Category: Uncategorized

From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Cynthia Mickelson’s announcement has hit the paper, noting her background and qualifications for the open School Board seat in Sioux Falls:

Cynthia Mickelson, a Miller native who has spent more than 20 years living in Sioux Falls, is officially running for a seat on the board overseeing the largest school district in the state.

Mickelson, 46, works as a grant writer and independent contractor in Sioux Falls. She’s a member of the bar, though she’s not a practicing attorney, and she’s served for the past six years on the Children’s Home Society board.

and..

She’s been heavily involved in parent groups, including the PTA, PTO and the Lincoln High School booster club. Mickelson has three boys — two attend Lincoln and one goes to Patrick Henry Middle School.

 

Read it all here.

Huron Resident Josh Haeder announces run for Office of the State Treasurer in 2018

Huron, SD – Josh Haeder of Huron has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to be South Dakota’s next State Treasurer.

“I am blessed to have my wife Amanda and two beautiful daughters, Maggie Mae (3 years old) and Laikyn Rae (10 months old) by my side as we embark on this incredible journey together. My family embodies my desire to serve and help create a better financial future for the next generation of South Dakotan’s.” 

Haeder has a wide-ranging and diverse involvement with the banking and lending industry having served as a personal banker and agriculture and business lending manager. Following his time as a banker Haeder served as the Chief Operating Officer and certified credit counselor for a nationally recognized credit counseling agency. 

Haeder says of his time in credit counseling, “Working in the credit counseling field and hearing thousands of stories about families struggling to meet their financial needs is something I’ll never forget, the impact of mismanaging money is significant. When you look at the Treasurer’s office, an important responsibility is financial education. There is a great need to help our young people in K-12 as well as college students and young families better understand how to take control of their financial future. I will make it a priority in my administration to help educate our young people and guide them on the right path early in life. Those fiscally responsible principles that work in our personal life work the same way in government. We do things right in South Dakota and I want to ensure that continues.”

As of December South Dakota had nearly $345 million in Unclaimed Property assets. In the six months preceding that the state took in in-excess of $70 million in forgotten funds. This is an incredibly important role of the Treasurer’s office. “Returning unclaimed property to the citizens it belongs to will be at the forefront of all my service. This money is not the state’s – It is my duty as a public servant to return this money to the citizens it belongs to as urgently as possible,” said Haeder

In addition the State Treasurer is one of only eight voting members that serves on the South Dakota Investment Council. Those responsibilities include working to develop investment policy, establish asset allocation guidelines and to monitor implementation of the investment process. 

Haeder is pursuing his Master’s Degree in Intelligence and Global Security Studies from Point Park University and has a B.S. in Public Safety (Emergency Management).

“A key priority in the treasurer’s office is daily reconciliation of funds and ensuring we have a system that is resilient to outside hacking. It’s important to understand the risk posed by those who wish to steal our money, we must be diligent on a daily basis to defend this method of threat, as it’s real,” said Haeder

Haeder currently serves as the Northeast Director for U.S. Senator Mike Rounds. The experience working for a US Senator who serves on the influential Banking Committee has only expanded his interaction with the financial industry, community bankers and lenders. “I’ve seen first-hand from my travels and meetings the consequences federal legislation can have on these South Dakota family owned banks,” stated Haeder. 

Having served as the Republican Chairman for Beadle County from 2008-2014 Haeder said, “I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones as I meet with delegates and voters face to face in the near future as I travel the state to earn their trust and support.” 

He is a partner in Haeder Organization, LLC which is a property management company that provides affordable housing to residents in the Huron area. Haeder serves as the Vice President of Huron Kiwanis and he and his family attend Huron Christian Church.

The Office of State Treasurer is a Constitutional office and therefore nominated at the Republican State Convention by delegates from representing the 66 counties in June of 2018 in Pierre, SD. Current State Treasurer Rich Sattgast is term limited.

