In South Dakota, the Open Records Laws are chapter 1-27. It turns out that for the Saddleback Road District, these laws are ignored as much as the Open Meeting Laws. I filed a complaint with the office of Hearing Examiners in Dec of 2024, because I requested access to the Road District public records 3 times and the third time, their lawyer sent me a letter and tried to extort me.
So, I asked the Office of Hearing Examiners to ask for those records on my behalf. In order for me to get those records on my own, I’d have to file another legal action- a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus. If I can get somebody else to do their job and save me from extra work, count me in. As I write this, I think we are at day 9 of a 10 day time frame. Meaning they have days to respond. They are already at 3 months for not providing me those records, and legally they can be fined up to $50 a day for each day they deny me access. But here’s the thing. Nobody ever gets fined or goes to jail fir this. So, why would they bother following the law. At least with this jackass lawyer involved, if HE doesn’t follow the law, I can file another complaint with the State Bar, although again… doubtful anything will happen there.
I share in this man’s thoughts. While Fani is making the headlines right now, I’m personally far more interested in what the Saddleback Road District Board is hiding that they refuse to allow me access to the public records.