As retrieved about 5 minutes ago from the Secretary of State…
Still District 10.
Not living where you’re running tends to be a bit of a handicap in trying to convince someone that they will represent their neighbor at the legislature in Pierre.
I think I’d be spending that money on an apartment deposit at this point, as opposed to a pile of t-shirts.
Spellerberg Announces Candidacy for Sioux Falls City Council
SIOUX FALLS–Ryan Spellerberg is excited to announce his candidacy for the Sioux Falls City Council Southwest District. An industry leader in finance, Ryan has decades of experience helping clients across the region as a mortgage lender and financial independence instructor.
“The American dream is alive and well in Sioux Falls,” said Spellerberg. “I’m excited to serve the people of Sioux Falls and be their voice for the future of Sioux Falls. As the district’s next councilor, I’ll focus on affordable housing, reducing crime, investing in infrastructure, and expanding the park system in southern Sioux Falls.”
Raised as a farm kid in Lidgerwood, North Dakota, Spellerberg learned the value of hard work, determination and grit at a young age. Ryan graduated from Northern State University with a degree in Business and Economics, and launched a career in financial services. In 2008, Ryan and his wife Emily established their roots in Sioux Falls for work opportunities and to be near family and friends. In his spare time, Ryan has been involved with Habitat for Humanity, Sioux Falls Veterans Community Project, and teaching Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey.
As a mortgage lender, Spellerberg enjoys helping people achieve homeownership – especially first-time homebuyers. In recognition of his hard work, Ryan has been awarded ‘Lender of the Year’ from the South Dakota Housing Association seven times in the last 10 years.
“There is incredible joy in helping families eliminate personal debt and become homeowners,” said Spellerberg. “I get the opportunity to help guide families to achieve the American dream. Now, I want to take my skills and values to the city council and help guide the direction of our growing city. There are a lot of big issues in Sioux Falls, and I look forward to meeting with my neighbors, hearing their ideas, and moving this great community in the right direction.”
Sioux Falls city elections are Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Follow Spellerberg for Sioux Falls on Facebook for campaign updates from Ryan.
The changing weather brings a return advertiser to Dakotawarcollege. The bright new banner ad on the left of the website welcomes Mike Rounds and the Norbeck PAC to Advertiser’s Row to advertisers row.
Of course, at Dakota Campaign Store, you’ll find me gearing up for 2024 with yard signs, postcards, and all the things a professional campaign needs to make an impression.
I’m down to my #2 and (Update – 10/4) #3 spot on the right, so there are only limited advertising opportunities left for reaching South Dakota’s opinion leaders as the 2024 campaign season starts up. Advertising on the Dakotwarcollege.com website is based on a first come, first serve basis for available positions.
Is Christine Erickson getting ready to carry the ball again for Sioux Falls government?
(Campaign photo courtesy Erickson for City Council campaign)
Former Republican Legislator and past Sioux Falls City Councilwoman Sioux Falls disclosed this week on the Dakota Scout podcast that she’s eyeing a potential run for Sioux Falls Mayor, and has assembled a kitchen cabinet to discuss the possibility:
Erickson disclosed her consideration of the positionFriday during an appearance on The Dakota Scout’s SCOUTING REPORT weekly podcast, where she revealed that she has assembled a team of local business and political leaders to explore a potential run.
“I’ve got a great crew, we call it ‘the mayor’s roundtable,’” Erickson said. “We quietly have a team, and we are looking at if this makes sense for me and my boys.”
I caught up with Christine afterwards, as even the discussion is surprising – as her position with the South Dakota Trucking and Auto Dealers Association is considered one of the plum government affairs positions in all of South Dakota – yet for those who have served in public office as successfully as Erickson, the pull of it is always there, especially as others sketch out the state’s political future and cast her in their “dream ticket” as they prognosticate what the landscape of government will look like in the state’s future.
Christine noted to me that she “loved public service, but when my kids were younger and I needed to make a change. As they are older it could be a good time to enter the discussion again.”
Among Republicans in South Dakota, Christine’s name has been raised in the past and possibly in the future as a running mate for gubernatorial hopefuls seeking instant and certain credibility in the Sioux Falls market. But Christine herself is more focused on her job, and personally what the next few years might bring to the state’s largest city.
