South Dakota War College

The Rapid City Journal via Kevin Woster is reporting tonight about the circumstances around the whole Schwiesow/Katus/ Sore los... Adelstein situation: Republican candidate Elli Schwiesow is a self-professed pro-life conservative closely tied to Referred Law 6, which would ban all abortions in the state except when needed to save the pregnant woman’s life. Katus portrays himself as a moderate who opposes the ban and believes it is a clear example of a growing extremism in the Republican Party. But it’s not as simple as Schwiesow against Katus. Republican state Sen. Stan Adelstein, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist who was beaten by Schwiesow in an edgy District 32 primary last spring, has thrown his money and public endorsement behind Katus. And in a less public way, Doug Hamilton another Rapid city millionaire whose history of charitable giving was tarnished this year by a multi-million sexual harassment lawsuit against him and his company n has provided financial backing for...

As we head into the end of the weekend, Dick Kelly has a couple of new ads - A new positive TV ad, and an ad asking who Heidepreim will work with .

I caught this one in the No on 8 committee report. The No on 8 people are reporting that they received $45,766 from the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners. No SDACC PAC, but the SDACC itself. Except I'm wondering how in the heck they did that. Especially when their donation constitutes over half of the group's receipts. From a check of the Secretary of State's PAC list and PAC reports, there's no political action committee set up for the group where individual members can donate to a cause of their choice, unless this report is yet to be filed. Why is this important? For starters, the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners is an entity authorized by law and paid for by tax dollars: 7-7-28 Formation of association of county commissioners and elected officials--Powers of association--Appropriations for dues . The county commissioners and elected officials of any county may join with the commissioners and elected officials of other counties in for...

Kate Turnbow over at the Pierre Capitol Journal has one of the few stories I've seen so far out there on "South Dakotans for Honest and Open Government" and Vision South Dakota. And appropriately titled as well - Not so open and honest" South Dakotans for Open and Honest Government, which has sponsored at least one political cartoon advertisement in serious opposition to Gov. Mike Rounds, has proved to be less than open and honest about who is behind its mysterious organization. But campaign finance reports show that most of the money behind the organization has come from another political action organization, Vision South Dakota. Also contributing to its campaign was the committee's treasurer, Dwight Hale, who previously told the Capital Journal that he knew nothing about the organization . The organization's contributions totaled $26,100, which was all spent on advertising. In addition to giving to South Dakotans for Open and Honest Government, Vision Sout...

Daniel Brendtro with the Forward South Dakota group has been a great one for demonizing the video lottery, and going on about the social costs for families. But, as one observant reader noticed, why did Daniel think video lottery is bad when back in December for Daniel the statewide expansion of poker was simply "good, clean fun!" Erks registered his petition drive Friday with the Secretary of State’s Office. He got his first signatures over the weekend. He will need 16,728 signatures by May 2, but he hopes to collect more than 20,000. If he does, the new definition of gambling will be on the general-election ballot Nov. 6. The initiative would change state law to stipulate that “the terms gambling, betting and wagering do not apply to any contest or competition in which the role of the entrants’ skill is equal to or greater than the role of chance in determining the outcome.” The initiative lists fishing derbies, billiard and dart tournaments, golf shoot-outs and even chess ...

A short time back KSFY this Week had featured some debate on Initiated Measure 8 this past week, and I had a reader note to me that one of the proponents, Senator Ed Olson, as he debated Greg Dean commented that an equitable way to make up the loss in revenues would be to increase property taxes. KSFY This Week Aired 10/21/06, 10:35pm Mitch Krebs: It seems that whenever you are talking about a tax issue, the same arguments are always made that people by and large, Ed, as you mention, do not want to pay more taxes and if your example is correct, double taxation, but on the other hand, we have services that have to get paid for and the money has to come from some place. So how do you balance all that out, Greg, when deciding which taxes we get rid of because does it eventually it turn into “pay me now or pay me later” it’s going to come from some place? Greg Dean: Well, I think you hit the nail right on the head. Ed and the rest of the proponents of this issue like to compare our t...

