Aberdeen mayor Travis Schaunaman’s drunk brother Andy is running for Aberdeen City Council. To demonstrate his fitness for office, drunk brother Andy drove intoxicated on March 12 and apparently blew a traffic light.
Yeah, sure, Republicans, what could go wrong with electing another doofus who figures he doesn’t need to pay attention while driving? Drunk brother Andy must figure if he can just get elected, he can use his office and lofty title to get out of any more tickets.
But drunk brother Andy assures us he’s making no excuses and taking full responsibility for his drink driving. In a statement on Facebook and on Dakota Broadcasting, Andy promises to plead guilty at his June 10 court hearing (three days after the city election). He also promises to make amends by doing community service right now:
Recently I was charged with DUI. I am human and made a mistake. There is no excuse for my conduct, and I make no excuse. I have accepted responsibility for my actions that led to a DUI charge on March 12th, and I intend to enter a plea of guilty to the charge when I have court in June.
Since March 12th, I have met with Dan Kaiser, who is an Aberdeen Police Officer to see what I could do personally to fight drunk driving. I’m excited to announce that I am volunteering to be a designated driver for others this Saturday, May 7th. My actions on March 12th are not a reflection of who I am. Please follow and private message Schaunaman for Council on Facebook this Saturday between 9pm and 1am to arrange your ride. All inquires will be kept confidential [Andy Schaunaman, campaign FB post, 2022.05.05].
Hey, drunk Andy, listen to yourself: you drank and drove, and now you’re offering to be designated driver. That’s kind of like facing charges of child abuse and offering to babysit for free.
Our actions always reflect who we are. Choosing to drink to excess and then choosing to drive reflect a lack of regard for public safety.
And using your offer of preëmptive community service to lure people into following your campaign Facebook page and thus boosting your Facebook numbers is cheap, sleazy political marketing. That also reflects who you are.
Geographer and Northern State University administrator Erin Fouberg is running against drunk Andy for the open northeastern district council seat. Fouberg appears to have vision on policy and the good sense not to drink and drive.
Don’t be stupid: don’t call a guy who drinks and drives to be your designated driver, and don’t elect a guy who drinks and drives to run your city.
Would he be a designated drunk driver, by chance? No thanks.
“My actions on March 12th are not a reflection of who I am.”
Excellent example of disavowal.
If I lived in Aberdeen and had a powerful thirst on May 7th, I’d give Andy a call and have him chauffer me around to all the fine drinking establishments. Then I would vote against him anyway.
Problem with you folks is that your standards are too high.
You would be a mean drunk, Mr. H.
Know who is insaner than most? That you police Officer Kaiser.
I just can’t understand people, I guess. If I were in Drunk Andy’s situation, I would be saying, “I made a terrible mistake, for which I am truly sorry. I could have hurt or killed someone by driving drunk. At this time, I need to atone for my error in judgment and make changes in my life. I ask people not to vote for me at this time. At some point in the future I hope to earn back your trust, and perhaps try again for public office.”
I loves me a cheap shot and a cheap beer now’n’then, but Christalmighty I’ll never drive impaired. This is just the expected, excusable, beloved Reptilian stupidity.
The interesting thing, what was his blood alcohol level? That’s a huge one. Was he just over the limit, or knee walking drunk, so he had to drive because he couldn’t walk. That needs to be checked out. He is human and he made a mistake, he got caught.
Can’t go with you there, Mr. Anderson.
Grudz, you are probably right. That’s another reason I don’t touch the stuff. If I got drunk and got behind the wheel, I wouldn’t just blow stop signs like Andy; I’d probably run knuckleheads like Andy off the road and kick the crap out of them. Touch not the cup!
Mark, his blood alcohol level is irrelevant. He drank more than he should have, which by itself shows poor judgment, and then he put the public at risk by driving, which shows worse judgment.
Well…it’s the kind of mistaken judgement we all would wish would just “blow over” but asking the public to forget the transgression before the upcoming election day is asking a bit much…Republican wishful thinking.
“Vote for Andy— he’ll take Aberdeen for a ride!“
—New campaign slogan, coming soon from Production Monkeys.
Gary Cammack can drive him around.
People who seek public office are insane by definition. I say, “elect drunks; they’ll be jailed or dead before they do too much damage.” The insane folks we have to watch carefully are those like Aaron Aylward, who strives for power while posting Roman Catholic indecipherable aphorisms on Facebook. He looks good. He smells good. He has a beautiful family. He aspires to power. Yikes!
Cory, the blood alcohol is relevant, it will show if he’s lying and will predict if he’ll do it again. Which is why I said his mistake was getting caught. I meant by that is that he thinks that way and will repeat. It’s not irreverent.
When you get down to it it’s not the same as your Attorney General who spent two or more hours in a bar drove home killed someone, wasn’t even tested. Everyone just goes he didn’t drink. Is everyone that naive? Why was he even tested the next day? How many at that Republican event drank and drove home? Its South Dakota after all.
My close personal friend Bob is righter than right about Mr. Aylward. Except the smell. He smells like cheap cologne.
As I remember the mayor ran so he could influence a city advertising contract to himself. Looks like a family with not so high moral standards.
Aberdeen is a town with a long history of slimy dealings, with Mr. Novstrup, the elder, noticeably above the fray.
Mark, interestingly, I accept the claim that Ravnsborg did not drink at the Redfield campaign event. I have attended numerous political events where lots of drinking is happening and have not touched a drop. Ravnsborg may be as much a teetotaler as I am, and no evidence has emerged to contradict that claim. Ravnsborg is perfectly sober when he chooses to drive recklessly.
Mark, explain, please, how the BAC would show if Andy is lying. He makes no direct claim about his BAC; he only says he will plead guilty, which means he admits his BAC was over the legal limit.
I am sort of with Mark on this, as if you sit in a barber shop long enough eventually you get a hair cut.
It’s simple Cory. Was he a little over the limit or trashed. It will tell if his statement is true, somewhat true, or pure horse manure. I mean I resisted mentioning his statement about what he could do to fight drunk driving…really?
As far as the Attorney General, he wasn’t tested that night. If it had been anyone else they would have to have revealed they were in a bar for a couple of hours at least. A test would follow right? Its all beside the point now but I wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt on it. Who was even asked about it at the bar. No up and Comer Republican bought him a drink? What did he drink?