Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Examples Of Stewardship
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

It was President Grover Cleveland who said “a public office is a public trust.” The man who served as the United States’ 22^nd and 24^th president knew Americans expect their elected officials to do what is morally right and to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Still today, Americans believe that public servants should carefully and responsibly manage the things entrusted to their care.

Since first being elected five years ago, I have abided by this principle. With the help of state employees and legislators, South Dakota has a number of recent examples of good stewardship to share.

One example is the investment we are making in our roads. Our motor fuels tax had lost half of its purchasing power since it was last increased in 1999, and we saw that if we did not act, our roads and bridges would deteriorate. Time wasn’t on our side. Even though many of us in South Dakota generally oppose tax increases, we realized the longer we waited to act, the more costly it would be to repair our roads. So we came to a compromise that generated significant new revenue for construction costs without placing an unreasonable burden on our citizens. After months of discussions and studying the issue, the state Legislature passed a bill to raise $85 million in new revenue for our roads and bridges at both the state and local levels.

Another way we have been good stewards is by maintaining our buildings and better managing our properties. For instance, we recently made investments in our State Capitol Building. When we learned that the glass floor in the Capitol Rotunda and the stained glass throughout the building were both at risk of collapse, we spent money in the short-term to preserve the beauty of our Capitol Building and make improvements that will last for a century or more. Montana waited too long. They were forced to replace their Capitol glass floor, based on the same design as ours, with common ceramic tile.

Stewardship in our state has also meant responsibly managing our finances.  In 2011, South Dakota was facing a structural deficit. We cut state spending by 10 percent for every agency and office of state government. My staff and cabinet secretaries took a 10 percent pay cut and I cut my own salary by 15 percent. It wasn’t pleasant. But making difficult choices, we balanced our state budget and placed South Dakota on a firm financial footing. For four consecutive years now we have ended our fiscal year with a surplus.

Since emerging from recession many states are balancing their budgets again. But far too many of those other states have long-term liabilities – unfunded pension obligations and large general obligation liabilities. In South Dakota we have neither of those things. Our state’s pension is in sound condition for present and future retirees. We are one of only a very few states in the nation that can say that.

Good stewardship does not always mean not spending. We exercised frugality in 2014, when we received an unexpected windfall of $33 million. We used that money to retire bonds early and to pay cash, rather than borrowing, for a new veterans’ home. We were able to increase spending on education and Medicaid more quickly because of the savings we enjoyed from those decisions.

Efforts of good stewardship may not always grab headlines. Stories of reinforcing the floor in the state Capitol and responsibly managing the state’s pension system don’t usually end up on the front page of the newspaper. But it’s this kind of stewardship that makes good government and it’s what the people rightly expect of their elected officials.

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As you might have noticed on facebook, Attorney General Marty Jackley spent some time in Brookings today, and I was invited over to have coffee with a group of others to listen to Marty address a number of topics in a free form Q & A session.

I had a exchange with Marty regarding law enforcement training in dealing with people with disabilities with a few things I’m going to follow up on; and it brought up a frightening statistic – there have been 19 officer involved shootings during his tenure, and almost all have involved either drug use, mental illness or both. Scary stuff, and it illustrates what officers on the street have to deal with, and potentially make life or death decisions regarding at a moment’s notice.

It was definitely an open, free wheeling discussion as Attorney General Jackley spoke on a broad range of topics, from immigration, to the Flandreau pot situation, to terrorism, human trafficking, and many other things. A freshman poly sci student who was having breakfast asked to join us, even though he admittedly was from Minnesota, and a Democrat. Marty didn’t care, and openly invited he and his companion into the conversation.

I did get the sense of frustration that Marty believes Congress as a whole should be using the power of the purse to go after federal agencies, as opposed to Attorney Generals having to band together to sue them, as in the case of WOTUS, which just had an injunction handed down today. That could potentially come up as a campaign theme to set himself apart should Marty decide to run for higher office, whether Governor or Congress.

I did ask about all the “petition crimes” that are being heaped upon his office, and whether some of them should be reduced to misdemeanors, so he could spend his time going after rapists and murderers. He noted that while he felt that some laws could be changed to give the Board of Elections and Secretary of State more authority to deal with minor matters, it’s up to them to ask for the authority, and the legislature to determine what weight they want such matters to have. And he’ll act accordingly.

