Mayoral Candidate Tom Johnson was a passenger in vehicle of campaign worker. Except the campaign worker got busted for DUI. While dressed as a woman.

Here's the bizarre stuff I mentioned last night from Kevin Woster at the Rapid City Journal:
An 18-year-old Rapid City man faces charges of underage consumption and driving under the influence after a traffic stop early Tuesday morning that involved Rapid City alderman Tom Johnson.

Rapid City Police Chief Craig Tieszen said Tuesday evening that a city police officer stopped the vehicle about 1:15 a.m. for erratic driving and malfunctioning tail lights. The driver of Johnson's car "was dressed like and appeared to be a woman" but was eventually identified as a man, Tieszen said.

Tieszen said the driver initially gave a woman's name but then provided a man's name.

"As far as we know, (he) is legally a man," Tieszen said.

and...

"She was driving the car, and I was putting out signs. That's exactly right," Johnson said. "Campaign people put up a lot of signs before an election."

Johnson said he wasn't aware that the person, whom he knew as Trina Sivera, was actually a man, nor did he know the driver had been drinking.
Read it all here.

I'm sorry, didn't you know? Everyone puts their signs up the night before the election. Darn us for thinking something else.

Oooooookay...... If Tom couldn't figure out if his campaign worker - whom he was in the car with - wasn't #1, a man dressed as a woman, and #2, drunk, then maybe it's a really, really good thing that he lost the mayoral contest.

But you know, it might not have been what it appears at all. They might not have been putting out signs. It could have been a tryout for Tom's production of La Cage Aux Folles.

Or they could have been going to the local showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Everyone knows you have to have some alcohol to get on stage to start dancing "the time warp"in drag.

Really, officer. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
She always had the cutest little Adam's apple.
Anonymous said…
so do we have some kind of strange thing going on with our politicians and teenagers? first sutton, then klaudt, now this? very, very weird.

maybe this accounts for the way-too-many tom johnson signs in sioux park across from anderson dental that assaulted everyone's eyes on the way to work yesterday...just too much of too much
Anonymous said…
11:30, my rear. I had a call about it around 9:30. And it was obvious from the person who called me that it was a dude driving.
Anonymous said…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrE6FMpai8

Tom Johnson's favorite You Tube Clip
Anonymous said…
"Dude. That's a dude."
- Doug Remer, BASEketball
Anonymous said…
Tom Johnson might have better numbers going after the senior citizen vote as opposed to the alcoholic cross dressers.
Anonymous said…
someone should tell the driver that this is not what we meant when we said more women need to get into politics.
Anonymous said…
I'm sure that Alan Hanks could use some some campaign help now.
Anonymous said…
I think that Tom Johnson just purchased an Aerosmith albumn and wanted to jam out to "Dude Looks Like A Lady" to another degree.
Anonymous said…
PP - We know you want to pile on, but I am sure you also know that it isn't unusual for remaining campaign signs to go up the night before an election. Catching people's eyes one last time before they go to the polls. At least I hope you know this and are just feigning ignorance to amplify the story.
PP said…
Most people have it done 2-3 weeks ahead of time. And they sure aren't out after 11:30 at night doing it with intoxicated 18 year old boys OR girls..

Not to mention that's not the candidate's job.
Anonymous said…
8:52 is right. Signs pop up near polling places the night before. Happens every election.
Anonymous said…
You put up signs at the polling places as late as possible so there's less likelihood that they will disappear before the polls open. PP knows this.
Anonymous said…
PP - Do you swallow every line cast your way? It doesn't say how intoxicated. I saw a gentleman the other night who had more to drink than I though humanly possible and he seemed completely sober. You are just trying to pile on. I am trying to see how this benefits Kooiker, because that seems to be the angle to have with each of these stories.
PP said…
9:49, are you listening to yourself?

What "line" is out there? It's a news story that broke across multiple media outlets, and the police confirmed there was a DUI arrest.
Anonymous said…
PP, ignore those guys.

