Jamie Smith's return to politics, a bridge over troubled waters, election integrity & Legislative seats remaining vacant

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[upbeat music] Welcome to The Scouting Report, a podcast of the Dakota Scout Newspaper out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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My name is Jonathan Ellis. I'm one of the co-hosts of this here podcast. This here- And it's the- This here podcast... Friday before Christmas. This here podcast, and that's Joe Sneve- Yeah... my fellow co-host.
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We, and we have a very special guest today, don't we? Very, very, very. The, uh, one and only Jamie Smith. [upbeat music] There you go. The, the guy who, uh, who is going to voluntarily go back to Pierre.
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[laughs] You know I gotta get elected, Joe, so we got a, got a big, big campaign ahead of us over the next, uh, 10 months. You announced, uh... Well, we gotta say thank you to our sponsors. We, yeah, our sponsors.
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We've got, uh, Child's Play Toys, uh, Get It Done Handyman and Plumbing, and these, uh, finely crafted, brewed Busch Lights were brought to us by none other than Beal Distributing.
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And we had to, like, almost, like, tie Jamie down to his chair be- from opening it. He wanted to get in it. We had to wait, wait till we're recording. [laughs] You know what?
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A, a, a good, uh, Busch Light right now hits the spot, you know? Yeah. Been driving around all afternoon picking up gift cards, so this is good. [laughs] The, uh, and it's, a- and it is complimentary. Yeah.
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You know- [laughs]... that was really nice of you guys. That's the first time you've ever bought me a beer. [laughs] Well, you can accept gifts from us. Uh, we can't accept gifts from you. The, uh...
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But if, um, you know, I don't know, we haven't really broached the idea of, I don't think we'd let campaigns sponsor the, the podcast, though. I was gonna say, if your district- We- You announced- We did, yeah...
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you're gonna run for Senate. You were House minority leader, uh, in the legislature for two terms?
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Three- Two terms of minority leader, and a term before that, so yeah, I served six years in Pierre, and then I, uh, took a little detour and decided to run for governor. Yeah. You, uh, you d- you gave it a good run.
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You're obviously the minority party. Um, the Democrats sort of have struggled with, with numbers, winning statewide offices. Uh, I think you were a good candidate. You, you, you ran a good race.
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Um, you know, the forces that be in South Dakota, you know, proved too much to overcome, but, you know, are you glad you ran? Yeah. You know what? It, it was a experience of a lifetime. I, I had, uh...
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I, I, I tell everybody that knowing even the way that it turned out, "Would you do it again?" And I'd say, "Yes." I- I... It was a, a valuable experience. So you're running for governor in 2026? No, no.
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We're not doing that right now. [laughs] I, you know, s- that being said, I don't know if I'd do it again. It's n- [laughs]... the rest of that, the rest of that sentence, you know? It, um...
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You know, thanks for taking my words out of context, too. That happened to me a couple times there. [laughs] Maybe, maybe in a really big way, huh, at Rotary, so.
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Uh, well- But we don't need to bring all that back up, Joe. But yes. I don't know if this is true or not, but I- We need more stuff to tax, is that what you're talking... [laughs] You know, like maybe cannabis.
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Like- Like cannabis? Well-... we, yeah, yeah, and then they just decide to not put the whole sentence in. Yeah. It, it's funny how, um, that, that works.
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I don't know if this is true, but somebody told me that Rotary is no longer streaming their, um- They had to make a whole new Jamie Smith policy. Yeah. And, and they did, and I really appreciate that.
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They, they basically said that, that you can't take their... Like, like when you watch an NFL football game, you can't take their content. Mm-hmm. And you can't do that anymore when you're watching the Rotary.
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And because you can take things out of context, which happened, and then I didn't have any money left in my campaign to counter that at that point, you know?
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Um, I was proud of the campaign we ran with the money that we had. I mean, they spent a ton of money to beat me, and, uh, and, you know, and then also did it in the way that they did.
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And so I feel good about the campaign we ran. I feel great about who we are as individuals on my campaign and how we, uh, spoke to the people of South Dakota, and that message was well-received all around the state.
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They want a government that works for them, for all South Dakotans. They want people with integrity that work hard. And ultimately, at the end of the day, people wanna just have a, a, a better shot at life, right?
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And they, they want us as leaders to, um, kinda stay out of the way of that, you know? Yeah. Well, uh, so you're gonna run for Senate now, taking over... If, if you win election- Yeah...
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in District 15, you would replace Reynold Nesiba, who's termed out, who's choosing not to run for the House. Uh, you spent six years in the House. You're familiar with sort of the dynamics between the two chambers.
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You think you'll... [laughs] Do the Republicans play nicer in the Senate than they do in the House? [laughs] They play different, you know? It, it's a different, it's a different landscape.
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I'll have to learn a different thing. You know, Pierre is small enough, though, in the legislature, y- you build relationships across the aisle, both, both chambers, you know?
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And, and a lot of the people I was in the House with have moved over to the Senate, so those same relationships, you know, that I built in the House, now those folks are over there.
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A good friend, uh, Tim Reed, for example, from Brookings, you know, uh, those folks, they, they, they're in the Senate now, you know? And, and so, um- There's gonna be a lot of new encounters over there... and Arch Beal.
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And Arch Beal. Arch Beal. Yeah. What? You know what? Ar- Arch and I get along just, just fine. And, uh- Can you do an Arch impersonation?
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[laughs] I, I, you know, I, again, I don't know if it's appropriate here today, but- [laughs]... uh, Arch, he and I have had long, long conversations.
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I mean, the first real conversation I ever had with Arch, uh, we were sitting at the Ramkota, and I think we went all the way from the Crusades to modern history, uh, and, uh, you know, um, and talked about- Interesting...
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a lot of different deep, deep things. And so, um, that's the thing. When you live in Pierre with all the folks in the legislature, you really get to know them. Mm-hmm.
