The Argus Leader’s October 19, 2010 cover story dedicated almost half of the Heidepriem-Daugaard Gubernatorial debate story to a 10-second exchange that occurred between our Lt. Governor and myself. Even then, the story failed to get the facts in the correct order. They wrongly reported that I verbally interrupted the Lt. Governor. Watch the clip on my FACEBOOK page and you too will see what actually happened.

SDPB radio news was no better. After the Argus coverage appeared, Gary Ellenbolt of South Dakota Public Radio called me to request a phone interview.  In it, I made it clear that the Argus had inaccurately detailed the timeline of the event. He ignored this. He also ignored the Lt. Governor’s stunning statement that the Valhalla excesses were “not on my watch!”

“Not on my watch!”

I admit it. When Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard used these words to defend the policy of the Rounds/Daugaard administration’s management of the Governor’s private Valhalla retreat, I gasped at his audacity.

Lt. Governor Daugaard then pointed at me and asked, “Reynold do you have something to say?” It was then that I said, in answer to a direct question, “I’m sorry. You’ve been Lt. Governor for the last 8 years.”

That got me escorted out of the debate. Because I am a candidate for Minnehaha County Commission, the Argus Leader put my name on the front page of the paper. Ellenbolt followed and put the story on the top of the news hour that evening.

What I most deeply regret about this event is that my remark drew attention from this important Gubernatorial debate and race. This exchange is part of a longer history.

In 2006 I led the successful ballot issue to stop Gov. Mike Rounds’ abuse of our state airplanes for his family’s and friends’ entertainment.

Back then there was no public reporting of who was on board, why the trip was being made, or how much each trip cost us—the taxpayers. Only through the persistent inquiries and reporting by the Argus Leader and then by our successful Initiated Measure #5 campaign did the Governor change. He finally realized the public would no longer tolerate his using of our assets for his personal benefit. This was not a one-time event. The Rounds/Daugaard administration has a pattern of self-serving behavior.

For instance, for most of the Daugaard and Rounds administration, the press has reported on:

  • Rounds family members receiving state jobs and contracts;
  • Special favor legislation given to Rounds’ family members for a vodka distillery;
  • A new $3 million governor’s mansion funded by a secret list of friends who may or may not be calling for favors;
  • No bid contracts for campaign buddies, including the exclusive no-bid contract for $11 million to Lawrence & Schiller; (We also learned that Daugaard’s daughter worked for L&S while the public learned of the under-the-table wheeling and dealing in the Governor’s office.)
  • The Governor’s Club scandal and secret invitation lists for the Governor’s Annual Pheasant Hunt;
  • Blocking attempts to force state government to open up public records, and allowing only a watered down version of an open government bill to become law;
  • Rounds/ Daugaard administration’s using of the historic Valhalla retreat as an exclusive get-away for pals and family.

Gov. Peter Norbeck built Valhalla in the Black Hills. It is funded by the State Game Department. The Governor’s decision to remodel it prompted Republican former State Senator, Jerry Apa of Lead, to write a letter to the editor at the Rapid City Journal on Sept. 3. He reported that he and other members of the Appropriations Committee were kept in the dark about Valhalla despite hundreds of thousands of dollars funding it.

At every step of the way, the Rounds/Daugaard administration has conducted itself as an exclusive club designed to benefit family and friends while excluding South Dakota’s taxpayers, citizens and when necessary the Appropriations Committee.

My surprise at Lt. Governor Daugaard’s remark during the debate, then, was well-earned.

All of the events listed above irrefutably occurred on Dennis Daugaard’s watch. He was and still is on the state payroll as our Lt. Governor. His friend and political ally Governor Rounds endorsed Daugaard three years ago at the start of his campaign.

The entire audience was engaged Monday evening during the debate. While I regret that above all other claps and hollers—many of them from Tea Party members themselves—my personal gasp caught the Lt. Governor’s attention. However, I do not apologize for answering a question posed directly to me. I simply reminded our Lt. Governor that he was elected eight years ago to serve the people of South Dakota as the number two man in the Rounds/Daugaard administration. If it weren’t his watch, then what was he doing on our payroll for the last 8 years?

Daugaard can’t have it both ways: he can’t point to his past experience as Lt. Governor as a qualification for his candidacy, and at the same time declare that the troubled politics and policies of the last eight years were “Not on my watch!”

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Rumor has it, he has. With over $75,000 in the bank this should come as no surprise that Pat has chosen Lawrence & Schiller as his ad agency. I predicted this awhile back (well because, Sioux Falls municipal politics are as predictable as Joel Rosenthal’s gripes about liberal bloggers), considering one of the founders, Paul Schiller donated to his campaign and one of the current owners, Scott Lawrence also donated to his campaign. That’s how it works at L & S. You donate to campaigns and you get contracts in return (remember the no-bid tourism contracts with the state after giving money to Rounds’ campaign?)

I will say this, L & S has ran many successful state and national campaigns, they have a proven track record.

But mayor of Sioux Falls? LOL!

I can’t wait to see the flashy, slick stuff they produce for Pat, which will turn voters off in an instance. There is a reason why Huether and Staggers are the leading candidates right now, they have taken a grassroots approach and actually decided to ‘TALK TO VOTERS‘. Image that, what a concept? Sioux Falls is still small enough that people know each other, personally, and if you go out and get to know your fellow man, people appreciate it.

Spend all you want Pat avoiding the Joe-Six Pack, it won’t get you elected, but at least Paul and Scott will make a couple of bucks from your attempt.