Jabba the Schumacher is just crying in his sugar coated cereal that the candidate He and Hamilton bought is long gone.
Anonymous said…
We've reached a new level of west river loonacy today. And I don't mean the drunk cross-dresser and the candidate, I mean the people on this blog who are trying to say it's not a big deal, and are actually blaming pp. Come on...
Anonymous said…
as they type wearing sensible pumps.
Anonymous said…
With open toes for a summer look.

The only thing that this race was missing was for Kooiker to change the spelling to Kookier.
Anonymous said…
No one is blaming PP for anything other than being an imbecile. First, he doesn't understand why someone would be out putting up signs the night before an election. Nice try, except for the fact that it is common practice. Second, he says it isn't the candidate's job. Nice try, except it is late/early and why wouldn't it be the candidate's job at that point? Should he be knocking on doors? A lot of candidates like to do it just to get their minds off the next 24 hours. Third, he uses the term intoxicated and implies that Johnson should have known. Nice try, but what I said was intoxication can be subjective. Some people hold alcohol better than others. Your black-and-white interpretation of its definition casts a light upon your objectivity. It should be nuanced. Technically intoxicated, yes, noticeably intoxicated, maybe not. Shades of gray.
Anonymous said…
See what I mean.
Anonymous said…
I'm a friend of pp, and pat I think everything 1039 said is right. If you have a campaign as unorganized as johnson's probably was it makes total sense.
Anonymous said…
Am I actually reading that people are trying to justify TJ's behavior? He was alone in a car with an 18 year old girl who had been drinking and driving.

That by itself brings his judgment into serious question.

It just so happened that it also turned out to be a guy. That brings into question his visual acuity and his intelligence on top of it.

The story about the signs sounds like crap, even if that's what they were doing.

I know I wouldn't want to try that one with my wife.
Anonymous said…
There is another question here. Do we thank the RCJ for holding this story until the voting was over, or do we raise a question mark about it. Personally, I'm glad they waited a beat. No harm done, and the story is still out there. Now, if Johnson had made the runoff... wow. Now that would be a whole other ethical puzzle. I wonder what the RCJ would have done in that instance?
Anonymous said…
Wow the conspiracy nuts are out today. Is it possible the Rapid City Journal didn’t print anything about it until this morning because this was the next printing after the incident? No, that makes too much sense. Let’s blame this on the liberal media, or better yet, the illuminati.
Anonymous said…
"shades of gray".

Shades of gray puke.

"sensible pumps"...very funny.

This almost fits the don't get caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy political rule, but with a slight twist.

I was just reminded in a phone call that the Rapid City Council also had a councilman who decided he needed a sex change. Don't think he became a councilwoman, but don't remember for sure.

Must be something in the water out there...or maybe mountain air isn't everything John Denver thought it was.

--- Doug Wiken
Anonymous said…
Rapid City politics are the kookiest, dirtiest, oddest I have ever observed anywhere in many years of observing politics.

You could make an HBO series about it. You have the rich porn addict throwing tainted money around. You have the rich, angry egomaniac throwing money everywhere. You have the rabid religious freak/Sally Jesse Raphael impersonator. You have santa claus. You have someone named Kookier who looks the part. You have the freefall of an ethically flawed city councilor, with all of the dirt that goes with it. You have late and most likely false campaign filings. You have an unlimited amount of backstabbing and alliance shifting. You have a transgender city councilor replaced by someone named Hadcock. And now this.

All in one political party, and all in one conservative midwestern city. Who'd have thought it?
Anonymous said…
11:24, from 11:02 The RCJ posts late breaking stories to their web page all the time. That's why they have it. I'm not accusing them of anything, by the way except maybe common courtesy, so no need to get your shorts in a bunch. If I were a publisher, I wouldn't print any of that crap. Maybe that's why I'm not one, huh?
Anonymous said…
scimitar, you're really scum.

Other than the way his disability affects how he walks, Sam is as normal as anyone.

What's next? Pointing at a Veteran who happens to be an amputee and calling him a gimp?
Anonymous said…
Good idea scimitar !

