reporting on last week, via a fundraiser being held tomorrow night:

Many of the listed hosts are well-known Sioux Falls names and regular donors to city council campaigns, including Chris and Kristen Thorkelson, Emily and Chris Daugaard and Dana Dykhouse. But also among the hosts of the event are four of Brekke’s colleagues: Councilors Christine Erickson, Greg Neitzert, Alex Jensen and Marshall Selberg, nearly enough to form a quorum of the City Council.

and..

Brekke said she wasn’t interested in speculating as to the reasons for her colleagues’ support of a challenger, saying only that she had not asked any council members for funding or support, nor invited them to any events.

Read the entire story here.

The new SDGOP membership card mailing has hit mailboxes today featuring South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem on the printed card as part of the membership package.

(Noem was on the previous card as well.)

Right wing radio host Mark Levin was on his radio show recently grousing over the failure of a Convention of States resolution in South Dakota, and used his pulpit to attack South Dakota State Senators Lee Schoenbeck and Dave Johnson, going so far as to challenge Senator Schoenbeck to a debate:

Somehow, I think Lee has better things to do with his time. Obviously, the COS group is kind of pissy because they lost.

The various groups have been pushing a resolution in the legislature to call a convention of states for years, and it has gone back and forth. Some think we need a convention of states to amend the constitution on term limits, some think we need a convention of states for a constitutional amendment on a balanced budget, and some fear that a convention of states to amend the constitution might bring an amendment to limit the second amendment.

It’s about a 50/50 split in the legislature regarding whether it’s a worthwhile exercise. The House passed it 39/30 (about 56%), and the Senate killed it 19/16, about 54%.

And there you have it.

Governor Noem Accepting Applications for Summer Interns

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem is now accepting applications for the Governor’s Office Summer 2022 internship programs.

Student interns will work with staff on various projects depending on interests and strengths. Additional duties include aiding the governor’s general counsel, constituent services, and communications team; conducting policy research; preparing policy briefings; and staffing events. Internships provide students with first-hand knowledge of the state government and the functions of a governor’s office.

College students who would like to be considered for an internship should submit a resume, cover letter, and letter of recommendation to megan.goltz@state.sd.us. Applications should be submitted by Friday, April 1, 2022.

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Sounds like nothingburgers are on the menu today in Sioux Falls as Mayor Paul TenHaken sends a text update about a concert to his campaign followers, and his opponents who don’t have campaign followers are freaking out:

Subscribers to TenHaken’s campaign texts got that update — the first and only text sent from the service — shortly after the concert was announced in a tweet by the Premier Center’s Twitter account on Monday morning.

In an interview Monday afternoon, TenHaken said he’s “always looking for different ways to communicate with people,” and said he liked the “pure, 1-on-1 communication” someone could get via a texting service.

and..

“The Premier Center is owned by Sioux Falls taxpayers,” Islam said in a statement. “Requiring residents to sign up for the mayor’s campaign account to get ‘insider updates’ about what’s going on at a public facility is completely inappropriate. The mayor should shut down his text account now, if he’s going to seek political gain from public information.”

My emphasis on those.. Read this ridiculousness here.

So, here’s the timeline. Concert announced on twitter. Mayor TenHaken sent out a campaign text to his followers about big concert shortly after the concert was announced. And his opponents who can gain no interest or attraction in their candidacy against him are freaking out that the mayor publicized already public information.

But.. but.. but.. he called it an insider update! It’s insider information!  Really? They’re gnashing their teeth over a marketing gimmick?

Can someone remind me of the city ordinance or state law is in place which prevents the mayor from taking information already publicized on twitter and sending it out via text message?  Well, here’s an insider tip, in case people aren’t getting it, that’s a lot of the thing with Social Media, people take public information, comment on it, and repackage it in hopes of getting someone to read it.

And that’s also the thing about public information. It’s public.

This literally might be the stupidest non-news story I’ve read in a while as TenHaken’s opponents try to gain a toehold on to anything resembling a campaign.

The fact that a story about the opponent criticizing the mayor publicizing public information might also be an indication how desperate the local media is to gin up a story to show a pulse in the Sioux Falls mayoral race from the challengers who to have date have gone nowhere.

Thune Introduces Resolution to Unmask America’s Children

“A toddler mask mandate highlights everything that’s wrong with Washington, which is why I introduced this common-sense resolution that would prohibit the Biden administration from enforcing or implementing this intrusive, one-size-fits-all Washington rule on America’s children.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today led several of his Senate Republican colleagues in introducing a resolution that, if enacted, would allow Congress to nullify a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) interim final rule (IFR) that requires all staff and volunteers in Head Start educational facilities around the country to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask. Most notably, this resolution would nullify the IFR’s mandate for all children two years of age and older to wear a mask, including when they are playing outside. Congress can consider this resolution using expedited procedures under the Congressional Review Act and can pass it by a simple majority vote.

“Not only is this decision to police schoolyard activities yet another affront to parents’ rights by the Biden administration, even worse is nothing about this nationwide policy is based on science or common sense,” said Thune. “A toddler mask mandate highlights everything that’s wrong with Washington, which is why I introduced this common-sense resolution that would prohibit the Biden administration from enforcing or implementing this intrusive, one-size-fits-all Washington rule on America’s children.”

“South Dakota Head Start programs have successfully implemented appropriate COVID-19 mitigation strategies, and the majority have been open and safely functioning since June 2020,” said Katie Sieverding, executive director of South Dakota Head Start Association. “We thank Senator Thune for his work to protect our children and families from blanket masking mandates and keep these important decisions at the local level where they are best made.”

This resolution is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

In December, Thune introduced separate legislation to nullify this IFR, and in January, he led his colleagues in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting that the administration rescind the IFR. The Head Start program is a federal government program that provides qualifying, low-income children with early education services. Program facilities are located throughout the nation and, up until the issuance of this IFR, individual locations had been able to set and enforce their own COVID-19 protocols.

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Gov. Noem Signs Bills into Law

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem signed nine bills into law:

• SB 9 revises the definition of a designated caregiver.
• HB 1028 updates certain provisions related to the licensure of optometrists.
• HB 1050 repeals obsolete lease requirements for the Black Hills Playhouse.
• HB 1070 clarifies certain provisions of the rural access infrastructure improvements grant program.
• HB 1076 permits certain municipalities to elect aldermen at large.
• HB 1106 provides for the security and privacy of certain personally identifiable information for judicial officers.
• HB 1107 establishes a process for requesting records prepared or maintained by court services officers.
• HB 1108 revises provisions related to driving under the influence.
• HB 1109 revises a provision related to the review of the master jury list.

Governor Noem has signed 40 bills into law and vetoed one this legislative session.

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South Dakota’s US Senator John Thune is joining with Congressman Steve Scalise to call on Joe Biden to remove mandates on masking for toddlers:

As parents ourselves, we are outraged that the federal government is using taxpayer money to make children as young as 2 years old have to wear face masks.

Head Start facilities provide early education services to low-income children through 1,600 facilities across the country, including in South Dakota and Louisiana. The Biden administration is now requiring Head Start grant recipients to mask toddlers at all times – even if they’re outside on the playground.

The decision to mask or not mask a toddler should be made by a parent or guardian, not Joe Biden. Not only is this decision to police schoolyard activities yet another affront to parents’ rights by the Biden administration, even worse is nothing about this nationwide policy is based on science or common sense.

Read the entire column here at FoxNews.com