Speaking of endorsements…

In the race for Attorney General, State Senator Lance Russell today picked up the endorsement of his  somewhat controversial fellow State Senator Stace Nelson.

On the Republican side of the aisle, Russell will face Jason Ravnsborg, who has announced the endorsement of many of South Dakota’s County Sheriffs, Lawrence County State’s Attorney John Fitzgerald (who has been endorsed by Whitewood Councilman Jerry Davidson), and Deputy Attorney General Charles McGuigan.

The Republican candidate for the office will be chosen at the Republican State Convention to be held in Pierre this coming June.

More than 60 Sheriffs Endorse Jackley for Governor

PIERRE, SD: In an outpouring of support from South Dakota’s law enforcement community, 61 of the state’s 66 county sheriffs have endorsed Attorney General Marty Jackley for governor.

“There’s no one I would trust more to lead our public safety than Marty,” said Sheriff Jim Vlahakis of Yankton County. “His integrity is beyond question, and he’s demonstrated as attorney general and US Attorney that he knows how to proactively tackle safety issues in our state.”

Sheriff Vlahakis’s words were echoed by sheriffs in other counties as well.

“He’s been a strong partner to sheriffs and police officers, and I know that steadfast support for law enforcement will continue if he is elected governor,” said Sheriff Mike Leidholt of Hughes County.

“Anyone questioning Marty’s performance as attorney general simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” said Sheriff Kurt Hall from Faulk County. “We’re here on the front lines and we know the real situation. Marty’s been right here with us.”

For some sheriffs, friendship with Jackley began during difficult times. Sheriff Byron Nogelmeier of Turner County remembers the day his deputy was killed in the line of duty.

“He came here to Turner County to do a job and do it right,” Nogelmeier said. “Those are the types of traits that we look for in a governor.”

Jackley thanked the sheriffs for their service to South Dakota and said he hopes he can continue to prioritize public safety as governor.

“We owe the peace of mind we have in South Dakota to the brave service of our law enforcement officials,” Jackley said. “We’re incredibly humbled to have the backing of so many sheriffs and remain committed to guaranteeing our law enforcement have the tools they need to do the job we’ve asked them to do.”

You can watch the endorsement video from Sheriff Kurt Hall here:

Well, that was quick. South Dakota’s self-styled mistress of ditch weed, the state’s lone “Pro-Life Pro-Euthanisia” Democrat Melissa Mentele has officially ended her race for District 19 State House before she even started.

And according to her, it’s SDWC’s fault:

So, yadda, yadda, yadda, no one wants to support my pot legislation, she wants to “help key candidates move into office instead of painting a target on my back for the Republican brown noser and his band of hateful trolls over at DWC to rip to shreds…” and then some stuff about the incident she personally posted to social media, which made extensive and repeated state media appearances, etcetera.

I’m sure it wasn’t me pointing out that her candidacy made utterly no sense, her positions were contradictory as she tried the impossible task of manufacturing a palatable image to the public, and that her conservative Republican district isn’t going to elect the state’s matron of marijuana.

Must have been you all in the comment section.  You guys shouldn’t be so mean.

President Trump and 41 State Attorneys General Join in Support of South Dakota’s Tax Fairness Case

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty J. Jackley is pleased to announce that President Trump and 41 States, two United States territories, the District of Columbia have joined this fight. Eleven amicus briefs have been filed in support of South Dakota’s effort to bring tax fairness to the states.

“We are pleased that President Trump and the 41 State Attorneys General have joined us in seeking tax fairness,” said Jackley. “On April 17, 2018, I will appear before the United States Supreme Court and provide a strong and long awaited voice for our  main street businesses.”

South Dakota passed a law in 2016 that would require out-of-state retailers to be treated the same as in-state retailers. The law applies to out-of-state retailers if they have more than $100,000 in sales or complete more than 200 transactions per year within South Dakota.

In the 1992 Quill decision, the U.S. Supreme Court required that a retailer have a “physical presence” within a state before a seller can be obligated to collect and remit that state’s sales taxes on purchases delivered into the state.