I had a reader send this over to me as one of the many thing flying around the state in the wake of "Vision-gate" as one person was trying to make heads or tails of how the money flowed. I think graphically like this, so it's a handy visual-aid. (Click on the image to enlarge) Oops. My bad. I got a copy without a disclaimer. It's fixed now

Yahoo is featuring this AP story by Chet Brokaw on their front page at the moment I'm writing this: While the U.S. House investigates ex-Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)'s sexually explicit instant messages to former Capitol Hill staffers, South Dakota is dealing with its own page scandal. The Senate is scheduled to convene in a special session Nov. 27 to look into allegations that Sen. Dan Sutton, a Democrat from the eastern town of Flandreau, "sexually groped" an 18-year-old page in this year's legislative session. After hearing evidence, the Senate could take actions ranging from imposing no punishment up to expelling Sutton, a 36-year-old insurance agent. Sutton, who is seeking re-election, has not responded publicly to the allegations, but his lawyer, Mike Butler, has said Sutton has done nothing wrong and will not resign. He pointed out that state investigators have not filed criminal charges. However, Senate leaders said they have a responsibilit...

I was taking a little grief over at Mt. Blogmore over a post I did about Stan Adelstein sending money to "the Majority Project." It was claimed that I misidentified this group which has been supported by Tom Daschle to attack Senate Republicans on a National basis as receiving the funds. A few people pointed out that I was wrong. Stan didn't send the money to the national group. And now that I see the latest filings , I agree. I was in error. Mea culpa. Mea culpa . Because here's the group of people that Republican Senator Stan Adelstein is trafficking with (click any of the images to enlarge them): In case you're wondering, that $10,000 donation is one of Stan's PAC's. Now, I don't have anything personal against any of the people on the list (a few are even readers - and specifically, a shout out to Nick Nemec). But my point was originally that as a Republican legislator, Stan was openly funding attacks against the GOP. And from a list of who got mon...

I was looking on Forward South Dakota's (anti-video lottery) latest filing and noted their big contributor: Am I the only one who noticed that the address of the mysterious "South Dakota Association" who is funding the battle to end video lottery (which I think will force an income tax) has the same address as... ...The Midwest Coalition for Progress? The Anti-DM&E group which was funding Vision South Dakota. Who in turn was finding South Dakotans for Honest and Open Government as well as Jack Billion. I don't think I've ever seen anything as convoluted a money scheme as this in South Dakota politics.

The opposition might not like it. But I'm not so sure there's anything illegal about it at this point, given South Dakota's lax campaign finance laws: 12-25-2. Allowable contribution sources--Contribution by corporation prohibited-- Contribution by association restricted--Violation as misdemeanor. No candidate, candidate's committee, political action committee, or political party committee may receive any contribution except from an individual, political action committee, or a political party. No corporation may contribute or attempt to contribute any valuable consideration to any candidate, committee, or political party except a ballot question committee . No association may contribute or attempt to contribute any valuable consideration to any candidate, committee, or political party except a ballot question committee. Is it an attempt to get around the campaign finance laws? Sure. But so is Stan Adelstein setting up political action committees to send his s...

I got this release this AM. Apparently Senator Kelly took ill, and as a precaution he was checked out and found to be in good health. Update on Medical Condition of District 13 Senator Dick Kelly ( R-Sioux Falls ) Further testing through the night and this morning has determined that the pain Senator Kelly experience last night was a result of respiratory complications and was not cardiac related as originally assumed. Senator Kelly is in full spirits and will remain at the Heart Hospital through tomorrow afternoon. He will recover at home for the next week. Senator Kelly noted “I’m not good with the timing of these things. I’m frustrated that I won’t be involved in Saturday’s district literature drop, but am humbled by the outpouring of support from constituents and colleagues. The phone has been ringing non-stop with calls of encouragement.” Kelly’s wife noted, “I guess this is probably the result of all of those late nights putting up signs in the cold weather and the door to doo...

