Priorities & Issues
Priorities for District 4's Future
I am the only candidate in this race who is a farmer, veteran, educator, or father of school age kids. I’m laser focused on District 4 issues because I want to ensure: Our kids obtain the education that allows them to go wherever they want in life, but can access the jobs and quality of life which make them choose to stay here. Our family farms are accessible to younger generations and our agricultural products boost our local economy, not someone else’s. Our veterans can easily access the services they’ve earned, and we fulfill our commitment to them. Our schools and teachers are properly resourced. Our Constitutional rights are defended and fiscally responsible decisions enacted. Our locally elected officials determine the path for our communities and schools and are not usurped by politicians and bureaucrats in Pierre. Our small towns thrive in the future as safe communities with dependable infrastructure and loud playgrounds.
The Future of Farming
Why is farming so important in the first place? The answer is obvious, and yet sometimes in our industrialized nation, people forget. We need to ensure we produce enough within the United States so we will never be reliant on other nations for food. If there is a widespread natural disaster such as drought or extreme weather events around the world, we need to make sure our families won’t suffer from a food shortage. Ensuring we can produce a large amount of food is as important as having a military. But that means we need to keep the agriculture economy viable and accessible to our future farmers. Currently our farmers are facing some real challenges. Input costs are skyrocketing, including seed, fertilizer, diesel fuel, equipment parts, and animal feed. Driven by the need for larger operating costs and lines of credit, many farmers have taken on record debt. As a result, far too often, smaller farmers or their spouses need to take an additional job off the farm just for economic security or insurance. Adding to the costs are sky high land prices, some of which is caused by outside investors. Combined with the input costs and high interest rates, this limits the ability of young farmers to get into the business if they don’t already have a family connection, and it prevents younger farmers from purchasing their own land. In South Dakota we need to continue to support the production of ag and our farmers and ranchers. That means putting pressure on the federal government to ensure that markets are open for our products. It also means developing markets internal to the state through value-added agriculture, whether that’s growing the ethanol industry and diversifying ethanol uses, or using our products for milk production, soy crushing plants, cheese or small scale meat processing, just to name a few. We will create more agriculture jobs if we process our products in-state. It also means supporting agriculture knowledge through extension programs, trade schools, and community engagement. As fewer kids grow up on farms, we need to ensure that knowledge is not lost. Those kids who want to go into farming need access to mentors, low interest loans, and programs to help them get started. Finally, just like any industry, the state also needs to ensure our farmers are not overregulated or overtaxed. This includes the value-added agriculture market that our products feed. I love that farming is my profession, but without the knowledge, equipment, and support from my farming family, I’m not sure I would have been able to make it work. Let’s not leave it that way for the next generation. We need a farmer representing our agricultural future in Pierre.
Keep Property Taxes Local
“Raise your hand if you like property taxes.” Said no one ever. Let’s be honest. Paying property taxes stinks. The amount changes every year. The funding formula is complicated. Different rates for different types of property. It’s unclear how the county came up with the assessment number. But unlike the “into the ether” sales taxes, excise taxes, and vehicle registration fees, property taxes stay local. Pierre isn’t deciding how to spend them. Our local commissioners and school board members do. Those taxes collected locally are used locally to fund the public safety, infrastructure, parks, and schools in our communities. So when we talk about property tax replacement or relief options, I get very concerned when the suggestions involve Pierre taking those decisions away from our locally elected officials. As I talk to people around District 4, property taxes are front of mind because they are rising and, for some, becoming unaffordable. If this was an easy problem to solve, it wouldn’t be one of the most talked about issues in the campaign. However, let’s start with fully implementing the relief programs that are available. I have heard stories from other candidates about elderly people having to sell their property because they can’t afford the taxes. I ask myself, where was the County Auditor, real estate agent, and family in that situation? South Dakota has programs already in place to assist the elderly, disabled, veterans, and homeowners to offer relief. We need to make sure those are fully utilized. We also may need to add or update the categories. There are areas ripe for review too. Are the counties and schools paying for services via property tax when the bill should actually be sent to the state? Are there efficiencies to be found where services can be shared, to avoid each individual county burdening the full cost? Growing our way out economically by spreading the tax burden is also going to play a key factor. I’m not a fan of what was passed last session. It’s just shuffling money around or worse, going to cause tax increases for our District 4 residents who shop in central hubs, with no relief for our rural areas. But I’m also not in favor of solutions which send the money directly to Pierre, for bureaucrats or politicians to determine how to distribute. It will only make our commissioners and school board beholden to Pierre, instead of our residents. Let’s keep working to find reasonable solutions, but keep it local.
Value Public Education
I support every parent’s right to decide how best to educate their child. Open enrollment, private school, or homeschooling are all great options we have here in South Dakota. However, as I door knock and talk to people in our communities, I hear a lot of concerns about public education. Some of these comments are pretty harsh. I want to have these discussions because I want to hear how people came to their opinions and what they think needs to be done. But, I also tell them that I support our public schools. Let’s talk about why. First, we have a constitutional requirement to establish and maintain a public education system. This is clearly laid out in Article 8 of the South Dakota Constitution. And so let’s make it the best system in the country. Second, we also need to remember why we have public schools in the first place. Article 8 of the SD Constitution says right off the bat, “The stability of a republican form of government depending on the morality and intelligence of the people...” We have public schools because a fully educated populace is good for our state and our country. An educated population creates a strong workforce, develops creative solutions as challenges arise, and ensures critical thinking citizens. Third, public schools are open to all. Not every parent has access to a nearby private school, nor would their child necessarily be accepted. Nor can every parent dedicate the time or expertise for homeschooling. This was true when we set up our public school system and it’s true today. Many of us have either benefited directly from public education or indirectly through having a more educated population overall. My support doesn’t mean there is nothing to improve. We should not be satisfied with below grade level reading and math, and schools should be accountable to our state's standards. But Pierre keeps treating public school funding as optional and underappreciating the hard working professionals who teach our kids, and that needs to end. I have spent time in our schools as a teacher. I have visited with all of District 4’s superintendents and visited most of our schools during this campaign, and everyone has the same goals. Let’s ensure all of District 4’s kids have access to the best education possible so they become the citizens we all need them to grow into for the future.