Coming this afternoon, an e-mail went out from the Dusty Johnson Campaign seeking volunteers to help spread the word about his campaign:

Hey,

It has been a whirlwind few months since I decided to run for Congress. In between working my day job and looking after Max, Ben, and Owen, I’ve made time to visit with a lot of South Dakotans. I’ve been blessed to receive a lot of support. People are looking for a tireless worker to get our federal government back on track. I hope to be that person for you. 

While we haven’t had our formal announcement or campaign kick-off yet, I wanted to give you an update on what Team Dusty has been doing in the last couple months:

1. Received endorsements from state and local leaders, including Governor Daugaard
2. Headlined the Hughes County Lincoln Day Dinner
3. Launched our website, www.DustyJohnson.com (check it out!)
4. Launched our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/dustyforsd (“Like” the page for frequent updates)
5. Raised funds from large and small donors (if you haven’t yet, please consider helping us get off and running by Donating)

With your help, I want to join the battle for Washington, DC. I want to limit the reach of our federal government, and take care of a national debt that will saddle my children and yours. I can’t do it alone. I appreciate your support and help so far.

You’ll be hearing more from us in the weeks and months to come.

Your Friend,

Dusty 

PS:  If you’d like to volunteer to write a letter to the editor, walk in a parade, or receive a DJ for Congress t-shirt or yard sign, send a note to Erin@DustyJohnson.com!

Our mailing address is:

Dusty Johnson for Congress
PO Box 278
Mitchell, SD 57301

From the Argus Leader, Conservative Women’s PAC Maggie’s List announced today that they are supporting the female in the 2018 South Dakota Congressional Race:

Conservative political action committee Maggie’s List announced its endorsement Monday of Republican U.S. House candidate and Secretary of State Shantel Krebs.

In a statement, the federal PAC’s chair Sandra B. Mortham said the group that backs conservative women for elected office was throwing its support behind Krebs in her contest against former Republican public utilities commissioner Dusty Johnson.

and…

Johnson, a former chief of staff to Gov. Dennis Daugaard, has already received the endorsement of the Republican governor and has racked up a strong war chest heading into the 2018 GOP primary.

Read it all here.

I’m not sure that comes as a surprise, and I’m sure both sides are going to rack up more endorsements in the coming months.

Stay tuned.

From Fox News:

The NFL issued the following statement regarding the investigation, saying Brady’s Super Bowl XLIX jersey was also found. They were both found in the possession of a credentialed member of the international media.

The jersey was valued at $500,000, which makes this potential crime a first-degree felony, assuming it was indeed stolen.

Read it here.

What’s the darned media going to do next?  🙂

I heard through the grapevine that my infographic on next years’ political races is already in need of correction, as not one, but two Republicans are jumping in statewide contests.   I’ll update you as I receive the ‘official’ notice, but it’s already getting to be a busy year.

Along those lines, Democrats are still at zero candidates for statewide office, and holding.

It has reared its head in the legislature before as farmland was flooded into lakes, and unexpectedly, the State Supreme Court has thrown this issue back into chaos – with sportsmen in one corner, and landowners in the other:

The South Dakota Supreme Court dealt a victory to private property owners in a ruling that says a state agency doesn’t have the legal authority to allow people access to flooded waters or ice over private property without legislative approval.

The decision represents a blow to South Dakota Game Fish & Parks, which had argued that all water was accessible to the public if it could be reached without trespassing on private land. It also represents a defeat for hunters and anglers who argued that all waters in the state should be accessible to the public.

The decision stems from a lawsuit brought by landowners in Day County against the GF&P as well as a class action against people accessing two sloughs.

Read it all here.

And read the decision here:

Supreme Court on Water Access by Pat Powers on Scribd

One of the most recent efforts at mediating the situation through legislation that was attempted in 2014…

..in a bill that was tabled by the State Senate 31-3.

But obviously emboldened by the recent court decision, watch for the battle lines to be fought all the more fiercely next year.

Marty Jackley had a nice turnout in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Sioux Falls Yesterday, with about 40 people walking in the parade (according to the campaign) for the 2-18 GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful. From Facebook:

You can check out all of the photos here.

