Numbers: Campaign Finance in District 8

Campaign finance numbers for District 8 legislative candidates (all links to PDF docs on the most informative website in Pierre, courtesy of Secretary of State Chris Nelson):

Candidate	Total Donations (Direct and In-Kind)	Total Individual Donations, i.e. not from party or PAC (% of total donations)	Unitemized Individual Donations, i.e. $100 or less (% of indiv donations)	Amount of own money spent
Russell Olson	$59,984.25	$31,316 (52%)	$1,133 (4%)	$0
Scott Parsley	$34010.65	$25,860.65 (76%)	$14,260.65 (55%)	$0
Mitch Fargen	$15,740	$12,140 (77%)	$8,415 (69%)	$1,027.40
Jerry Johnson	$7,118.25	$5,900 (83%)	$850 (14%)	$526.16
Gerry Lange	$1,025	$175 (17%)	$175 (100%)	$3,091.45
Patricia Stricherz	$2,938.25	$100 (3%)	$100 (100%)	$0

Grading the District 8 House Candidates: Jerry Johnson

Yesterday, I laid the odds for our District 8 State House candidates:

• Mitch Fargen: 2 to 1.
• Jerry Johnson and Gerry Lange: 2.5 to 1
• Patricia Stricherz: 10 to 1.

I explained why I rank Stricherz the longshot; now let's grade Jerry Johnson.

The short form: If you're looking for an inspiring, dynamic leader, Jerry Johnson is not your man. If you're looking for quiet, competent governance, well, then you might be able to make case for Johnson.

The Excitement Factor: there is none. In the AAUW forum a couple weeks ago, Johnson referred to a "passion and desire" to serve. Passion and desire aren't the first words that pop to mind when listening to Jerry Johnson speak. Watching his SDPB video is less exciting than watching paint dry. (Drying paint at least sometimes changes color.) His campaign website doesn't demonstrate a lot of effort. The Johnson website still has no Issues (which could be a good thing, depending on your interpretation of issues), no Photos, and no News, just a duplication of his Events page. His Speech Gallery does offer one exemplar of Johnson oratory, his 2008 Lincoln Day address, four paragraphs inexplicably posted as a bulky PDF document rather than simple text, in which his rousing closing argument for why he should be elected appears to be, "Why not?"

Why not? Johnson just doesn't sound very excited to be running for office. It's as if the Lake County GOP got together, and Julie Gross said, "Well, darn, Russ wants to run for Senate; who are we going to get to run for House?" and Dwaine Chapel raised his hand and said, "Well, why don't I ask Jerry?" And Jerry shrugged and said, "Why not?"

Of course, I am an outlier, a devoté of dazzling, dramatic political rhetoric surrounded by laconic Midwesterners. If Jerry Johnson is... quiet, he may be the perfect legislator for my neighbors who want government officials to keep quiet and just do their jobs. And Jerry Johnson does his job, competently if not flashily. His trucking business makes money. Madison didn't collapse in scandal or bankruptcy during his two terms on the city commission.

Johnson has said some good things in his campaign. At both the AAUW and Chamber fora, he has opened by saying, "I don't have a chip on my shoulder; I don't have a hidden agenda." Such humility is a dutiful nod to the expectations of South Dakota voters... although one must wonder there statement carries a suggestion that folks might think he does have a chip or a hidden agenda, or that one of his opponents does.

Johnson has also emphasized that he's not about party politics, but just about serving the District and getting the job done. His Lincoln Day address didn't use the word Republican once. At the Chamber forum, he noted that he would break with his party and advocate spending more of the state reserves to give more funding to education.

Still, Johnson hasn't said much else. Other than the above comment about spending down state reserves, Johnson has outlined no clear action that he would take as a legislator. Johnson has said the right things about encouraging communities to cooperate on regional economic development and educational opportunities, but his answers have mostly resolved around private or local action rather than specific legislative action.

So will Jerry Johnson win? He's not doing much to fire up the voters. But then District 8 voters may not need much firing up. He's got name recognition, a record of public service, and good community business connections. He's got this district in his blood, having graduated from Madison HS and DSU and built his business here. And he can keep up with Gerry on the tennis court.

As it stands, I put Johnson even with his old professor Gerry Lange but just slightly behind young, dynamic campaigner Mitch Fargen. We'll talk more about that in the coming days.

Madison Chamber Candidates Forum: Lange, Fargen, Stricherz, and Johnson

Round II of tonight's Madison Chamber Candidates Forum: our District 8 State House candidates! Here's my best summary (not a verbatim transcript, mind you) of what Democrats Gerry Lange and Mitch Fargen and Republicans Patricia Stricherz and Jerry Johnson had to say during the Q&A.