Given the controlling precedent of Quill, on October 2, 2017, the Attorney General’s Office filed a petition for certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the South Dakota Supreme Court decision in State of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock and Newegg that has been granted.

At Thune’s Request, U.S. DOT to Fund Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Infrastructure Project

“South Dakota has a strong partner in Secretary Chao, and I want to thank her for taking action so this important infrastructure project can move forward.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), released the following statement after Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced that the DOT has approved a $21 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to restore Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Route 10 in Lower Brule. In October 2017, Thune wrote to Secretary Chao on behalf of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (LBST) to highlight how this project and the subsequent funding would positively affect the tribal community.

“I don’t need to tell South Dakotans that safe and efficient transportation is essential in our day-to-day lives,” said Thune. “In this case, ensuring BIA Route 10, which serves as the only direct road from Lower Brule to essential services in Pierre, including emergency response, health care, and education, is critically important to the tribal community.

“South Dakota has a strong partner in Secretary Chao, and I want to thank her for taking action so this important infrastructure project can move forward. I also want to congratulate Chairman Gourneau and the members of the LBST. I commend them for making this project a priority by submitting this request and pursuing its approval. This wouldn’t have been accomplished without their leadership.”

“The highly competitive TIGER program recognizes projects that will have a significant impact on a region, metropolitan areas, or our country as a whole,” said Secretary Chao.

As a result of a large sinkhole, BIA Route 10 was closed in 2016, which meant a substantial portion of the LBST lost access to its primary transportation route. These newly awarded funds will go toward resurfacing the roadway and installing new culverts and other roadway improvements.

###

Congressional hopeful Shantel Krebs posted a commercial today featuring her endorsement from Kris Kobach of Kansas, as she portrays herself as the favored Trump Candidate:

Campaign finance filings were due into the City of Sioux Falls today, and arguably the most interesting report coming in is from Sioux Falls mayoral candidate Jim Entenman. Mainly because it seems he’s throwing money hand over fist into his campaign out of his own pocket.

20180305-Entenman-cfdr by Pat Powers on Scribd

Entenman hasn’t exactly been running a mean and lean campaign, choosing to go with the Gold-trimmed Cadillac option. With such silliness as wrapping his truck with his face and logo, he’s spent nearly $90,000 so far as he pursues the race for mayor.  While he’s raised some money, the kicker is that he has ‘loaned’ his campaign a massive $75,000 at this early stage of the race.   That’s a lot of cheddar to see your face on your truck.

Word is that Entenman has some of the same team in place that Mayor Mike Huether used to win the election, and from the looks of it, they aren’t coming cheap ($8500+ just for consulting according to the report).

The $75,000 is over twice as much as the person who is viewed as leading the race, Paul TenHaken, has raised:

20180305-TenHaken-cfdr by Pat Powers on Scribd

That cash infusion might prove to be a negative for Entenman, as after reports were filed, TenHaken has turned used the massive loan his opponent gave himself as a call to action for his own supporters to gear up, noting:

“Will you help send the message that elections can’t be bought?

A contribution to our campaign of $5, $10 or $25 dollars helps us get the message out about my vision for Sioux Falls. It also sends a message that we are not self-funding our way to City Hall but rather, have a thousands of supporters throughout our community.”

This could be an instance where having too much money might not be a good thing.

Stay tuned.

Noem Releases Sunshine Initiative, Calls for Greater Transparency

Noem to Host Facebook Live Event Today to Highlight Opportunities for Improved Access

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Kristi Noem today released her Sunshine Initiative, which is designed to bring greater transparency to state and local governments. To highlight the opportunities we have to expand access to government entities and officials, Noem will host a Facebook Live event on Tuesday, March 6, at 11:30AM-CT/10:30AM-MT. To participate, please visit https://www.facebook.com/kristiforgovernor/

“Voters have repeatedly supported government integrity measures at the ballot box. I want them to know that I hear them,” said Noem. “As governor, I will build on the recent momentum, working to throw open the doors, not only of the state capital, but also encouraging county commission offices and school boards to give South Dakotans unprecedented access to the government decision-making process at all levels.”