Talking to me about her position with the South Dakota Truckers and Auto Dealers Association, she expressed to me that “I love the industry and love representing main street business owners that are so important to the community.”
But it should not go unnoticed that there have been conversations happening, and that she has been “meeting with people for the last several months,” and there seems to be support. And not just among Republicans, but a bi-partisan groundswell that has an interest in her leadership.
As she noted in the podcast, a lot has to come together, and stars would have to align for her to move forward with any official campaign.
But to date, as she is considered a unifier who cuts across partisan lines, former State Representative Erickson has our attention as she contemplates a return to public service in South Dakota.
10 Years Since Winter Storm Atlas BySen. John Thune
Ten years ago, Winter Storm Atlas swept through western South Dakota. When it started, no one had any idea that it would be one of the most devastating snowstorms in the area’s history. Atlas dropped as much as 5 feet of snow in some areas. Wind gusts reached 71 miles per hour, and the storm devastated West River ranches.
Growing up in Murdo, we saw a lot of nasty weather, but Winter Storm Atlas was a storm unlike any other. Shortly after the storm cleared, I toured the area with then-Gov. Dennis Daugaard. It was heart-wrenching to see the impact on our state’s livestock industry. Tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, horses, and bison were killed. Much of the livestock that survived the storm were scattered miles from their pasture.
The Atlas storm brought the ferocity of Mother Nature to bear, but it also revealed the resilience and kindness of South Dakotans. Farmers and ranchers are independent, hard-working people. They are the best friends and neighbors you could ask for – the first to lend a helping hand and the last to ask for help. In the days and weeks after the blizzard, support came in from across the country. South Dakotans donated to the Rancher Relief Fund that provided millions of dollars in assistance to livestock producers, and producers from around the country donated their own livestock to help South Dakota ranchers rebuild their way of life.
When the storm hit, Congress was working on finalizing a farm bill, and I got right to work to make sure the bill would be done quickly and that the programs producers needed would be there for them. Winter Storm Atlas was a reminder that disaster can strike when you least expect it. In the 2008 farm bill, I coauthored the first standing livestock disaster programs of their kind. I worked to ensure these programs – the Livestock Forage, Livestock Indemnity, and Emergency Livestock Assistance programs – were continued and strengthened in the 2014 and 2018 farm bills.
Thankfully a storm as devastating as Atlas hasn’t struck again, but South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers have certainly seen their fair share of extreme weather in the last decade. Weather is just one aspect of the uncertainty and challenges that farmers and ranchers face. The livestock programs I helped design are an integral part of the farm safety net that farmers and ranchers depend on when challenges arise. As Congress considers another farm bill this year, I’m working to strengthen these programs to ensure farmers and ranchers can weather any storm that comes their way.
Agriculture is South Dakota’s number-one industry. South Dakota farmers and ranchers work hard every day, and they face uncertainty and a myriad of challenges to deliver a reliable and affordable food supply to the nation and the world. South Dakota’s producers are on my mind every day in the U.S. Senate, and I’ll continue working to ensure farm policy supports them and the important work they do.
The Big Three By Rep. Dusty Johnson September 29, 2023
BIG Update
Last week, I gave you an update on our national debt. This week, our nation is facing the September 30 deadline to fund the government. House Republicans continue to pass individual appropriations bills that cut spending, strengthen our military, and secure the border – but we are running out of time to get everything across the finish line by tomorrow at midnight. A government shutdown costs the U.S. money and would prevent our military from getting paid – it’s a terrible option.
That’s why I worked on a short-term solution with the House Freedom Caucus and Republican Main Street Caucus to keep the government open for 31 more days paired with historic spending cuts and strong border security provisions. Unfortunately, 21 of my Republican colleagues sided with Democrats and opposed our bill. They try to make it sound like a noble cause, but it doesn’t move America in the right direction. In fact, it does the opposite.
This bill was our chance to show the U.S. Senate and President Biden that House Republicans won’t accept a clean government spending bill and that we are serious about lower spending and securing our border. These 21 prevented that from happening.
Learn more about the plan I put forward with members of the House Freedom Caucus—watch my remarks from today here.
BIG Idea
China plays a large role in chassis (the base frame that helps move cargo) production for truck trailers. In our steps to decrease dependence on China, leveling the playing field for chassis production is part of that strategy. I met with the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association and Trail King of Mitchell, South Dakota to talk about ways to increase production in America and foster a robust workforce.