For all of you naysayers, I haven't been paying attention to this because I've been out with my bride tonight. I did catch it on the 10pm news, and this at the least looks interesting. At the most... eh, it possibly was not a good thing to do for all involved. I'll try to do a little research on it tomorrow so I comment intelligently, as I've been otherwise occupied tonight. In the meantime, check out Todd Epp's coverage of it from his point of view. And the argus weighs in on it as well. State law bars corporations from donating to candidates, political action committees and political parties. However, corporations can contribute to ballot-question committees, such as Vote Yes for Life.There is no limit on the amount of money that corporations or individuals can donate to ballot committees. On Thursday, Hunt said he couldn’t talk about who was behind the company and the origin of its funding, citing attorney-client privilege. Hunt is an attorney. When asked if the...

Scott Heidepreim strikes back at Dick Kelly as the election winds down. Hat tip to South Dakota Watch

Guess what I found. Not only did Vision South Dakota fudge their financial report on how much they donated to South Dakotand for Honest and Open Government. They fudged it on someone who really didn't need this type of attention the weekend before the election Jack Billion's filing is in. And oddly enough, the amount of money he's reporting receiving from Vision South Dakota doesn't match what they're saying he got. First, here's what Vision SD said they gave to Billion (Click on any of the images to enlarge): Vision South Dakota says that they gave Billion $23,625. Sound ok? Not after you look at Billion's report (Last page): Jack Billion says that he got $45,625 from Vision South Dakota. Which indicates a discrepancy of $22,000 between the two reports! So, which entity is correct? Vision South Dakota which has already shown it's purpose is for moving money between PAC's, or the Democratic Candidate? On one occasion of a problem, I might chalk i...

If you recall, I wrote recently about the South Dakotans for Open and Honest Government and the question of where their funds for the attack ads came from . Well, Vision South Dakota , the source of their funds finally filed a report. And it only deepens the mystery. Check out the report here for a minute ... and then we'll discuss. (.pdf format) Okay. Had a minute to read it? Here we go. Who is funding the attack ads that the Citizens for Open and Honest Government commissioned from Gunn Productions ? For starters, this organization accepted an illegal contribution from the Sisseton Whapeton Sioux Tribe which they now have to give back to the tune of $7000. (Ouch). This is what has been holding the filing up, and it remains unfiled until they can return the $7000 to the tribe's account. (Maybe they can pay for their own attack ads next time). Moving from there, there's a fairly considerable list of people who donated big bucks which eventually ended up (or at least a por...

To the readers of the War College - I hope you will allow my brief interruption of the political lecture that is conducted here on a daily basis to allow me to publicly celebrate fifteen years of marriage to my husband. I think I can liken this public love note to standing in front of my family and friends all those years ago now and professing my commitment to this man. We were married on November 2nd, 1991 at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls. The wedding happened after a monster blizzard that canceled Halloween 2 days before and stranded a groomsman in the airport and relatives from Iowa, It's been a lot like that for the past 15 years, with unexpected "weather" and turns and twists that we couldn't have expected, but the outcome continues to be the one I most desire - I am married to a wonderful man who I love with all my heart. I met PP while teaching in Elk Point, and we got engaged after knowing each other approximately one week. Engaged i...

As we wind down into the final days of the election, everyone is filing what they've given to candidates. And, that includes what the parties have donated to the candidates. Granted, it's probably not the final picture, as at the cutoff date, there were still a couple weeks left in the process. There are a few on here that make me cheer. But there's also a few on here that have me scratching my head. First the Republicans (Click on the image to enlarge it to full size) : $250 to Bill Napoli who has a somewhat competitive contested race? $250 to Dave Novstrup, a new candidate in Brown county? One that really irks me - $250 to Isaac Latterell who has a very competitive race? All of these candidates are getting the same amount as Ed Olson, who doesn't have a race. Compare that to the Democrats (again, click to enlarge): Hoerth who is running against Isaac got a big $10,000 bone from the Democrats. Spry, who is running against Napoli, got $2000. While Republican Brian J...