Been trying to come up with a catchy title for the show, but none that really grab me yet -

Desperate Politicians
As the Hills Turn
Gay's Anatomy

Need some help here....There's gotta be a good one out there somewhere..
Anonymous said…
11:42, I wasn't aware Kooiker has any disability. I'm not from RC, haven't seen him in walk, haven't seen him in person. Disability is not apparent from the photo on this blog or the photo in the RC Journal. I made no comment on any disability - just that his name seems to fit his appearance. He's just another character in the tv series I'd like to see.

But call me scum if you like. I've been called worse.
Anonymous said…
How about "Hay Camp Follies"?

That was Rapid City's name before it was called "Rapid City."

"Hay Camp."

Hey, hey, hey!

(HA HA HA)
Anonymous said…
Scimitar reminds me of Will Rogers, "Call me anything you want, just spell my name right."

My fave though is, "You can call me anything... as long as you call me for dinner."
Anonymous said…
We'll call the series "Sweet Dreams". A politician/author is writing a book and has dreams of the wild ass scenarios he's putting into the book. But you have a double story line. The first is what the politician/ author dreams up. The second is the politician/author's own political story line (which may be stranger than fiction). The hook for the audience is distinguishing the fact from the fiction.

Ultimately at the end of the series, the politician/author completes his book but is turned down by a publisher who says, "nobody would ever believe that."

So which of these RC characters should be the author?
Anonymous said…
The author should be Doug Hamilton, master puppeteer.
Anonymous said…
Kinda the porno version of the Beverly Hillbillies.
Anonymous said…
We-e-e-e-e doggies.
Wayne Gilbert said…
Reminds me of what Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry once said: "b---h set me up!"
Anonymous said…
I'm sorry, didn't you know? Everyone puts their signs up the night before the election.

Why the sarcasm, PP? What do you tell your candidates to do the 7 hours prior to the polls opening? Should they sit around with their thumbs in their mouths?

The candidate shouldn't be doing it? Why not? Especially at 1:30 AM? C'mon PP -- You seem to be better at politics than allowing sarcasm to get in the way of good sense.
Anonymous said…
hey, scimitar 11:38, very astute observations - i like how you managed to sum it all up...it actually could be a very viable storyline for HBO...call it "elephant breath"
PP said…
3:50 - it is not the candidate's job to put up signs. There should be a committee person (people) for that.

What do I tell candidates to do? At that level, I have (and do) tell them to go door to door. Meet with key people. Give the media a call and talk about the election the next day.

Anything that only the candidate can do.

At 1:30 am, they should be in bed so if they have to do something, they can get up at 4:30/5am the next day to go work business entrances, downtown, or if they feel they have to do the volunteer level stuff, go do a lit drop in a targeted precinct.

It's better to be noticed talking with people, than trying to rush through a list of signs.

The candidate's job is to press the flesh - NOT to put up signs. That's two guys in a pickup with a list.

If any consultant tells his candidate to go put out signs himself, he should be slapped. The candidate's time is far, far more valuable than that.

He or she is an ambassador, spokesman, etc. Not the sign guy.
Anonymous said…
I have a feeling some campaign staff members decide that although they are really interested in policy and poltics, they have no actual interest in having to nearly prostitute themselves to become winning candidates. Or maybe that never happens?

Too many years ago, I worked on a campaign and at one town in SD which can remain nameless, the actual candidate and I were standing side by side. Some guy at the meeting came up and started talking to me as if I was the actual candidate even though he was standing next to me.

Pretty good quick realization that we had some serious name/face identification problems.
Anonymous said…
I share Pat's experience of running for office in the worst way and getting shellacked, so I'm sympathetic. There is a dignified and honorable role in working on campaigns to elect other people.

Having seen Sen. Obama's announcement this morning, it is comforting to see a campaign that restores the notion that running for office is, indeed, a noble and patriotic service. That is a cause that candidates and their staffs -- in both parties -- serve well when they do their jobs honorably.
Anonymous said…
Does this explain where one might find Marion Rounds' spine and brain? Was it body snatchers that got him? Haven't seen him during the session. Just wonderin'.
PP said…
6:55 - amen.