And let the darkness continue;

This space has been used at length and often to chronicle how the Noem administration has been less than open, less than willing to let the sun shine in: 

  • As per Noem’s directive, reporters aren’t allowed to talk directly to government sources but must instead submit questions to the department’s public information officer who may, or may not, decide to provide answers. 
  • The governor has largely given up on the weekly news conferences traditionally held during the legislative session. 
  • During her one, hastily called, legislative press conference this year, she admitted that the cost of deploying National Guard troops to monitor the Texas border was being paid for by South Dakota taxpayers. 
  • The Freedom Works Here workforce development commercials starring Noem came under legislative fire for the way that the winning bidder was selected and how that bidder came into possession of ideas submitted in Lawrence and Schiller’s bid.
  • ”Security” has been invoked as the reason for not divulging how much it costs to protect the much-traveled governor.
  • She refused to release transcripts of the calls to the “whistleblower hotline” set up to collect complaints about the state’s institutions of higher learning. 

Government openness is dependent on our leaders recognizing its importance and acting in a way that sheds light on the bureaucracy. Despite running for office with a “Sunshine Initiative,” Noem has worked tirelessly to ensure that the workings of her administration be encased in darkness.

Many of the things Noem does in the name of closed government, Mayor Poops follows suit.

Paul stopped having his weekly briefings with council leadership, I believe 1-2 years ago. He is on complete information shutdown. There is going to be a very dark cloud hanging over Sioux Falls for the next two years since the upcoming election is pretty much done already and the rubber stampers have their orders!

Hopefully the news will come out soon, but Paul has been actively bullying a candidate for city council, and they have significant proof, and the mayor is aware. I can’t give a lot of details because this needs to come from the candidate. But once this hits the news, Poops is going to wish he could do the whole Delbridge Animal thingy over again instead (how is that coming along anyway? Do you have all your collector friends lined up for the giveaway?)

I also have an update about the school board candidate who 1) has a conflict of interest and really can’t serve on the school board because of the Title 9 gymnastics lawsuit (she is a plaintiff) and 2) she filled out campaign forms fraudulently, TWICE! I guess our local news media is still confused as to what she did wrong. I’m sure if the form was hanging on a menu board of a food truck they would cover the story. Lazy & Dumb, that’s our local press corp!

dontjerkit

While I found the campaign partially clever, I guess I would not have used that particular phrasing. But this is not the first time a government agency has come up with a silly motto. Remember the Downtown parking motto, Look for the Gold ‘P’? And who can forget Kmart’s “I just shipped my pants.”

I challenge my readers to come up with ‘other’ phrases in the comment section that don’t refer to bodily fluids, poop or masturbating. I don’t think it should be too hard.

What I find troubling though is that $100K of tax money was spent on an ad campaign that won’t even be launched. Does that mean we will get a refund? Or will Lawrence and Schiller do a new campaign at no cost?

As you remember, L & S is famously known for getting No-Bid contracts with the state for marketing campaigns, millions of dollars of them. I also find it ironic that one of the founders of the company, Craig Lawrence, a self admitted ultra conservative and chair of the SD Republican party wouldn’t have a little pull in getting L & S to come up with better ad campaigns that don’t reference masturbating, peeing or pooping your pants.

Talk about getting caught with your pants down, but not behind the wheel of course.

mikerounds

I can only cringe to think that Marion Mike Rounds could become our next US Senator. Only in South Dakota would we choose a crooked Republican over a Liberal Democrat. Whether you are Republican, Indy or Democrat, please, I beg you NOT to vote for Rounds. His clear record of corruption make him unfit for office.

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There are many reasons NOT to vote for Mike Rounds, and let’s just pretend for a moment that he did nothing wrong in the EB-5 scandal (he’ll lie to you and tell you he hasn’t).

Rounds’ record as governor wasn’t anything less than corrupt.

– Using his gigantic fleet of state owned airplanes for personal use, then paying the fuel bill from the Governor’s club fund ‘after’ he was busted. It was so scandalous at the time, Professor Reynold Nesiba got it on the ballot to limit Rounds’ travels, and the good people of SD agreed.

– Increased the FTE’s by over a thousand during his short tenure, giving many jobs to family members and family members of campaign contributors.

– No bid contracts to campaign contributors. Just call Scott Lawrence over at Lawrence and Schiller, he will explain it all to you, or maybe his brother can, you know, Craig Lawrence, the guy running the State GOP now. 

– Elkpoint / Hyperion fiasco. That has so many layers, don’t even know where to begin. How is that project going by the way? And how much state tax dollars were wasted?

– Millions in subsidies to TransCanada, that they didn’t need or ask for.

– Taking public education funding in SD back to the stone age (remember, one of Rounds’ objectives is to get rid of the Federal Department of Education as senator).

And let’s move on to EB-5.

While we could discuss all the lying Rounds has done about what he knew, and what he didn’t know, I have often said there are two finer points that stick out, the unknown.

– The FBI has admitted there is an ongoing investigation. That means there is a possibility that Rounds could be indicted after the election. Do we want a newly elected Senator being indicted?

– Richard Benda’s autopsy report NOT being released. I have often told people this is the lynchpin of the entire scandal. It has been determined by several people that suicide by a shotgun blast to the stomach would be an awful way to do yourself in. Candidate for governor, Mike Myers has done several demonstrations showing how difficult it would be to shoot yourself using a branch and a shotgun. Attorney General Jackley has even made the comment that his suicide was suspicious. But what really got me thinking was when former senator Larry Pressler, who has many FBI connections asked the question at the last debate, “Was Richard Benda Murdered?”

Unlike all the other documents released in this fiasco called EB-5, doesn’t it seem strange that this autopsy report hasn’t? Is it so damning that not even Rounds could attempt to lie his way out of it? I ask, as does Larry Pressler, “Was Richard Benda murdered?”

With all of this information about Marion Mike Rounds, that we know of, why on earth would any South Dakota voter cast one for him? It baffles my mind.