This bears a little watching. 2 incumbent mayors turned out in elections last night from two of South Dakota’s largest communities. In Mitchell, Mayor Ken Tracy was defeated 58 to 42 percent by challenger Jerry Toomey. In Rapid City, 2-term mayor Sam Kooiker lost to former police chief Steve Allender.
Does this indicate unhappiness and a general voter malaise of with the status quo? Or are there unique reasons for each one’s demise? For those involved in statewide elections next year, the mood bears watching, but this years’ elections might not be the best indicator. Lacking many other top level races to judge it against, I’d argue that it is driven individually.
Ken Tracy presided over a couple of disasters related to oversight of the Corn Palace; the alleged theft/conversion of gift cards belonging to the corn palace after an audit showed something was going on with it’s finances. And, a lawsuit that came up right before the election regarding the new person hired over whether he quit or was fired. Anyone looking at it from the outside had to be left wondering “what is going on there?”
Sam Kooiker had long been at odds with others in City Government, and rose to the office of Mayor on the basis of fighting “the man,” exposing alleged corruption, and cutting government. But in the face of being “the man,” being tied to the losing civic center expansion, facing general economic malaise and unrest in race relations in the state’s second largest city, it proved harder for him to capture the same lightning in a bottle that he was able to use previously to propel him to two terms as mayor.
It might have been a wild night – but each election stood or fell on it’s own merits.
* Bonus Election News: Speaking of falling, in case you were curious, here are the results from Aberdeen where the blogosphere’s Cory Heidelberger “went Volesky” in his race, withdrawing last week after absentee voting had long been underway:
Unification SE District City Council vote totals: Swanson 127, Heidelberger 35. Swanson reelected.
The following is neither an admission nor an apology, it is merely a statement. No hard feelings towards the Argus; Jonathan Ellis is a good reporter and someone I like, and he did his job well when someone who doesn’t like me handed him red meat. And I take no issue with Hartford city council people who’ve said what they’ve said. I want them to be honest and it’s always been important to me that I am as well.
Of course I’m bummed at anything that undermines my integrity and especially the trust of the people here in District 9. I do hope I have been sufficiently transparent and truthful in my years in office such that it is believable when I say now if I was aware of any monkey business with my petitions I would have not turned them in. I’m not sure how to explain that some who signed the two contested sheets say I was the circulator and others who signed say I was not. It was three years ago and of what I do remember , I remember feeling good about my petitions, was glad to have meet the deadline, was glad they were certified by the SOS and obviously they weren’t challenged that election year.
It is important to me that everything relating to me is above board and I welcome at any point for people to challenge me if something seems amiss. No one in my district is under the impression I have no flaws. I’m thankful even for these unpleasant days and the things I’m learning. The trust the voters put in me I pledge to never betray.
Several registered voters in Hartford who signed the petition to put state Rep. Steve Hickey’s name on the 2012 ballot say the lawmaker wasn’t present at the time, even though Hickey signed an oath that says he witnessed their signatures.
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But now questions have emerged about some of the petitions Hickey submitted in 2012. Two lawmakers at the time, Sen. Deb Peters and former Rep. Bob Deelstra, reportedly collected signatures for Hickey after his original signatures were disqualified because of a technicality by Jason Gant, who was then secretary of state. However, Hickey signed the petitions indicating that he collected the signatures.
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Some of the signatures submitted by Hickey were collected after a Hartford City Council meeting on March 20, 2012. Several city officials say they have no recollection of Hickey being at the meeting.
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But the petitions from that year do show that he had help from Lora Hubbel, who was then a state representative. Hubbel, however, signed the petitions she circulated and had them notarized.
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“My problem with Steve Hickey is he threw Annette Bosworth under the bus for something he did himself,” she said.
Rounds Delivers Maiden Speech on Senate Floor “It’s time to end regulation without representation.”
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D., today delivered his maiden speech on the Senate floor to discuss the bipartisan RESTORE Resolution, which seeks to free Americans from overregulation. RESTORE would establish a Joint Select Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of rules enacted by federal agencies and analyze the feasibility and options for creating a rules review process in congress. Details are available HERE.
Full Video of Rounds’ Floor Speech:
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:
Madam President, I rise today, for the first time speaking in this chamber, to discuss the future of our great nation.