I wish the SDGOP would do this. I noticed tonight that the SDDP has an aggregate listing of all their candidate websites : Herseth For Congress Billion for Governor Bryce Healy for School and Public Lands Commissioner Steve Kolbeck for PUC Dinah Paris for House Frank Kloucek for Senate Greg Kniffen for House Catherine Ratliff for Senate Deb Phillips for House Pam Hemmingsen for House Rebekah Cradduck Berggren for Senate Giebink for House Paul Nielson for Senate Sandy Jerstad for Senate Jeff Barth for Minnehaha County Commissioner The only thing that came to mind when I read this was "Frank Kloucek has a website?" Yes, it's true, and this picture was on it.

Bryce Healy has got a campaign ad running on the air, and I've got a copy of it right here. According to his financial report, Bryce has raised and spent over $100,000. (am I the only one wondering if this is going to be the first time a Democratic School and Lands Commissioner was able to raise as much as the Democratic candidate for Governor? (Click to enlarge)

This "End the Double Tax - Vote Yes on Initiated Measure 8" commercial is running across South Dakota with literally no opposition that I've noted on the airwaves. Little opposition... Tax cut. I wonder where this one is headed?

Humor website weighs in on the elections with several funny posts - one of which is on the JAIL movement: J tothe A tothe I tothe L Amendmentation Folks, don't just vote yes on this solid amendment to our constitution, VOTE HELL YES. No other issue on the ballot this year will cement South Dakota's standing as the number one bat-shit-crazy state like this bad boy. Our founding fathers desperately wanted our judicial system to be run like some freaked out bumper cars ride, and this tasty little morsel gets us to it. We at SouthDakotaMac have yet to be sued, and this kick ass amendment will end that, wouldn't our world just be better if we could all sue each other for no apparent reason. VOTE YES ON THE JAIL AMENDMENT, and let's start the havoc Go read it here for his offbeat humor.

It's about 15 years old. so you'll have to forgive the poor quality and the low volume. But I think it's the all-time funniest KELOLAND blooper ever. Angela Kennecke talks about the sad passing of the president's mom after he lost to Clinton. Except... that's not quite the video that's playing in the background.

I'll preface this with the caveat that I don't have it confirmed "for sure." But the word going around among lawmakers is that when legislators come back into special session to determine the guilt or innocence of Democratic Senator Dan Sutton for a violation of Senate Rules the Democratic numbers are going to swell by one. I was informed that the word going around is that Republican Senator Clarence Kooistra (who lost the primary will return for the special session with a grey badge. Meaning that he left last session as a Republican, but for the special session, he's changed parties and will be caucusing with the Dems. What will this mean? Nothing really unless it comes to a close party line vote. But I'm assured that this will not cut across party lines, and each Senator will be acting on their own judgment in the matter.

This Radio ad just hit the airwaves in Sioux Falls in the Heidepreim/Kelly race: Get back to work - who will he work with . Click on the above link to listen to the ad which questions "who Scott will work with after turning his back on the GOP and attacking Rounds and Thune." The reply from the Heidepriem camp? I don't have it yet, but I'm told there's a radio ad airing in the Sioux Falls Market in opposition to the ads noting that "it's time to stop fighting and to get back to work." There's also this mailer from Heidepriem. Click on the images to enlarge them: It looks from here that he's going after Kelly for the cell phone tax... Aaaand that's about it. Stay tuned.

