Unmasking A Trojan Horse: The Battle for Election Integrity in Lawrence County
A Call to Scrutinize Mark Mowry’s Candidacy
By Samuel R. Kephart, Lawrence County

The cornerstone of our democracy rests on the integrity of our elections, an integrity that begins with the authenticity of candidates and their motives.

It’s critical voters engage in deeper due diligence regarding the individuals they choose to represent them, especially when considering candidates like Mark Mowry, a self-proclaimed conservative Republican vying for the position of State Representative for Lawrence County/District 31.

Mowry’s candidacy raises a plethora of red flags demanding our scrutiny.

First and foremost, one must question the real reasons behind his pursuit of public office. Mowry has publicly stated that he was “recruited” to run.

Who stands to benefit from (much less control) his candidacy?

Such details are not just political minutiae – they are central to understanding the forces at play within our local political landscape.

Complicating Mowry’s dubious claim to the conservative Republican mantle are his voter registration records, which reveal a political chameleon who has swung from Democrat to Independent and now to Republican:

5/17/1996 Democrat – Lyman, 10/16/2014 Independent – Lyman, 11/24/15 Republican – Custer, 5/7/7/2016 Democrat – Custer, 2/19/2018 Independent – Lawrence, 4/23/2021 Republican – Lawrence. 

In a recent streaming video interview, Mowry himself openly admitted to not having much of a Republican Party background… and twice expressed his aversion to the GOP super-majority in Pierre. How can someone, who provably lacks consistency in his political affiliations and openly critiques the party’s legislative dominance, genuinely claim to represent conservative Republican values?

Further, Mowry’s time spent abroad also raises questions about his connection and commitment to the needs of our district. How can a candidate who has spent a substantial amount of time outside the country (he returned from India this March) truly understand and advocate for the local interests of Lawrence County?

What’s most alarming is the shadowy undercurrent suggesting Mowry’s primary candidacy is not about serving the public’s interest but rather about serving a clandestine group of political puppeteers determined to oust an existing candidate for inexplicable reasons.

Don’t be deceived by a group of wolves in sheep’s clothing, who parade Trojan Horse candidates before us in a bid to overthrow a genuine, hard-working representative who has have proven their dedication to our community.

As voters, it’s our duty to peel back the layers, ask the hard questions, and ensure those who seek to represent us are doing so with the purest of motives and a genuine commitment to our values and needs.

Beware, voters, of the hidden machinations within our local political landscape; stand firm against blatant attempts to undermine the integrity of our elections by those seeking to insert puppet candidates into positions of power.

Election integrity begins with transparency, authenticity, and true dedication coming from those who wish to serve, ensuring our democracy remains by the people and for the people.

Samuel R. Kephart
Spearfish

Spent part of Saturday heading across the northern expanse of District 8 along highway 14. And after driving through all those counties, I can’t help but ask, what ever happened to Rick Weible running for State Senate?

Because along the entire route, this is what I saw whenever I saw a political sign:

Reisch, Crabtree, and Walburg signs.  Maybe there were a couple outgrowths of Republican signs in the District without one of them there, but literally in every instance, there they were as a trio, as these were along the main drag in Lake Preston.   I will note I saw 1, maybe 2 Matt Wagner signs around Arlington. But with those exceptions, it was all Reisch, Crabtree and Walburg.   And absolutely no Rick Weible signs.

It’s like the man isn’t in the race.  Or, as noted by an event Weible’s campaign’s facebook site said he’s holding:

1 person going.

Based on Rick’s performance so far, I’m not thinking this campaign is going much further.

Not at all.

As ambitious politicians try to jockey for position, I had an observant reader out there point out the campaign that no one is asking for.  And it leads me to wonder, are South Dakota Republicans actually out there demanding this kind of mediocrity?

Garnering 33 likes and 40 followers out on facebook in the 15 months it has been out there, the “Draft Jon Hansen for SD Governor” effort might have attracted the attention of Carl Perry during the intervening months, but the number of supporters it has attracted seem pretty far and few between otherwise.

As you recall, Hansen rose to the level of being the Speaker Pro Tempore in the House of Representatives in 2021-2022… and stalled out there. And he seems to jump on every anti- bandwagon he can for attention, including the anti-vaxxer movement, the anti-pipeline movement, and the anti-abortion movement.

