Meet Jack Billion

Tracy Joan Russo of the national Democratic Party recently posted this interview with Jack Billion.

This morning I sat down with Jack Billion, who is running for Governor of South Dakota, to get to know him a bit better, find out why he is running and talk about his experiences on the campaign trail.

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

I am a native South Dakotan, an Air Force veteran and an Orthopedic Surgeon. I've been active in South Dakota politics and community activities for 30 years and married for 26 of them. My wife and I have 7 children and 12 grandchildren.

Why are you running for Governor of South Dakota?

My family is from South Dakota, it's our native state, where we have lived, and where we have worked, and it's the state we love. I'm running because I think that South Dakota needs to reestablish the vision the South Dakota pioneers shared years ago when people came out here and could do anything. People could build towns together, break sod together&emdash;together they had a vision and could accomplish anything. After years of Republican control, South Dakota has perhaps lost some of that vision as we have been forced to settle for less&emdash;we have one party dominating our state, a single discussion taking place, and we need to have a bigger discussion.

What kind of discussion would you like to see happen?

I?d like to see us talk about a return to real family values. The ultra conservative wing of the Republican Party has taken a dominant role in South Dakota and we?ve moved away from that. Real family values mean promoting good wages and good jobs. Real family values mean solid educational opportunities for our children, starting with preschool education&emdash;we are one of 12 states without a preschool program, and moving into a well-funded K-12 program. To me, access to health care and health insurance for the 90,000 South Dakotans who are uninsured is something I look at as a family value, and we need talk about these things.

What would you like to see change in South Dakota?

Five of the ten poorest counties in America are within our borders. 15 percent of the South Dakota population is Native American and it is the fastest growing segment of our population and they deserve to participate more fully in our economy. Republicans sold the people of South Dakota to out-of-state businesses as low-wage workers and we need to turn that around and grow the South Dakota economy by promoting small businesses within our state. This goes hand-in-hand with our higher education system. We need to have a state where any graduate can leave if they want to, but they don?t leave because they have to. That is the kind of state we envision&emdash;one where healthcare, education, any our economy are the priorities of an open and accountable government.

What is it like being a Democrat in South Dakota?

It's a good day for Democrats in South Dakota. We are energized and the party is finally starting to grow in numbers, enthusiasm and focus. We really feel that we want to bring together our neighbors. It's a small state and we need to all work together, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, on the issues that unite us, instead of focusing on the issues that divide us. Our present Governor has had three and a half years to present a comprehensive plan for South Dakota jobs and wages, education and health care needs. It just hasn't been there and that is one of the reasons why I am running.

What has the campaign been like so far?

We've traveled around South Dakota and visited with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. We've tried to talk about the issues they deal with on a day-to-day basis and deal with them with honesty, openness and a sense of humor. We've been to Fish Days at Lake Andes, the Rhubarb Festival in Vermillion, Salon #10 in Deadwood, and the Spring Festival in Hot Springs . Every where we go reaffirms what I already knew - South Dakotans are great people, South Dakotans are ready for change, and together we are working on a new vision for our state.