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And, uh, although- A lot of times when it comes to politics, you may not agree at all.
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Uh, I think both of you know me well enough that I look for the humanity in everybody, and- Yeah, it's, uh, don't question people's motives. I think everybody, by and large...
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I, I've tried to take the position as a reporter to assume everybody is well-intended, not sort of out for nefarious reasons, you know?
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And I think things can get really messy in politics when you don't start from a basis like that. Yeah. Uh, so just to...
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I mean, is that sort of- Well, I had a really good Republican friend of mine, you know, when I was gearing up to run the very first time, and I was trying to figure out what it was that I stood for and how to, how to message it and things like that.
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And, you know, I care a lot about our kids and our elderly and, and the way I was saying some things, he said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, Jamie."
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He goes, "I love my mom and dad and my kids just as much as you love your mom and dad and your kids."
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And I thought that was a really, a really good grounding place for me to go, is to understand that my friends across the aisle love their mom and dad and their kids just as much as I love my mom and dad and kids. Mm-hmm.
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We have different ideas on what we should do, how we should do it, and, uh, ultimately, a lot of times we agree even with what the problem is. Mm-hmm. It's just how to get there. We just di- how to get there. Yeah.
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Well, speaking of moms and dads and kids, make sure you get downtown Sioux Falls to Child's Play Toys on this... Christmas is three days away. New Year, uh, Christmas Eve is two days away.
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Uh, a lot of the men listening to this will still have their entire Christmas shopping list to do. [laughs] I know I have to. I'm a little...
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I benefit a little bit from having a daughter whose birthday is in December before Christmas, so I kinda get some of that out of the way. But prior to Kerrigan being around, I was on...
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at the mall on Christmas Eve, like- Hey, but don't have to go out to the mall. You can go to Child's Play, you know, right there. You can go to Child's Play Toys. Right downtown, it's a...
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[laughs] I don't care how old you are, it's a cool- It's a cool store. Jamie Smith loves going into that store because it's a super cool store. It's a cool store. And it's in your district. It is. 15s, yep.
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They also have two other locations, um, and Nancy runs a class- She does... operation down there.
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And the books, I've talked about this on the podcast before, you can't find a crap books for kids like you can down there, so... And we do not want stupid kids.
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[laughs] Make them read, and not the ones with, like, three words on each page, you know? You know, you're talking to my wife's... My wife's a librarian, so- [laughs]... you're talking that Smith language here.
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But the, uh... You could also... I think you could probably find a little kids' tool set, right? And- A lot of toys...
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and, you know, I don't think little Jimmy is gonna be able to fix your leaky faucet with his, uh, with his new toy set, but you know who can? Get It Done- Get It Done...
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Handyman and Plumbing, which is also located in your district, I think, down at 14th and Minnesota. Yep. Is that your district? Yeah. So call those guys at Get It Done Sioux Falls, uh, 605-800-4426.
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And when you're opening those presents, make sure to open a Biel distributed product. Leaky faucets, pipe stoppages, burst pipes, home repairs piling up, or just need something hung on the wall?
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Contact Get It Done Handyman and Plumbing Services today at 605-800-4426 or go to www.gidsf.com. [upbeat music] I just ran the numbers. South Dakota has one of the fastest growing economies in America.
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We have close to 20,000 open jobs, including accountants, so I'm filling in. South Dakota is the freest state in the nation.
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We have no state income tax, the fastest growing incomes, and we recognize out-of-state licenses. It's all adding up. South Dakota, freedom works here. Governor Noem, you didn't carry the two. Josh, kiss my abacus.
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Come on along, head for the mountains of Bush beer. Head for the mountains. It's cold and it's smooth, and it's waiting for you. Come on, head for the mountains of Bush beer.
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Head for the mountains of Bush. Head for the mountains of Bush light beer. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2022. Amos Bush Bush and Bush Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri. Biel Distributing, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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Thanks again to our sponsors. Support them because they support local journalism right here in South Dakota, written by South Dakotans, for South Dakotans, about South Dakotans. That's right.
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Including, uh, downtown businesses like Child's Play Toys. Um- There has been some...
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You know, when we're talking about children and, and reading and all that stuff, there has been, uh, some news in Sioux Falls, uh, of a major childcare center closing.
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If, if you like, if you like latchkey kids- [laughs]... it's been a good- I was a latchkey kid... good couple weeks. Uh, [laughs] but yeah. So we've had a major, uh, child, uh, care facility or facilities close. Yeah.
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We shouldn't make light of it. It's a big deal. You know, it, it, it continues to be a big deal. It, uh... You know, there were meetings when I was in the legislature.
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That's a little while ago already, you guys, and it was at a crisis point, and we're still there. It's probably getting worse. And now with the closure of, of this, uh, you know, we'll just say Apple- Apple Tree.
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Apple, Apple Tree. Yeah. I mean- They're not a sponsor. [laughs] But, but it, it, it's, it's awful. I mean, think if you're the family that needs to make sure your kids are somewhere so you can go to work.
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Um- Oh, that would be just devastating to get that news. Yeah, to get that news. And, and there's not the capacity. I mean, we were talking, uh, to friends. There's...
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The, the capacity for- Finding a place for your kids is, it's super, super tough. And you want your kid to be at a quali- quality childcare location, right? Well, when we were at the mothership, one of...
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I remember doing a pretty big story, look, assessing daycare spots and the trend of childcare centers kind of being the thing, and fewer in-home daycares.
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I've always preferred in-home daycares myself, but people are more comfortable with all the regulations, the cameras that are, you know, there's just more infrastructure, things- I think you just wanna, you need a mixture, and I think you wanna make sure that people providing, providing childcare for you are, are,
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are honest people that are, are doing a good job, that are, are certified and, and able to take care of your kids, you know?