With this not so subtle hint that Hansen might have ambitions to that office, it kind of makes one wonder what’s going to happen to the mailing list for the Hansen-led Life Defense Fund after this years’ campaign is over?  (Is there a provision to un-sign with that group too)?

Republican candidate for district 9 State house, Kristi Golden is having a fundraiser on Tuesday, May 7 at Shenanigans Sports Bar and Grill:

Come on out on Tuesday and support Kristi!

While today is free comic book day in comic book stores across the country, we missed an almost as important day yesterday – International Tuba Day!

Appreciating Teachers
By: Governor Kristi Noem
May 3, 2024

May 6^th – 10^th is Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to celebrate our educators and thank them for everything they do for our students.

But there’s an ongoing problem in South Dakota – teacher salaries have not kept up with increased funding to education. In fact, teacher pay lags far behind the 26.3% increase in funding to K-12 education since I have been Governor. Our teachers deserve better – so we’re giving them better.

My administration recognizes and appreciated the many contributions of our teachers every single day, and this legislative session we placed a special focus on educators. I was proud to sign SB 127, which establishes a minimum teacher salary and revises the requirements pertaining to average teacher compensation. The new law requires districts to meet a minimum annual teacher salary of at least $45,000. It also requires districts to keep pace with annual increases in state funding. This will ensure that teachers do not get left behind like they have far too often.

Rapid City was one school district that was lagging behind in teacher pay, but now, they recently announced they would meet the $45,000 minimum beginning this fall – two years ahead of the deadline! I am so glad this law is already creating a lasting impact on teachers in our schools.

It took a lot of hard work to get this important legislation across the finish line and to my desk. Together, we are making sure that teachers receive the pay they deserve. The Blue-Ribbon promise to increase teacher pay and to make teachers a top priority is now being upheld.

This session, we also made sure our teachers will be equipped to deliver the most proven model of literacy teaching to our kids as the drop in literacy rates is a challenge to schools across America. HB 1022 makes an appropriation to the Department of Education to provide teachers with the latest tools for professional development in literacy. This works with my Department of Education’s statewide literacy initiative based on the Science of Reading. It includes an emphasis on phonics, which is the proven best way to teach kids how to read. This legislation funds the continuation of this fantastic effort.

Our teachers do so much more than educate our kids. They teach them life skills. They help them grow and develop. And they care for them. Young minds grow and develop.

This Teacher Appreciation Week, I encourage you to reach out to the teachers in your life, whether they be your kids’ teachers, a friend or family member, or even a former teacher of your own who made a lasting impact. Thank them for all that they do. And let them know just how important we know they are.

To our South Dakota teachers, thank you for caring for and educating the next generation.

###

Improving Connections
By Congressman Dusty Johnson

BIG Update

Often, Native Americans are wrongfully left to pay medical bills owed by the Indian Health Service (IHS) through Purchased/Referred Care claims. Patients then must decide to either pay a bill they don’t personally owe or risk the bill getting sent to debt collectors. In March, I introduced the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act to reform IHS and protect Native Americans’ credit.

My bill was discussed during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing this week. Getting a hearing on a bill in Congress is a big deal. Tens of thousands of bills get introduced every two years, but only several hundred receive a hearing. I’m glad this bill is one of those few and hope it passes the Committee soon.

Chairwoman Janet Alkire from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and I testified in support of my bill. You can see my remarks here.

BIG Idea

Regulations and bureaucratic red tape make it difficult to deploy new broadband infrastructure in rural America. I introduced the FOREST Act this week to streamline the permitting process for new broadband infrastructure projects to keep rural Americans up to speed.

BIG News

The United States Postal Service announced its final reorganization plan for South Dakota’s facilities. The Sioux Falls Processing and Distribution Center will be turned into a Local Processing Center and a Sorting and Delivery Center. The nationwide restructuring is intended to increase efficiency for mail deliveries, but there are concerns this will decrease mail delivery speeds in rural areas like South Dakota, where mail will now travel hundreds of extra miles to reach its final destination. It’s unfortunate dozens of jobs will be lost or transferred out of state, forcing families to relocate or find another job. This week, I met with Brandon Delzer, the President of South Dakota Rural Letter Carriers Association, to discuss the restructuring and other postal issues.

