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Hunhoff Returns To Legislature After Decade
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| With an etching of Abraham Lincoln, drawn by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, on the wall of his office, Bernie Hunhoff returns to Pierre today (Tuesday) to hear Gov. Mike Rounds’ budget address. Ten years after last serving in the Legislature, Hunhoff heads back to the State House after winning a District 18 seat last month. (Kelly Hertz/P&D) |
By Nathan Johnson
nathan.johnson@yankton.net
It’s been 10 years since Bernie Hunhoff walked the halls of Pierre as a legislator. But, in many ways, it will be as if no time has passed when he returns to the Legislature at the beginning of next year.
Since being elected to the House by District 18 voters a month ago, the Democrat from rural Yankton has already been selected by his peers to serve as the House Minority Leader. While in the Senate during the 1990s, he spent part of those six years as the Senate Minority Leader.
And when it comes to the issues, Hunhoff said legislators often joke about how they never change.
He tells the story of how in 1993, then-Gov. George Mickelson asked the political newcomer if he wanted to take a peek at the State of the State Address before he gave it. Hunhoff said he noticed a strange reference about grasshoppers, but it was otherwise relevant. Mickelson then revealed it was the first State of the State Address, which dated back to the 19th century.
“He could have delivered that speech, taken out the grasshopper references and pretty much gotten away with it,” Hunhoff said.
That’s not to say every year doesn’t have its unique opportunities. In fact, Hunhoff is convinced that South Dakota is at a crucial crossroads, and the Legislature must help encourage the state to take the right direction.
“This green economy could possibly be the biggest opportunity for South Dakota since the Homestead Act if we really take advantage of it,” he said, referring to the 1862 legislation that brought settlers flooding into this region with the promise of free unoccupied public land if they agreed to make improvements to it. “It could really change our economy. We should be talking about wind energy and alternative energy every day in the Legislature. I don’t think that’s been happening.”
Although it ranks among the top states in the nation for wind resources, South Dakota trails other states in finding ways to encourage large and small developments to tap into that alternative energy supply.
In order to give the issue more precedence, Hunhoff said has been discussing with other legislators the possibility of widening the scope of the House Commerce Committee by making it the House Commerce and Energy Committee.
While some people thought Hunhoff had soured on politics after losing to Gov. Bill Janklow in the 1998 gubernatorial election, that was not the case.
“I’ve had sour moments in politics, but I’ve never been sour on politics,” Hunhoff explained. “Politics is simply people getting together to decide how they’re going to live. How could you be sour on that?”
In fact, the editor and publisher of South Dakota Magazine said he’s thought about running for office every two years. However, Hunhoff said each time he was either busy with his publishing ventures or there were no seats for which an incumbent he respected wasn’t seeking re-election.
“Most things in life are timing. This seemed like the right time,” he said. “I’m excited about the House. It maybe fits my personality a little better than the stolid, serious Senate. The House is a little bit closer to the public and a little less formal.”
As the House Minority Leader, Hunhoff will face an uphill battle in influencing the legislative agenda. Democrats are outnumbered 46-24. However, with the gain of four seats since last year, they make up more than one-third of the House. That means in order to get major legislation passed, such as spending and emergency bills, Republicans need the help of the Democrats to get a two-thirds vote.
More so than in the past, Republicans and Democrats will have to sit down at the table and work things out to make progress, Hunhoff said.
That may be one reason why House Democrats elected Hunhoff as their leader. He said he considers himself a bipartisan legislator who is interested in getting the best results for South Dakota.
“People want somebody who will go out there, work with the Republicans, the governor’s office and make things work,” Hunhoff said. “That doesn’t mean we just cave in and always get along. There will be times when we’ll have to stand up. That’s our responsibility. The minority party has a very important responsibility to critique what the majority party and the executive branch is up to. We need to support them when we can, and be willing and prepared to stand up and fight when we think they may be going in the wrong direction. We make the governor’s office and the majority party better by fulfilling that role.”
One area he said Democrats will likely make a stand this year is fiscal responsibility — an area Hunhoff said Republicans have not fared well in the decade he has been out of office.
“We’ve really hamstrung our school districts, our counties and our townships with spending restraints. They’ve been restricted to 3 percent growth or less, depending on the rate of inflation,” he said. “Meanwhile, the state government has been growing at an average of 6 percent annually and adding state employees nilly-willy.”