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And so whichever, it's home- at home or in a center, you know, I know some of my friends at the centers like it 'cause, uh, if the, if the person that's babysitting gets sick, they'll probably still be open. Right.
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And the other ones, they'd sometimes have to close daycares all down, and then, you know, that, that was always an issue. Well, and I know the in-home ones, they take d- they take vacations too, and you still, I, some...
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They still charge you for those weeks because they get a paid vacation.
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Um, so there, there's pros and cons, but r- the, nonetheless, there's just a lack of, of s- of spots, and it's being exacerbated by these recent closures.
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Apple Tree's the biggest daycare center, uh, operation in Sioux Falls.
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Um, so in the last month we've, we've had stories about how we can't feed our kids at school, and it's gonna be harder to care for them when they're not at school.
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It, it's natural for the public to say, "What can be done about this? Government, please address this." The governor, Governor Noem, made some waves this week by saying this isn't the government's job.
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It's not the role of government. Right. And so I, I suspect you, you, you... I mean, there are childcare subsidies available. We should- Yeah... put that in, at that.
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There are federal childcare subsidies available, uh, to help subsidize that. So that, tho- those programs already exist. Um, but where do you, do you part... Um, I'm assuming you part ways with the governor on that.
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Sure I do. And I, you know, I, I think that investing in our, our youngest people and, and making sure they have a great start, uh, is something that we should look at doing in, in the state of South Dakota.
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If that's, um, through our, our pre-K, expanding that in the state of South Dakota, you know I've been an advocate for that, and I continue to be.
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I think having kids ready to go to school and ready to learn [laughs] when they, when they hit that kindergarten is super important. There are things we can do.
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There are some of our communities in our state that have figured out how to, how to do that better than others. Um, but ultimately it does come down to resources.
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The other thing I learned, you know, when I was running for governor, I traveled the state, there are a lot of people that want to work.
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They'd love to be in the workforce, but it doesn't make any sense for them with the cost of daycare where it's at, uh, and the, and what the, the wages are.
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So they, they decide, I go to work, I work all day, and it only pays for my childcare. I mean, it's more than a mortgage now for some people to, to put their kid in daycare.
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I, I've got a friend who, you know, once they got to their third kid, it was no longer economical to have a daycare. The, Katie, she just quit working and she stays home with the kids now. Uh, and that's a real thing.
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And to the idea that it's not the government's role, um, I mean, fundamentally, I think government's there to provide what the private sector can't profitably, right? I mean, essentially, that's kind of- I mean-...
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the way I understood- There's-... government services... that's one way to look at it. I, I just think that there are things that we can do in the state that would help
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make sure that kids have a safe place to be and that people can go to work. The other thing is I encourage the, the employers, the, the big employers especially, to work on that.
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I mean, I remember when, you know, Citibank had their own daycare and their own kindergarten out there, and what an asset that was for that company to have that. Mm-hmm.
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I mean, there are people that worked for them b- for that very reason. Um, did you even go to that? Did you- No... or no? Well, I think I got dropped in there a couple times. Yeah, my mom worked with Linda Duba- Yeah...
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at Citibank, and I, I do remember that being there. I think I was probably dropped o- we had an in-home daycare in Del Rapid, so I think- Oh, so that's where you ended up going...
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there's a couple times I think we had to go there- But-... due to sickness or whatever... you know, I, I think we have to look at all, all aspects of it, and I think we shouldn't say no to anything [laughs] right now.
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I think we need to really tackle this problem and sit down and look, and where the government can be of help, we should. Um, does that mean, you know, 100% government run? No, I'm not advocating for that.
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But what I am saying is that, are there things that we can do to make this problem better? Yeah. And, and I think people should expect us to do that, especially if there's resources there to do it.
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Well, if this issue is not addressed in 2024- It will be there, yep... yep, uh, you'll be there to help, help bring a solution to the table. It's a tough nut to crack, I mean. As are so many of them, I mean. Yeah. Yep.
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I'm glad we don't ha- we're just there to write about it. [laughs] So- We don't, we don't find solutions. [laughs] That's not our job. That's not our job. So we can highlight potential solutions. Yeah.
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But it's up to you guys. That's why you guys make the big bucks up there- Yes... in Pierre. Uh, so we've had some other news this week. Today, uh, you got any contracts with the state, Jamie? I sure don't. Okay.
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[laughs] The, uh, we got a development in the conflict of interest situation with the legislature. Uh, the Supreme Court, you know, has, has, has accepted the challenge to rule on these 12 scenarios. Nine. Nine.
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Nine scenarios. Uh, and briefs are in. The deadline was December 15th. Jackley submitted one, Ron Parsons on behalf of the legislature, the governor's office. John Hanson sent a letter, um, saying, "Hey-
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This, please accept this letter. I, I know I'm basically past deadline, but I didn't know what I was responding to until I saw Parsons' letter, and we do not... That does not speak for the entire legislature.
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Uh, they want precedent to hold. Parsons and leadership is arguing precedent should not hold. Uh, there will be oral arguments- That was a development, yeah... the day, the day before session starts.
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[laughs] So good thing you were already gonna be in Pierre, right, Jonathan? Well, I was not gonna be there on January 8th. Well, now you are. Now I am. [laughs] So that'll be pretty fascinating, I think.
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Did you think they were gonna accept oral arguments here? I, I, I thought that oral... Uh, you know, they, they all requested oral arguments. Um, I thought given the nature of what they're asking, um,
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I, I was pretty confident they would get oral, oral, oral arguments, and it's, it's a whole hour long, 20 minutes for each of those three.
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Uh, the Attorney General Marty Jackley will, is gonna be arguing on behalf of their position. Uh, and yeah, you said Ron Parsons and then the governor's office, so- So there's gonna be nobody arguing for precedent here.