Regardless, it was one of those rare opportunities to sit down with one of our statewide elected officials in an open, freewheeling discussion, and to get some insight, along with candid observations from their point of view.

From the Huron Daily Plainsman, Congresswoman Kristi Noem is still racking up the highway miles during the August Congressional recess, as she addresses the Huron Young Professionals luncheon on Monday:

When Congress returns to Washington, D.C., in September, Noem is hoping the House will pass a six-year transportation bill that would tie international tax reform to it to pay for it.

“It will be a permanent law that will allow all these companies that are keeping their dollars overseas to bring their money back into the United States and reinvest it,” Noem said.

A six-year highway bill would be the longest one in decades, and would give South Dakota certainty in addressing its deteriorating roads and bridges.

Noem said the most-often asked question she has gotten as she has traveled the state during the August recess deals with the controversial nuclear deal with Iran.

Like other countries in the region, she can’t support it.

It fails to eliminate Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon and there are no restrictions on how Iran can spend the $150 billion influx of cash as the sanctions are dropped, she said.

Read it all here.

I can’t say I’ve heard that other candidates have marked up speeches and written in the margin to their speech writer “I need an f-bomb here.”

    Federal District Court Issues Preliminary Injunction in WOTUS Case

PIERRE, S.D – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the District Court of North Dakota has issued a preliminary injunction in the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) case.

South Dakota joined 12 other states on August 11, 2015, challenging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS).

“I remain concerned that the EPA and the CORPS are exceeding their authority granted by Congress. I am pleased the Federal District Court has agreed with the Attorneys General and has enjoined the EPA and the CORPS from enforcing a Rule that infringes upon our State authority. In short, the EPA and CORPS’ Rule will no longer take effect in South Dakota on August 28, 2015,” stated Jackley.

The States actively sought postponement of the impending implementation of the WOTUS Rule while the courts could fully address the states’ concerns. On June 29, 2015, thirteen states filed in federal district court in North Dakota asking the court to vacate the new rule and bar the EPA and the USACE from enforcing the new definition. Several other states have filed in their respective regions. The states contended the new definition of WOTUS violated provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the United States Constitution. Then on July 30, 2015, 31 states requested that the EPA and USACE delay the effective date of the new Rule defining “Waters of the United States” under the CWA. The Rule is currently set to go into effect on August 28, 2015. The States requested the Rule not be implemented for a period of at least nine months in order to give the courts time to review the legal challenges to the Rule.

The effect of today’s preliminary injunction is to delay the Rules implementation until the Court has an opportunity to fully review the administrative record. The Court found that it was likely that the EPA violated its grant of authority when it promulgated the Rule and likely failed to comply with the requirements in the Administrative Procedures Act. Finally, the Court found the risk of harm to the States is great.

Courts in both West Virginia and Georgia found that jurisdiction lies with the Circuit Court of Appeals and has denied the preliminary injunctions. Other courts have stayed their proceedings pending a request by EPA to consolidate all of the cases before one court.

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A number of you have asked me in person and privately what “the mysterious new jobs” are that I’ve added to my plate. It’s not a state secret, but I’ve been ridiculously busy with training, office meetings, getting up and running, etcetera, that I haven’t really had time to go into it. I’m still trying to get a VOIP phone up and running.

For those who are wondering, I recently became licensed to be one of South Dakota’s newest bail bondsmen, working for Speedy Release Bail Bonds. So, if you find yourself …ahem… momentarily on the wrong side of the law in the Brookings area, and you call 800-564-8898 seeking temporary release from the unfortunate situation you’ve found yourself in, I’m likely the person who will arrive to render assistance.

The other position I’ve taken on is for Leavitt Recreation and Hospitality Insurance, working on claims and social media.  That job was unexpected, but not unwelcome, as the opportunity came up and I couldn’t say no. They’re a great company, and gives me a chance to go back to my insurance roots. And being a digital media manager isn’t awful for my resume. They do specialty insurance coverage for RV Parks, Dude Ranches, Trampoline Parks, and many, many other specialty recreation venues nationwide.

Although I’m the guy in the back room (more specifically, my basement), It’s a great opportunity. When it allows me to continue to do my website, my print work, political stuff, Real Estate, etcetera and so on, it’s an offer I couldn’t refuse. I’m always excited to engage my creative outlet and brush up on my skills in design and production.  And, it gives me a good reason to eventually get my insurance license.

So for those who are asking, yes, I’m doing some new stuff. And loving every minute of it.