Bill Napoli whines in the RC Journal

Around here at the Radical we have a special appreciation for Sen. Bill Napoli, a man who says what he means and means what he says, even when it doesn't make a lot of sense. So I have to repeat this letter from the RCJ today:

Auditor Julie Pearson broke the law. Check SDCL 12-14-1 and 12-14-1.1, and 12-14-2. Does this mean anything to some of you?

State law clearly says: Only county commissioners have the authority to move polling places, and they must notify the auditor 30 days before an election of the precinct boundary changes if any have been made. The auditor doesn't have authority to move a polling place four days before an election.

I believe Pearson tried to force her political views onto a private group by forcing them to put signs on their private property when they didn't want to.

Pearson apparently got her nose out of joint when the church refused to allow pro-abortion signs on the property before the election.

The county rents that property for one day! Pastor Potts specifically told the auditor's office: "There would be no signs of any kind on the property election day." This same policy had been used for the previous six elections.

Signs are not the issue; the issue is obeying the law.

Evidently, Pearson thinks she's above the law and can do whatever she wants.

I could care less about signs. What I care about is the people's right to vote.

Sen. BILL NAPOLI
Rapid City

I added the links above to the laws Sen N helpfully refers to, which are about the fair definition of precincts, and certainly NOT having to do with necessary last-minute changes in polling place. The Auditor has and needs this power to ensure folks can vote, in case the polling place loses power, gets flooded, or if in the unlikely case that owners of the polling place threaten to ignore county election policies and laws.

Sen N, considering the facts, I believe your premise that the Auditor broke the law is both misleading and false. Is this why you are simply bullying Ms Pearson in the "court" of the RCJ Letters section and at public meetings of the Commissioners? Seems pretty cowardly to me, and not behavior becoming of a State Senator.

That bastion of liberalism, the Rapid City Journal, has sided pretty heavily with the County Auditor, since she was simply doing her job to ensure compliance with existing policy.

What the heck happened? My theory is that the Auditor asked OBCC to remove their YesOnSix signs--and after a pregnant pause and the church's expression that they had a problem with that, the Auditor's office offered to let them leave their signs up if they (gasp) would let the Pro Death Forces Of Satan to put up their signs next to theirs. I can see, given the charged atmosphere at the eve an election they knew they were likely to lose, that a "hell no" response from Open Bible would have resulted, and the rest is history.

Sen. N. seems pretty sure the OBCC would have removed their signs, I guess I"m not so trusting: our local experience is quite the opposite: the westside Catholic Church had YesOnSix signs up the morning of Nov 7, and had a pro-life sign up (until they asked to remove it) in the very room where polling was taking place last April. I guess I'm a little more trusting than Sen N. of past experience than the honor of the YesOnSix self-righteous true believers, who clearly believed their cause was so morally superior that they had no problem spreading dis-information and laundering money.

Sen. Napoli, may I respectfully suggest if you really have a case here (which I seriously doubt) against the Auditor to file suit in court, or maybe get your Party interested in the issue so they can pursue it in court. Otherwise, please go find something useful to work on that will do some good, like maybe paycheck loan sharking?

Or is that too hard for you? You've made noise about the paycheck loans issue, but have been strangely silent outside of campaign time.

Are you that scared of a real fight on a real issue?