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Well, I mean, the Supreme Court justices are probably gonna be the ones asking questions about that. I mean, I think, you know, 'cause the, the court pretty typically wants to, wants to keep precedent.
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It's, it's unusual for courts to like want to like, you know, unless it's Roe v. Wade, uh, or other...
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But I mean, there are some, there are some issues, uh, that courts typically like to s- to stay on track and, and uphold precedent. It just, it gives a, uh, a, a more stable view of the law, right?
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So I'm, I would anticipate that they would be getting some pretty tough questions from the actual Supreme Court justices about that. Well, there was some question.
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We wrote, uh, a couple weeks ago that the governor was not going to appoint anybody to fill these two vacant seats until after an opinion comes down.
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They're doing behind-the-scenes work, interviewing people, getting folks in, you know, position to appoint when the opinion comes.
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There's some discomfort around letting sessions start without those two seats being filled because then those districts do not have adequate representation in the legislature.
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This all but guarantees there will not be a decision before January 9th. There's no way- Well-... they would take those oral arguments and issue an opinion the same day. They, they, they... Yeah, they can't.
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They have to thoroughly look at it and then digest it and, you know, um... But, but to that point, I, I do think it's nice that they're, they're looking at all these different angles.
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Uh, the Supreme Court of South Dakota is gonna take a look at it. We will have an answer, right? That's, that's the good news, okay? Let the process play out. We will have an answer, and, uh,
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you know, it's always been a, a little bit of a question mark in Pierre, um, because we're a citizen legislature, and we're pretty s- Where's the line?... we're a pretty small state. Where is that line?
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Um, I think some people have gone too far [laughs] over that line, and I think that's why we're, we're at where we're at. You... I mean, one of the scenarios is can you be a teacher, right? Can you work for the state?
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Yeah, can you work- For the state, and you used to be a teacher. I'm former teacher, and actually right now I'm at helping out a couple days a week at, at Edison Middle School. Is that a contract? A substitute teacher.
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There's a new scenario. They're gonna have to send it back. Yep. [laughs] Yeah. So, you know, it w- but should we know? Yeah. And, and also it's a citizen legislature, so it is tough.
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I mean, the, you know, you want people that represent all different people in the state of South Dakota to be in that legislature, and, uh, it, uh... We'll find out.
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The, uh, interestingly, this, the, the last time the court really weighed in on this issue, uh, in a, in an argument setting on a hearing was, uh, now over 20 years old, and that was a 3-2 decision.
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Um, and, uh, you know, usually my experience when you have, uh, when you don't have unanimous opinions, it takes longer for the court to actually issue those decisions. So I, I wanted to...
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You know, if we're, if we're in a situation again where we're, uh, we don't have a unanimous opinion, that it wouldn't surprise me if we don't get an opinion even, uh, pa- past this legislative session.
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So those seats might remain open throughout the session. Yeah, if, if that's what the governor's choosing to do. That could be-
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I would think that the governor could appoint somebody that would be, uh, pretty clear of, of any of those conflicts, uh, through their vetting process. Well, I think they've had... They, I think...
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Do I think they have some candidates?
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I'm reading between the lines here, but that some of them would run afoul of some of these issues and those nine questions that she raises, so before she wants to appoint- And, and nobody wants that embarrassment.
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Mm-hmm. You know? Yeah. It's... But it's a real thing. Uh, Searchlight had a story about how this Pennington County Republican Party is, you know,
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w- complaining about not, potentially not having representation, and I mean, I, um- Right, both of these positions are Rapid City. Yeah. One in the Senate, one in the House. And that's,
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that's consequential if you're gonna be looking for money for the airport or- It means all the Sioux Falls is gonna get all the loot. We're gonna- [laughs] We're gonna get it all.
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Well, it, uh, depends on how much is to go around, but- [laughs]... uh, so that's pretty, pretty interesting. Jonathan will be up there first week of session.
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Uh, so- Joe doesn't know this yet, but I'll be there for quite a bit of the first part of the session. Yeah, well, I'm happy with that. [laughs] Get you driving the papers around, Joe. Yeah.
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[laughs] I'll be, I'll be delivering papers- Yep... and, uh, stopping off at Child's Play Toys and, uh- [laughs]... Get It Done Handyman and Plumbing.
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But at the end of the day, you're gonna make sure you have a product delivered to you from Beal Distributing. Beal Distributing. Yep. Busch Light.
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You, you can't, you can't, you can't take the Beal Distributing products till you're done delivering, buddy. Yeah. You know, you can't- No, it's- No roadies. No roadies while I'm delivering papers.
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What'd you think of the, the switch this year from the Busch Light Apple, the Bapple, to the Peach? I haven't tried the Peach yet. We're gonna have to, Art, send down some Peach. [laughs] I like the Apple better myself.
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[laughs] The, uh, what... The Apple was really good. Very sweet, though. I could only drink about- Yeah. You- I could only drink about eight of them[laughs] Introducing Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda.
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[soda can opens] Ah. Enjoy responsibly. Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda, IRC Beers, St. Louis, Missouri. Distributed by Beal Distributing, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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[upbeat music] I just ran the numbers. South Dakota has one of the fastest growing economies in America. We have close to 20,000 open jobs, including accountants, so I'm filling in.
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South Dakota is the freest state in the nation. We have no state income tax, the fastest growing incomes, and we recognize out-of-state licenses. It's all adding up. South Dakota, freedom works here.
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Governor Noem, you didn't carry the two. Josh, kiss my ass. Jonathan, did you know that Child's Play Toys opened their first store in downtown Sioux Falls on Black Friday in 2009? [laughs] I was there. I told you this.
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Oh yeah, we did talk about this. Yeah. But they sort of like spurred or were one of the, the early pioneers of this new, uh, or, you know, revitalization downtown. Uh, Nancy- Yeah... she's a good, good lady. Yep.
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She took a risk, you know, even though there's a financial crisis going on. That's right. It was in the middle of a financial crisis. Sort of like us, you know, people thought she was crazy.
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[laughs] You know, what are you doing opening a newspaper in 2022? What are you doing opening a toy store in downtown in 2009? But
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10 years later, they opened up a store out at Lake Lorraine, and, uh- They have one at The Bridges... now they have one at The Bridges. They opened it in April, uh, 2022, 57th and Western.
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Honestly, and, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if they open a couple more 'cause they're, they're, they're, they're good people. Sister, mama. Yep. Scout's got some toys- Yep... that are over there. The, uh...
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But not just toys. You can get books, clothing, candy, puzzles, and like stuff you can't just get at Walmart, you know, big box stores. Right. So. Good stuff. Sister- Yeah, ma- make sure you get-...
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go to Abby and shake me... go say hi to Nancy... and Abby Make sure to get the markers that are easy to get the lids off. Thanks again to our sponsors. You just heard from them.
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Support them because they support The Dakota Scout, local journalism, and the free world. The free world. Which won't exist without a free press. [laughs] A free and fair press. So.
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You guys do get a bad rap, and I, uh, talked to many a people in your industry all across the state, and, uh, it is so important to have folks that are out there, um, telling people what's really happening.
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And, uh, so I appreciate what you guys do. Yeah. Thanks. Thank you. The, uh, I appreciated the access you gave us early on in your campaign, uh, before we had even printed a paper.
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You let a, a reporter who basically s- to the outside world was unemployed- [laughs] Yeah, let this unemployed guy tag along. And- It's just 'cause you kept showing up.
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I mean, for, it's supper time, and no, you know, just [laughs] Did you... I don't think I'd ever told you. I als- I got hit by a car leaving your event that night- No, you did not... walking across the street. No.
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The, uh, 'cause th- that was a... What was the, was the- Was it Yankton? It was a Yankton. It was a bar. You had ended your day- Yeah... uh, meeting supporters. Pre- I did not know that happened...
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it was a pretty good crowd. Uh, I needed to get home. I'd got my pictures, talked to some of your supporters. I had what I needed for my story.
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The most expensive capital investment we've made is this camera we bought at the po- at that point, and I had it, and I, I hadn't put it in the bag yet, and I'm like walking across the street looking down at the camera, so I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings.
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It- And this white pickup truck was backing out of its diagonal parking spot and, like, was go- it was an old lady. She's going so slow though, that it did not knock me over.
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It, like, pushed up against me and, like, made me shuffle backwards for a while, and then, uh, they realized they were pushing a human being and stopped their truck. Were you at the drive-in with me too, Joe?
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Did you go to, like, that, have that- We went-... in WNAA, maybe at the radio station taking pictures too? I, I met you at the radio station. Yep. Yep, I remember that day. Yeah. Then we went to lunch. Yep.
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Then we met with some, uh, chamber people. Yep. We talked a lot about daycare and stuff. Um- We sure did. They were doing some great things down there in Yankton. Yep. And- They still are. Yep...
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it was, it was good to see a candidate so, like, sit, uh, involved with trying to learn, and you were, you were genuinely interested in what they had to say.
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Oh, and I mean, that was one of the best parts of, of, of doing it, was the just seeing all the incredible people and the work that they do here in the state of South Dakota and getting a, getting their, their take on what we could do to help make South Dakota better, you know?
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Yeah. Um, I, I think you should always be scared of leaders that think they have all the answers- [laughs]... uh, because none of us do.
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And ultimately, I think you guys both know that too, is you're constantly looking each and every day to ask questions, right? And then then to find out, and you learn more. Yep. You know? So.
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It was, uh, in co- so that was our profile on your candidacy. That was what that assignment was. I did the same thing with the governor. Yep. But my, that was in Sturgis, and it was a little bit different of a setting.
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[laughs] Really? Yeah. [laughs] Little different. She was shaking hands and signing her book with a lot of people from out of state. Yeah. You know, because it's Sturgis. Yeah.
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You know, it's, it's a, it's a tourist thing. A lot of South Dakotans go there too, but, uh... So it, it was a very interesting contrast, and I, uh, didn't- We could-... I didn't really get to speak with her that day.
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I ended up talking to her on the phone after the fact, but got a lot of good art. Uh- I did go to Sturgis too, and, um, that was an interesting day on my campaign trail [laughs] let me tell you, during rally.
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The, uh, Sturgis is a unique animal. It's great for the state, though, state economy. Uh, motorcycles are- Just a sea of motorcycles, right?... part of the- Yeah... fabric, so. Yeah. You could almost ride...
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Well, I did see a motorcycle out today. Yeah, it is- The weather is amazing for December... it is so warm, you guys. I'm T-shirt weather outside almost today. Yep. It's crazy. Yep. So what else we gonna talk about?
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Do you want- Well- We've got some, uh-... election issues... election. You know, South Dakota voted for Trump big in 2016 and 2020. Um, the Republicans...
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The, the, the, the breakup between Republicans and Democrats in the legislature stood pat, so the Republicans didn't gain, Dems didn't lose, uh, seats.
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You know, the election seemed to be operating pretty well here, but not everybody seems to think so. Jonathan, you've been elbows-deep in this story all week. Tell us what's going on.
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Well, the county auditor, Minnehaha County Auditor, Leah Anderson, has made news by, um...
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First off, there was a, there was a meeting that she had with ES&S, which is the vendor, Omaha-based vendor that provides the vote tabulating machines that the county uses, that the state uses, uh, f- to count election, to count ballots.
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And she has expressed doubts publicly about using these machines because there's some distrust about whether those machines are, in fact, accurate and whether they c- are subject to security concerns of being, quote, "hacked".
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Um, and she, uh, contemporaneous to this is also asking for a, a, a pay raise because the county commissioner started her off at the lowest, at the base level.