(Click to enlarge the bad advertising) You know, it's pretty bad when, at the same time they're arguing in court that their campaign opponents are being untruthful, the fun anti-tax 911 conspiracy crew at sdja.net place an ad in the shopper paper which is full of some of the wildest claims you've ever seen. For example: Are they on drugs? SD Prison industries is the largest employer in the state? As Tim Gebhart points out on his take on all of this over at A Progressive on the Prairie : So, if we include inmates as "employees," the total employment at Prison Industries is 289 statewide. Let's look at the largest employers in Sioux Falls alone: Sioux Valley Hospitals & Health System, 5,729; Avera Health, 3,969; Citigroup, 3,200; John Morrell & Company, 3,200; Sioux Falls School District, 3,000; Wells Fargo, 2,722; HyVee Food Stores, 1,699; WalMart/Sam's Club, 1,195; Midwest Coast Transport, 1,180; City of Sioux Falls, 1,082; and, First PREMIER B...

I've been perusing the Political Action Committee reports and this one made me do a double take. A political action committee called "Democracy Works" shows who it's working for this election - Democratic Candidate Pam Hemmingsen. Aside from $1000 to Billion, $1000 to Stan's pupp... Er, Sorry $1000 to Tom Katus, $500 each to Theresa Spry and Rick Hanson, it comes in with a massive chunk of money to candidate Pam Hemmingsen. $13,500 to be exact. Who is coughing up with all of this money for this PAC? It looks like the vast majority of it - $22,000 - is coming from Hermosa Sculptor Jim Borglum, grandson to Gutzon Borglum. Dang. I'm in the wrong business.

The associated press just sent it across the wire that: A judge has refused to bar some of theadvertising by a group that opposes a controversial ballot measurethat would strip judges of judicial immunity. and.. But after a brief hearing today in Pierre -- Circuit Judge Max Gors of Pierre said political campaigns routinely involve disagreements in which two sides disagree about what is true. He says both sides can make their political arguments -- and he will not interfere in the process. The group opposing Amendment "E" argues its ads are accurate and truthful. (By AP Writer Chet Brokaw) heh. Well, what did they think was going to happen?

I got this in the e-mail today where the National Taxpayer's Union weighs in on South Dakota's ballot measures: What did they have to say about it? While this is not a comprehensive list of all initiatives, it should provide you with some insight on the key taxpayer issues this election season. This guide is for informational purposes only; it is not intended to provide endorsements or recommendations to voters. If you would like a handy, printable version of the South Dakota ballot guide, please go to: http://ntu.org/Ballot_Guides/2006-10-20_Ballot-SD.pdf 2006 South Dakota Taxpayer-Related Amendments: ( + ) Constitutional Amendment D would roll back property values for taxable purposes to their 2003 amounts, after which the "acquisition value" (the price when sold) would primarily determine the future base assessment. Either way, increases in the assessment would be limited to 3 percent annually (tax rates would not be capped). ( – ) Constitutional Amendment F would ...

The Argus Leader is reporting this morning that the Legislature's Executive board is moving forward on investigating the Sutton allegations by requesting information from the Attorney General: The decision to subpoena the attorney general's investigation is the first step in the Senate's inquiry into Sutton. and... Olson said the information gleaned from the attorney general's investigation will help officials determine what other individuals will be subpoenaed in the coming weeks. "It really is paint by numbers," Olson said of the process. Attorney General Larry Long said Tuesday evening the subpoena was served on his office. Officials in the attorney general's office have looked at the matter, and believe they will have to comply with the request. "We aren't planning on going to court and contesting the subpoena," he said. Read it all here in today's Argus Leader .

Hey - all you other bloggers and mainstream media reporters - Here's something for your weekend homework. According to the J.A.I.L. people " Ron Branson, the author of J.A.I.L., will appear as part of the program on "CNN Newsroom" this coming Sunday, November 5th , at 4 p.m. eastern time. The Branson interview by Reporter William Mears in Washington was recorded October 3rd in the studios of CNN locally." I'll have to tape that one, because coming the weekend before the election on Amendment E - the J.A.I.L. amendment - I'm sure Branson is going to be talking about how he stood with Bill Stegmeier and got it on the South Dakota Ballot.