South Dakota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Program Hosts Awareness/Training Event Monday in Rapid City 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) program is hosting its first-ever awareness and training event Monday in Rapid City.

“This training is a collaborative effort designed to emphasize and strengthen efforts for missing and murdered indigenous persons,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “We owe it to the families and friends of those who are no longer with us, either through death or absence, to keep searching for the truth.”

Monday’s event will include presentations on issues such as what people should do when someone is missing or murdered, how the prosecution process works, and the boundaries of the court protection order. Also to be discussed is the cultural relevancy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons.

South Dakota’s MMIP program is part of the Attorney General’s Office. It was created in 2022 by former Attorney General Mark Vargo.  Allison Morrisette is the director.

Monday’s event is being held at the Dahl Fine Arts Center in Rapid City.

Sunday is National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day.

-30-

I’ve heard this story from more than one source now, that there are days you wish someone was filming these legislative forums.

Allegedly, there was a recent legislative candidate forum in Yankton, and the topic got around to gun rights. And out of the blue, as the story goes, State Representative Julie Auch pulls a handgun out of her purse like it’s just a prop, and slams it on the table, referencing the 2nd amendment as protection against the government taking away constitutional rights.

That’s the first time I’ve heard of a State Legislative candidate doing something like that. … maybe the rest of us just need more theatrics in our forums.

To make her point next time, do you think she’ll let a couple rounds go in the air, too?

Sometimes you stumble across stuff that leaves you scratching your head.  District 21 Senate Candidate Mykala Voita already had my radar up with her “End Time Army” participation, and her latest goofiness is no different.

So here’s the set up. According to her campaign facebook page, in between far too many biblical quotes, earlier this month Voita was apparently carrying around petitions to void Senate Bill 201, the Landowner Bill of Rights because she’s anti-pipeline, etcetera.

With that in the background, I noticed this filing with the Secretary of State’s office, Voita’s Statement of Financial Interest, where she tells the world what she does, and who she works for:

According to this document, when Voita isn’t drilling with the end time army, her occupation is “Utility Construction,” and she declares herself to be a partner in Wells Utilities, LLC.  What do we know about her business? At least according to Facebook, its an “Excavation and Utility Contractor,” and elsewhere noted as a trenching contractor.

Rural water work. Wouldn’t that be a rural water pipeline?   So… in other words, District 21 Senate Candidate Mykala Voita, who is carrying around petitions to void Senate Bill 201, the Landowner Bill of Rights, is a utility and pipeline contractor?

If Voita would bother to read the initiated measure she’s circulating, Senate Bill 201’s official title is An Act to  provide new statutory requirements for regulating linear transmission facilities, to allow counties to impose a surcharge on certain pipeline companies, and to establish a landowner bill of rights.

Why do I have the sense that this is a bit of contradiction that she’s campaigning to attack someone else’s pipeline, when I have no doubt she’s happy to accept money to trench another’s?  And of even greater consideration, why doesn’t she want indemnity for landowners? Because one of the major points in the landowner bill of rights, is to require pipeline companies to indemnify landowners for liability. Such as when someone putting in a pipeline tears across something they shouldn’t…  …Ooohhhh. As someone who digs for a living, maybe that’s why? 

While she’s on the campaign trail, is she going to go into detail what types of pipelines are good and bad?  Or what types of pipelines she’s happy to do work for, and which ones she won’t?  Are water pipelines ok, but she considers natural gas pipelines bad, because it’s far more volatile than c02 is, because co2 appears to be where she’s currently drawing the line?

It’s my understanding that because of the pipeline opposition groups, rural water systems are concerned they’re not going to be able to build systems anymore. I would think that Voita would be concerned with that.  You would think.  Utility and rural water companies should get some more detail from Mykala, as I’m guessing she’s happy to trench for them in the field, as long as they don’t notice she’s trying to jam up the ability to expand their grid of services.

You know, that’s one of the job of legislators, to dig deeper into issues before they start going of half-cocked.  Senator Erin Tobin does a good job of getting to the bottom of things before she shoots her mouth off.

And all this contradiction is an example why her opponent, Mykala Voita should probably stick to training in her End Time Army. Because she just isn’t ready for prime time.