Happy Mid Winter 2020! To many friends and supporters of my pursuit of being one of your Representatives from District 24, I thought I would bring you up to date with my efforts to reach out to the citizens of our District. I have been talking to administrators, Board members, local officials, current and former legislators, business leaders, and various groups of citizens listening to their concerns, conditions, trends, and projections that they have in their areas of expertise. I have appreciated their welcome and open discussions of how each of their worlds are affected with the public policy decisions that are made in the SD Legislature. Education challenges, pay raises, health care costs, work force shortages, State of SD jobs moving to other locations are just a few of the topics that come up in my discussions with these leaders. I must admit it is staggering that the phrase "you don't know what you don't know" is extremely accurate. I am humbled at the level of knowledge and expertise we have in our communities with these leaders. All of which are striving for a better society, business climate, and outcomes for our citizens and their well being.
Listening is key during these discussions and visits. I surely can only suggest and ask questions at this point but as I do, I learn a lot. Solutions to the challenges mentioned above come from positive discussions that reflect the innovative initiatives and ideas that can be built on from honest and open conversation.
When it is recognized that there are no stupid questions, "why" and "how come" should not be taken defensively, and knowing it doesn't matter who would get the credit for bettering outcomes, then things get done.
I am impressed with the genuine respect, concern, and sincerity of the legislators and legislative staff (lobbyists too) that are introducing and considering initiatives that reflect on environmental, societal, and business changes that are present in our society today. As of yesterday, there were close to 400 bills that are up for consideration and debate. The level of information, learning, knowledge, and judgment is intense and impressive at the same time. Honestly, it's pretty exciting and I hope I get the chance to contribute.
As I ponder my qualifications for this endeavor, I wonder if I am informed enough to make intelligent and thoughtful decisions. I also see the cross section of people that are serving at the Legislature and I am bolstered by the fact that these are regular people with varied backgrounds and knowledge of current issues. I feel confident that being a prayerful Christian, married to Judy for 40 years, being a son, brother, father and grandfather, being in business for 37 years, Councilman for 4 years and friends with many; I am a very blessed regular guy! To conclude, I promise to do the work of being an educated and informed Representative on the issues facing District 24 and the State of South Dakota, and to make intelligent and informed decisions.
Thank you very much for your interest in my candidacy.
Sincerely, Mike Weisgram