S.D. Democratic Party sponsored last night’s packed Rapid City town hall. Dems go where Republicans fear to tread.
An energetic and engaged crowd numbering about 250 turned out for a packed town hall in Rapid City last night. Having given up on getting our congressional reps, all Republicans, to come to a town hall, local Democrats decided to put one on instead.
The panel, seen above (photo by John Tsitrian), from left, consisted of farm finance specialist Zack Ducheneaux, former USDA Rural Development Director (appointed by Biden) Nikki Gronli, and law enforcement officer/community development advocate Julian Beaudion.
During the 60 minute event, individuals asked questions, sometimes exposing their emotional reactions to policy decisions being made in Washington, D.C. One questioner choked up describing her concern over privatization of Social Security, closing her comment by saying (I’m paraphrasing) “that’s our money and nobody has any damn business putting it into the stock market.”
Others were concerned about the SAVE Act and the obstacles it will put in front of many people trying to vote.
One person questioned whether some of our national monuments are on the chopping block.
Closing the Department of Education generated some discussion, which was focused on just who will take over the agency’s responsibilities. With good reason, the panelists, along with questioners, were in the dark. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of explanation from the administration as to what will happen during the aftermath of the closure.
The back-and-forth between panelists and audience members was vigorous and it was clear that an hour isn’t long enough to cover all the issues that matter.
I’m hoping we’ll see more of these.
The South Dakota Democratic Party organized the event, with similar town halls scheduled for Sioux Falls (tonight, April 15), Vermillion (April 24) and Aberdeen (April 28).
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. Republish with permission.