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Um, so news of this, news of this meeting with ES&S in which she ha- you know, she participated, and Monae Johnson, the Secretary of State, was on the meeting, and then these people from ES&S were on the meeting.
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And then it turned out that she had a bunch of her supporters that were kind of listening in without anybody's knowledge until kind of the end. Uh, and- That's a no-no...
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and so there, that's, that's caused some controversy, uh, on the, certainly the County Commission, which is, like, which will consider these pay raises on Tuesday, the day after Christmas, for all of the elected officials, uh, is considering not giving her a pay raise at all.
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Oh, the leads gonna... The leads you could write. Yeah, the leads will write. So Tuesday there'll be a meeting, uh, at the Minnehaha County Commission, and this, this, these, these concerns will be aired out.
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What, what's she make now, and what's she asking for? Uh, she makes just under $90,000. Holy. Now, now- I'd take that. Yeah, I know. We don't, we don't get that here at The Dakota Insider.
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Gotta sell a lot of subscriptions for that. Buy subscriptions. [laughs] Uh, but she, uh, wants an increase.
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Now, sh- I m- you know, it's not an unjustifiable, I, I, in my view, given what other county offices re- the, the, the, the elected officials got pay raises.
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Um, she thinks that given other, you know, pay raises of other county officials, she should be getting $107,000 next year, okay?
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Her predecessor, Ben Kite, was somewhere in the realm of 130 some thousand, 140 some thousand.
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Now, she argues, and her supporters argue, that she has a vast amount of, of accounting, uh, background, uh, uh, you know, and so she has the qualifications for that job, uh, and that she sh- you know, she's not asking for the money that Ben Kite was making, but she's demanding, like, "Why am I getting so much less?"
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And
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Ben Kite's situation is a little different because the co- the county commission appointed him to fill a vacancy left by Bob Blitz, and, you know, they had to f- they had to vet candidates, and it turned out, you know, Ben Kite, what they felt, was the best candidate, but he was a Citibank, he'd been a Citibank, uh, executive.
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And the point that the commission has made, you know, why is there such a vast difference in pay, is that, you know, Ben Kite has overseen thousands of employees and, you know, a very complex financial situ- you know, business that's involved in bonding and things that, you know, governments are, are, are, are involved in, and that he had quite a bit more experience.
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So that's their justification for why she's getting paid so much less. Now, Leah Anderson beat Ben Kite in the Republican primary, um, raising, uh, uh, in large part raising, uh, concerns about election integrity.
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Um, and so she, uh, does not like these machines that we're using. She's made that clear both in her election, uh, and in subs- and subsequently.
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Uh, and so she's had it out with the commission a little bit now in, in what has been a nearly, nearly year-long, uh, tenure, I guess, with the county. You know, in that, when I was in the legislature,
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one of the overwhelming emails that we received from a very small subset of the population was on this voter integrity in the state of South Dakota, and I had a quote back in the day that was, "Look, I'm a Democrat in South Dakota, and I have eight in the House right now, and I think the elections were held fairly in the state of South Dakota."
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Um, now go ahead to the governor's election the next year, and there's people raising questions. Did Jamie... Did this, that happen to Jamie? You know, da, da, da, da, da.
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I know the far right, some of them are, are pushing on that. I, I don't know. But I know that these systems that have been developed to do this are more accurate than humans. You know?
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And, and, and, and that's been proven time and time again. And so I just wish that we would look at it from a, step back from the partisanship, step back from all of the messiness and say, "You know what?
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We have the ability to do this right. We still have time to learn how to do it right. Let's make sure we do, and let's do it." Our machines here aren't connected to the internet.
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Yeah, that was one of the issues that, that they, that ES&S made, and the, the executives in this meeting were like, "The, the machines in South Dakota don't have modems. They don't have any.
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They don't connect to cellular data. They just tabulate the votes." It can't happen. And so they're not- It's an intranet service, but not internet service. So it's out, it's spitting out a result onto a computer, but-
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It's-... I can't, my buddy that used to hack into DOS program- Can't do it... probably can't, can't. There's no means to do that. There's no pathway into that. Yeah, and there's, but there is some distrust.
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Uh, uh, uh, in this meeting you had, you know, some, you know, uh, the Elections Commission supervisor, Mike Mathis, was saying, well, they want somebody there to inspect the machines, one of their experts, to make sure there isn't a hidden modem or something like that.
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So, you know, this is, these are, there's just, there's just amongst a certain population of voters here, there's a dis- strong distrust of these machines, and so that's kind of been playing out in what is now the state's, uh, in the state's largest county.
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Interestingly enough, I mean, Monet Johnson sort of rode the same wave of, you know, there were some, you know, she, some concerns about that.
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But she's come out now and said that, you know, that she's investigated the state's election system, and she's confident in it now.
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Um, and so she was actually attacked a little bit by the M- Minnehaha County auditor in this meeting, and Monet didn't say anything, but, you know, she went after the, Lee Anderson went after the secretary of state's office of not, uh, not taking ad- a- not adequately training other auditors and not, not asking the questions that she's asking.
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So, you know, it is an interesting situation here. Do they wanna hand count these things or what? She has indicated that she would like to hand count, yes.
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I covered a, a recall election in a small town one time where they just used printed out pieces of paper. Is this, is this in Kansas? No, it was in, I think it was Hartford or something like that. Okay.
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And, uh, the old blue hairs that were working, you know, had to, once the polls closed, they opened up the boxes, and it was very transparent 'cause there was a re- it was a recall election, I think, for a couple counselors and a mayor or something.
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It was very controversial to that town. And they, one by one, put all the no votes in one pile, all the yes votes in another, and then they went through and they counted. And this is a small town, right?
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So there's probably only 400 total votes or whatever. But one, two, three.
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And then they started with the nos, and I remember there was a young reporter there from another agency who just wasn't quite getting it or whatever.
