Months had passed since the Open Meetings Commission hearing in Pierre, where the commissioners had laid down the law like a fresh layer of asphalt. The Willow Creek Road District trustees—Harlan “Harley” Whitaker, Vernon “Vern” Pritchard, and Lyle “Ledger” Swanson—had made the changes, albeit with the enthusiasm of a mule pulling a plow uphill. Emails…
Trustees might invent several ridiculous reasons to justify vague agendas, often rooted in an attempt to control the flow of information or avoid confrontation. The humor often lies in how easily these flimsy excuses unravel under scrutiny. Examples of such invented reasons include:
This is the attachment to the meeting minutes- Dear God, somebody gift this guy a QuickBooks. I mean WTF? I’m going to leave this here for now and come back to it later. Because… well… wow. Ok- update… So, I took some time to look at this budget/financial statement (since my spidey senses were tingling…
Have a seat. Pour some coffee. The Apple Dumpling Gang has something to say. Ok, first, let’s go over what the agenda was. And may I say Kudos, because somebody has been reading this blog. Considering their previous ‘agendas’ this is amazing. As you may recall, their earlier attempts were basically “Start, talk, end.” They…
The ordinances you linked to for Custer County, state- ‘All public roads shall be designed, constructed, and maintained to County Road Specifications. Such construction and maintenance shall be subject to inspection by both the Highway and Planning Departments during construction and upon completion. Any public road that does not meet the above minimum standards shall…
As you may recall, I’ve discussed Anti-SLAPP laws and how South Dakota would benefit. SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. It refers to lawsuits intended to intimidate or silence critics by burdening them with legal costs. Even if you are speaking the truth, as we have been since the beginning, and a defense…
This is advice for people just starting out. Much of it no longer applies to us, because we’ve already done it, or tried to do it, or the crooked board, AKA The Apple Dumpling Gang, literally wrote bylaws that are clearly an attempt to keep us from holding office. In addition, as regular citizens, we…
In the wide, wind-swept corner of western South Dakota where the horizon never quite meets the sky, the Willow Creek Road District kept three miles of gravel and two stubborn cul-de-sacs from turning entirely back into prairie. The district was overseen by three trustees who had held their seats longer than most local pickup trucks…
This story takes place several months before the Open Meetings Commission hearing that eventually forced real changes. It is one of the many complaints Marla Voss filed over time—complaints that piled up quietly, like gravel in a low spot, until they finally triggered official scrutiny much later. In the wide, wind-swept corner of western South…
Let me set up this Q&A, as it is priceless. This question, as written here, with absolutely NO other information was asked of the answering party which had no prior knowledge of any of the events. It was anonymous. This question was asked and answered almost a full 2 years after we asked South Dakota…
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