District 8 Legislative Candidates Forum

Welcome to the RealMadison.org District 8 Candidates Forum!

RealMadison.org offers several policy questions for the District 8 candidates for the South Dakota State House and Senate. Those candidates:

• District 8 Senate: Russell Olson (R), Scott Parsley (D)
• District 8 House: Mitch Fargen (D), Jerry Johnson (R), Gerald Lange (D), Patricia Stricherz (R)

Each question appears on a separate page. All District 8 candidates are welcome to use the comment section of each page to submit responses, follow-ups, and questions for each other. District 8 voters, you are also welcome to post your thoughts and follow-up questions for the candidates. As your moderator, I ask simply that you keep your comments on topic. If you want to discuss other issues, feel free to start a new page on the RealMadison.org forums.

Here are the questions:

1. What further action, if any, should the 2009 Legislature take with respect to the TransCanada Keystone pipeline, the proposed Hyperion refinery, and other oil-related projects in South Dakota?
2. The 2008 Legislature passed a new method for assessing property tax on agricultural land based on potential productivity rather than land sale value. Is this new productivity tax a good idea, and does the legislation require any changes?
3. South Dakota's local school districts rank 24th in the nation in per-student revenue, while state per-student funding for education ranks 50th in the nation. Should the Legislature do something to remedy this discrepancy, and if so, what?
4. Problems with federal funding and declining gas tax revenues are causing South Dakota to fall behind on road construction and maintenance. What will you do in the Legislature to find more resources to build and fix roads?
5. Are there specific measures the Legislature should enact to convince more South Dakota young people to stay in South Dakota to live and work?
6. Last year, Rep. Kirkeby from Rapid City suggested that the Legislature needs to study the state university system and look for ways to consolidate operations -- in other words, to close a campus or two to save money. Six full universities, plus University Center in Sioux Falls -- does the state university system have too many campuses? If so, which campus or campuses should be closed?
7. What action can the Legislature take to control the cost of health coverage for South Dakotans?
8. Imagine you walk into the State Capitol and the Governor walks up and hands you a magic wand. "You get one wish," says the Governor, "one piece of legislation that you can pass right now, no questions asked." Given such miraculous, momentary power, what single most important piece of legislation would you enact to do the most good for South Dakota?

Click on the links in the list above or in the contents listed below to access each question and read the responses and discussion from the candidates. To submit a response, simply click on the "Add New Comment" link under the question.

And don't forget to vote on November 4th!