Question 1: What do you hope to accomplish during your first term?

• Fargen: Two things I really want to push for: last year, Rounds imposed a tax increase on ethanol blender pumps. That tax increase was unconstitutional since it didn't have 2/3 of legislature backing it. It was also completely against the effort to develop home-grown resources. I want to repeal that blender pump tax increase. We also need to find resources to pay for education, raise teacher salaries, and do it with a long-term solution, not a short-term fix like the Governor and Legislature have done the last few years.
• Stricherz: Energy, education, and the economy are big issues, but as I talk to voters, one issue keeps coming up: they're worried about young people having to register as sex offenders for having contact with young girls in their peer group. We need to discern between real offenders and children who aren't dangerous criminals.
• Johnson: On education, I differ with other members of my party. As a Madison city commissioner, I often questioned why the city had reserve accounts if it had no plan to use them? We need to look for ways to further the community. We should look at funding education with the reserves. We also need more accountability at state and local levels to use every penny in education wisely.
• Lange: It's difficult to win in a Democrat minority without reaching across the aisle. We must convince them our ideas are good. I've urged another tax system. North Dakota is far ahead of us, so are all other surrounding states. We need to focus on three things: education, education, education. The Finns saw education investment lift them from the bottom to the top of European economic development.

Question 2: With the threat of a slowing economy, how will you promote economic development in District 8?

• Stricherz: District 8 is a great district to live in right now. We have lots of opportunities right now. Let's promote continued agricultural development, energy development, other energy sources like solar.
• Johnson: We must look to regional resources like what's going on in Howard. I toured Howard several weeks ago; what's good for Howard is good for Madison, Woonsocket, etc. We should facilitate regional economic development, help all communities work together.
• Lange: After the election, we'll see change throughout the nation: expect New Deal type projects to make work on public infrastructure, funded through bonding or taxation to employ people in a grassroots effort to stimulate economy instead of trickle-down economics. We need lots of wind development; put turbines on school and public lands to help school funding.
• Fargen: We should be able to get a “Highway 34 Corridor” together to work together, encourage other businesses to come in and use the district's resources. Let's bring businesses, bring tech school programs here.

Question 3: South Dakota has a teacher shortage in secondary education. One solution: differentiated pay (more pay for secondary teachers than for elementary teachers). Your thoughts?

• Johnson: Last year the state legislature approved a package to increase teacher salaries. I don't necessarily agree with differentiated pay. Local districts have the opportunity to evaluate all teachers and decide what teachers should be paid. State Legislature and Department of Education should not decide. In the business world, better performance and more experience mean you get paid more. That's how local districts should be able to do it.
• Stricherz: I agree with Jerry. We all have to earn our pay. We may also need to consider whether diminishing enrollment means we need to combine three school districts into one. Do elementary in one town, middle school in second, high school in third. That would save money that could be applied toward higher teacher pay.
• Fargen: I'm against differentiated pay. School districts set salaries. We always want local control. The state legislature can set what we want the salaries to be, but local control is better. Let schools decide on experience.
• Lange: It's hard to work differentiated pay out with teacher's union. I've heard elementary teachers are more important in formative years; maybe we need best at lower levels. The teacher shortage is a problem because of lack of funds. I'd rather expand the opportunities for raising salaries the way other states have with a reasonable tax system that puts education first rather than skimping on it as we've done.

Question 4: Do you support a smoking ban in bars and restaurants?

• Lange: In theory it's good, but it's not viable in South Dakota with our attitudes toward individual freedoms and local control. A smoking ban would not be a wise decision.
• Fargen: I completely support that! Families need protection. Why infringe on families' right to be in that public area? We need to look at whether such a ban would apply on tribal areas, but I do support a smoking ban.
• Stricherz: I strongly oppose that idea. Business owners should be able to decide for themselves on how they treat their customers. It's not feasible for the state to dictate. Most restaurants and bars do good job of separating smokers and non-smokers; it should stay that way.
• Johnson: It should be up to city commission to decide [a joke! Jerry cracks a funny for emcee Mayor Hexom!]. Actually, I would oppose such a ban. Business owners should have the right to decide how they attract business (or don't).

More Commercial Political Speech in Madison; Russ Olson Gets Players Vote

Discover the Unexpected™ in Madison? Not at Prostrollo's All-American Auto Mall (or is it All-Republican?):

Randy Schaefer is also a proud supporter of his Republican District 8 Legislative candidates... well, two out of three:


And for my favorite juxtaposition of commerce and politics:

Punch lines are welcome (punch... they do serve punch at Players, don't they?).

District 8 House Candidates on the Issues: Analysis from the AAUW Forum

No, I haven't forgotten about the Madison AAUW District 8 legislative candidates forum; there's just been a lot of other news going on here in Lake County.

But I've been thinking a lot about what I heard and saw at the forum. This morning, let's look at the State House candidates. But first, if you like, feel free to peruse my commentary-free notes on the candidates' responses to the tough questions the voters gave them Tuesday night....

O.K., now some commentary!

We have four candidates running for the two District 8 House seats. In these four, we have about as much diversity as one could ask for in District 8:

• Democrat Gerry Lange: 80-year-old Air Force vet, farmer, history professor, and veteran legislator
• Democrat Mitch Fargen: 26-year-old SDSU grad, former student senator, now working at the Farmers Union
• Republican Jerry Johnson: 50-year-old trucking business owner, former Madison city commissioner
  
• Republican Patricia Stricherz: Army vet, social worker, grandma (and a lady whose age I'll leave her to publicize)

In terms of age, profession, schooling, and political experience, you have a little of everything. I'll let you decide (and discuss in the comments!) how those factors stack up in your book.

Let's look at how the candidates handled the questions Tuesday night:

On the energy questions, Gerry Lange enjoyed an advantage on the energy questions thanks to his experience as a board member at Sioux Valley Electric. Even on the solar power question, Lange had a ready answer, mentioning a report on villages in India where women are making small-scale solar cells for rural power. (To come up with something new to say after the other five candidates have already had a crack at the question is pretty good.)

Mitch Fargen was also able to come up with a specific answer on solar, saying that SDSU has just received Sun Grant funding to work on solar power. Jerry Johnson and Patricia Stricherz weren't quite as specific on this issue, though I'll admit, the question caught me by surprise, too.

All four candidates appeared to fall in line against the idea of the state mandating that utilities buy back excess power generated by alternative home energy sources, although Stricherz said tax breaks for solar would be a good idea.

The question on wind power appeared to seek evidence from the candidates of things they themselves have done to promote that form of alternative energy. That's a tough question, because hey, what have you done? The candidates' answered drifted more toward what we could do. Fargen said landowners need to share in the true value of wind projects, not just get some small rent from corporations (Fargen is no socialist, but he touches my rebel heart by putting just a hint of disdain on the word corporations). Johnson said we need to look at all forms of energy and encourage cooperatives, cities, and other groups to work together. Stricherz passed on the question.

Only Lange, the experienced legislator, was able to cite concrete actions that he's participated in to promote wind power. He cited the Legislature's abatement of the contractor's excise tax, a tax he characterized as one of our worst and a competitive disadvantage South Dakota faces agaisnt other states. A veteran of tax fights in the Legislature, Lange rightly identified the tax structure as one of the main tools the state has at its disposal to promote wind power.

Party politics didn't come up much during the forum, but on education, the candidates started sounding like Democrats and Republicans. Lange and Fargen both advocated directly investing more state money to reduce the debt students incur at university. Johnson cheered the status quo and suggested looking for grants and private donors. Stricherz said the resources are there and that we just have let our kids find themselves... an interesting and positive parental perspective, but not a clear sign of proactive legislative effort. It's nice to be a fiscal conservative, but as Lange noted, the GI Bill, one of the greatest investments in education in America's history, paid back $9 for every $1 invested.

The responses were similar on increasing wages in South Dakota. Everyone agreed that we need to encourage higher education. Johnson pointed to his work on creating and keeping jobs at the local level and said it's not easy when we're up against global market forces. But again, only the Democrats spoke directly of Legislative action to address these problems, specifically in terms of increasing investment in education.

On the Regents' paydate-switching scheme and the harm it do to retirees benefits, Fargen was able to drop names, referring to a conversation with Tad Perry himself about options to move retirement dates. Of course, moving one's retirement date may not sit well with employees who've already made their plans and given the state decades of service. Stricherz offered an alternative solution, phasing in the paydate switch for new employees (though I have a feeling someone in Pierre will say their computers will explode if they have to keep track of two separate paydates a month). Johnson remained agnostic, saying he needs more information, but Lange wasn't afraid to call the scheme a scheme, the same sort of "shell game" that has gotten Wall Street into its troubles.

So who won? Well, the questions and answers at this specific forum didn't give me cause to change my vote from Lange and Fargen. But there are a lot more issues than what we got to discuss in this one hour, issues the candidates may get to address at the upcoming forums:

• Tuesday, October 21: Madison HS, 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 22: Howard Legion Hall, 7 p.m.
• tentative: Tuesday, October 29: Chester HS (I've heard it's possible, but I don't have confirmation of date and time yet)

Keep reading, keep listening, and keep asking those candidates questions!

