Candidate Questionnaire: Stephanie Sauder, Republican Candidate for State Senate, District 4
Candidate Questionnaire: Stephanie Sauder, Republican Candidate for State Senate, District 4
In what community do you live and what is your career?
I live in rural Bryant in Hamlin County. My husband and I farm and I am a newspaper columnist. I am a former K-12 public school teacher and newspaper publisher/small business owner. I was the mayor of Bryant for eight years. I serve on the ITC and Bryant Cinema boards, member of the Bryant Legion Auxiliary and Parkview Assisted Living Auxiliary, New Hope Lutheran Church, Hamlin County Republicans, Codington County Republican Women, Mothers of Peace Officers and 100th Legislative Session committee through my role as a state representative.
Briefly describe your prior experience in the state legislature. What have you learned during that time that will make you the better candidate to represent the Republican ideals going into the general election in November?
I have been a State Representative for one term. I serve on the House Education, Ag and Natural Resources, and Veterans and Military Affairs committees. I embrace the responsibility of being a legislator. Even before the first session started, I learned honesty, sincerity and the art of listening are profoundly essential to being a respected and effective legislator. I’ve learned that the quality, not quantity, of bills filed is of greater importance, especially bills that are pertinent to my district and the state. Understandably, it takes teamwork to pass legislation, which means cooperating with many people, even when we may not always align in our perspectives. I’ve learned that citizens of District 4 and fellow legislators respect me for my common sense and understanding. I’ve proven my ability to successfully work with legislators within my party and across the aisle to create good legislation and prevent bad legislation.
(Editor’s note: Within the typical election process, the Republican primary winners for District Four in the State Legislature would advance to the general election ballot in November. There are no known Democratic or other party candidates for those positions at this time.)
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?
Through my experiences as a teacher, mayor, community board member, parent and State Representative, I am a proven servant leader. I work alongside those who have hired or appointed me to lead. As a legislator, my role is not to vote on my opinion without regard to the constituents’ concerns, claiming the “I know better than you do” attitude. I base my votes on the majority of constituents’ requests and needs. Servant leading means listening to the people’s “wishes” and discerning whether those preferences are founded on actual and accurate data and facts or out of reaction to fiction and fear. Because of favorable feedback and being on record of doing that in my first term in the legislature, I will continue considering the emails, texts and phone calls I receive from constituents and other knowledgeable individuals and through the communications I initiate as well. It’s important to me to have as much information as possible to make the most appropriate decision for my district and state. Not everyone gets their “wish,” but I strive to provide the best possible solution for the majority of my constituents.
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?
As a state legislator, I don’t see the chasm between the two parties within the state legislature as wide as it seems to be on the national level. On all the committees which I serve and on the House floor as well, I have experienced professionalism between the two parties for the most part even when our perspectives and decisions have been different. If there was something less professional, that was on a personal level of the legislator. Merging polarizing forces within the Republican party is more of a concern to me. There shouldn’t be sides or “clear victors” when we are talking about the health, wealth and management of our state. We should all be working together for the greater good of South Dakota.
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.
If you follow any legislation over a period of years, you quickly realize the majority of topics and issues are not solved within a couple of years’ time. Some topics will never be cut and dried; taxes, such as property, sales and others, are ever-changing as they have been for decades. Legislative committees and groups are organized to study, research and find possible resolutions to many of these ongoing subjects. While having a goal to solve these matters within two years is admirable, it can often be unrealistic due to the complexity of the issues.
Hot topics like legalizing marijuana will also bring some sort of adjustment to laws for quite some time. Health care and schools will always have legislation on the table because they are also ever-changing in our state and we need to continue to update the rules as technology and society changes. School funding never seems to be enough and during each session, the problems with teacher pay and student achievement are always up for debate and discussion. The answers obviously don’t come easy because of all the factors involved.
Ideally, I wish we could solve the daycare problem within the next two years; better yet, next year. I’m don’t know what the solution is to that, but I do know there are many intelligent, concerned groups and individuals working on finding answers and possibilities that will provide parents and guardians the quality care options they are seeking for their children. Likewise, finding suitable, affordable elderly care is also a priority for families with aging parents. We will continue to search and study possible answers to these questions so our most vulnerable loved ones are taken care of.
