reported by Carrie Moritz, Garretson Gazette
On Wednesday, October 21, the candidates of District 25 came together in a forum hosted by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by both the Chamber and the Brandon Valley Journal. The candidates were able to express their views and opinions on issues affecting South Dakota voters, and given a chance to list their experience and qualifications for the office they were running for.
The forum included SD House of Representatives candidates Tom Pischke, Jon Hansen, Jeff Barth, and Jared Nieuwenhuis as well as SD Senate candidates Marsha Symens and Rick Knobe. A candidate on the ballot, Seth Van’t Hof, was not in attendance, as he withdrew from the race on August 21. Host Carmen Dougherty of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum over Zoom, a change that was made as a precautionary measure due to the pandemic.
In a format that allowed each of the candidates two minutes to speak, they were asked to elaborate on what they believed were the top priorities for South Dakotans, their positions on medical and recreational marijuana measures that are on the ballot, their views on the sports gambling measure, and whether they would be willing to work with those who didn’t share their stances.
While the candidates Pischke and Hansen are incumbents on the ballot, Symens, Knobe, and Nieuwenhuis are all first-time SD legislative candidates. Barth ran unsuccessfully in 2012 for the SD House and in 2016 for the SD Senate.
Nieuwenhuis (D) and Barth (D) are challenging the two Republican incumbents in the State House, and both noted they were running due to actions or inactions by the current representatives.
Nieuwenhuis, who owns soil-testing facility East Prairie Laboratories near Flandreau and lives in Dell Rapids, stated his main reasons for running included wanting to really focus on South Dakota farmers and their needs. He would like to start by proposing increases in ethanol production. His witnessing of several pieces of legislation that were anti-LGBT instead of focusing on issues that farmers faced such as bankruptcy, were also a large part of why he chose to run.
“Ever since I was 9 or 10 my parents have been farming and that is one thing I’ve always held close to heart,” Nieuwenhuis said. His involvement in his high school FFA, and now as a business owner that tests soil, has shown him a lot of what farmers go through day to day and what an impact their plight has on small towns. He would like to see more rural investment, and a more welcoming culture and environment that encourages people to stay in South Dakota and start businesses here.
Barth, who has been a Minnehaha County Commissioner for 14 years, is a veteran who lives in Sioux Falls. His reasons for running include rooting out corruption in Pierre, helping to provide healthcare for citizens of South Dakota, and to find ways to raise taxes and funds without burdening property owners and income. He has had a lifetime of service to the United States, beginning with his service in the US Army Reserve, then as a telecommunications manager and supervisor at Qwest from 1973 until 2004.
“I’ve closely watched events in our legislature, and I’ve got to say, it’s pitiful that we spend so much time worrying about where some kid gets to go to the bathroom, and claiming to be pro-life when we go ahead and let hundreds of people die with COVID, when we let thousands, tens of thousands, get sick with COVID,” Barth said. He would like to see more focus on healthcare at the state level, instead of having county taxpayers shoulder the burden of paying for those who are unable to afford emergency and hospital care. He proposed raising taxes on alcohol to help raise funds for South Dakotas needs.
Pischke, a systems quality analyst at Esurance, has been in the South Dakota House of Representatives since 2017. A fourth generation South Dakotan, he states that protections of constitutional rights are his main priority. One of his main focuses over the past four years has been working towards a more equitable system for custodial rights, and wants to support South Dakota family values.
“Just having the last four years in the legislature has really taught me a lot,” Pischke said. “Defending people’s constitutional rights, defending the unborn, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as it states in our constitution. I think those are things that are really important to the people.” He is proud of his fiscally conservative record and his endorsements from the NRA and the Heritage Alliance, and believes South Dakota is a great place to live.
Hansen, a lawyer at Dell Rapids Law Firm, was first elected to the SD House of Representatives in 2010, where he served until 2013. He again ran in 2018, and was the Majority Whip in 2019-2020. He states he’s had an interest in government for far longer than his service, and has a passion for the issues faced today.
“The reason I run is because I have a love for my community, I have a love for the state,” he said. He wants to make sure South Dakota maintains its reputation as a great place to raise families. He said he is pro-life from conception to natural death. Hansen introduced a bill to prohibit commercial surrogacy in 2020’s legislative season, stating that it was to help prevent exploitation. The SD Senate killed the bill by sending it to the 41st day after noting that exploitation was possible and commercial surrogacy shouldn’t be un-regulated, but that its helpfulness in allowing people to have children outweighed the potential drawbacks. Hansen stated he wants ensure mothers who are in need of resources to raise their children receive them.
Hansen also stated he was concerned about property taxes creeping up, and doesn’t want to raise taxes, especially during an economic downturn such as what’s been happening due to the pandemic.
The two candidates for South Dakota State Senator are Symens and Knobe, both of whom are new to state politics.
Symens, a Republican, opted to run when she learned Senator Kris Langer, who served as the Senate Majority Leader, decided to step down. A former schoolteacher who lives in Dell Rapids, Symens stated she is motivated by the desire to maintain the South Dakota way of life, especially after living in large cities such as Houston and Phoenix. She said she stepped down from teaching full-time in order to raise her family, and while she’s new to the political scene, she’s ready to serve her community at the next step.
“I am pro-life, I am supporting low taxes, and our second amendment,” she said. While intending to still keep taxes low, she wants to keep schools that create creative thinkers and problem solvers. She thinks creative problem solving to create income for the state would solve education funding issues, though she did not outline any specific ideas.
Knobe has been known in the local area for many years, as a former KSOO radio host for 30 years and as Mayor of Sioux Falls for ten years. He is running as an Independent. Now a resident of rural Baltic, he wants to see good public policy and process in Pierre. He disagreed strongly with waiting until the last day of legislative sessions to pass the budget, noting that he felt the legislature spent too much time on things that do not benefit the majority of South Dakotans.