Equation of Economic Development
No one moves here for the weather…so let's talk about economic development. We are blessed here in South Dakota. We have an abundance of farm and ranch land with great hunting lands, lakes, and rivers. Our utility bills and taxes are among the lowest in the country. And we have amazing communities full of hard-working, kind people. However, our exceptional quality of life exists because people in our communities prioritized economic development. And if we are not constantly planning and encouraging economic development and growth, then stagnation and cyclical decline follow. Economic development can be long and tedious. Decades long in some cases. At the Grant County Development Corporation Annual Meeting, it was mentioned that the current state of Milbank’s industrial park was 40 years in the making. We cannot operate on the assumption that we don’t want to grow now because we’ll just be able to “do it later.” By then, it will be too late to catch back up. We are a state with a lot to offer, but we are not an island. We compete against other states, and even within District 4, we are competing with other parts of the state. District 4’s counties and towns have economic development groups precisely to ensure that our area stays strong and growing. They strategically invest in infrastructure, assist entrepreneurs with financing options or link new businesses to existing resources in the community. But these investments and resources do not work without willing partners in elected officials, schools, housing, or other business. A workforce which doesn't want to live here won’t want to work here. I say all this to show that economic growth isn’t about a one-time business recruitment. Businesses, schools, recreation, housing, and governing boards are all interwoven within the equation of economic growth. We need all on the same page for a community to grow well. The legislature assists through passing bills ensuring the right programs, incentives, or legal needs are in place for communities to grow the way desired. A housing bill is not just about housing. It’s about economic development. Growth doesn’t have to be haphazard. It should be smart, thoughtful, and deferential to a community’s vision and values. And businesses need to add value to the community, and be willing to integrate into its culture, not change it. Smart growth can guide existing businesses and local entrepreneurs to new heights as they envision what might be possible in the future. We must also acknowledge that a lack of growth doesn't mean life just pauses and remains as it is today. Rather, towns stagnate. Families leave. Infrastructure deteriorates. We need constant and thoughtful economic development in District 4 to ensure our towns thrive now and into the future. So our jobs stay well paid and plentiful. So the tax base doesn’t burden a dwindling population. So our playgrounds stay loud. We need to keep District 4 economically strong, because, let’s be honest, no one moves or stays here for the weather.
Republican Values
Let’s talk about being a Republican. This is the Republican primary after all, and I am asked about my conservative values when I am out door knocking. I have been a conservative and a Republican since before I first registered to vote (just ask my high school government teacher!), and those core values haven’t changed. Over the 30 years since, the evidence of my lifelong conservatism holds true. But, it always rings truer when someone states these core values out loud themselves. So here’s a not-all inclusive list: I am Pro-Life. I support the 2nd Amendment and the fundamental right to bear arms. I support limited government. I support low taxes. I support individual freedom and liberties. I support personal responsibility. I support property rights. I support local control. I support a strong national defense. I support law enforcement. I support faith in our lives. I am a Christian. Most importantly, I support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I have sworn that oath multiple times, starting when I first joined the military at 19, and I will continue to do so as a legislator.
Quality of Life Takes Work
Between my wife and I and our military travels, we've spent chunks of time in quite a few places around the U.S. But, we think District 4 offers the best quality of life to raise our family, which is why ensuring this quality is one of my top priorities. What makes District 4 a great place to live? Everyone reading this could come up with their own unique list about their favorite aspects of living here. Quality of life is subjective and based on our own perceptions, but I would define it as the elements important to our personal happiness, for living the way we want, from birth to old age. What are your top factors? Here are some ideas: - The social connectedness of our small towns - The quiet of sitting out on the acreage without anyone nearby - A local coffeeshop or watering hole - Great parks and schools - A place nearby to move into, when we can no longer care for ourselves - A good job, paying enough to not stress over the bills - Local healthcare facilities - Freedom from government interference Regardless of our personal priorities, quality of life is the reason we want to be somewhere. The reason we want to stay. Or the reason we want to move. But, these qualities mentioned above don’t happen by accident. They take work. They take involvement from people in our community and our businesses willing to step up and say, “we want the best quality of life.” Commutes that are too long. Housing costs that are too high. Overwhelmed sheriff’s offices. Deteriorating parks. No nursing home nearby. These are real risks to our quality of life without the deliberateness of volunteers, elected officials, businesses, and our residents all doing their part to maintain the quality of life we all want. This isn’t meant to be a doom post. Just a call to say that we can’t be flippant about these things. They can disappear. Not suddenly, but slowly. Sometimes so slow we don’t even recognize it's happening. So how do we avoid this? Thoughtful economic development. Elected officials with vision, not divisiveness. Entrepreneurs who take a chance and the customers who show up to support them. Involved residents. Businesses which invest in the community. Volunteers who step up. To keep District 4’s quality of life strong, let’s all play our part.