Our Pre-Session Legislative Forum scheduled for Tuesday night, Dec. 27, should be an interesting one. But does the current list of names include all of the players in this alleged abuse of power?
Has South Dakota caught the “Illinois virus”?
We have been hearing plenty of questions of late that would seem to be easy to answer. To this point, questions have largely gone unanswered, but we will try again to see if perhaps someone will be forthcoming. All of this mess could be cleaned up quickly if people would just provide some answers. Allegations have been made against Turbiville, Lust, Raush and Cronin.
The silence is getting louder by the minute, and more questions will continue to come until there has been an airing of the facts. Until then, here are a few of the questions we are hearing:
1. Representative Brian Gosh is the Speaker Pro Tem. Representative Kristin Conzet is a member of the Executive Board, which is chaired by Turbiville. Some have suggested that one or both of them have been behind the scenes trying to broker a resolution, or at least carrying information from one side to the other. If that is true, what do they know and when did they become involved with this situation? Were they “in the Leadership loop” while this alleged abuse was taking place? If so, what did they do about it?
2. There is a Legislative proceedure for handling complaints which involves a motion on the floor and the appointment of a special board to investigate. Why now, has the Executive Board chosen to schedule their own investigation when we are within days of the opening of Session, when this could be handled openly? Will these E-Board meetings be public so we have a complete disclosure? Why has the E-Board refused to provide any information requested in this situation?
3. Representatives from the Governors office have stated that neither he nor any of his staff had any knowledge of this situation, or involvement with it. During the Legislative session, leaders meet with the Governor and his staff on a daily basis. Having served in the Legislature, I can testify that the halls have ears… there are no secrets, or at best, very few secrets. Can someone issue a public statement from the Governors office that gives us assurance that the Governor and his staff had no involvment and no knowledge of this situation?
We would welcome a response to these questions from any of the parties whose names are being brought forward in this situation. Let’s be clear, though, it is not us MAKING the allegations, we are simply asking the questions in order to find out what really did or did not happen. Those who have nothing to hide should come out of hiding.
***Gordon Howie is a nationally syndicated author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
