Category: Uncategorized

Richard Thomason Announces Candidacy for At-Large Seat on Sioux Falls City Council

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Richard L. Thomason announced today that he will be a candidate for an At-Large Seat on the Sioux Falls City Council in 2024.  

Thomason moved with his family to Sioux Falls as a child and is a graduate of Lincoln High School.  Following graduation from college, Richard returned to Sioux Falls to begin his professional career and currently serves as the Relationship Manager at Central Bank.

“I moved to Sioux Falls before I was three and have loved it ever since,” said Thomason. “I’m humbled and excited to have the opportunity to serve this great city that gives us all so much,” he added.

Thomason was elected in 2020 to serve as a State Representative from District 13 (south central Sioux Falls). Currently, Alex Jensen serves on the Council in the At-Large seat and has announced his support for Richard, following his decision not to seek re-election.

“While I’m saddened my term on the council is coming to a close, I’m incredibly excited Richard has decided to run,” said Councilor Alex Jensen. “He has a sincere understanding of the issues facing our community, and I know he’ll be a great advocate for public safety and fiscal responsibility,” Jensen added.

Thomason is a firm advocate for fiscal responsibility with balanced budgets and low taxes.  He has a commonsense approach to decision making that involves research and communication with both sides of an issue to be fully informed.

“Sioux Falls is one of the best places to raise a family, and I want it not only to stay that way but get even better,” said Thomason. “I have great respect for our city government and am excited for the opportunity to get involved in a meaningful way to help take Sioux Falls to the next level,” he added.

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TONY VENHUIZEN TO SEEK REELECTION TO STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM DISTRICT 13

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Rep. Tony Venhuizen announced today that he will seek a second term in the State House of Representatives from District 13 in next year’s election.

Venhuizen, 40, was elected to his first State House term in 2022, finishing first in a four-way Republican primary and running in the general election unopposed. He assumed a leadership role in the State House as vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which scrutinizes and sets the state budget each year.

During the 2023 legislative session, Venhuizen was the prime sponsor of a bill to increase the value of the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, and another to allow for a work requirement for Medicaid expansion enrollees.

“In my first session, we balanced our state budget, passed historic tax relief, and expanded opportunities for our young people in K-12 and higher education. There is always more to do, though, and I would be honored to continue to serve in Pierre,” said Venhuizen. “I will remain focused on making South Dakota an even better place for families and business, and I will always defend our values and be pro-life, pro-family, and protective of our liberties.”

Venhuizen grew up in Armour and holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from South Dakota State University and a law degree from the University of South Dakota. Prior to serving in the State House, Venhuizen served as chief of staff to Governor Kristi Noem and Governor Dennis Daugaard, and as a member of the South Dakota Board of Regents, which oversees the six state universities.

Venhuizen and his wife, Sara, live in Sioux Falls, where he works in trust and estate law and she works as an electrical engineer. Their three children – Henry, Elizabeth, and Madeleine – are students at Patrick Henry Middle School and Robert Frost Elementary School, and the family attends Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

Visit www.tonyforsd.com

From my mailbox, unlike some who are termed out of office, State Senator Jack Kolbeck is not feeling the pull to return to Pierre in the winter, and is going to devote his time to family & friends, and the community he calls home:

Senator Jack Kolbeck – District 13
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

As most of you know I am termed out of the Senate as of January 2025.

It has been more than an Honor and a Privilege to represent the great people in District 13 and in the State of South Dakota while serving in the Senate.

I have decided not to pursue, as law permits, the Seat in District 13 to the House of Representatives in the State of South Dakota.  

My wife and I have 10 grandchildren and it is time to spend more time with Family and Friends.

We would also like to do some traveling and participate more in community activities in this Great City of Sioux Falls.

I know that there are people who can fulfill the wishes of the people in District 13, and I wish whoever takes on this responsibility the best.

I just want to thank everyone who supported me and my family and gave me the encouragement to represent the people in District 13.  You all are much appreciated, and I am so ever grateful.

Sincerely
Senator Jack Kolbeck

Thank you for your time and your service Senator Kolbeck.

 

Thune Calls Out Biden’s Radical Return to Obama-Era Net Neutrality Proposal

 “Under the regulatory regime the Biden FCC wants to impose, the federal government would be allowed to block or prioritize internet traffic or otherwise interfere with the free flow of information.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Biden administration’s attempt to return to failed, heavy-handed Obama-era regulations on the internet. Thune noted that in order to maintain a free and open internet, Democrats should reject the administration’s misguided net neutrality power grab.

Just had a note that the race has begun in District 22 House, as former State Representative Lana Greenfield let me know she intends to be a candidate.

Greenfield, pictured above in a screenshot of a campaign piece from an election gone gone by, had termed out of office in 2022 after serving 8 years in the state legislature.

Greenfield is a business owner and a retired public school teacher, who followed in her son Brock’s footsteps in public service in the South Dakota State Legislature.

While Brock has retired from the third floor, he’s still hanging around the State Capitol as our Commissioner of School & Public Lands. 

Clearly, 2024 is coming up fast!

Tarek Maalouf Announces Candidacy for Sioux Falls City Council Northeast District

SIOUX FALLS–Tarek Maalouf, an attorney and actuary in Sioux Falls, is excited to announce his candidacy for the Sioux Falls City Council Northeast District.

Raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tarek moved to Sioux Falls in 2021 to work for Sammons Financial Group.  “The things that drew me to Sioux Falls are the things I want to focus on maintaining as the Northeast’s next City Councillor: affordable housing, low crime, and a thriving downtown,” Tarek said.

“I remember growing up and seeing our downtown movie theater abandoned.  And then I remember coming to Sioux Falls and seeing the vibrant downtown anchored by the newly reopened State Theatre.  Sioux Falls is a city on the rise and I want to help keep it that way.”

