I’m working on a little history project, in part for fun, and I stumbled across this news item from 1976, which I think could be oddly prophetic for the SDGOP as it is now:

July 14, 1976, as it appeared in the Mitchell Daily Republic, the Chairman Leo Thorsness and his Assistant Roger Meyer (you know the former chair in Yankton – still carrying water for the elephant 50 years later!) are burning the note to end the South Dakota Republican Party’s debt, which rose as high as $90,000 back in 1976.

In today’s dollars, that’s nearly $500,000 of debt that the party had racked up at one time and paid down. The SDGOP has had minor bank notes since, but this might have been the most massive debt the party had.

Which given the state of the South Dakota Republican Party’s current finances and inability to raise money as led by former Obama Democrat Jim Eschenbaum, we might see a return to the SDGOP carrying that kind of debt load if someone is willing to sign the note.

Visit Rapid City to Unveil President Trump Statue
Public is Invited to Meet the Latest Addition to the City of Presidents

Visit Rapid City is unveiling the latest addition to the City of Presidents – a bronze statue of President Donald J. Trump – on May 3 at the Elks Theatre, located at 512 6th St. in Rapid City.

“The City of Presidents is a vital part of Rapid City and a story of American history,” said Ally Formanek, interim CEO for Visit Rapid City. “We look forward to introducing the latest installment of this art project to the public.”

The following is an overview of the event:

• Time: 3-5 p.m.
• Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
• Bags may not be larger than 4.5” x 6.5” (no larger than your hand); clear bags are allowed (both are subject to search)
• 3-4 p.m.: Speakers to include Laurie Sutterer with Visit Rapid City, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun, Richard Purdue (son of the founder of City of Presidents, Don Purdue) Jim Maher (artist who sculpted the statue), the Bradsky Family and the Patton Family (statue donors)
• 4-5 p.m.: Photo opportunity with statue
• The event is open to the public, with seats available on a first come first served basis.

The City of Presidents was founded in 2020 and 2025 marks its 25th anniversary. A privately funded nonpartisan art project and trail of history, Visit Rapid City is responsible for the promotion and management of the presidents.

President Trump’s statue was commissioned after his term ended in 2021 and was completed before he was elected to a second term in November 2024. The statue was created by Jim Maher, a Rapid City artist.

Learn more about Visit Rapid City at VisitRapidCity.com.

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it sounds like the questions over Christopher Reder’s residency continued to linger, and may have hastened his departure from the South Dakota Legislature.  As Argus political reporter Dominik Dausch came to find, the more a person dug, the questions didn’t just continue to linger, but they continued to grow:

But questions around Reder’s fitness to serve as a state representative swirled once more when Pat Powers, a Republican blogger, scrutinized the Warner lawmaker’s status as a resident of South Dakota in April

 And..

The Argus Leader reached out to Reder April 9 with questions regarding his residency status in South Dakota and Minnesota, and the following questions were asked: “Could you clarify your residency situation in South Dakota?”; and, “Do you currently spend more time living in South Dakota or Minnesota since the sale of the Warner ranch?”

And..

…a person who gains residence in another state loses their South Dakota residence, and a person who moves from South Dakota to another state or territory “with the intention of making it the person’s permanent home” also loses their original residence.

And..

The Argus Leader sent a follow-up email asking if the then-legislator could clarify if he is a resident of Minnesota. Reder did not respond to either inquiry.

Read the entire story here.

And shortly thereafter, the resignation came about.  (It probably didn’t help with moving a branch of his organization into a rural District 3 location recently.)

Hot off the press from Hub City Radio, State Representative Chris Reder has announced that he’s resigned from the South Dakota State Legislature:

Representative Christopher Reder announced Thursday that he has resigned as legislator representing District 1.

Here is his resignation letter:

“Good afternoon, I am sending out this statement in reference to my decision I took this afternoon, to step down as the South Dakota House of Representatives, District #1 representative. This was not an easy decision but is due to personal and professional reasons.”

Read the entire resignation letter here.