The state needs to look more seriously at ways to find efficiencies in the way it does its business, according to Hunhoff.
“Any of us that run businesses or organizations of any kind, we’ve seen where technology allows you to find efficiencies and new ways of providing services,” he said. “I’m not confident that’s been happening as much as it should be in South Dakota.”
Since being elected to the House by District 18 voters a month ago, the Democrat from rural Yankton has already been selected by his peers to serve as the House Minority Leader. While in the Senate during the 1990s, he spent part of those six years as the Senate Minority Leader.
And when it comes to the issues, Hunhoff said legislators often joke about how they never change.
He tells the story of how in 1993, then-Gov. George Mickelson asked the political newcomer if he wanted to take a peek at the State of the State Address before he gave it. Hunhoff said he noticed a strange reference about grasshoppers, but it was otherwise relevant. Mickelson then revealed it was the first State of the State Address, which dated back to the 19th century.
“He could have delivered that speech, taken out the grasshopper references and pretty much gotten away with it,” Hunhoff said.
That’s not to say every year doesn’t have its unique opportunities. In fact, Hunhoff is convinced that South Dakota is at a crucial crossroads, and the Legislature must help encourage the state to take the right direction.
“This green economy could possibly be the biggest opportunity for South Dakota since the Homestead Act if we really take advantage of it,” he said, referring to the 1862 legislation that brought settlers flooding into this region with the promise of free unoccupied public land if they agreed to make improvements to it. “It could really change our economy. We should be talking about wind energy and alternative energy every day in the Legislature. I don’t think that’s been happening.”
Although it ranks among the top states in the nation for wind resources, South Dakota trails other states in finding ways to encourage large and small developments to tap into that alternative energy supply.
In order to give the issue more precedence, Hunhoff said has been discussing with other legislators the possibility of widening the scope of the House Commerce Committee by making it the House Commerce and Energy Committee.
While some people thought Hunhoff had soured on politics after losing to Gov. Bill Janklow in the 1998 gubernatorial election, that was not the case.
“I’ve had sour moments in politics, but I’ve never been sour on politics,” Hunhoff explained. “Politics is simply people getting together to decide how they’re going to live. How could you be sour on that?”
In fact, the editor and publisher of South Dakota Magazine said he’s thought about running for office every two years. However, Hunhoff said each time he was either busy with his publishing ventures or there were no seats for which an incumbent he respected wasn’t seeking re-election.
“Most things in life are timing. This seemed like the right time,” he said. “I’m excited about the House. It maybe fits my personality a little better than the stolid, serious Senate. The House is a little bit closer to the public and a little less formal.”
As the House Minority Leader, Hunhoff will face an uphill battle in influencing the legislative agenda. Democrats are outnumbered 46-24. However, with the gain of four seats since last year, they make up more than one-third of the House. That means in order to get major legislation passed, such as spending and emergency bills, Republicans need the help of the Democrats to get a two-thirds vote.
More so than in the past, Republicans and Democrats will have to sit down at the table and work things out to make progress, Hunhoff said.
That may be one reason why House Democrats elected Hunhoff as their leader. He said he considers himself a bipartisan legislator who is interested in getting the best results for South Dakota.
“People want somebody who will go out there, work with the Republicans, the governor’s office and make things work,” Hunhoff said. “That doesn’t mean we just cave in and always get along. There will be times when we’ll have to stand up. That’s our responsibility. The minority party has a very important responsibility to critique what the majority party and the executive branch is up to. We need to support them when we can, and be willing and prepared to stand up and fight when we think they may be going in the wrong direction. We make the governor’s office and the majority party better by fulfilling that role.”
One area he said Democrats will likely make a stand this year is fiscal responsibility — an area Hunhoff said Republicans have not fared well in the decade he has been out of office.
“We’ve really hamstrung our school districts, our counties and our townships with spending restraints. They’ve been restricted to 3 percent growth or less, depending on the rate of inflation,” he said. “Meanwhile, the state government has been growing at an average of 6 percent annually and adding state employees nilly-willy.”
The state needs to look more seriously at ways to find efficiencies in the way it does its business, according to Hunhoff.
“Any of us that run businesses or organizations of any kind, we’ve seen where technology allows you to find efficiencies and new ways of providing services,” he said. “I’m not confident that’s been happening as much as it should be in South Dakota.”
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