Just before the vote: Political candidate forum for District 25 (Preview)

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.

Continued on Part 2 - Mailed subscriber or higher level required to view