No Accountability for Fraud in South Dakota Government
State leaders fail to protect public assets South Dakota’s state government has a troubling history of fraud incidents. However, 2024 marked a new low. Investigations last year implicated state employees in schemes that mismanaged or outright stole millions in public...
Study Before Acting on Tax Relief
South Dakota’s Tax Structure South Dakota uses a mix of several different taxes including sales tax and property tax to fund state and local government. The state is known for its low tax environment, particularly when it comes to income taxes, which it and eight...
Sioux Falls Has a Good Thing Going
Sioux Falls has enjoyed impressive growth over the past seven decades. But much of this growth didn’t just happen for the sake of growth. Instead, it was due in no small part to visionary leadership. I hope current and future community leaders appreciate the...
South Dakota’s Odd Duck Legislature
South Dakota’s legislature will soon convene to address issues impacting residents statewide. Unfortunately, this body isn’t representative of the state’s population and includes several unusual figures who likely wouldn’t survive a fully competitive election in which...
The RINOs vs. The Wackadoodles
Republican Dominance in South Dakota The South Dakota Republican Party (SDGOP) is arguably the most powerful special interest group in the state. With just over half of the state’s registered voters, Republicans dominate all statewide offices and nearly 90% of...
It’s Time for Our 30 Year Tune Up
Sioux Falls has seen significant growth and success in recent decades, due in part to the strong leadership of its mayors. The city's mayor-council system has granted mayors substantial authority to manage city government and offer community leadership. However, the...
South Dakota Doesn’t Have Too Many Ballot Issues in November
As we approach the November election, voters will start to focus on the ballot issues they are being asked to decide. There are seven this year, which is about normal. Two of the seven are constitutional amendments submitted to voters by the legislature. They must get...
Minnehaha County Should Adopt a Charter
Minnehaha County Commissioners finally appear ready to address some fundamental operational shortcomings in the structure of our county government. They are considering putting a home rule charter on the ballot for voters to consider in November. The State’s Model for...
Our Open Primaries Proposal is Having a Moment
Amendment H, our top-two open primaries initiative in South Dakota, is gaining momentum. The state recently approved it for voters to consider on the November ballot. Then the recent primary election left many people in the state disappointed. Increasingly, South...
One Reason Your Property Taxes Are Too High
Property taxes are painfully high in South Dakota for some taxpayers, and they continue to rise. One contributing factor may be the excessive number of governments and unnecessary public employees in the state. Too Many Governments South Dakota has the second most...