If you're a leading South Dakota Republican, integrity is irrelevant

From the RCJ today:

When Gosch filed his nominating petitions last January, an elections official in the secretary of state's office questioned Gosch's use of his own notary. Gosch said the official didn't suggest the petitions were invalid but questioned whether he had notarized his own signature."They did not seek to reject my petitions," Gosch said.

Of course they didn't. Brian Gosch is in line to be Speaker of the SD House. You simply don't cross these guys. However, if you're a Dem, carefully follow a confusing law to the letter and if they can find a reason to disqualify you, you're likely to be off the ballot even before the Madville Times can report it.

This is what happens when one party is in control for more than thirty years. No accountability for those in the leadership. Elected officials are seen displaying disregard for their duties to the citizens of South Dakota, because their real agenda is personal and political, not public service (cf. Sec of State "you can always go to court" Gant).


Back closer to home, I'm still floored that the Republicans of District 32 are such party-line voters that they continue to return these two Party tools to "represent" them. Reps. Gosch and Conzet (and Rep. Lust in 34) are political insiders from East River that are by and for the entrenched Pierre Political Class, and of course, Gosch and Conzet are active members of the corporate-funded right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  You'd think it would be great to have all this leadership from out here, but we sure haven't seen policies out of Pierre to help struggling West RIver schools and businesses.There's a reason. They dance with those that brung 'em (as Molly Ivins [bless her soul] would say).

Gosch and Conzet were both appointed by Governor Rounds, and have had no serious primary challengers -- apparently District 32 Republicans haven't gotten mad enough to vote Democratic. (As if Dems are in danger of gaining majority power in Pierre, and doing something blazingly radical, like OMG making taxation more fair or decently funding our K-12 education.)

Their seats are so safe, they rarely even make a "show" effort to talk to their constituents outside of Republican Party events and the obligatory, extremely softball cracker-barrel theater. Rep. Conzet has refused to meet with constituents during the session so she can spend that time with her family. She directs constituents that if they want to meet with her, you need to drive to Pierre. (Unless you're a large multinational corporation, and then she'll take a week and come to your ALEC conference and help you write legislation that's bad for South Dakota.) When she is in town, she seems more interested in cooking wild boar (?) than the needs of her district.


This whole thing is just another sign that integrity and competence have very little to do with our West River electoral process. It's about party, it's about money, and it's about connections.

Are you annoyed? There's is something you can do:

Vote only for Jackie Swanson.

Vote only once.

Integrity matters.

Mathew Murray Event

Mathew Murray is running as an Independent in District 32 this fall for State House. Here's your chance to meet him and throw him a little support as he takes on the partisan machine!


WINE AND CHEESE TASTING
FUND RAISER – MEET THE CANDIDATE
MATHEW MURRAY, INDEPENDENT DISTRICT 32 HOUSE
QUINCY HOUSE, 1228 QUINCY
(CORNER WEST AVE. & QUINCY)
SATURDAY JULY 24, 2010 AT 4:30P – 6:30P

More info, email: Matmurraydist32@gmail.com

Those Democrats... bringing up the facts again

The Capital Journal welcomes a home-town girl back...
(REAL PEOPLE: SC native returns as lawmaker, Jan 11)

“[Rounds] asked me if I would be interested in the position, and I gladly accepted,” she said. “Now I am back in Pierre and Fort Pierre, and it’s going to be my residence. It’s a little surreal.”

Conzet’s father, Karl Fischer, is Rounds’ former business partner. Conzet rebuffed criticism from some Democrats of nepotism and said she is independent and qualified for the position.

She's missing the point as far as I'm concerned.

And I don't think this is a partisan issue. It's a question of whether we are being fairly represented.

The voters of my District, 32, now have BOTH our state representatives selected by Rounds and his friends in Pierre, apparently eliciting utter surprise from them AND the Rapid City community of you believe the news stories. Both were pretty much unknown, with little local (if any) political experience.

