Good morning District 27. Yesterday I finished participating in the last parade before the November 5th General Election. I was jamming out to the 80s music of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" as I tossed out my mini flying disks and campaign literature. I want to publicly thank Paul and Mary Ann Fanning for allowing me to use their flatbed trailer for the various parades I participated in throughout the summer and fall months. Both have been very supportive of my campaign.
My first parade was on June 22nd in Kadoka. It was appropriate that I complete the parade circuit where it all began by attending the Kadoka Area School District’s homecoming parade. It was a very windy afternoon for a parade. After nine parades, I passed out 575 mini flying disks and got a lot of campaign literature passed out to many people along the various parade routes. It was a great way to meet the people of District 27. I definitely got my exercise while walking and/or running from one side of the street to the other. By the way, congratulations to the Kadoka Cougars for pulling out a homecoming victory with a win of 34-14 over the Bennett County Warriors.
Regardless of the outcome of the General Election in November, I have created fond memories of my time while campaigning across this vast district. It is the people that I care about the most. As a former public servant for 21 years in the US Public Health Service, I know firsthand the importance of meeting the people and understanding their issues.
In this state senate race, I am the candidate who will lead and follow through for the people of this district. People who have gotten to know me over the years know that I am a man of my word and I will follow through on what I say. I do my best to apply the proper application of Christ’s teaching of letting my “yes be yes and my no be no” (See Matthew 5:37), meaning that I will be truthful and transparent in all circumstances and not make promises that I cannot keep. Sometimes, you and I may not agree on every issue, but I will certainly do my best to listen to you, take notes to understand the problem, and then get back to you if I don’t know the answer to a specific issue or engage you as to how I should go about solving the problem. This is the time when one sets aside his ego and practices the virtue of humility to engage in a dialogue that seeks to understand the various points of view before forming an opinion or coming to a solution. If more of our politicians would put on the virtue of humility, then perhaps more people would have faith and confidence in our state and local politicians and the institutions of government. It’s always better to admit our mistakes and ask for forgiveness than to continue to lie and deceive the public. I will always keep this in the back of my mind if elected your state senator, knowing I have a duty and an obligation to the people who elected me for office. Have a good week. God bless.
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