Coming in slightly under 500 votes away from her nearest competitor, Cynthia Mickelson of Sioux Falls took an early lead in the Sioux Falls School Board race and never looked back; continually increasing her lead as the votes were counted over the course of the evening.

Mickelson, whose husband Mark is the Republican Speaker of the State House of Representatives, seemed to hold the attention of popular opinion in the Sioux Falls community, as well as letter writers to the local newspapers during the entirety of the campaign.

The victory may seem even more sweeter, considering her liberal detractors would quite offensively poke at her on the basis of her gender, at the same time they supported her opponent, Randy Dobberpuhl.

In the end, her victory was all but guaranteed as Cynthia ran a superior campaign in fundraising, door to door, and voter contact, peaking on election day. It was a textbook win. And a good lesson that it pays to stick to the basics.

Congratulations to Cynthia, and best of luck to her in her new job as Sioux Falls’ newest School Board member.

Results from KELOland.com: – click on the link for the latest results as they come in.

Looks like Mickelson is pulling away from the pack with just under a 500 vote lead…  I think you can call it for Cynthia at this point.

Aberdeen municipal election results are out and available here at the Aberdeen American News.

And Mitchell results are also in…. Check here for the Mitchell Daily Republic’s results.

Results from KELOland.com: – click on the link for the latest results as they come in.

Via Facebook and KCCR News:

Read about it all at their website at KCCR.

Rounds Statement on Senate Passage of VA Accountability Legislation

Bill would give VA Secretary the ability to make real reforms, improve the quality of care for veterans 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee, today made the following statement on the Senate passage of theDepartment of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. This bipartisan bill would reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by allowing the secretary to remove bad employees and protect whistleblowers from retaliation. Rounds is an original cosponsor of this legislation.

“Today, the Senate took another step toward improving care for our nation’s veterans,” said Rounds. “The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act will hold bad VA employees accountable for inappropriate actions and allow whistleblowers necessary safeguards, while protecting the hardworking VA employees who remain dedicated to providing quality care to our veterans. I look forward to this legislation quickly passing the House of Representatives and getting it to the president’s desk so Secretary Shulkin can begin implementing these much-needed changes.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act increases the VA’s authority to fire employees at all levels of the department, shortens the removal process and makes certain an individual removed from the VA is not kept on the VA’s payroll while appealing that decision. It will also make it easier for the VA to remove poor performing senior executives and replace them with qualified candidates. Additionally, any appeals by senior VA executives would no longer be brought before the Merit Systems Protection Board, but instead would be handled directly by the VA secretary under an expedited timeline.

The legislation also includes a number of other provisions to hold employees accountable, including:

• Requires the VA to evaluate supervisors based on the protection of whistleblowers;
• Incentivizes managers to address poor performance and misconduct among employees by requiring the VA secretary to include this as part of the annual performance plan;
• Prohibits bonuses for employees who have been found guilty of wrongdoing; and
• Prohibits relocation expenses to employees who abuse the system.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act is widely supported by key veterans stakeholders including the VA and U.S. House VA committee leadership. It has also won the support of numerous veterans advocacy groups that represent millions of veterans in the United States and key government accountability groups.

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Thune Welcomes Senate Passage of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act

“Those who have served our country in the armed forces deserve a system that serves them.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement regarding passage of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 1094), which would give the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary greater flexibility to terminate or demote agency employees based on performance, misconduct, or other issues related to employee accountability. It would also increase protections for whistleblowers, as well as expedite the placement of successful managers.

“Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for this nation. In return, they deserve the best of care. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act will provide needed accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs — a department that is too often mired in bureaucratic inefficiencies to the detriment of the men and women it serves.

“By protecting employees who are willing to call out bad behavior and enabling dismissal of poorly performing employees, this legislation provides much-needed and long-awaited reforms. Those who have served our country in the armed forces deserve a system that serves them. This legislation is a significant step in the right direction.”

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Noem, Johnson Reintroduce Bill to Keep Fugitives Off Social Security 

Washington, D.C. – Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Sam Johnson (R-TX) today reintroduced the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felon (CUFF) Act. If enacted, the legislation would prohibit individuals with outstanding felony warrants or parole violations from receiving Social Security disability or retirement payments. The bill is estimated to save taxpayers $4.92 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“It’s incredible to think that a wanted felon can evade prosecution for months – even years – and yet somehow still receive government-issued checks every 30 days or so,” said Noem.  “I’m proud to again join Congressman Johnson in introducing this commonsense legislation. Taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to make payments to people who are running from the law. It’s as simple as that.”

“The fact that fugitives can collect benefits off the backs of hardworking, law abiding taxpayers is appalling,” said Johnson, Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee.  “Even worse, these benefits can help felons further evade the law. That’s why I’m pleased to join Congresswoman Noem in reintroducing this commonsense Law and Order bill.  It’s the right thing to do – both for the safety of and respect for all upstanding American citizens.”

The CUFF Act discontinues Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for those with an outstanding warrant or parole violation.  The legislation only applies to individuals subject to felony charges, or a crime carrying a minimum term of one or more years in prison.  Benefits can be restored once the individual resolves any outstanding issues.

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Despite the efforts of some to discredit her because she’s a woman, Cynthia Mickelson has been pushing hard in her race for Sioux Falls School Board, and has been building up to election day.

And this morning, she’s blasting an animated message to get out and vote via the Sioux Falls Argus Leader website:

If anyone visits the Argus website today, I don’t think there’s any danger of missing that ad!

Best of luck today to a fantastic candidate. And if you have friends in Sioux Falls, make sure you tell them to get out to vote for Cynthia.