When not busy with work, Tarek volunteers at the State Theatre, serves as the Secretary of the South Dakota Young Republicans, and bikes the Greenway Trail with his dog, Stella.

Sioux Falls city elections are Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Follow Tarek for Sioux Falls on Facebook for campaign updates and the username TarekForSF on Twitter and Instagram.

I had to chuckle when this was sent over to me. Jordan Youngberg is certainly enthusiastic in his campaign for the District 25 State Senate seat.

As you can see – the wrap is back – referring to one of Youngberg’s favorite campaign methods, wrapping his truck as a visible sign he’s out on the campaign trail.

Interesting story I read today on the Jet Fuel plant that a company is looking to bring to Lake Preston – setting a community that had a foot and a half in the grave back on the road to prosperity.  One thing the project states they need to make it happen – the Summit Carbon pipeline:

Without the Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline, what’s believed to be the largest capital investment in South Dakota’s history might not happen.

That was part of the message from Kent Hartwig, director of state government affairs with Gevo, at Tuesday’s Brown County Commission meeting at the courthouse annex.

Gevo is planning a plant near Lake Preston that would include an ethanol plant and a hydrocarbon plant that converts the ethanol into aviation jet fuel. The plant would be powered by an adjoining wind farm.

The ethanol-hydrocarbon plant is estimated to cost $850 million and the wind farm $150 million, for an overall investment of $1 billion. The wind farm would power the plant.

Read the entire story here.

While a lot of people want to put their blinders on, the fact of the matter is that energy plants, such as ethanol and in this case, jet fuel, have to be cognizant of making their product as carbon neutral as possible if they want to sell to anyone in other countries, and in ever increasing frequency, in other states.  You can produce the fuel, but if you can’t sell it to other people, well, you’re going to go out of business quickly.

This plant will be a major consumer of ag products, keeping corn prices high.

The question is whether those who oppose the pipeline can give up their opposition to ethanol and ag producers, and support South Dakota.

Noting that 2 legislative hopefuls have announced recently, Glen Vilhauer running for District 5 Senate, and Matt Roby, running for District 5 House,  State Representative Byron Callies reached out to let me (and voters in his district) know that he will be seeking re-election for District 5 House of Representatives in 2024.

Callies, who will be completing his first term of office representing Watertown, had a first good session getting his introductory bill past the legislature and signed by Governor Noem, as well as several other measures he co-sponsored.

Byron currently serves on the House Commerce & Energy Committee, House Education, and on House Military and Veterans affairs.  In addition to being a college professor for 10 years, Callies has served the state and nation in the National Guard, completing nearly 41 years of service, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2006. And in the past, he has served as the national vice-commander of the two-million member American Legion.

(His daughter, Melissa Magstadt, Secretary of Health, is pretty cool too!)

Had been looking for info on the Minnehaha County Lincoln Day Dinner this past Sunday, and was making some calls for intel. What I was able to find that they ended up with maybe around 200 people there.

What would have been a good turnout for far smaller counties ended up being just so-so or less for Minnehaha, our state’s largest county, which in the past had been able to fill the Sioux Falls Convention Center.  I remember going to one such event in the Arena that was mind-boggling in scale, and it was literally impossible to greet all the Republicans gathered. Businessmen and women, elected officials, conservatives, every flavor of Republican across the spectrum as far as your eyes could see had gathered for a great event, and to support the party.

Nowadays, as you see from a picture from the Turner County Republicans, as they attended the Minnehaha event and caught a snapshot of quite a few empty and partially filled tables:

That is not a big venue.. and that’s a lot of empty seats for a county of 200,000, with another 80-90,000 people immediately adjacent. They couldn’t get any more Republicans to buy tickets, even out of the officeholders and their family members? Why?

That might be the big question to ponder, because from the reports I’m hearing the Minnehaha County Central Committee may have, at least in part, done it to themselves.

As the story has been related to me, 2 weeks ago on September 16th, the Minnehaha County Central Committee met for their regular meeting:

What I’m hearing was that there was a bit of railing by the Minnehaha Chair, former attorney Shawn Townow, against the State GOP. Which does not come as a shock, considering his boycott of the mega-successful (MAGA successful?) State GOP’s Trump event the week before.

Tornow hating on the State GOP must have been a fun serving of sour grapes to start people’s day with.  But as the Central Committee meeting progressed and got through the agenda, here’s where it gets really interesting.

The report I’m hearing is that after the chair called for new business, State Senator Jack Kolbeck got up and was trying to bring a measure – or at least a promise – that the Minnehaha County Republican Party would not spend money on or get involved in primary elections.  Certainly, current legislators don’t want to get into helping the party to run against them.   So what happened next?  I’m told that Tornow dropped the hammer on the Senator, ruling Kolbecks’ motion out of order. And then the meeting was quickly adjourned.   Basically, BOOM, and done, and we’re not going to talk about this any further. 

I guess that was one way to deal with it. But, word quickly spread among Sioux Falls area legislators that there are no promises that cash they raise for the county isn’t going to go against their interest in the next election.  Which at least one legislator tells me directly influenced their decision to sit this and any future Minnehaha County GOP fundraisers out.   Because, why would they put money into an organization which is out there committed to give them the boot?

The state of détente which kept the Minnehaha County GOP functional seems to be out the door, as the leaders of that group won’t even pretend to play nice with some of the people chosen by the voters to represent them in their various offices. Leaving a person to notice that the latest event for the largest county in the state was faring about as well as counties who send kids to the State B Basketball tournament. In other words, Minnehaha was vastly underperforming in relation to their size.

The Minnehaha GOP’s party disunity is not going to help them function as an organization as we move into 2024.

And as they’re finding out, it may just mean that people are going to take their checkbooks elsewhere.