Meet the Candidate: David Kull
Kull one of two incumbents seeking re-election to District 2 House seats
Rep. David Kull is seeking re-election in South Dakota House District 2. He faces Rep. John Sjaarda and Jake Schoenbeck in his effort.
The district includes a portion of eastern Sioux Falls and stretches to the Minnesota border. It includes the communities of Brandon and Valley Springs in it.
The Dakota Scout sent a series of questions to all legislative candidates running in contested races for the state House and Senate in the June 4 primary election. Candidates were asked to limit their responses to each question to 150 words or less.
Age:Â 68
City of residence: Brandon
Profession:Â Retired Police Chief, combined 41 years of service; 30 with the Sioux Falls Police Department and 11 with the Brandon Police Department
Public service/community service experience: 41 years in law enforcement, 1978 to 2019
Currently an alderman on the Brandon City Council, 2019 to present
Served as the Director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics for five years
Served six years on the Board of Directors for South Dakota Special Olympics
Served six years on the Board of Directors for The Banquet in Sioux Falls
Family information: Wife, Ginnie, two sons, and two grandchildren
1) What's the government's role in facilitating economic development in South Dakota?
First thing on the list would be maintaining and expanding infrastructure when needed, and services that companies need to succeed. Good roads, adequate water supply, well run schools and assisting where we can to ensure adequate housing is available for an expanding workforce are a few examples
As a Legislature, we also need to avoid putting in place over burdensome regulations that can disincentivize businesses from coming to South Dakota.
We also realize that governments need to have various levels of regulations that companies are required to follow when doing business in South Dakota. The challenge for our legislature is to not pass laws that act as disincentives for new companies to come into our state or established companies to expand their operations.
2) If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I honestly hate questions of this nature but I’ll give it a shot.
Though there are many to choose from, I will settle for a man, whose name I do not know, that I met at the airport while waiting for our son who was coming home on leave. Our son was serving on the USS Nevada submarine and I was wearing a cap with the sub’s logo. Two elderly gentlemen came walking by wearing their military garrison hats and upon seeing me, one man approached, pointed at my cap and told me he had served aboard the USS Nevada. I immediately asked if he had been on the Nevada on December 7th, 1941, and he told me he was there and was one scared 18-year-old that day. Tough invited, e wasn’t able to attend the christening of the submarine bearing the name of the ship he served on during WW2 but would have loved to have been there. We chatted briefly before he proceeded to his gate and boarded the plane.Â
The reason I would like to have dinner with this gentleman is to hear his firsthand story of his time on that ship and to gift him the hat I was wearing, something I should have done that day.
3) Does the "Landowner Bill of Rights" -- adopted by the Legislature amid opposition to carbon pipeline companies using eminent domain -- strike the right balance between the interests of property owners, counties and the ag industry - and should voters get a say when they head to the polls in November?
This is a bill that I did vote for both times it came to the floor. Whether it strikes the right balance or not probably depends on to whom you’re asking the question. Since I voted for the bill’s passage, I will say that I believe it moved the ball in the right direction. I have felt all along on the debates regarding the CO2 pipeline that it needs to be decided by the Public Utility Commission and either permitted or rejected.
As to whether voters should get a say, there is a petition drive going on now to refer SB 201 to a public vote in November. If they get the signatures needed and meet the deadline of June 25th, then, yes, voters should and would get a say.