HURON — There are two seats open on the Beadle County Commission for 2022. The retirement of Tom Hansen has opened his District 3 seat, and as the lone candidate to file for that position, Alan Greenfield will replace Hansen in January.
The other open seat on the commission is currently held by Larry Mattke. Mattke has filed for re-election and will face the winner of the June 7 Republican primary between Dennis Meyer and Gary Wegter, in the November general election.
The Huron Plainsman sent identical questionnaires to both candidates and the candidates’ answers to those questions follow. Order for the first question is the order of appearance on the ballot, and alternate with successive questions.
Huron Plainsman: Please introduce yourself to the voters of Beadle County.
DENNIS MEYER - I was born and raised in Beadle County, attend a rural elementary school and graduated from Huron High School. I attended South State Teachers College for one year before enlisting in the Army – an education I never regretted receiving. I worked briefly for United Parcel Services and the for the Bureau of Reclamation. My wife and I were married in 1971 and we moved to the family farm in 1973 and have lived there since. We started farming doing dairying for 17 years and transtioned to livestock and grain farming. Thanking the Lord for all the success in my life is paramount; first is my family who have made me very proud, my wife and three daughters – two in the medical field and one in education – all with beautiful families. We have been given 50 years to build and expand a successful farm/ranch in Beadle County.
GARY WEGTER - I am Gary Wegter and I am a candidate for Beadle County Commissioner in District 5. I live south of Huron with my wife Sandi, who works at American Bank and Trust as a banking assistant. We have four grown children, with two daughters living in Orange City, Iowa, another daughter in Lincoln, Neb., and our son lives in Milwaukee, Wis. Each of them have families of their own. My wife and I moved to the Huron area in January of 2016. My life experience includes: retiring as an infantry qualified Lieutenant Colonel from the Army with 30 years of service, and then retiring as a small-town postmaster from the USPS, with 28 total years of service. I am currently a delivery driver for FedEx Ground. I also serve on the Beadle County Farm Bureau board of directors and am an experienced crop and livestock producer. I collect antique machinery of all makes, but have a particular passion for anything green and yellow. I am a life-long Christian and seek to improve my relationship with God daily.
Huron Plainsman: Why do you feel that you would be a good candidate for the County Commission?
WEGTER - I feel that my proven and experienced leadership as denoted above are among my strongest attributes. I’ve had the good fortune of living other places in the Midwest and have observed how certain things are done. I believe that some of the practices utilized by other county-level governments may have a positive benefit if they or some version of them were implemented – or at least tried – in Beadle County. I am one who likes to try different approaches if positive benefits can be realized. I am not one who likes to change things simply for the sake of change. Neither am I one who lies to just go with the flow…the same-old same old. I believe that when appropriate, the pot needs to be stirred up a bit. The old saying about continuing to use the same ingredients and the same methods, while expecting different results holds true here. If we are to try to improve the status of Beadle County, we have to be willing to try different tactics, policies and procedures. I have some ideas that I think will facilitate moving forward and certainly would be willing to try implementing them here. I feel I am a good candidate for County Commissioner because I would bring to the commission some “new blood,” offering a different point of view. When appropriate, I would like to be that agent of change.
MEYER - Years of holding a position on the Clyde Township Board – in the highest rural populated township in the county – gives me real experience working with issues common to those of the Beadle County Commission. A few examples include: helping residents with problems concerning flooding and drainage, right-of-way, easements, building varience issues, property line disagreements, health department issues, waste management between residents, animal abuse and neglect, road maintenance and snow removal.
My concerns were take to the city and county on the issue of keeping the Warren Aquifer – Huron’s secondary and my primary water supply – from being contaminated. Two of the city’s wells, which are currently in use, are on my property. I have given easement for two more wells, of which one has been dug but not developed.
MEYER - The county needs to pull back on the “reins.” It has opted out on taxes to pay for a new building. Today, grain prices are at record highs, but so are expenses. Inflation is at a 40-year high. Road maintenance costs are skyrocketing higher every week. We may need to keep with the bare essentials.
Land taxes can only be raised so “high.” An example: I own a quarter of land in Clyde Township with 145 farmable acres, mostly Houdek soil; a quarter of land in Lincoln County, just west of Beresford, has very good soil and is tiled. The taxes on the land in Clyde Township are going to be higher this coming year than the quarter of land in Lincoln County. What does that tell us?
It looks to be the bare essentials are bridge and road maintenance; we still have law enforcement, welfare, health services and court costs.
WEGTER - Without having been a party to the approval of the new highway building and no knowing the justification for the approval and/or intent of the building, it is plain to see that it appears to be a state of the art structure, one which I would imagine other counties would be envious of. Having said that, I believe that the new structure needs to be utilized to the maximum extent possible. This is where my thoughts on the previous question come into play.
This may involve adding staff or personnel and/or equipment to be utilized the new facility, and better maintain roads and infrastructure, which is my main emphasis within the district and county. If done correctly, we could attain maximization of the new facility and gain the benefit of well maintained, safe roads. I label myself as a fiscal conservative and rarely, if ever, go hunting for places to spend big money.
If a large project is presented, it deserves to be analyzed and if it is determined that the county can benefit from it, we need to come up with a plan to make it happen. Having said this, however, voters must realize that my first allegiance is to District 5 and if a project is good for District 5, in all likelihood, it will be good for Beadle County as a whole.
Huron Plainsman: Beadle County is one of the fastest-growing counties in South Dakota over the last 10 years, according to the 2020 census. What sorts of things can be done on the county level to encourage continued growth and attract more businesses and people to come not just to Huron, but also to the rest of the county?
WEGTER - Infrastructure is a must! Improve it whenever and wherever we can. This will serve to attract more residents and businesses to the county. My wishlist is to see more retail businesses, especially more restaurants in town. I believe that with some added businesses, a commitment has to be made by local citizens to support those new and existing businesses. It works hand in hand.
Businesses can’t afford to be in business if they can’t find staff to help run the business and if patrons and customers don’t frequent the business. With today’s fuel prices, it only makes common sense to do as much business on a local level as possible. We need to continually put more emphasis on the importance of buying locally. It means a lot and helps the local economy tremendously.
MEYER - We need to continue supporting our cities, towns and communities with good law enforcement, safe roads and promote community development.
Huron Plainsman: Tell voters why they should vote for you when they go to the polls on June 7.
MEYER - I hope to represent the people of District 5, listening and acting on their concerns. I’m not out to change the direction of the board and I will give the constituents the representation that they deserve. I’m not afraid to speak out on issues which I believe in, I will give my opinion and will always leave room for compromise. Common sense, understanding and needs of the people of Beadle County qualify me for this position.
I would appreciate your vote on June 7.
WEGTER - My biggest emphasis is on the condition and safety of our roads. Being a FedEx Ground delivery driver, I drive over many miles of roads on a daily basis, many of which are in District 5 and all of which are in Beadle County. I believe I know the conditions of roads as well or better than perhaps any other commissioner. And I also believe that we can, should and need to do better. The citizens of District 5 and Beadle County deserve better.
As I said at a recent gathering, if you are happy with the way things are now – same old same old – then vote for someone else. If you want to have a chance to change things for the better, I’m your guy. With your help, your support and YOUR VOTE, we can work together to improve District 5 and Beadle County.
Thank you for your vote for Gary Wegter for Beadle County Commissioner in District 5.
