Hey, look at the special favor Jason Ravnsborg is bragging about getting at the State Fair Sunday:
Hmm, let’s see, that’s Ravsnborg in his campaign shirt and wearing a Noem/Rhoden campaign sticker beneath his own campaign logo (hey, isn’t there some kind of flag protocol saying second-tier Republicans have to fly their ticket leaders’ banner above their own?). He’s standing around with a bunch of uniformed law enforcement officers (which, don’t forget, Ravsnborg is not), and he’s getting to act as—what? can we call it emcee?—at a program put on by the Department of Public Safety.
Let’s see how the State Fair event guide advertises the DPS event:
For the third consecutive year, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety will be in the Day Sponsor Tent on Sunday, Sept. 2! This year’s theme is motorcycle safety – whether you are on the highway or on the street near your home, be a safe motorcycle driver. Slow down, watch for others and wear the proper safety equipment. Be ready to “share the road” with others. Also in the tent will be educational programs, games, the chance to renew your driver’s license (two address documents required) and of course, the ever popular Highway Patrol police dogs. Staff also will be giving away free DPS hats and visors! The goal of DPS Day is to highlight all the ways the department works to keep the public safe. Stop by and see the staff of the Department of Public Safety. Most importantly, stay safe! [SD State Fair Guide, 2018]
DPS “Share the Road” Day sounds like a formal law enforcement program, sponsored by a state law enforcement agency. But they didn’t appear to stay safe! and share the road with all candidates of all parties in all races. The state law enforcement officials running these official state law enforcement public presentations with officially uniformed state law enforcement officers gave only one candidate from one party the chance to speak to a captive audience who thought they were coming to see police dogs, not political dogs, in action.
Hmm… did the Republican asking us to hire him to be our top law enforcement officer just break South Dakota Codified Law 12-27-20, which prohibits the use of public funds for the purpose of influencing the election of any candidate? And did the Republican asking to lead a lot of state employees just put a lot of state employees in the awkward position of acting as props for a campaign appearance, in potential violation of the State Employee Handbook, which reiterates that “State resources may not be utilized to influence the nomination or election of a candidate” and says further that “civil service employees are not allowed to use official authority to influence or coerce political action by a person or group” and restricts participation in campaigns during work hours? (All those law enforcement officers were volunteering their time for the State Fair, right?)
Ravnsborg’s opponent, Randy Seiler, who knows a thing or two more about the law and management of public employees than Ravnsborg, thinks yesterday’s stunt on DPS time was illegal and indicative of the crony culture that Ravnsborg will only make worse:
Yesterday at the State Fair, at a South Dakota Department of Public Safety event, my political opponent for the Office of Attorney General was invited to introduce members of the South Dakota Highway Patrol to State Fair Goers attending a K9 Unit demonstration. Using state resources to influence an election is a violation of South Dakota Codified Law. I find it disappointing and alarming that leadership within the Department of Public Safety used extremely poor judgement in politicizing a State Fair event, the Department of Public Safety, and the Highway Patrol. Doing so put on-duty law enforcement officers in an uncomfortable and compromising situation.
This is the kind of cronyism and corrupt behavior that has infected our state government. If I am elected to be South Dakota’s Attorney General, it will no longer be politics as usual. I vow to remove politics from legal decisions and hold state officials to the highest of ethical standards. I believe that the Attorney General must put South Dakota before party. The safety of our community, our children – all South Dakotans – depend on it [Randy Seiler for Attorney General, campaign press release, 2018.09.03].
Um, Jason? When Randy Seiler, who’s been practicing law since you and I were grooving to Frankie Goes to Hollywood on cassette, says you’ve broken the law, you might want to prick up your ears. And DPS officials, you might want to prep your press release explaining why you let a public safety demonstration turn into a campaign appearance for one apparently favored candidate.
Update 19:20 CDT: Randy Seiler didn’t need favors from DPS to hand out thousands of his “Swat Out Crime” flyswatters at the State Fair:
Ravnsborg could use a good swat… but Seiler is also telling South Dakotans about the far worse offenders he’s convinced juries to put away.
Boy, against experience and conviction like that, it’s no wonder the feckless Ravnsborg needs special favors from the one-party regime.