Reder’s resignation comes after questions arose with regards to the Representative’s residency, and a residence that he had established in Minnesota.

South Dakota Democrats’ annual dinner is going to feature one of the highest profile speakers that they’ve had in a number of years, as they bring Minnesota Governor and former VP Candidate Tim Walz to Sioux Falls:

Gov. Tim Walz to be Keynote Speaker at SD Democratic Party Dinner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1st, 2025

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The South Dakota Democratic Party is honored to announce Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as our keynote speaker for our annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12th in Sioux Falls.

Walz was first elected Governor in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. He is a proven leader in Minnesota, helping to create free school meals for students, strengthening voting rights, cutting taxes for the middle class, and expanding paid leave for workers. In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz as her running mate for the Presidential election.

Born in a small town in rural Nebraska, his parents instilled in him the values of public service, generosity toward your neighbors, and working for the common good. Those values continue to guide his commitment to Minnesota each and every day. Walz served in the Army National Guard before becoming a high school teacher and coach.

“We are really excited to welcome Governor Walz to South Dakota,” said SDDP Chair Shane Merrill. “He’s a true Midwesterner, growing up in rural Nebraska near the South Dakota border. He is a rural Democrat, who represented a rural Minnesota Congressional district before his governorship. I am excited to hear what he has to share with us during McGovern Day as we honor the late George McGovern who fought for all South Dakotans during his time in Congress.”

“We are thrilled to host Governor Tim Walz as our guest at McGovern Day,” said SDDP Vice Chair Jessica Meyers. “Walz and his administration continue to show their neighboring states what good governance looks like in the Midwest. It is an honor to have him visit us this summer.”

Tickets for the dinner will go on sale in June.

For questions, you can contact the SDDP Executive Director Dan Ahlers at dan@sddp.org or contact the state party office by phone at 605-271-5405 or 605-940-3071.

Rapid City business group ELEVATE Rapid City released their scorecard of legislators for the 2025 legislative session, and both Senators Helene Duhamel and Amber Hulse receiving glowing 100% scores from the pro-business group.

And at the same time freedom caucus leader Tony Randolph and GOP vice-chair Tina Mulally were cited for voting against business an incredible 82% of the time. Here’s the scorecard:

ELEVATE Rapid City 2025 Legislative Scorecard by Pat Powers on Scribd

Many of Rapid City’s legislators scored well on the business benchmarks set by the group to promote growth. But unfortunately, a certain number were notable for their anti-business stances. I highlighted the turkeys so you can take note:

As noted, Tina Mulally and Tony Randolph were joined by Phil Jensen for voting against business 82% of the time in this scorecard. Heather Baxter was almost as anti-business as they were, voting against business 64% of the time, with anti-business legislator Taffy Howard voting against the businesses in her community 60% of the time – even more than the lone Democrat in Rapid City Nichole Uhre-Balk.

The job creators in the Rapid City community really need to step up and figure out who they want to represent them in Pierre. People who want to support jobs and development, or those who vote against it.

Ugh, I hate myself for posting this.

But you need to see “4% Toby Doeden” try to convince a church congregation that he’s being advised by an invisible man who tells him things:

Toby claims that a few years back that he received a message from that he believes to be from God who says to him “it is time for you to serve South Dakota.”

Did the voices tell him that before or after he got over a million dollars of free money, courtesy of taxpayers?

Or did the the voices told him to serve South Dakota and run for office right before he put his home basketball court in?  Were those the same voices that told him to raise rent by 48% on the single mother?

The voice of the lord tells people a lot of crazy stuff.  Or maybe it’s how it’s being interpreted by the end user..?

Speaking of crazy stuff, word on the street is that Doeden will be announcing his plans on May 22nd, so we don’t have to wait long to find out what else the invisible voices are telling him.

Besides. Those voices telling him to do stuff don’t have the best track record.

The voices really whiffed it for Toby on the whole Mark “I’m a black nazi” Robinson thing.