BIG News
Border crossing numbers hit new record highs. More than 60,000 people came across the southern border illegally just this week. The news has 24/7 coverage of long lines of people streaming across the border. It’s clear the Biden Administration isn’t allowing Border Patrol agents to do their jobs.
Eight Democrat mayors and governors have declared a state of emergency because of the illegal immigrants that have flooded their communities. They don’t have the resources—physical or financial—to handle this influx.
The crisis at the border cannot be ignored, yet the Biden Administration’s border policies have neglected it for nearly 36 months. Congress can’t rely on President Biden’s policies to change any time soon. It’s long past time to put in place real border security solutions. On Thursday night, House Republicans passed our bill to fund Homeland Security. It secures our southern border by hiring more border patrol agents, investing in new technology, resuming construction of the border wall, and removing dangerous criminals. We’re taking action to secure the border. It’s too dangerous not to. It’s my hope the Senate agrees and passes our bill.
There was a Republican Lincoln Day dinner in Fall River County last night, and if you think it was a run-of-the-mill affair, guess again. Because not only did it underline the divisions with some members of the far right and the Republican Party as a whole, it gave a preview of what we are going to see coming in the next election.
The featured speakers were Senator Tom Pischke, and Senator Julie Frye Mueller, who coincidentally have both been disinvited from attending the Republican Senate caucus because of their actions this last legislative session.
After Senator Pischke read his speech off, Frye Mueller got up and gave a fish story which I hadn’t heard to date:
“ you could see this was an orchestrated attempt.. and what Senator Schoenbeck.. and yes you’re watching.. and if you are good for you. His goal I believe was to have me hang my head and walk off the floor. And never come back. And that wasn’t going to happen.
Because I believe he’s the one who made up those words, as that staffor didn’t say those words, and I didn’t say them either as in my kangaroo court I testified to.”
Wait a moment.. was this the same Julie Frye Mueller who claimed in a lawsuit that in her speech with the employee was constitutionally protected?
In her lawsuit, Frye-Mueller argues that her conversation with the staffer was political speech protected by the First Amendment, and that her first-of-its-kind suspension came without due process.
Now, despite the legislative hearing with sworn testimony of the employee who related her version of conversation, and the written statement of the employee as part of her original complaint, now Frye Mueller has started to voice a ridiculous claim that Senator Schoenbeck actually authored it?
I have a feeling this is going to get sillier before the next legislative session is over.
Speaking of ridiculous and silly, there was a candidate announcement at the dinner as well.
The Buffalo Roundup: The Heart of the Wild West By: Governor Kristi Noem September 29, 2023
Teddy Roosevelt is one of my favorite presidents. He embodied the spirit of Freedom. He cared about stewarding the land. And he appreciated the beauty of this nation. President Roosevelt said, “the farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom.” That is exactly what South Dakota offers.
President Roosevelt spent a lot of time in the Dakotas during his life. And there is one event that we do every single year here in South Dakota that I just know he would have loved. It is one of my favorite days of the years – the Buffalo Roundup.
The Buffalo Roundup really shows what South Dakota is all about. It incorporates South Dakota’ culture, heritage, outdoor spirit, and our passion for Freedom. The event takes place every year on the last Friday in September in Custer State Park. Custer State Park is home to a herd of about 1,400 bison. Rounding up these bison is not only a spectacular sight to see, but it is also critical to maintaining a strong and healthy heard.
Back in 2016, when I was serving as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I led the efforts to name the bison as America’s National Mammal. This was a huge accomplishment, especially after the bison came so close to extinction. It is estimated that the bison population in the United States reached an all-time low in 1884, when fewer than 1,000 were left in the country. Now, after more than a century of conservation efforts, there are more than 500,000 bison in the United States!
The Custer State Park bison herd has contributed greatly to those efforts. When South Dakota legend Scotty Philip started the herd, it was one of the few herds left in America. Because of that long history of strong management, our herd has some of the best genetics in the country. Each year, we sell some of these bison to intersperse their genetics with those of other herds to improve the health of the species’ population across the nation.
