Director's Notes
The article below was written before we heard about the loss of Craig Tieszen, former Rapid City Police Chief, current State Legislator, and long-time friend and supporter of the Municipal League. Please see page 18 for a tribute to Representative Tieszen, but our hearts go out to his family for their tragic loss, and when you read below, please keep in mind that Representative Tieszen was the embodiment of a fine legislator and a true supporter of local control. We have lost one of the jewels.
This time of year means “holidays” for most people, but for us, it means the 2018 Session is almost here. And again this year, my Christmas wish is to see the support for local control grow stronger.
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The SDML’s Legislative Update informs you on the hottest issues affecting municipalities as the South Dakota Legislature considers them. Each week League staff compiles an analysis of current and upcoming committee and floor action in the Senate and House.
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Local control has always been a very selective issue in the Capitol, touted about when it serves someone’s purpose, but not all that often acted upon in any meaningful way. There are notable exceptions to that, and most often the true-believers have arrived at the Legislature with some local service in their background. It has been wonderful to work with the legislators who have been mayors, or councilmembers, or police chiefs. With one sentence, you can describe an issue to them and they not only grasp it, they run with it.
To me, local control is a continuum, with the State’s interests on one end, and local interests on the other, and issues that fall somewhere in between, sometimes more heavily weighted toward the local end, where there should be control on your part and very little State involvement, and sometimes falling toward the State end, where you are going to have little say as the city council or town board, and the State will have control. The citizens, of course, are served by both, and the important question is, where are they best served on each issue? We very often think the weight falls at the local end of the spectrum, and the citizens are best served by you. The real jewels in the legislature are people who see the continuum, and know for a fact they can trust the locally elected officials. They know it because they’ve been there, taking the phone calls, talking to constituents in the gas station, or grocery store, or wherever they’ve found them.
This will be my 25th year lobbying for the Municipal League. My whole-hearted belief in local control has come from getting to know so many of you. There is no doubt in my mind that you have the best interests of the citizens at heart as you make the decisions that truly affect their quality of life and the every-day services on which they depend. Defending local control comes easily when you know so many of the people who are elected or appointed to work for their cities.
As term limits kick in even harder with time, it is ever more important that you keep in touch with your legislators. One message from home means more than a week of our lobbying in Pierre. Please subscribe to our legislative update (see side note on this page) and please contact your legislators on our issues. Keep in touch with the League, also, so we can present a unified effort. There is no doubt that you are absolutely the best lobbyists we have. Until next month, remember we are always available at 1800-658-3633 or yvonne@sdmunicipalleague.org. We wish you all the blessings of the season. Yvonne Taylor Executive Director
SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