It’s Time to Turn the Page on Obamacare
By Sen. John Thune

I can’t think of a more personal aspect of someone’s life than that of his or her doctor-patient relationship and the decisions they make together. Whether it’s a routine exam or a serious surgery or treatment, each decision – however large or small – can have a lasting effect on an individual and his or her family. The most important and fundamental part of this, of course, is first having access to affordable health care so these relationships can be built and the care can be delivered.

It would be an understatement to say that America’s health care system has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride over the last eight years. I’ll be the first to admit that health care in the United States wasn’t perfect before Obamacare was implemented, but it certainly didn’t make it better. For many Americans, it got worse.

Fixing our health care system is too important to get wrong, which is why I’m working with my colleagues in Congress on a plan that would correct some of Obamacare’s greatest shortcomings, like its high premiums and limited choices. The first step in this process, though, is ripping out the old law root and branch. Leaving it intact would be like treating a broken arm with a Band-Aid, two ibuprofen, and a pat on the back.

The American Health Care Act (AHCA), which was recently introduced in the House of Representatives, is a good foundation from which we can work to turn the page on Obamacare. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the AHCA would meet two of my top priorities: It would reduce premiums (by 10 percent) and increase choices. The AHCA would also cut taxes by $883 billion, reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion, and make major entitlement reforms that would save taxpayers another $880 billion. 

While this bill represents a great start, I’m working on a proposal that would make it even better. I believe that by making some common-sense adjustments to the bill’s tax credit, we can deliver more targeted relief to Americans who need it the most. My plan would simply apply an age and income test to the tax credit, ensuring low-income Americans and seniors receive more robust assistance. 

Reforming America’s health care system isn’t easy, nor should it be. But by focusing on the best policies that deliver the best results, we can finally help reduce the cost of premiums, increase access to affordable care, and create a system of which both doctors and patients can be proud. That’s what I’m fighting to achieve.   

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Need Help With a Federal Agency? Give Us a Call
By Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

In the United States Senate, much of our time is focused on crafting and debating legislation, attending committee meetings and making sure federal policies are working for South Dakota families. But we also spend a great deal of time helping South Dakotans who are having difficulties dealing with a federal agency. It is a lesser-known but equally-important service that allows us to act as a liaison between you and the federal government. Washington is so broken and our federal bureaucracy has grown so large that individual needs of American citizens are too often lost in a sea of red tape. Our goal is to work with federal agencies to identify your issue and fix it. 

Over the past two years, working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on behalf of South Dakota veterans has been the most common situation we’re asked to help with. We have assisted countless South Dakota veterans navigate the Veterans Choice Act and other VA programs here in South Dakota, while simultaneously seeking changes to federal policy that will improve the care they receive under the current law. We also work frequently with the VA to obtain overdue medals and awards for veterans and their families. I have been able to present a few of those medals to South Dakota veterans firsthand as I’ve traveled around the state. It is a very special honor to recognize these vets, with their family and friends in attendance, and say thank you to them for their service to our country. 

In addition to helping veterans get the benefits and services they have been promised, we have also been able to bring families together by helping individuals get visas or expedited passports. We also help people access social security benefits, file tax returns, work with the Indian Health Service (IHS) and make sure that federal agencies are treating citizens fairly and with the respect and attention they deserve. I am very proud of the work we are doing to help South Dakotans who feel like they have been left behind by the federal government and have nowhere else to turn.

Our South Dakota offices are located in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City and Aberdeen. Our staff members who handle casework are available every week day, either in person, by phone or by email. You can find the contact information for our offices on my website, www.rounds.senate.gov. My team works closely together across the state and in Washington, and we strive to provide a timely response to everyone who contacts us, particularly if it is an urgent matter in which we are able to intervene.

We take our work on behalf of South Dakotans very seriously, and I am pleased that we’ve been able to help so many constituents already since setting up our office two years ago. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are experiencing difficulty dealing with a federal agency. We are here to help. 

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