You can win most races by a minimal effort, because most candidates are worse than most might imagine.

But those who are students of the craft know the tough races are won by much more than clever ads.
Anonymous said…
pp makes the classic mistake of presuming to be the mind, body and soul of the candidate. He would never work for me. That's not what we need in campaign managers. Never was, never will be. I would fire his ass in a heartbeat (if I were ever stupid enough to hire him in the first place) the minute he started in with platitudes like that.
Anonymous said…
johnson has commented at:
http://tinyurl.com/3dzd7s
Anonymous said…
We hang out here because PP is a great snoop and a pathalogical tattle tale. His research is about 75% reliable. His spin usually not so much. But there is value here if you wear your hip waders.
Anonymous said…
I see the "BS" is still flying high from the libs on here.
Anonymous said…
I don't think this has anything to do with campaign finance reform.

I think it has more to do with political stratagies.

People can come and go in political campaigns, before, during and after.

What is bothering people i would say is the fact Mike and Kookier are considered friends and Mike and Shaw didn't see eye to eye on issues.

Is it about loyalty, money or other factors??? I would say ponder the questions.

Rapid has had some troubling times in the city office lately. hummmmmmm.
Anonymous said…
It has everything to do with campaign finance reform. How can one person pump in tens of thousands of dollars into a political campaign like this? This means Hamilton is likely setting up a Political Action Committee to pump what ever it takes to keep his puppet in office. But Jim Shaw is more than a puppet. He is a corrupt mayor---willing to do anything to stay in power.
Anonymous said…
Wouldn't that same sort of "conflict of interest" be even more present with Sen. Brock Greenfield? He is the Executive Director of Right to Life, correct? Or do we just want to ignore it in his situation?
Anonymous said…
5:41, that's an interesting thought, and one I'd ask an attorney about, but I'm sure you aren't Britney Spears or someone who has their own likeness trademarked.

Even in those cases, I don't think it's so cut and dried...
Anonymous said…
You should all read Bill O'Reilly's "Culture Warrior", then you can identify the Secular Progressive's in South Dakota politics... democrats and republicans. Or you can keep an eye on the Mainstream Coalition bunch and who supports them in South Dakota.
Anonymous said…
It's all just a joke to you guys, isn't it?
PP said…
7:36, why would I work for an idiot like you in the first place? According to you, you already know it all.

I work with people who want to win, and are open to the concept of what a real campaign is. 2008 will mark 20 years of helping candidates, and I still consider myself a student of the craft.

While I by no means win all of them (although I did last night), at the very least, the opponent knew they had a fight.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said... 8:05 PM

"The discussion is worthless, since almost no one identifies him/herself"

An intersting quote from Anonymous...

At least if I say somthing stupid, you know stupid William posted it...
Anonymous said…
Strange how after 20 years in politics and no one in this state will hire you. Or at least no reputable candidate. Or candidates that actually win.
Haggs said…
This story just got national attention. It was #2 on Kieth Olbermann's Top 3 Newsmakers list on his Countdown program tonight.

I had his program on in the background while I was doing something else... and the mention of "Rapid City, South Dakota" got my attention. I was stunned that something like this would get any attention beyond our state.
Anonymous said…
PP at 10:14. Interesting. Which race did you win? Are you working for Kooiker? If so, I hope you're not calling that a win. 50% plus one would be a win. Sam only got 33% That means 66% of the people who voted, voted for someone else.
Anonymous said…
Shaw and Johnson lost; that means we all won !!

the bad; only 11,673 people voted.
the good; 10,145 did not vote for Johnson.
PP said…
11:40, despite your trying to bait me, few campaigns go by where I'm not working with candidates. At this point, I'm choosy, and my preference is to help build the next generation of leaders.

And guess what? I still have my soul and most of my hair without prostituting myself.

6:10, no, I'm not working for Sam, although I greatly celebrate his win in this initial contest.
Anonymous said…
7:25 Wrong. If Sam won, he would be mayor right now. That's the responsible way to look at it if you're practicing "the craft" (as you put it). But keep those rose-colored glasses on, PP. They look kinda good on you.

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