Gov. Rhoden Appoints Dr. Tonia Warzecha and Greg Von Wald to the Board of Education Standards

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced the appointment of Dr. Tonia Warzecha and Greg Von Wald to the South Dakota Board of Education Standards.

“Our students are the future of our state, and they deserve the very best education to get into the career of their dreams,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “Dr. Tonia Warzecha and Greg Von Wald will be tremendous additions to the Board of Education Standards, and they will continue to help set our students up for success.”

Dr. Tonia Warzecha is an experienced educational leader, spending more than 25 years of her career in education and over a decade in district and building-level leadership roles. She currently serves as Superintendent of the Dakota Valley School District. Prior to this role, Dr. Warzecha was the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Tea Area School District, overseeing curriculum development, assessment systems, and federal programs. In 2021, she was recognized as South Dakota’s Curriculum Leader of the Year. Dr. Warzecha has also served in a leadership role for the Area II Superintendents’ Group and serves on several statewide education advisory boards.

“I am deeply honored by Governor Rhoden’s appointment to the South Dakota Board of Education Standards,” said Dr. Tonia Warzecha. “This is a responsibility that I will approach with a commitment to high-quality education, fairness, and careful stewardship of our students’ futures. I look forward to working collaboratively to uphold and strengthen South Dakota standards in a way that serves all learners and communities across our state.”

Dr. Warzecha holds a Doctor of Education and Specialist in Educational Administration from the University of South Dakota. You can find a picture of Dr. Tonia Warzecha here.

Greg Von Wald is the former President of Mitchell Technical Institute (MTI). He led the college through unprecedented growth, overseeing an enrollment increase of nearly 60%. Prior to his appointment at MTI, he served as CEO and General Manager of Golden West Technologies and Internet Solutions and CEO and owner of a telecommunications company in Aberdeen. Von Wald also has military leadership experience, having served as the head of the Operational Development Team and Faculty Member at the Marine Corps University. He was selected as part of the team that developed and implemented the Marine offensive plan during Operation Desert Storm.

“I would like to thank Governor Rhoden for his appointment to the Board of Education Standards,” said Greg Von Wald. “I believe in a well-rounded and challenging education for our children that encourages good character, solid principles, and a high ethical standard – keys to their and our country’s future success.  I look forward to contributing to this goal.”

Von Wald served as the Executive Director of the Skilled Workforce Advocacy Council, where he developed a campaign plan that elevated the importance of technical education in South Dakota. You can find a picture of Greg Von Wald here.

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President Trump promised more secure elections—now Congress must back it up with adequate funding
By Austin Hoffman

In recent years, election integrity has rightly taken center stage in national and local conversations. However, as more Americans call for stronger safeguards to protect the vote, many election administrators have struggled to fund these essential processes, and federal support has failed to keep pace with the growing threats facing our democracy. Robust elections are pillars of American democracy, and our states require adequate funding to keep this foundation on solid ground.

Local officials, like the ones I work with on the South Dakota Board of Elections, are responsible for a broad range of voting operations. From addressing vulnerabilities in our election software to verifying the accuracy of results in post-election audits, these steps are critical to ensuring that every vote remains secure. However, these processes are costly to carry out. Hiring and training staff and purchasing upgraded equipment require significant financial commitments, which can strain resource-strapped governments.

This is where federal investment becomes crucial to supplement state and local budgets, which often operate on razor-thin margins. Federal funding provides the support and flexibility we need to ensure every citizen can safely and securely cast their ballot. Every Election Day, there are small disruptions like malfunctioning voting equipment to broader upsets like bomb threats and cyber incidents. And officials cannot carry out their duties to protect American elections without the proper resources at hand.

Unfortunately, Congressional support has been woefully lacking in recent years as funding levels have steadily declined. This discouraging trend jeopardizes states’ and localities’ ability to swiftly and efficiently respond to these crises as they crop up, imposing self-inflicted harm to our democratic institutions.