Politicians Parade, Pitch Pops, Pencils, Platforms!

Madison's Main Street enjoyed its highest politico-population density rating of the year Saturday morning, as all sorts of candidates found their way to town for Dakota State University's "Trojan Days" homecoming parade (Trojans—you know, those bad dudes in the Iliad!).

Below are some photos of some local and visiting pols who marched Main Street. We had great marching bands, too—for video of the mighty Bulldog band plus musicians from Chester, Howard, and other area schools, see musical coverage at RealMadison.org.

Mom Power! Democratic District 8 Senate candidate Scott Parsley smiles and shows off his secret campaign weapon: his mother Mary! Behind them, Lake County Democratic Party chair Joan Stamm is also smiling, thanks to all the donations pouring into the Dems' cash box. (Look out, GOP—we're catching up!)

Democratic District 8 House veteran and candidate Gerry Lange has the Lake Herman blog vote locked down; can the rest of District 8 be far behind?

Here's Dan Bohl, city commissioner, new blogger, and candidate for Lake County Commissioner, making sure no child is left without high blood sugar. (Note also the cool Lego float by the Madison Community Hospital!)

Hotfoot GOP Senate candidate Joel Dykstra either ran out of candy or doesn't want to get caught in front of the new Lake County Democrat headquarters.

DSU Foundation President and Lake County Commission candidate Chris Giles—maybe at parades, we need to call them candy-dates...

Here's Colman-Egan English teacher Val Parsley, working the crowd for her husband Scott and few of our other favorite Dems. (And yes, kids, your homework is still due Monday morning.)

Matt McLarty, Democratic candidate for the Public Utilities Commission—when even the PUC candidate makes time for the parade, you know he's serious!

Mad about Madison— Democratic District 8 House candidate Mitch Fargen is having a great time at the parade (and he's going knocking on doors afterward!).

My favorite zoning officer, Deb Reinicke, isn't running for anything... She just looks really cool on that bike. You sure you want to make a fuss about that building permit, tough guy?

Republican District 8 House candidate Patricia Stricherz and her husband march the parade route. They're both Army—this Main Street march ain't nothin' for vets like them!

GOP District 8 Senate candidate Russell Olson stops by Dems HQ for some opposition research....

Hey! Jerry Johnson (GOP D-8 House candidate)! Toss some candy this way! (I know, I sound like a typical liberal, expecting treats from government... but those Tootsie Rolls are good!)

I know, it's not much better than that famous Roger Patterson film of Bigfoot, but really, off in the distance, that's the missing half of Chris Lien's face! (Inset: the Lien Machine!)

No politician here... but it's nice to see the automatic pilot from Airplane! has found a new career at East River.

Hey, there's Robb Graham's 160-mpg hybrid. (His mileage is improving!) But if you think that's impressive...

Now that's a hybrid! The engineer who came up with this idea should run for office! ;-)

District 8 Candidate Videos from South Dakota Public Broadcasting Online!

Hooray for South Dakota Public Broadcasting! They have added the District 8 candidate videos to their Election '08 archive. SDPB invited every State House and Senate candidate to the studio this summer to tape a brief statement to the voters. The U.S. House and Senate candidates also got invites.

SDPB is playing the videos Friday nights at 9:30. But just in case your football game runs long and you miss you favorite candidates, SDPB is also putting the videos online.

As a special treat for the home crowd, below you can watch all five District 8 candidate videos. Wait—five? We've got Scott Parsley, Russell Olson, Gerry Lange, Mitch Fargen, Jerry Johnson... where's Patricia Stricherz? Didn't my favorite new Republican of the year find a moment to get down to Vermillion for two minutes of free TV air time? That may not bode well for the campaign.

Scott Parsley:


Russell Olson:


Gerry Lange:


Mitch Fargen:



Jerry Johnson:

Jerry Johnson Fights Fuel Prices with Conservation, Speed Limit

Think your fuel bill is high? Imagine if you had 26 trucks using a half million gallons of fuel a year.

KJAM reports that Jerry Johnson, co-owner of Madison's B&G Transportation, is using conservation and speed limits to save on fuel costs. They've set the governors on the trucks to 65 mph, idling less, and reducing deadhead miles. (Silly me: and I thought listening to Jerry Garcia would help drivers mellow out and use less diesel....)

Jerry Johnson also just happens to be a Republican candidate for the District 8 House. Would his energy policy at work translate into energy policy in Pierre? Would Johnson support lower speed limits for the rest of us on our highways? What other conservation measures might Johnson be willing to put into law?

Jerry, hurry up with that campaign website so we can find out!