This is disgusting, what can Seiler do about this?
Ravnsborg would of had a big cool factor with the crowd if he would of had the same A-10 Warthog on display at the fairgrounds that he was photographed standing in front of in his 2014 US Senate run website. He could of offered rides in it too and shared stories of how many Iraq Republican Guard tanks he blew up during the war.
Everyone in that crowd should of had those Randy Seiler for AG blue Swat out Crime flyswatters with all the Crony flies attracted to the Bull S*** from the woefully unqualified candidate for AG that was legally not supposed to do what he did at that event.
Please vote Randy Seiler for Attorney General!
GOPs would be howling if the Dept. of Public Safety singled out Seiler to do this, and he wore his campaign logo to boot. Clearly inappropriate. When Seiler is in office he will put a stop to this cronyism and corrupt behavior. It will be the GOP Party’s worst nightmare to have an AG who is not committed to putting the GOP Party’s interests above the public interest.
On the other hand, it should work to Seiler’s advantage to have the maximum number of people see what a dufus and ignoramus Rvsnbrg is. Certainly the inexperienced hobby lawyer also added 5 lbs to his waistline and a 3rd or 4th chin eating fried items on sticks at the fair. The side angle photo is not Rvnsbrg’s friend.
Talk about cronyism, who makes this decision. Where is Marty Jackley?
Nick, DPS has its own Secretary, Trevor Jones, appointed by the Governor. Does that mean DPS and HP sit outside the AG’s chain of command?
Mr. H, I think that’s what that means.
Mr. H, the General Attorney controls the Division of Investigation for Criminals. The Governor controls the Highway Patrol and really all that happens of matter. If Mr. Seiler, who seems a qualified fellow and who did send me a swatter, were to be caught selling drugs then the DCI would descend. If he speeds or drives poorly, the HP will descend. If he is behind on child support payments, as a deadbeat like Mr. Howie, then Sheriff Thom will send a deputy. If Mr. Seiler needed a sloppily written law bill to be drafted, then the Council of Legislature Research would appear.
If you want to be in the legislatures, Mr. H, you need bone up on who does what. Mr. Novstrup, the elder, is well aware of all these items and can teach you if you would only ask.
Sure, Grudz, I recognize we have two seemingly separate chains of law enforcement command. But here’s my practical question:
Suppose there’s a major crime investigation. HP and DCI are both on the scene. The Attorney General arrives. Can the A.G. order HP to perform certain investigatory actions? If not, who decides who is in charge of controlling access to the crime scene and collecting evidence?
This question will help us understand what role A.G. Jackley could have had in stopping or allowing the DPS’s apparent illegal political activity yesterday.
Ravnsborg is getting a big belly. If you get the pleasure or actually it’s not a pleasure of talking with this guy, you know exactly why they want him in office. He’s stupid and will do what he’s told. He has absolutely no idea what the AG does, nor does he care. He doesn’t want to investigate EB 5, or any of the other scandals the state has been involved in. Corruption? He probably thinks it’s a dessert to be served at the next Lincoln Day Dinner. If you care anything about South Dakota send this guy back to Iowa.
On what basis was Ravnsborg selected to MC this event? Why didn’t the commanding officer of the highway patrol, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety, Governor Daugaard, Attorney General Jackley or someone else who is arguably in the chain of command do this? Instead they got the, never been in a courtroom, assistant states attorney of Union County? Why didn’t they just grab the smartest fifth grader in the audience and give them a script?
Bottom line here is that an event attended by a small handful of looking for shade fair goers isn’t going to change the election. The real issue is just as AG Candidate Seiler laid out, the SD GOP has hijacked state government for political purposes. At least this hijacking doesn’t involve stealing funds to line the pockets of political insiders. Thank God for small favors.
Noem + Ravnsborg = Untethered corruption throughout the state system of governance.
If this is how they behave when they are asking the voters’ permission to hold office, once these ticks burrow in, you won’t see the cockroaches’ handiwork until someone gets killed (again) or the feds intervene (again).
As with the recent DSU meeting which turned a public meeting on cyber security into a Noem-Rhoden campaign event, this is how state employees are expected to shill for GOP politicos who aren’t even elected.