“What motivates me is to make sure that local government, county government, school districts, townships, and city governments have both the tools and the authority to do what they need to do,” Knobe said. He believes fully funding the education formula and making sure laws passed and services promised by the legislature are actually followed and given and intends to push for early passage of the budget.
All candidates stated they were fully for funding education as a top priority for South Dakota, which has been a strong issue in the legislature for several years running, especially as legislators have fought about giving teachers the salary increases voters demanded.
Hansen and Symens are proponents of school choice, noting that public schools may not be the best option for all children.
“Both of my parents are actually teachers,” Pischke said. He said that 49 cents of every dollar goes toward education, and has for many years.
Priorities for Knobe, Nieuwenhuis, and Barth included healthcare improvements, whether it was better funding toward mental healthcare or taking the burden of uninsured off the shoulders of county governments and county taxpayers. Expansion of Medicaid is desired by all three. Knobe noted that Governor Daugaard had outlined a “very good proposal” for Medicaid expansion, but unfortunately, it had not been supported by the legislature.
Nieuwenhuis would also like to see more focus on renewable energy that can be produced by South Dakota.
Barth, who noted that Republicans have controlled the State legislature for 40 years, have not produced the results South Dakotans may be looking for.
“Every cent we pay in tax is a Republican tax,” he said. “If they want to do away with tax, they have the power to do it. They won’t.” He noted that money wasted by corruption in Pierre has been problematic as legislators do nothing to curb it, and wants this to be a priority.
The ballot measures of Amendment A and Initiated Measure 26, which propose legalizing marijuana for medical and/or recreational use, found candidates disagreeing with each other on their stances. Amendment A would allow for recreational marijuana use and possession, while Initiated Measure 26 would allow for medical marijuana use.
While Symens, Pischke, and Hansen were very set against changing the South Dakota Constitution, they allowed that medical use was viable. Knobe, Barth, and Nieuwenhuis also preferred medical use over recreational, and didn’t believe a constitutional amendment should be necessary. Nieuwenhuis and Barth, however, pointed out that the repeal of IM 22 made many voters angry, and created distrust in South Dakota legislators.
Initiated Measure 22, which was passed by a margin of over 10,000 votes in 2016, was called a statewide anti-corruption act. It was repealed by South Dakota legislators in 2017 with a promise to replace it.
Eight bills geared toward replacement were passed by SD legislators in 2017. Those bills addressed lobbying, the creation of an ethics board, and changes to campaign finance law that included requiring more disclosure. What may have been two of IM 22’s biggest selling points, the creation of a public campaign finance program and setting limits on campaign spending, were not replaced. The program entailed within IM 22 would have given $50 in credits to every registered voter, who would have then been able to give those credits to the candidate of their choice. IM 22’s summary had stated the credits would be redeemed from an annual State general-fund appropriation of $9 per registered voter, and limited the fund to $12 million at any given time.
Hansen argued IM 22 was ruled unconstitutional, and that the bills that were passed were sufficient. He also stated that having his taxpayer money go towards candidates he didn’t agree with was not a good use of funds.
However, because the will of the voters was not followed with regards to that measure, Nieuwenhuis, Barth, and Knobe argued that the change to the constitution, and its difficulty in changing or repealing this type of legislation, was necessary to ensure the will of the voters was followed.
Nearly all candidates, however, were in favor of Constitutional Amendment B, which would allow for sports betting in Deadwood, despite earlier objections to changing the South Dakota Constitution unnecessarily.
“I’m not a big fan of gambling, it’s not my thing, but I understand that it’s a lot of people’s thing,” said Knobe. “As long as it’s going on, might as well legalize it and regulate it.” He would like to ensure the legislature puts together good laws to regulate who receives the extra funds it would provide, and have proper auditing so taxpayers can be protected.
“I support B, and spoke in favor of it,” said Pischke. He, like the other candidates, did not wish to see “hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars going out of District 25 into Iowa.”
Symens stated she was still undecided on the issue, and didn’t really understand how it all worked. She was unaware if there was going to be an office in charge of counting the funds and deciding who received them, and noted if it increased government in any way, she was against it.
All candidates were also in favor of working and voting across party lines in order to get things done in Pierre.
“Working across party lines is obvious,” Nieuwenhuis said. “I don’t think that there’s any one party that has a patent on the best ideas.”
Barth, who stated he has a very long record of working with and voting across party lines on the Minnehaha County Commission, noted that he’s very easy to work with. He doesn’t mind being in trouble for trying to do the right thing.
Hansen said, “Some of the best conversations I’ve had were with the Democratic members of the legislature, particularly Jamie Smith. He’s always good to have a conversation with. We often disagree on fundamental issues, but he’s a guy that you can sit down and have a conversation with. And that’s how it should be.” He continued by saying that he supported a bill brought forth by Democratic Rep. Bernie Hunhoff from Yankton that allowed illegal immigrants to pursue and receive prenatal care in South Dakota.
Pischke stated that the vast majority of issues voted on by legislators do not split along party lines, and that all Democratic members of the SD House of Representatives and Senate are great people that he was willing to have a conversation with.
Symens said she was not afraid to ask questions and to explore all avenues to come up with a solution, and if it meant crossing over and voting for the other party’s solution, she’d do that.
At the end of the forum, Dougherty thanked each of the candidates for their willingness to run for office, noting that it can put people in a position of being vulnerable.
The election is on Tuesday, November 3. Polls will be open in Garretson at the American Legion from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All voters must show a proof of identification, which can include a valid driver’s license or ID card, passport, tribal photo ID, or valid student photo ID from a South Dakota high school or accredited higher learning facility. All voters must be registered in order to vote.