For nearly a century, South Dakota was known as “The Sunshine State,” a name sewn into our flag until 1992. Noem aims to embrace the spirit of that motto once again and shed new light on the inner-workings of state and local government through her Sunshine Initiative. Click here for a copy of Noem’s plan.

KRISTI NOEM’S SUNSHINE INITIATIVE

Bring Debates from the Boardroom to the Living Room. Too many important decisions are made in small meeting rooms with limited public access. Using free technologies like YouTube and Facebook Live, I will work to bring these meetings into every home, moving toward an aggressive goal of having state board, county commission, and school board meetings livestreamed.

Modernize and Expand Open.SD.gov. Knowledge is power. As governor, I would work with the state legislature to encourage the universal posting of all agendas, minutes and livestreams to a modernized and easily searchable Open.SD.gov.

Develop an Online Property Tax Toolkit. Where do your property tax dollars go? To the state? The county? The school district? Working in collaboration with the Department of Revenue and using Geographical Information System data, my administration would build out a Property Tax Toolkit that would operate as a digital disclosure database. Here, South Dakotans could easily see how many dollars go to the school district, the county, the state and elsewhere – at any time. It would be paired with links to available programmatic information as well as updates on how to participate in any public debates.

Enable Independent Reporting to Hold State and Local Government Genuinely Accountable. Fact-based reporting can be a valuable tool in upholding the integrity of government entities. On the federal level, it helped shine a light on VA abuses against our veterans. In the state, it’s essential in getting to the bottom of the recent EB-5 and GEAR UP scandals. Even so, South Dakota reporters can be forced to testify for investigating important stories. If elected, I would support a commonsense Reporter Shield law, protecting the constitutional right to a free and independent press.

Limit Confidential Settlement Agreements. You deserve to know how your money is being spent, but current law allows the state to negotiate confidentiality agreements so as to protect wrongdoers – even when your tax dollars are used to pay out a settlement. As governor, I would work to limit the state’s ability to engage in secret transactions like this, allowing it only when necessary to protect a victim’s privacy.

Review Open Meetings Laws. Executive sessions allow state and local governments to conduct certain business behind closed doors. While necessary in some instances (such as when a school board is discussing hiring or firing personnel), these sessions should not be used to hide budget discussions and other important debates from public view. As governor, I would conduct a full review of existing open meetings laws and work to move as much official debate as possible into the public domain.

Governor Signs Jackley’s Bill to Strengthen Sex Offender Registry

PIERRE, SD: Governor Dennis Daugaard signed Senate Bill 61 on Monday, a bill sponsored by Attorney General Marty Jackley to strengthen South Dakota’s sex offender registry.

“Governor Daugaard’s signature on Senate Bill 61 will lead to clarified requirements for sex offender registration and provide enhancements for habitual registration violations,” Jackley said. “This legislation will strengthen South Dakota’s sex offender registry to better protect our families.”

In 2010, the South Dakota Legislature worked with law enforcement to revise South Dakota’s sex offender registry.  Under South Dakota law, any person convicted of a listed sex crime is required to register as a sex offender.

The proposed amendment seeks to further strengthen South Dakota’s registry and keep South Dakota compliant with federal requirements and certification.  It clarifies the requirements for registration, including better definitions of “community safety zone” and “school” for registration purposes.  It further provides an enhancement for those sex offenders that are convicted of their second and subsequent violations to become a class five felony punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000.

South Dakota was the fourth registry in the nation to be certified and has a compliance rate of 98.5 percent with 3,616 registered sex offenders.

There were a bill heard yesterday in House State Affairs which seemed to tie into some of the attacks a particular group has used against legislators to call some conservative and some not so conservative.

The measure was an attempt to pass legislation allowing use of the Legislative Research Council to do the dirty work of groups such as the Citizens for Liberty, who were strongly involved in the measure, because they want research help to assist in attacking legislators.