About at the same time Chad from CCK was leaving a comment on my blog noting that "I was wrong about it", referring to my mention of Daschle's Senate Majority Project that Stan Adelstein gave a big fat $10,000 check to - I had another reader point out that the Roll Call wrote on it back in March : A pair of senior Senate Republicans lashed out at former Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) because of his association with a liberal 527 group that is trying to mount a permanent campaign against GOP Senators not currently facing re-election. Two GOP chairmen, Sens. Ted Stevens (Alaska) and Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), expressed their displeasure with Daschle because he was helping raise money for the Senate Majority Project, a 527 founded by Democratic operatives who have put both Stevens and Chambliss, as well as most of the Republican Conference, in its crosshairs in recent months. Stevens, who first voiced his outrage to his GOP colleagues at their weekly luncheon, said in an ...

Here's the one I've kept missing when I'm in capture mode. Here's the hardest hitting TV ad I've seen yet that Dick Kelly is running against Scott Heidepreim. It's a bash fest.

I promised this a couple of days ago after seeing the hatchet job that Tom Katus did on Elli Schwiesow in his ad. And the really sad thing is that Tom seems like he could be a nice guy if Stan wasn't telling him how to run his campaign. If you recall, this type of tactic didn't do Stan any good either. It just seems to come cross as Stan's bitterness rather than Tom's leadership. But then again. If Tom had leadership skills, he would not have been so willing to step aside for Stan after the primary. I've got an ad that "I'd do" if I were in charge of the world... but it would probably be a little too much over the top for this race. If I can get blogger photos to behave tonight, I might have to post it. It deals with a puppetry theme and being happy to let Stan run his race... But like I said, it would probably be a little too much over the top.

(Click on image to enlarge) Another Stan Adelstein political action committee filed the other day. While this one sends out money in a bit more bi-partisan fashion, check out the BIG donation it makes. Several Democratic Legislative candidates got checks inthe amount of $836 including Katus, Finch, Spry, Heidepreim, etc. And I'll be the first to point out that he sent a check to Kirkeby, McLaughlin, and $1000 to Governor Rounds. I won't cast dispersions on those donations, because any of those sound reasonable, even if they still get around donation limits. It's not like the $5000 checks he sent out to Dems from his other PAC. The thing that has my attention in this filing is the BIG $10,000 check to the Majority Project . What is the Majority Project? Two words you need to know - "Tom" and "Daschle." According to the center for Media and Democracy: The Project, which launched officially on March 2, 2006 [3] , is a political action committee formed w...

She's running against Bill Earley. And now she has an ad on TV. In this ad, Sandy Jerstad talks about how she'll bring teamwork to Pierre.

This ad is running in the Watertown area for the Dennis Arnold race against Nancy Turbak. A pretty nice ad featuring Dennis with John Thune and Mike Rounds.

In their filing today, Dwight Hale , who has been running from the press like a scalded dog on behalf of South Dakotans for Honest and Open Government, finally had to cough up with a report as to who is backing his campaign which produced two ultra-negative commercials against Rounds on the gubernatorial race. The source for the funding for South Dakotans for Honest and Open Government? It's another PAC. Imagine that. Sounds like other money shuffles I've reported on. This political action committee playing candyman to Dwight's group is called Vision South Dakota . And it's registered to a James Endres of Watertown. This appears to the be the same James Endres who was a democratic legislative leader in the late 1970’s . Of $26,200 that was put into the campaign, Hale put in $100, and Endres’ group put in $26,100 of the cash. Where did all that money go? According to the political action committee report, all of the money went to Gunn Productions out of the Sioux F...