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They tweeted, "They've counted 55 votes so far and not a single yes vote." [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] We got a trend here. Uh, it was like, "Well, they haven't started counting the yes votes."
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But that's not gonna work in a, in a county with 200,000 people in it. Is that, is that r- is that the size here? I mean, have, registered voters, I mean, what are there, 50 some, 60 some thou- That's right... I mean,
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maybe even more. But, um, you know, it, it- You thought it took Bob Witz a long time. [laughs] Oh. Oh. Oh. Uh, yeah.
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But you know, I was, and I was talking to a, a, a, a resolution j- one of the resolution judges who they would, if there were...
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A, a Republican, uh, and, you know, if there were ballots in dispute, they would look at the ballots and decide. And he said that that's a very, it's a very honest, transparent, open process.
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Um, and they can, they can oftentimes discern, like, what a voter was trying to do, and they, and every- they'll, they'll agree. I mean, so it's, you know... I, and I, I would say this, too.
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Um, you know, they, they, the, there is gonna be, uh, an audit of, a, a selected audit after the legislature.
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Um, that's something Monet Johnson had wanted, uh, as a secretary of state candidate, and the legislature went ahead and, and did that, has implemented that, uh, la- law, in, in law.
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And I think it was, I'm, I'm shooting from the hip here, but I wanna say it was about a 5%, maybe 5% that they're gonna look at certain precincts.
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Um, I think that's a very sensible reform, uh, having a, having an audit where you can go back and make sure that the machines were adequate.
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You're, you are hand counting a certain select number just to make sure that the, that's adding up with what the machine c- count gave you.
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Again, we were, probably we were one of the only states that didn't have this process in play, and there's different kinds of audits you can do.
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Uh, we now will have one going forward, and I th- I think that that's very sensible to just kind of, again, bedrock of integrity of the election system. Yeah. Well, I don't think they're gonna s-
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as long as the one guy's running for president, I don't think we're gonna stop talking about election integrity. And no matter who wins this next election, the other side's gonna complain about election
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integrity, and it's probably only gonna get louder until we're all out there with our pitchforks and Rome is burning. So let's, let's shift.
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[laughs] Let's just pray, let's just pray, though, that we get to a spot where, I mean, the folks, you know, I remember back in the legislature, these auditors from across the state, you, we were working with them, and they are hardworking, honest folks in each of these counties.
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And lots of them, lots of them were Republicans, I mean, and but they care deeply about making sure that they do a good job and that the counts are right, right? And, and we elect them.
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And, and let's just, at some point we have to put our trust back in the people we elect. Oh, well, it's too bad it's so, so divided. It's a little, there's not a lot of unity there.
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You know where there's not a lot of unity either? Where, Joe? About a bridge. See this story about a bridge? That's in your district, too, I think.
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Uh- It's expensive So this Unity Bridge, there's a lot of jokes to be had here as far as play on words. Disunity Bridge, uh, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, that was one a reader sent in.
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Uh, the city of Sioux Falls, we wrote at the beginning of this year pretty extensively about the city's flagship construction project in Downtown Sioux Falls.
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Uh, what was supposed to be an $11.5 million reconstruction of the 6th Street Bridge, which, uh, runs between what, like Phillips and Weber or- Yep... something like that. Um, that was gonna be...
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They went out for bid, got one bid. It was $21 million, like double what they thought it was gonna be. Uh,
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we've got some major construction projects happening down in that area, so they didn't wanna, they didn't wanna delay it 'cause it's part of the infrastructure needed for these construction projects.
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Uh, so they moved forward, accepted the bid without re-bidding it. Or, you know, kind of plug your nose and just deal with it. That's kind of the sentiment of the council at the time.
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Well, fast-forward, now the bridge is nearing completion. It's time to move ahead with the part of the plans that name the bridge Unity.
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It was gonna be the Unity Bridge, and there was going to be bronze placards on the piers identifying community figures of Sioux Falls, current or past, uh, that would, that brought unity to the community in some way and they were gonna be recognized on this bridge, which is gonna be called Unity, but these individuals would be recognized.
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Well, that ain't gonna happen anymore because the council said no this week to the name Unity.
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Uh, not because the name itself is a problem, like unity is, that's harmless enough, uh, feel good, but how do you go about picking who are these unity figures? Is it Jamie Smith?
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There's a handful of folks who would not find Jamie Smith unifying, even though I find you quite unifying. [laughs] I, I think the folks on the other side of the aisle even agree on that one, that I'm a kinda unifier.
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[laughs] I tell you what. Are you, are you lobbying for this? Are you lobbying for one of those- I mean, would it, would it, I mean, would it be- I just want them to get the bridge open, you guys.
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[laughs] I live, I live on one side of that bridge, and I like to go to the other side, and I wanna get it open. Yeah. Well, that's, that's the point of the unity. It's unifying the east and west- Yeah...
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r- you know, sides of the river. I mean, but- They could still move... If they dropped the part... So right now the mayor says, "Look, we're just not gonna name it Unity.
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These, these squares where the placards were gonna go are just gonna have like ornamental decorations now." Um, and they're just scrapping it. It's not worth the fight. It's been anything but unifying along the way.
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You know, but it's interesting because the council already approved the funding. The mayor could say, "You know what? We'll just not have a name, uni- Unity, and we'll still do these placards." But I think it is a...
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It's kind of a tough thing to get into, to arbitrarily pick who's uni- who's a unity. They, the council, some of their reservations were there's not a narrow criteria for who's gonna be on this, is that, um,
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as Kurt Salle said, he's hard to press- hard-pressed to think of one person who would not bring some sort of pushback, you know? Was it the mayor? Would Donald Trump be a unifier?