The state of South Dakota is a special place – and the Buffalo Roundup is truly a testament to the spirit of conservation in our state. We are a state still believes in the beauty of the American Dream. We believe that you can pull yourself up by the bootstraps, put in a little hard work, and make anything possible for yourself. We still prioritize American values. Our small-town way of life makes people feel comfortable – like they’re back somewhere safe and familiar.
We value tradition, and we value the great outdoors. All of this is why we continue to host the Buffalo Roundup year after year. The Roundup is a tradition unlike any other. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you can only get here in South Dakota.
Teddy Roosevelt talked about the “lonely freedom” of the wilderness. Well, South Dakota is the Freest state in America – so I can’t think of a better place to enjoy the Freedom of the Wild West than right here.
Matt Roby Announces Candidacy for District 5 State House of Representatives
WATERTOWN, SD – Watertown resident Matt Roby today announced his candidacy for the State House of Representatives in District 5. “I’m passionate about the Watertown area and will always to do what I can to make it better,” Roby said. ‘My public service, community involvement, and private sector experience give me the tools, relationships, and perspective necessary to be a strong voice for District 5 in Pierre.”
Roby aims to build on the record of common-sense conservative leadership by legislators from the Watertown area. He is interested in advocating for education, enhancing economic development opportunities, addressing the mental health and addiction crisis, and promoting policies to give individuals, families, and businesses the freedom to thrive.
“I pride myself in being in a good listener. I’m eager to continue listening to and learning from District 5 residents as I seek to earn their support in the coming months.”
Roby, 39, is a husband, father, attorney, fourth-generation resident of Watertown, and lifelong Republican. He began his career as an Assistant South Dakota Attorney General and served as Watertown’s City Attorney from 2017 to 2022. He has also worked in the insurance industry and as a private attorney. Outside of work and family, he is actively involved with several non-profit organizations.
Roby and his wife, Stefanie, live in Watertown where he works as legal counsel for an investment firm, and she works as a Physician Assistant. They have four children – Bennett, Griffin, Hannah, and Sutton – and attend Immaculate Conception Church. To learn more, visit www.MattRobyforSD.com or find Matt Roby for SD State House – District 5 on Facebook.
Gov. Noem Invites California Gun Manufacturers to Move to SD
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem invited California gun manufacturers and law-abiding gun owners to move to South Dakota to escape California’s gun and ammunition tax , which Governor Gavin Newsom signed as the first such tax in the country.
“Why would anyone want to live in a state where your Second Amendment rights are infringed?” said Governor Noem. “South Dakota has been setting the standard as the most Second-Amendment friendly state in the nation for years. Our firearms industry is thriving. Unlike Governor Newsom, South Dakota respects our God-riven rights. So if you are a California gun manufacturer or law-abiding gun owner, we are ready to help you make the move!”
South Dakota’s firearms industry has a total economic impact of $400 million. The state has the second-highest number of registered weapons per 100,000 residents of any state in the nation – this is over three times the nation average and seven times that of California. South Dakota’s concentration of employment in the firearms industry is also 77% higher than the national average and 177% higher than California’s.
Silencer Central has grown from being a local business with a small office space in Sioux Falls to having a national footprint. The gun shop now employs 165 team members and sold more than 100,000 silencers in 42 states last year. They opened their new 47,500-square-foot corporate office in Sioux Falls last June and have grown their staff from 17 to 175, including 120 onsite in Sioux Falls.
Cole-TAC relocated from New Hampshire to the Black Hills, bringing with it 40 jobs. Cole-TAC manufactures tactical accessories, include suppressor covers, ammo storage, hunting gear, and a variety or shooting accessories.
The first bill that Governor Noem ever signed into law guarantees Constitutional Carry for all law-abiding South Dakotans. South Dakota was also the first state to not charge a fee for a concealed carry permit, and it is one of the strongest states for “Stand Your Ground” laws.
State and local governments in South Dakota cannot use an emergency declaration as an excuse to infringe on Second Amendment rights. And, in April, Governor Noem signed an Executive Order blocking state agencies from contracting with large banks that engage in discrimination against firearm-related industries.
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development is equipped to help those interested in moving to South Dakota. You can find more information through Governor Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” website.
The changing weather brings a return advertiser to Dakotawarcollege. The bright new banner ad on the left of the website welcomes Mike Rounds and the Norbeck PAC to Advertiser’s Row to advertisers row.