How truly fortunate we are to live in the greatest country in the world.
We are protected by the best military that has ever existed, and that in turn allows us to live freely here at home to focus on our God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In my home state of South Dakota, we cherish these rights.
We have the opportunity to make our dreams come true because we have these rights, and because we have a common-sense value system to guide us.
When I was elected, I promised to bring South Dakota common sense to Washington and to work to solve problems for the good of every South Dakotan and every American.
But, unfortunately Madam President, when I travel back home, I continue to hear from my fellow South Dakotans about the federal government infringing on these rights and values.
You see, our great nation has been bogged down in recent years with what I believe is one of the greatest hindrances to job growth and economic productivity.
And that is the overregulation of our citizens.
Madam President, overregulation is not a Democrat or Republican issue; it’s an issue that affects every one of us.
But I believe it’s a challenge that we can solve through cooperation and perseverance.
It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a doctor, a small business owner, a farmer or a rancher; overregulation has affected every sector of our society.
The regulatory burden on this country is nearly two trillion dollars annually, and this is in addition to the tax burden already placed on Americans.
That regulatory burden is larger than Canada’s entire economy.
In fact, this cost to comply with federal regulations is larger than the entire G-D-P of all but only 8 other countries in the world.
Even more staggering, just a few years ago, we surpassed 1 million federal regulations in America. One million.
Regulations are stifling economic growth and innovation and hurting the future of this country by crushing the can-do American spirit that founded our nation, settled the West, won two world wars and put a man on the moon.
And every year, more than 3,500 new federal regulations are added.
This just doesn’t make sense and it’s certainly not South Dakota common sense
What alarms me is not only the volume of regulations being thrust upon our citizens, but also the process for creating them.
The purpose of Congress is to be the voice of the people when making laws.
Unfortunately, the voice of the people in the rulemaking process has been cut out, and replaced by unelected government bureaucrats who think they know better than the farmer or scientist or the entrepreneur.
Our founders recognized the need for making laws, granting the power to create laws to Congress; and only Congress.
They meant that process to be difficult so that our government wouldn’t overburden its citizens and restrict their freedom; freedom they had just fought so hard to obtain.
Through Congress, every citizen should have a voice.
But, unfortunately, Madam President, that is not what is happening today.
Our founding fathers created 3 branches of government with checks and balances for each.
They could never have imagined that we would have a regulatory process in place today where unelected bureaucrats would both write and have the final approval of the rules and regulations under which the people must live.
This regulatory regime – which is responsible for the 3,500 new rules each year – has essentially become a fourth branch of government and a de-facto legislative body.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that these bureaucrats in Washington have this misperception that they know how to run our lives better than we do.
While working as a business owner, a state legislator, as a governor and now a United States Senator, I’ve seen just how detrimental this “Washington knows best” mentality is on the daily lives of South Dakotans and Americans.
Many of my friends – on both sides of the aisle – have come to the Senate floor in recent weeks and months with some great ideas and legislation to limit, stop, repeal or remove some of the worst regulations currently on the books.
I applaud them for these efforts, many of which I also support.
And I look forward to working with the Senior Senator from South Dakota, my friend Senator John Thune, as well as anyone who is willing to work with me to remove these burdens that are stunting American greatness and bring a little South Dakota common sense back to our regulatory environment.
The regulatory system has run amuck.
Too often, Madam President, burdensome, costly and intrusive regulations are crafted by bureaucrats at the highest level of government, behind closed doors, with little input from everyday Americans who disproportionately feel the effects of these one-size fits-all policies.
It is regulation without representation, and it is wrong.
The American people are being squeezed out, their voice falling on deaf ears in Washington.
Small businesses, which drive our economy and create the majority of jobs in America, are especially hurt by overregulation because they, too, have to hire lawyers and employees to comply with these rules.
This takes away capitol that could be used to hire new production employees and expand their business.
People in my home state of South Dakota feel victimized by their own federal government.
It is keeping crops from getting to market, and it’s keeping our businesses from growing.
The idea that unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats should be allowed to make sweeping rules and regulations with no recourse should be a concern to every American, regardless of political affiliation….because it impacts everyone.