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Mm, maybe- Jamie Scha- So right there, case in point. Kristi Noem, probably not. Uh, Gandhi. I don't-
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You know, any time we've done this where we're trying to put together a name on something, I remember this happened too when we were putting the Phillips to the Falls, you know, that nice... You know, ultimately,
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I'm gonna brag about my district for a little bit. I mean, wow.
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The things that are going on right now in District 15, and in Sioux Falls in general, uh, Downtown Sioux Falls, I mean, what's going on over there in the Steel District and every- I mean, it's incredible, you guys.
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Booming. And so to just, to see the growth and to see the progress and... You know, I often think about what our forefathers and, and mothers to this city would, would think of Sioux Falls now.
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You know, we had a big row happen up at Terrace Park with, they wanted to do some remodeling up there, but it, the historic society got involved in that.
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And I understand the arguments on both sides, progress or keep it, you know, in, in- Preservation... preservation. And so you gotta find that balance between those things.
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And, and I think every time we get into these things, there's a lot of hard feelings on, on, on both sides or all sides of these issues.
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And so ultimately, though, I like to think about what those folks that started our community, what they, what they were thinking. And they were for progress, you guys. I mean, they came out here.
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They came out here from Chicago, Minneapolis, out, you know, and they said, "You know what? We're gonna, we're gonna move out here" And, uh, there wasn't much going on here when they did that, you guys.
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[laughs] Well, you could put like Pettigrew on there maybe. But- He was a crazy figure though- But-... you guys Yeah... I mean, he was- I'd imagine there would be some...
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I mean, we are talking about if you get anywhere like pre-1950, you get everybody sort of probably had some issues that could be raised up in the era of political correctness. You know? Uh- Well, I mean-...
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every- Even, even the fact that we, we came here and, and started a city. That's not very unifying for a group of people that lived here- Yeah... uh, when the city was formed, right? That's true. Yeah.
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So I think, uh, the mayor's idea of Unity Bridge sort of came, it was a pro- My understanding, it was sort of a product of, you know, hatched in the aftermath of George Floyd and this, when America is sort of a tinderbox at the time, waiting, you know, sort of set on fire.
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Uh, a push to wanna be inclusive, um, do things to show that we're trying to be progressive as a community. Uh, but just kinda swung and missed there. I don't...
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I, I maybe they just didn't think it all the way through or unintended consequences, uh, landmines they didn't see coming. Um, so it's not gonna happen now.
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So- It'll be a nice bridge though because it's still gonna have all, like, the bells and whistles and it ties into the bike trail and there's gonna be s- decorative lighting and it's...
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You know, they're trying to make downtown, like, uh, placemaking is the term I think they- Yeah, it, it is fa- it is fabulous and if you haven't been to, to Sioux Falls for a while, folks that are out there, uh, come spend some time in our downtown area.
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It's a very different downtown. I'm older than you by a long shot, Joe, but- Not that much... I don't know, Jonathan, how much older am I?
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And when we were kids, I mean, my dad would take us down to the Falls and we would, we would play down there, but it wasn't somewhere that we ever went at night and it was, it was pretty run-down.
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And now it's pretty awesome. Yeah, it's nice. Gary, Gary Hansen, the former mayor, has got some good stories about how they, uh, had to clean up Falls Park.
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If you ever have a chance to run into Gary, uh, PUC commissioner now, uh, maybe buy him a Beal- [laughs]... beverage and he'll tell you some stories about what they- Yeah... what they encountered.
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It took a lot of hard work, you guys. Well, Jamie, thanks for coming in. Yeah. Uh, good luck on the campaign. Uh, I th- you know, y- you've, you've run for legislature before, so you know what you're doing.
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You like your chances? You know, I do.
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It's gonna take hard work though, like it always does, and we're gonna get out and meet the people in our district and find out what it is that matters most to them and, and, uh, I hope they know I'm a level-headed person that's gonna go work hard for them to make sure that we're even better tomorrow than we are today.
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Well, thanks again to our sponsors. Yep. Uh, thanks, uh, again for coming in. Uh, if you come downtown Sioux Falls, make sure you go to Child's Play Toys. Get yourself a, a...
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This is more than a toy store though, you know? It's, it's got games, puzzles, books for all ages. They got a cool little den area where you can go hang out, put your feet up. You can kinda play with some of them too.
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Yeah. They got the toys out there that you can try before you buy them. And they got some clothes.
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Uh, make sure you, uh, if you need anything over the holidays, if your, uh, stove breaks down or, you know, somebody, uh, to- runs a new toy through, uh- [laughs]...
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some, some sheet rock or something, call the guys at Get It Done Handyman and Plumbing, uh, for fast, reliable service for all your home maintenance needs, 605-800-4426 or check them out at gidsf.com.
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And as always, make sure to drink some Beal Distributed products if that suits your fancy over the weekend. Merry Christmas, everybody.
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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, Kwanzaa, uh, Festivus for the rest of us. [laughs] News tips welcome. Thanks. Let me grab my car keys and we'll roll. Are we still going to that new bar downtown?
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Yeah, it's supposed to be fun. Lexi, give me driving directions from home to downtown bar district. Autocorrect. Suggest Uber. Pick-up home, drop-off downtown bar district. No, I'm driving.
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Suggest the Metro Bus departing in 12 minutes. Huh. Point taken, Lexi. We'll grab a ride. If you drink, don't drive. Decide to ride.
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Brought to you in partnership by Anheuser-Busch, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Uber. This message brought to you by Beal Distributing of Sioux Falls. [upbeat music] I just ran the numbers.
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South Dakota has one of the fastest-growing economies in America. We have close to 20,000 open jobs, including accountants, so I'm filling in. South Dakota is the freest state in the nation.
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We have no state income tax, the fastest-growing incomes, and we recognize out-of-state licenses. It's all adding up. South Dakota, freedom works here. Governor Noem, you didn't carry the two. Josh, kiss my abacus.
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