“Government doesn’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. That is against their interests…”

George Carlin

And so it goes! As I approach the completion of my campaign, I wonder at the steps that led me to this point. I saw a litany of errors, I saw city employees bullied by Mayor Johnson and certain council members and when I dared criticize decisions, I watched Alcester City Councilman Mark Dykstra attack me, perverting the record and facts to shield himself from blame.

Councilman Dykstra who was appointed, holding office because no one ran against him, to finally failing to circulate a filing petition a year ago.  Yet, still managed to maintain his seat by way of SDCL 9-13-14.3 all while claiming in the “Alcester Union-Hudsonite”,

“…(he) volunteered to be seated in Ward III…I came on with an agenda…I have work yet to do. I am not finished.”

Alcester City Councilman Mark Dykstra

Mr. Dykstra’s agenda and unfinished business could not have been that important because both he and Lance Johnson failed to circulate and file petitions for candidacy as Alcester Ward III councilors last year so both Ward III council seats were declared vacant! So both were appointed on what I would term as sufferance and allowed to remain seated. I applied for appointment for Ward III councilor seat at that time and no small surprise I was not appointed because I refused to espouse only positive views. So what or better still, who is Mr. Dykstra afraid of?

“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law…”

Charles de Montesquieu, “The Spirit of the Laws”