Affordable housing starts with a strong economy. I believe the role of state government is to create an environment where businesses can grow, wages can rise, and communities can thrive. This means cutting unnecessary regulations, supporting workforce development, and encouraging responsible and purposeful development. I do not believe in government handouts that create dependency. I also believe that it is critical that local input is provided in making decisions about affordable housing.
As a former teacher and now tutor, I have witnessed the impact that education has on individuals and families. I believe that state government can support public education by supporting policies that respect local control and that focus on improving student achievement. I have seen declines in math and reading levels. Getting back to the basics and empowering teachers with the right tools can reverse those trends. Lastly, I will support policies that make technical colleges and universities more affordable.
South Dakota’s initiative and referendum process is an important part of our state’s history and gives citizens a direct voice in government. However, our Constitution is the framework and an important document, and it should be difficult to change. I have concerns that out-of-state interest groups have increasingly used South Dakota as a testing ground for political agendas that do not reflect our values. A reform that I would support is increasing a higher vote threshold to change our Constitution. This would preserve the limited role of government in South Dakota and protect South Dakota from tax-and-spend groups who want to use the ballot process to bypass the elected legislature.
Free and fair elections are the foundation of our Republic, and we must ensure every eligible voter has access to the ballot while maintaining strong safeguards that protect the integrity of our system. I will be watching closely to ensure recently passed laws are implemented in a way that are clear, consistent, and do not create unnecessary barriers for lawful voters. At the same time, maintaining accurate voter rolls, verifying eligibility, and ensuring secure processes are essential to preserving public trust.
Access to affordable, quality childcare is important for South Dakota. I believe the state’s role is to support solutions that increase availability and lower costs without creating unnecessary mandates. I believe in reducing burdensome regulations that make it harder for providers to operate or expand; however, safety and quality standards must be maintained.
We should also support workforce development by expanding training opportunities for childcare providers and exploring partnerships with local businesses and communities to meet local needs. I do not believe in one-size-fits-all government programs, but in empowering local solutions that reflect the needs of families.
While traveling across District 16 and visiting with constituents, one issue rises to the top: affordability. South Dakotans are feeling the pressure of increasing everyday expenses. For many families, it is becoming harder to get ahead or even keep up.
Affordability challenges can also prevent the next generation from taking over a family business or farm, making it harder to pass on a way of life. When costs are too high, it limits opportunity and puts the American Dream out of reach for too many.
Another challenge I see is growth. While growth is important, reckless growth for the sake of growth doesn’t cut it. We need smart, sustainable growth that strengthens our communities without driving up costs.
Housing is a very serious problem for many younger families in our state and around the nation. We need to not only have housing, but affordable housing options for our citizens. I believe as a legislator, I would be able to work with many state agencies to help provide some relief. To begin with, we need to have more housing available not only in our large towns, but in our rural areas as well. We need to work together with the different housing agencies throughout the state to come up with a plan that allows for more housing developments. We must make first time home buying options more affordable for those looking to purchase a house. Working together we can accomplish this goal.
My history in education makes this a very hot topic for me. I have spent twenty-five plus years at a teacher and administrator in the state of South Dakota. Education is a top priority of mine. We need to fund public education as the law has intended it to be funded. I have seen too many great teachers leave the profession because they need to make a better living for their families. I have also seen teachers leave the profession because of the bad publicity that public education receives. Education is one area that allows us to live the American Dream. With a good education you can change everything about your life. We need to make sure we provide that opportunity to every child in this state with the best teachers possible.
This isn't a topic I have a lot of knowledge about, but I am looking forward to gaining more experience in this matter. While I have never been through the process, I will work to reflect on the process and make improvements as needed.
With the recent changes to voting laws, I think it is very important that we keep a close eye on this issue. Voting is the fundamental right of citizens in the state. We must make sure none of these changes make it more difficult for our citizens to vote. This is a right that should belong to our citizens, but we shouldn't be infringing on this right in our attempts to monitor the process. We need to track registration rates, ballot rejection rates, and turnout by region/group. We must track voter trust, complaints, and reported barriers. Through these efforts, we can mitigate any risks that this law has imposed. Voting is fundamental to our country and every citizen should have the right to express their voice in that way protected.
Childcare and education go hand-in-hand. The early years are incredibly important to the future success of every kid. As a state, we need to make childcare more affordable with more opportunities for our families. Many families have to make some very difficult decisions based on their ability to find childcare. I believe we need to promote greater access to childcare and make opening and running a daycare easier. There are many regulations put in place within the daycare system; some of these regulations make sense, but others are much harder to comply with. We need work with our daycare providers to create policies that protect our children, but also support our providers.
The most important issues to me are going to be education and agriculture. I, like many other South Dakotans, have been involved with both of them throughout my lifetime. If we want the best for our children, we have to provide them with the best education possible. Education opens all doors for our kids and gives them a chance to become anything they want to be. Agriculture is the most important industry we have in South Dakota. As our farmers do better, the state does better. We need to protect our family farms and give them what they need to remain viable in this changing economy. As a state representative, these two challenges will be a main priority for me.
In 2026 I supported HB 96 and HB 245, both of which lowered property taxes for owner occupied housing. This helped the affordability of housing immensely. Beyond that, we need to let the free market catch up to the demand for housing. Additional houses are being built to meet demand and as supply increases and as a result, we are seeing price increases level off. We have state and federal programs to help first time home buyers and I think we need to focus on better pay for state employees before we add any programs.
The schools in District 16 are doing a great job of providing a quality public education for our students. As I have stated before, we need to focus on providing teachers with pay that meets the inflation rate and so I am against expansion or creation of new programs as long as we don't meet our teacher pay obligations. Additionally, I support the new flexibility that we see with delivery. We should support at home, advanced placement, and career technical education alternatives that are really helping to prepare our students for the workforce.
I think that the initiative and referendum process is working in South Dakota. We have seen these processes work to great effect in many cases for South Dakota. There is a valuable time and place for both referendums and initiated measures, but we also have to maintain a representative democracy. I have not supported the efforts to lower signature requirements to 1-2% of the voting population because we are a representative democracy and involved voters have demonstrated the ability to refer things to the ballot when they get involved.
I think the voter ID laws we have passed at the state level have been a step in the right direction. However, the federal government must step in and make these laws nationwide.
Our state is the second lowest taxed state in the nation and I intend to keep it that way. Without raising taxes, we do not have it in our budget to expand childcare programs. Also, as I've stated previously, until we can properly pay teachers and other employees, we can't afford to expand existing programs or offer new programs.
I think that our falling birthrate in South Dakota and across the nation is extremely concerning. Our birthrate is just above replacement statewide and we are seeing declining enrollment in many of our smaller schools. Our current system makes it difficult for families to support multiple children and it also makes it difficult for people and especially women to pursue education and a career while having children. I am exploring legislation that would provide scholarships to women who have had children and want to further their education and pursue a career.
In addition to birth rates, I am worried about loss of family farms. We have seen a decline in family farms. We need to promote beginner farmer and rancher programs.
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