House: Pam Hemmingsen, Suzan Nolan
Senate: Tom Katus
Pam Hemmingsen
I am running for the South Dakota House of Representatives in District 32 because I believe the voters of this district want and deserve a rational discussion of the issues from well-informed candidates, not emotional, one-issue appeals. Voters want a level-headed representative who will work on the issues that affect their everyday lives.I have the education and training to craft good public policy. I hold a master's degree in education and an undergraduate degree in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice. I have a well-rounded background in business, education, healthcare and the non-profit sector, which means that I have personal experience in the most important election issues identified by both Democrats and Republicans: job creation, education, and healthcare.
I am the owner of a small business, which specializes in project management, fundraising and grant writing. I understand the challenges of starting a new business in South Dakota as well as the value small business brings to this state. One way we can create better paying jobs is to make it easier for South Dakotans to go into business for themselves. This American dream would be obtainable to more hard working citizens if we would provide a health insurance pool into which small business owners could buy at a reasonable cost.
I have a decade of experience in the healthcare field. I spent six years traveling the state as an executive pharmaceutical sales representative with Glaxo-Smith-Kline and over four years working in direct patient healthcare at Rapid City Regional Hospital. This particular combination gives me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by both patients and providers alike.
In the non-profit and education sector, I was the executive director of Women's Connection, a resource and advocacy center in Rapid City. I also served as the director of education and volunteer services at The Journey Museum and I have worked at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology as the educational outreach coordinator. I have been a classroom volunteer in The Rapid City School system for seven years. I believe that every lawmaker voting on teacher salaries or class size should spend time teaching a reading group, sharing a school lunch with students, and sitting across the desk from a principal as she works to stretch dollars as far as they will go. My goal as a legislator will include increasing funding for education without raising taxes by limiting the growth of government to three percent.
I am currently serving on the board of the South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women and have served in many local community service clubs including serving on the board of Rushmore Rotary. I have lived in Rapid City for 14 years and have two fabulous daughters.
I believe that the solutions to the challenges facing South Dakota will be "Home Grown" ones. We can't look to anyone outside of South Dakota to "fix" our economy, or our healthcare system, or our education system. It's up to us. I'm rolling up my sleeves. I hope you'll join me.Hemmingsen for the House
Shirley Frederick, Treasurer
Box 9692, Rapid City, SD 57709-9692
email - pamelah@rushmore.com
Suzan Nolan
I have lived and worked in District 32 for 33 years. My work career has been in the Rapid City School system where I was a high school English teacher, a psychometrist, and for the past 20 years a school counselor. I have worked with students from kindergarten through college as well as their parents and teachers.I have two masters degrees in education and counseling and a doctorate in counseling from the University of South Dakota.
I retired from the school system in 2004 and have spent my time volunteering in activities about which I am passionate. I facilitate a support group for women in the Pennington County jail as well as a weekly meditation group in the jail. I am a volunteer mediator for the Center of Restorative Justice as well as a board member there. I plan and lead trainings for other volunteer mediators and help make restorative justice known to judges, probation officers and other community members. I am on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters and participate in fund raising activities and strategic planning for that organization. I am an active member of Democracy in Action, and have participated as an expert witness on the Abortion Task Force.
I enjoy traveling, hiking, golfing, reading, meeting new people, and making a difference in the lives of people in my community. That's why I am running for office. Now more than ever my district needs a progressive voice, one that speaks for the individual rights of people. Those rights of choice and voice are being taken away by recent legislation which is harmful to us all. Issues that I care
about are the adequate funding of education, improved pay for teachers, better pay for all South Dakotans, and health care for our citizens. I am especially interested in developing ways to de-criminalize addictions which are really health issues, and getting people treatment instead of jail sentences.
Suzan Nolan for House
Tom Katus
In his famous inaugural address, President Kennedy challenged Americans: "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Tom Katus, then a Civil Engineering junior at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, responded to the President's challenge and volunteered for the very first Kennedy's first Peace Corps mission. He served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer surveyor/engineer constructing rural to market roads in Tanzania. After returning to the United States and completing his college graduate education, he was founding president and CEO of Volunteer Training Specialists, Inc. (VTSI), a private company of 12 American and African owner-employees with multicultural training experience. Within four years, VTSI trained more than 2,000 Peace Corps Volunteers for deployment to five countries at training sites in South Dakota, the southern U.S., and around the world. For the past 18 years, Katus' firm, TK Associates, International, has assisted in the launching and development of more than 50 small businesses, tourism attractions, tribes and colleges in South Dakota and the Great Plains region.Katus remarks, "My extensive private sector and public service experience supports long-term development to secure the future of our children and grandchildren. Smart growth is smart business," says Katus. He believes there are three interrelated issues that are at the top of most voters' agendas. These include jobs, health care and education. To address these interrelated issues, Katus states, "We need to continue to grow our own small business sector while simultaneously encouraging large companies that pay a living wage to locate in South Dakota. There are 90,000 people without health insurance in South Dakota. We also need to help all our small businesses to pool together to negotiate with the insurance companies to enable them to obtain the best health insurance coverage for their employees at lowest costs."
He concludes, "I have long practiced life, not pontificated about it. I have three children, two of whom are adopted, and six wonderful grandchildren. All are God's children and have every right to their own pursuit of happiness. I do not feel we should be passing legislation such as HB 1215 that has no exceptions for rape, incest or health of the mother. In my extended family, there is direct experience with some of these issues. I do not need preachy, holier-than-thou legislators, many of whom are men, to tell me how to deal with these very private spiritual matters. I will work hard to promote adoption, parenting classes, health and sex education to help everyone avoid unwanted pregnancies and raise healthy families once children are born."
Katus was born and raised in McIntosh, SD on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. He volunteered for the U.S. Army National Guard right out of high school. He received his basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO and advanced combat engineer training at Ft. Belvoir, VA, where he fired a perfect score on the machine gun range. Since his days as a student at SDSM&T, he has resided intermittently in Rapid City and continuously for the past 18 years. Following his Civil Engineering training at Mines, he received a B.S. in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed graduate studies in International Administration at UWM and UCLA. He has conducted scores of workshops and seminars for small businesses, professional associations and colleges and has published more than 30 professional books and articles. He serves as a part-time Special Correspondent to The Lakota Country Times. He is editor of The Last Mile, the newsletter of the Black Hills Running Club in which he has been active for over 20 years.
Tom Katus for SD Senate
Stacey Peterson, Treasurer
821 Upper Pines Drive, Rapid City, SD 57701
phone: 605-718-0545 / tom@tomkatus.com
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