No party has a lock on the American dream and American innovation doesn’t have a party affiliation.
From the stack of paperwork required to process a bank loan to the regulatory price of putting food on the table, the cost of federal regulations are ultimately passed down to each and every American.
Without excessive regulation, imagine how much more money American families could have in their pockets to spend on what they want, instead of what the government wants.
If we cut our red tape, families can stop having to cut their budgets.
The regulatory regime is a dark cloud over our entire economy.
Now, I’m not saying there isn’t a place for rules in our society.
Rules are meant to keep us safe and promote the greater good.
And, I do believe there are some good rules and regulations on the books.
The problem I have is with the bad rules that keep good people from going about their lives.
Unfortunately, there are too many of these bad rules that are hindering our freedoms and stifling growth.
These are the regulations that we must reexamine.
So today, Madam President, I come to the floor to discuss legislation to permanently end regulation without representation.
It takes a giant leap forward in restoring the people’s role in the rulemaking process, and provides a way to reexamine the bad ones.
After all if the American people don’t like the laws we make, they can vote us out.
But they have no such power with unelected bureaucrats. They’re stuck!
You see, Madam President, the legislation I am introducing today would create a Joint Select Committee on Regulatory Reform whose purpose includes reviewing regulations currently on the books and proposing a new rules review process that includes the elected representatives of the American people.
It’s rooted in South Dakota common-sense and the principles that have made this country great—making government work for Americans rather than against them.
This committee would then make several recommendations to congress to rebalance this broken regulatory scheme:
First, the committee would be tasked with exploring options for Congress to review regulations written by agencies before they are enacted, providing much-needed oversight through the possibility of a Permanent Joint Rules Review Committee, which would be tasked with reviewing rules with a cost of $50 million dollars or more. This Permanent Joint Rules Review Committee would have the ability to delay the imposition of these rules for not more than one year from the time the agency submits the rule for review to enable Congress to act on that rule.
Second, the Committee would examine an option for agencies to submit each regulation with a $50 million dollar impact or more to the appropriate committees of Congress for review – before the rule is enacted.
And finally, the Joint Select Committee could recommend ways to reduce the financial burden regulations place on the economy as well as sunsetting onerous and outdated ones.
This Joint Select Committee would not be a permanent one – but it would be bipartisan, bicameral and hold meaningful hearings so that a permanent solution to our overregulation problem can be properly addressed.
This legislation also offers a starting point for the committee by requiring certain possible solutions to our regulatory problem to be considered.
I firmly believe that regulations should be reviewed by elected officials – those who are accountable to the American people through the democratic process.
This is not a new concept; it is a common practice at the state level.
41 of the 50 states, including my home state of South Dakota, have a rules review process to make sure the executive branch is faithfully executing the laws they seek to implement.
It is worth repeating that regulations are estimated to cost $1.88 trillion annually in the United States – above and beyond the tax burden our citizens already share.
That amounts to just under $5 billion dollars every single day. And it just doesn’t make sense.
It is unfair to those who still believe in – and are working to achieve the American Dream.
Whether Americans are seeking to buy a car, take out a mortgage on a house, start a business or see the doctor to make sure they are in good health, regulations obstruct them.
When I think of those who sacrificed everything so that our children and grandchildren could create their own version of the American Dream, I think about the freedoms and liberties they fought so bravely for.
They fought so we could pursue life, liberty and happiness and trust that our government would not hinder these lifelong endeavors.
It is not Washington that will continue to make this country great, but rather the collective spirit of individual Americans, who want to work hard to be successful for their families and their communities.
But they need the heavy hand of government to be lifted.
Here in Washington, it is not our job to dictate how Americans run their lives, but to allow them to achieve their dreams, not make them nightmares.
The term “Washington is broken” is a far-too-common term used to describe the current state of our federal government.
“Washington” is now used in a derogatory manner.
This city – the capitol of our nation – named after our very first Commander in Chief who led us to victory in the Revolutionary War and birthed this great nation – has become over time, a 4-letter word.
Remember, George Washington left the presidency voluntarily after two terms in office.
He wanted to get away from the monarch-style of government in which rulers held their positions for life.
And now, this city that bears his name is full of lifelong bureaucrats. Even worse, they are unaccountable to the people.
