Candidate Questionnaire: Barbara Guenette, Republican Candidate for State Representative, District 4
Candidate Questionnaire: Barbara Guenette, Republican Candidate for State Representative, District 4
In what community do you live and what is your career?
Briefly describe your prior experience and leadership roles that have prepared you to serve as a state representative. What skills, knowledge and insights do you have that will make you the best candidate to represent the Republican ideals going into the general election in November?
I am a retired teacher and I live in rural Hazel with my husband Bill.
My prior experience and leadership roles that have prepared me to serve as a state representative include being a classroom teacher. The teacher is the leader of the classroom. The academic achievement of my students was my responsibility and I took that very seriously. I was also the union respresentative in my district. I had the responsibility of making decisions that would directly affect my school. Once retired, I joined the Codington County Republican Women and have served as vice president. Our group brings in speakers that educate our members on the local and state issues. We also introduce Republican candidates to our members so that they can make informed decisions at the ballot box. I am the bylaws committee women and fundraiser committee member of the South Dakota Federation of Republican Women. I have attended leadership classes with the National Federation of Republican Women. I am also precinct committee woman and voted as a delegate at the Republican Convention in Watertown. Given my prior experience in many leadership roles, I believe I would make an excellent choice for State Representative.
Do you believe a legislator’s role is to lead the people or to be reflective of the people’s wishes? How would you go about fulfilling the responsibility indicated in your answer?
I believe that the legislator's role is to be reflective of the people's wishes. I would keep my eyes open and my ears to the ground to know the pulse of the communities in District 4. I would represent their values to the best of my abilities. My goal would be to stay informed and involved in the communities and to stay aware of the needs and wishes of the people I would represent.
Describe the dynamic as it currently exists between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party at the state level. Do you see ways to merge the visions of the two for the betterment of life for the state’s populace or do you believe that there must be a clear victor in the ideology that will direct the state’s destiny?
The dynamic of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party at the state level is one that takes careful consideration. I believe that South Dakota Republicans and Democrats share the values of living in a free state. I would hope that both parties want to keep it that way. From living in California, I have seen what liberal, woke idealogy can do to a state, and we don't want that happening here. My intentions are to keep South Dakota a free state and uphold conservative values.
The state’s political scene is ripe for much discussion, debate and potential action in many areas, such as eminent domain, legalization of marijuana for recreational use and civil liberties – ranging from health care to religion. Please contribute a paragraph about each of three issues you think can be settled in the next two years.
Eminent domain is a method that should be used only as a last resort in very limited areas. SB201, 1185 and 1186 are bills that were written by the legislature to give landowners a bill of rights. It adds more incentives and strengthens protections for landowners to stop the overreach that was occurring to some landowners from carbon pipeline companies. The economic incentive for the landowner should be considered just as property rights should not be compromised. There have been over 70% of the landowners agreeing to the pipe-line and have been paid. If I am elected as your Representative, I would do my best to work with the landowners who do not want to allow a pipeline on their propertyl I think that we can come up with a better solution than eminent domain.
Legalizing recreational marijuana is another very controversial issue. I am anti drug. That being said, I recognize that there are many people in our state that want to have marijuana legalized. Some pros to legalizing marijuana include that it would allow law enforcement resources to be spent elsewhere. It would increase access for people who have a difficult time in getting medical marijuana patient cards. It would generate new tax revenue and new jobs and one old argument is that alcohol is legal and it is more harmful than marijuana. Cons include legalization would open the door to higher crime rates. There would be more traffic fatalities, more workplace injuries, and an increase in suicide rates and mental health problems. Marijuana is a drug that stays in one's system for about 30 days. Until the federal government changes it's policy, if you have regularly used marijuana, you can't drive a semi for 30 days. You can't operate heavy machinery for 30 days. If you use marijuana 30 days before a job interview that requires a drug test, you will not be hired. My opinion is, we don't need more drugs and I believe the cons outweigh the pros on marijuana.
Civil liberties are freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The best government, I feel, is one that stays at arm's length. South Dakota has approximately 30,000 adults and 9,000 kids who live with serious mental health conditions. It is impacting our families and communities. We need to work to improve conditions to help deal with this issue through counseling, education and learning ways to overcome. Our church outreach involvement is pivotal in helping families in need. The government should help only when all else has failed. Let families, communities and churches be the support system, not the government.