Some Democrats have an assignment for you:

1. Google "Brian Gosch" and "Kristin Conzet".
2. Google District 32 Dem challengers "Eric Abrahamson" and "Suzan Nolan"
3. Compare how many hits highlight their service to the Rapid City community and the state. Count 'em.
   

Brian Gosch was selected to fill Alan Hanks' seat in 2007.) At the time, Gosch was also surprised, nay, shocked, to be selected by Rounds.  Yes, another Cinderella story in Rapid City.

"It was the last thing on my mind, the Legislature," [Gosch] said.

Gosch's only qualification apparently was that he also had Pierre connections:

Gosch was a volunteer on Rounds' campaign in 2002. He also was an intern during a legislative session in Pierre when he was in college.

Some Democrats ask: Is it too much to ask to have local community leaders have a chance to represent us in Pierre?

In my opinion, Brian Gosch has clearly demonstrated he isn't that interested in the job, just in in the position.  (He has sponsored a minimal amount of legislation and his commitment to get out in the community is suspect -- I've never seen him at a public event except the cracker barrel-- and even there he is often absent. I'm NOT making this up. Check his record.)

And, worse, he made fun of my car. But I'm not bitter -- let's let that one go for now.

I really hope Ms. Conzet doesn't follow the same path as Gosch has, and takes the job seriously. But I'm not holding my breath.

From the Jan 11 Capital Journal:

This session, Conzet said she wants to balance the budget without raising taxes, and if possible make reductions for future years. But she’s also interested in finding ways to give state employees a raise and to increase state aid to education.

“I know how important those employees are,” Conzet said. “I’m very keen to get started on that debate.”

What debate? Who is against any of those things?

Some Democrats ask: OK, what are your ideas to accomplish this?

Is this some kind of honor society club for former Pierre interns?

Some Democrats have the audacity to want Rapid City's issues represented in Pierre.

We hear very little from our current reps, in fact, sometimes they don't even show up.

In January 2008, the Republicans were blaming Abrahamson (who was in the minority block on the school board anyway) for our Rapid City funding crisis, but the truth was interesting, I think:

Gosch and Dreyer were briefed on the funding crisis in our schools in January, 2008. They were told then that unfunded state and federal mandates, especially No Child Left Behind, were fueling the crisis. They did nothing to support a Republican-sponsored bill in the Senate that would have provided a 4.25 percent increase for K-12 education. Gosch cast the critical vote to ensure passage of a bill that shifted the burden of paying for NCLB testing to property taxpayers.

The nerve, I mean really.

Some Democrats in District 32 wonder ...

    if some Republicans even care who we're sending to Pierre.

Robbinsdale has a new legislator

Some surprise news in Robbinsdale today... it turns out one of "the Brians" who represent us in Pierre, Brian Dreyer, will be deployed to Afghanistan this spring.

Thanks for your service Brian, I know you will provide great air cover for the important things our President and armed forces are doing there.


Gov. Rounds has appointed Kristin Conzet, a person I have never heard of in years of covering Rapid City politics. She lives just around the block from me in Robbinsdale but we have never crossed paths... probably because I don't travel in her social circles:

from KELOLAND.COM (there's video)

Conzet has known the Governor for 20 years; he and her father are business partners, but she says she did not lobby for the position and it's not a conflict of interest.

Karla Ramaekers (KELO): Do you think that relationship helped you get the position?

"I don't think the Governor has ever appointed anybody to a position that he does not know. (Neither do I! -rr) South Dakota is a very small state. It's not about personal relationships; it's about my merit and my ability to do the position so I hope he saw something in me," Conzet said.

I have a call in to Ms. Conzet, I hope I get a chance to meet her and learn more about her plans for representing us in Pierre. In her words, she clearly has a lot of "merit and ability" to land this appointment, and we wish her well. I would guess she will face some resistance from the longtime District 32 Republican politicos around here. Or maybe they are on deck with this -- we will learn more in the coming days.

Best of luck to Kristin Conzet!

Adelstein endorses Katus

Yes, I know this was back in 2006, but Stan's words about Tom are true (and proven true by Tom's record in Pierre in the last two years.)

Enjoy: