Hello? Gov. Noem? Pennington County GOP here. Um, would you mind filling some legislative vacancies? Thanks.

Pennington County Republicans might have added, that is, if it isn’t too much trouble.

I know, I know, I’m being cheeky, but, honestly, for all the face time that Gov. Kristi Noem commits to various political and media events around the country, you’d think she could spare a few hours and fill a couple of vacancies in the legislature. 

Specifically, I’m talking about two legislative seats, held by Republicans, that were vacated this past year.The districts are 34 and 35, mostly in Pennington County. Both are going into this year’s legislative session minus a legislator. Jessica Castleberry resigned from District 35. Jess Olson did the same in District 34. 

Noem has overlooked the fact that these districts need full representation, and considering that the seats belong to the Republican Party, you’d think getting replacements would be easily and quickly accomplished.

For whatever reason, that hasn’t been the case. Pennington County Republicans are so miffed that they just went public with a press release that castigates Noem for failing to uphold our state’s motto, Under God the People Rule. In the release, the county GOP says “many in these districts are feeling frustrated and cheated” and urges Noem to “dismiss any unfounded reasons for the delay.”  

Here’s the release, which I got via e-mail this morning:

Pennington County GOP urgently calls upon Governor Kristi Noem to fill the legislative vacancies of District 34 Representative and District 35 Senate seats before the upcoming legislative session begins this Tuesday, to prevent citizens from being deprived of their right to representation.

 Pennington County Republican Chair, Amy Wagner, expresses concern, as District 35 and District 34 are not totally represented going into the 2024 Legislative Session this week. Our State Motto: “Under God the People Rule” is not being upheld when the people of Pennington County are not represented. With the resignation of Jessica Castleberry, District 35 has been unrepresented in the South Dakota Senate for 144 days as of January 8, 2024. Jess Olson’s resignation leaves District 34 only half represented in the South Dakota House of Representatives. Is this really the time for waiting? I know of several good candidates who have applied for these positions. Three people that I personally recommended from these districts would have no conflict of interest, and would serve the people of these districts well.

 Many in these districts are feeling frustrated and cheated. Pennington County GOP would like some answers and action for the people. Bills will be discussed and voted on soon and there is a lack of representation. This is an election year. If the people don’t like the choice they will have opportunity to vote in the primary in June. The time to take action on this issue is now, not after session is over.

 The Pennington County GOP stands firm in its commitment to advocate for the voices of the citizens and ensure that our government is fully functional and representative. We urge Governor Noem to take immediate action to address these vacancies and dismiss any unfounded reasons for delay.

End of release. The scolding makes me wonder if there are other clusters of Republicans in South Dakota who might be getting fed up with Noem’s lack of attention in the wake of her commitment to self-promotion on the national stage.  

John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills.  He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years.  His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald.  Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam.