District 20 house candidates aim to take service to Pierre

Residents in South Dakota will head to the polls for the Tuesday, June 2 primary election, where they will cast the first round of ballots for elected positions at the local, state and national levels of government.

Among those races is the race for two seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives from District 20, which includes Davison, Aurora and Jerauld counties. The three-way race features two incumbents coming off their first two-year terms in the house as well as a newcomer to politics hoping to take his message to Pierre for the first time.

With three Republicans seeking the two seats up for election and no Democrats filed for the race, the June 2 primary will effectively select the two candidates for the positions, with no general election vote needed in November.

The Daily Republic spoke with the three candidates about their campaigns and why they thought they would be the best choice for district voters.

Paul R. Miskimins

Rep. Paul R. Miskimins is one of the three candidates looking to represent District 20 in the South Dakota House of Representatives for the upcoming term. The Mitchell resident worked in the community for years as a dentist before retiring, and now continues to work on his family farm in addition to his duties as an elected official.

He has served on the commerce and energy and health and human services committees during his current term, and he knows the learning process he experienced during his first term will only serve him and his constituents better in the upcoming session.

“I can serve more effectively. The first year is like drinking water out of a fire hose, but the second year I was more comfortable speaking from the floor,” Miskimins said.

He noted he was proud of his work in the bioprocessing industry, something he would like to see expand in South Dakota, as well as the bringing the B-21 bomber to Ellsworth Air Force Base and working to help improve and repair damaged bridges throughout the state, something that was vitally important following the severe floods of 2020.

“There are so many areas that you’re not aware of that you get to help,” Miskimins said.

As with any term in the South Dakota Legislature, Miskimins said crafting the next state budget in light of issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 floods will be of paramount importance.

It has been an unusual campaign season for Miskimins with COVID-19 changing how lawmakers interact with the public, and a clerical error by his campaign ended up in the 2018 campaign finance report as showing a $3,000 donation from a supporter when only $1,000 per calendar year is allowed by state law.

But Miskimins, 67, said he plans to bring back the same experience he brought to the position for his first term and couple it with the lessons he learned in his first two years in Pierre. He hopes his track record from his years as a professional in the Mitchell community will speak for itself when voters head to the ballot box June 2.

“Hopefully the activities and the service I’ve given to organizations like United Way, Dakota Wesleyan University, Abbott House and LifeQuest and the contributions to many others shows who I am,” Miskimins said. “Consistency over time is something that is important to show who you are rather than once or twice. I love this state and the people, and I mean that sincerely.”

Other legislators feel the same way, he said, and he hopes to continue working with them should voters select him for a second term.

“The diversity in the legislature is one of our strengths. No matter what our professions, we make better legislation when we work together on those issues,” Miskimins said. “We try to improve the legislation to improve the lives of the people.”

Lance Koth

Rep. Lance Koth is the second incumbent in the District 20 house race seeking a second term in the South Dakota House of Representatives. The Mitchell resident ran for his first two-year term when the two seats from District 20 opened up in 2018, allowing him to bring his experience as a retired banker to Pierre.

“I felt led to throw my hat in the ring and see whether or not the people of District 20 would elect me to represent them in Pierre,” Koth said. “I have been involved with a lot of different organizations and boards of local, regional and national groups and so I felt that experience working with people could be beneficial.”

During his first term in Pierre, Koth served on the committee on appropriations and the joint committee on appropriations. He took the learning experience of a first-time lawmaker in stride, he said, and focused much of his attention on economic growth within the state without government interference.

“The focus of what I wanted to do, and I found this out in my banking career, is I wanted to see the state grow economically and see that the government would not get in the way of good, viable industry, be it agriculture or agribusiness,” said Koth, 69.

He also worked in helping expand broadband internet service to areas of the state that are under-served by high-speed access to the information superhighway. That service has become even more important in the light of COVID-19, which forced schools to move their classes from their school buildings to teachers’ and students’ homes via online communication.

“The area that I focused on mainly was long term and intermediate development of our state resources and industry, one of which is broadband (internet),” Koth said. “Local providers were able to put in some broadband in areas of our state that doesn’t have it, and as I look back on that, we looked at it as a long term issue, but little did we know the effects of that would be in the short term, because we had an epidemic. All of a sudden these rural areas had to go online, and in some cases they still struggle because we’re not there yet.”

There will be plenty of issues to address if voters elect him to a second term, including fighting revenue shortfalls in funding important state departments, such as social services, Medicaid, corrections and education, he said. But he said he’s willing to take them all on if things go his way in the June 2 election.

“I tell people to send experience and values — South Dakota core values — back to Pierre. I think the experience has a lot more to do with it than age,” Koth said. “I feel I’m not stuck in the past and I don’t have blinders on. And if you look at my voting record, what I have told people that my values are is how I voted.”

Barry Volk

Barry Volk is running his first campaign for elected office in his bid for one of the house seats in District 20. The 39-year-old works in agribusiness, and is planning on bringing that experience to Pierre if he is one of the two candidates elected to represent district voters.

He also hopes to bring a younger perspective to the legislative process.

“I want to bring some change and youth to South Dakota. That’s a trend I see in other districts where we have young men and women starting to run and bring some youth to Pierre,” Volk said.

As a newcomer to the process, Volk would like to bring a level of change to how things get done in what can often be a complicated process of support and reciprocation. He said he would bring a mindset that would put the wishes of his constituents at the forefront of what he will focus on should he be elected.

“I don’t want people getting sidetracked and brought into these little groups of guys who talk about voting one way or the other. I’m there for the constituents and to be their voice in Pierre,” Volk said. “Not that we’ve had poor representation, but just to bring some youth is crucial in this day and age.”

He intends to bring his experience in agriculture to bear on issues facing South Dakota farmers, ranchers and other producers. It has been a tough time lately for those in agriculture, especially with the way COVID-19 has disrupted most aspects of the industry.

The South Dakota economy depends too strongly on a healthy ag industry for it to be neglected, he said.

“Our producers are sitting on inventory — cattle, hogs and whatever it might be. They are already growing calves for a loss, putting corn in the ground knowing they’re putting it in at a loss,” Volk said. “We have programs in place, but wouldn’t they rather be making a profit as they put it in the ground and not going to have and stand in line for paycheck? So we need to do better for the ag industry and small businesses.”

He is encouraging District 20 residents to get out and vote. He carries voter registration forms with him when he campaigns, and urges them to get out on June 2 whether they vote for him or not. It’s one of the most American democratic traditions, he said, and he hopes voters will consider him when it comes to marking their ballot.

“I’m interviewing for a job with these people. I want them talking to me, asking me their questions on their concerns and problems. I can’t promise I can fix everything, but I can make their voice heard and get their concerns out there in Pierre,” Volk said.