It is a far cry from the republic our founders envisioned.
Madam President, in 2026 our country will celebrate its 250th birthday. That is just over a decade away.
When we get to that point, I hope to join my fellow Americans in looking back with great pride in all we have accomplished, and all we have to pass on to future generations.
President Kennedy challenged our nation to put a man on the moon before the decade of the 60’s had passed.
We should commit ourselves to removing the barrier of government regulations that is weighing on that American spirit and again set free the American economy before the decade preceding our 250th birthday.
I’m not just introducing legislation to start a new committee that exists in name and does no deed. Americans want us and expect us to be up to this challenge, and we can. We can lift the heavy hand of government.
The founding fathers didn’t anticipate thousands of regulators and a million regulations when they created this country.
It’s time to end regulation without representation and restore the lawmaking process to the people.
I encourage my colleagues to sign onto this commonsense approach to addressing the issue of overregulation, so we can work to make this country even greater and safer than we found it.
Then, during our 250th birthday celebration, we can be proud that we RESTORED a little South Dakota and American common sense to our children and their children.
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard issued the following statement today in support of U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds’ bipartisan Regulation Sensibility Through Oversight Restoration (RESTORE) Resolution:
“Federal rules have huge impacts and are very burdensome on states and citizens, and I know my fellow governors are very concerned by it. I hope Congress will embrace Sen. Rounds’ proposal and will take this opportunity to reassert its authority over rule making, and I commend him for advancing it.”
If passed, the resolution would create a Joint Select Committee to consider the practicality of establishing a rules review process for Congress. South Dakota and 40 other states use comparable processes at the state-level which allow legislatures to weigh in on executive branch rules.
The committee would also hold hearings on the effects of current regulations and recommend ways to eliminate unnecessary or overly burdensome regulations.
It was planned, fell through, and with the purchase of my airline tickets, it’s officially back on. I’m heading back to Washington DC in a couple of weeks.
I’ll have a much fuller dance card than I did last July, as I’m going to be attending a conference sponsored by Autism Speaks, as opposed to tagging along with my wife and sightseeing. I’ll have the conference, as well as visits to the offices of our elected officials in the Senate and Congress.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to fit a few touristy things in.
The Arlington National Cemetery was one thing I didn’t hit last time I was there, and I’d like to see it, as well as the Air & Space Museum. And my wife wants to get to the lower levels of the Smithsonian American History Museum that I missed before.
Newly convicted felon Annette Bosworth may want to choose her words very carefully between now and sentencing.
Because, according to Attorney General Marty Jackley, they could have an effect as to whether the Attorney General’s office recommends jail time for the one-time Republican US Senate Candidate:
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley discusses the factors that will go into his sentencing recommendation…
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“You know, part of that recommendation always is whether or not the defendant has accepted responsibility. And so, obviously there hasn’t been an acceptance of responsibility yet, but I want to keep an open mind as Attorney General to see whether or not in the next few weeks before sentencing there’s a change in position.”
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“I also recognize that under South Dakota law for non-violent felonies such as this there’s a presumption of very limited or no actual jail time. And of course, that presumption is overcome sometimes by a defendant’s conduct.”
Rounds to Deliver Maiden Speech on Senate Floor Today Tune into C-SPAN2 or watch live on Rounds’ YouTube Page
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) is scheduled to deliver his maiden speech on the senate floor today, June 2, 2015, at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. MT. During his speech, Rounds will discuss his bipartisan RESTORE Resolution, which seeks to permanently end over-regulation in America.
What: Senator Rounds’ Maiden Speech on the Senate Floor When: Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. MT Location: Senate Floor of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
How to watch:
Online: Livestream on Rounds’ YouTube page HERE.
On TV: Live on C-SPAN2
*A transcript and video of Rounds’ remarks will be available following his speech.
The following is neither an admission nor an apology, it is merely a statement. No hard feelings towards the Argus; Jonathan Ellis is a good reporter and someone I like, and he did his job well when someone who doesn’t like me handed him red meat. And I take no issue with Hartford city council people who’ve said what they’ve said. I want them to be honest and it’s always been important to me that I am as well.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley discusses the factors that will go into his sentencing recommendation…