The No on Amendment E people put out a press release today on their website in response to the lawsuit that Bill Stegmeier and crew filed against them. And it notes that this is the type of lawsuit we can expect if it passes - frivolous: No on E Committee Responds to Frivolous Lawsuit from Proponents of Constitutional Amendment Tue, Oct 31st 2006 PIERRE, S.D. – The No on E Committee rejected as baseless a frivolous lawsuit filed by supporters of proposed Constitutional Amendment E, the so-called judicial accountability amendment (JAIL). The No on E Committee simply stated that their advertising explains exactly what will happen if Amendment E is passed. “Despite past claims to the contrary, Amendment E treasurer Bill Stegmeier is now claiming that their amendment only applies to judges,” said Dianna Miller, co-chair of the No on E Committee. “In a December 2005 mailer to the residents of Madison, Stegmeier wrote that the amendment applied to ‘any governmental employee of any stripe sha...

This one is making the rounds in the e-mails, and I just got it. Oh god.. let's just say it's a little...harsh.

This was probably one of the best stories I’ve read in a long time. The Mitchell Daily Republic reported how SDSU Ag communications/Political science student Amanda Nolz went to the FFA national convention in Indianapolis where the organizers booked American Idol winner Carrie Underwood for entertainment. Good booking? Well, not unless you consider the fact she happens to be a vegetarian and animal activist. (What moron booked her for the Future Farmers of America convention?) Check out Seth Tupper’s excellent article to find out what Amanda did in response: One of the missions of FFA is to cultivate young leaders, but the venerable agricultural organization may have gotten more than it bargained for with Amanda Nolz. Nolz, 18, a product of Mitchell High School’s FFA program, left her mark on last week’s FFA National Convention in Indianapolis with two achievements: she won the extemporaneous speaking contest and led a walkout protest against country music star Carrie Underwood. Under...

Today's Rapid City Journal has more on the JAIL amendment (Otherwise known as Amendment E) from South Dakota two-star state Jailer in chief Bill Stegmeier and Bar Association executive Tom Barnett: Hanes said that South Dakota Judicial Accountability — the political group backing Amendment E — would continue the legal battle to get Long’s ballot explanation thrown out. Ballots already have been printed and distributed, and people are already voting absentee, but Hanes said, “We have some things brewing.” That could include having the election results thrown out and holding a special election on the measure later. Barnett predicted the result on Nov. 7 would be a rejection of Amendment E. A telephone poll Wednesday and Thursday by the No on E committee contacted 400 “likely voters.” The results showed the “yes” vote at just 8 percent, Barnett said. (“Definitely yes,” 4 percent. “Probably yes,” 4 percent.) The “no” vote was 51 percent. (“Definitely no,” 40 percent; “probably no,” 1...

In the race against Republican candidate Jean Hunhoff, Yankton Mayor Curt Bernard is doing some on-line advertising at the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan . As it was off to the side, I darn near missed this ad. But as on-line ads go, it's pretty good. Also, don't forget my prior post on this race where I note that I don't think he can legally hold the mayor's seat and the legislative seat at the same time: I say the State Constitution does NOT allow him to hold both offices at once. How am I reaching this conclusion? Let’s take a look at my prior post on the matter where Pat Haley sits in the same situation : But by the action of Pat Haley taking the oath of office, he now holds two offices at once, that of Legislator and that of City Council member. And I'm not so sure those offices are compatible. Check out Attorney General's opinion 82-23 , (from Mark Meierhenry) which says in part: The South Dakota Constitution Article III, § 3, setting out the qualifica...

I was going to go to bed, when I saw I had some annoying e-mail in my inbox from a comment that Bonnie Russell, who hawks her judge ranking service at amendmente.com left about a lawsuit being filed against the opponents of Amendment E. Fine. I'll bite and look at the kelo article on it : Opponents say that "E" would not only affect judges, but would squash nearly all volunteerism, because people would be afraid to serve on school boards or city councils and other committees making decisions. Dianna Miller of "Vote No On E" says, "This is a vendetta against South Dakota. It will end public service and this isn't something we want. But Stegmeier disputes that and has gone so far as to file a lawsuit in Hughes County Court, asking for an injunction against the "Vote No on E" Committee. Stegmeier says, "Amendment E doesn't even address county commissions and schools boards, even though the opposition says it does. They're lying a...