President Trump has long demonstrated a commitment to enhancing election security so that Americans can feel confident in the integrity of their vote—and it was encouraging to see Congress advance $15 million for election security grants in the recent continuing resolution. While this was a productive step in the right direction, we are still digging out of the hole left by lack of investment during the Biden administration. Further, this figure still lags far behind the roughly $400 million appropriated in fiscal years 2018 and 2020 during President Trump’s first term.

Recently, President Trump signed an executive order reaffirming his administration’s focus on election integrity. Among its objectives are pledges to modernize voting equipment and upgrade cybersecurity safeguards, which are critical steps to increasing public trust in elections. With sufficient funding, these goals will create a more resilient electoral infrastructure that will benefit future generations of voters. But without the necessary investment, we may not see the President’s vision realized.

Several reforms outlined in the recent executive order are absolutely essential, and the President is right to elevate the issue of election integrity. But spotlighting the need for more security at the ballot box is only half the battle—election officials need sustained financial support to achieve real progress. In a moment where election security has been afforded renewed attention, Congress must use this momentum to ensure that our voting infrastructure receives robust and reliable funding in 2025 and beyond.

—

Austin Hoffman is the State’s Attorney for McPherson County and serves on the South Dakota Board of Elections.

From SDEA, South Dakota can celebrate recently moving from last place in teacher pay among the states to almost last, a jump of 3 states which still apparently leaves us last in our region, but not in the nation:

South Dakota Moves to 46 in Average Teacher Pay

Highest Ranking in History of NEA’s Rankings and Estimates Report SDEA Cautions Lawmakers to Not Become Complacent

Pierre, SD – The South Dakota Education Association (SDEA) announces that South Dakota has moved up three positions to rank 46th in average teacher salary according to the latest NEA Rankings and Estimates report. For the 2023–2024 school year, South Dakota’s average teacher salary is $56,328, a significant increase from the previous year’s average of $53,153 when the state ranked 49th. This current rank of 46 is the highest South Dakota has achieved since the report’s inception.

SDEA President Loren Paul credits three years of substantial investments in South Dakota’s public school funding formula, including six percent increases for FY 2023, seven percent for FY 2024, and four percent for FY 2025. These investments were all above the statutory increase of three percent.

“The state’s investments in public schools are paying off for teachers. Most school districts saw some nice bumps in pay, which encouraged teachers to stay,” said Paul. “We believe that it was a smart investment on the part of those legislators, and coupled with the strong accountability measures we passed in 2024, we saw meaningful gains in pay.”

However, Paul cautions that a drop in investment may lead to the state average sliding back again. With the 2025 legislators only giving schools a 1.25 percent increase, South Dakota falls behind inflation, and schools will struggle to keep salaries competitive. Despite the increase in the average, teachers across the nation still have less buying power.

The report shows that while the national average teacher salary increased by 3.8% from 2022–23 ($69,381) to 2023–24 ($72,030), this was the second-largest annual increase since 2006–07, following the 4.0% growth from 2021–22 to 2022-23. Twenty-three states experienced growth of over 4%. However, adjusted for inflation, teachers still make less than they did a decade ago.

“While we see moving up in rank as good news, we are concerned that lawmakers will take their feet off the gas and salary increases will stall, forcing many teachers to leave the profession because they can’t pay their bills,” said Paul. “My message to state policymakers is that we were moving in the right direction, but the work is not done. To ensure we have qualified and caring teachers in the classroom, we need to continue making strong investments in our schools.”

The report also shows good news for starting salaries. South Dakota moved up in average starting salary to number 25, with an average starting salary of $45,530 for the 2023–2024 school year, up from 27th place the previous year.

Comparison with Neighboring States:

• • North Dakota: Average teacher salary is $58,581
  • Nebraska: Average teacher salary is $60,239
  • Minnesota: Average teacher salary is $72,430
  • Iowa: Average teacher salary is $62,399
  • Montana: Average teacher is $57,556
  • Wyoming: Average teacher salary is $63,669

Don’t worry, I’m sure we can be last again if the legislature is able to strip away tax dollars funding education to send to private schools this next session.