Post seeks second term in S.D. House

Three Republican District 7 House candidates to be narrowed to two in primary election

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Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of three stories that will appear in The Brookings Register this week, featuring Republican candidates for two District 7 seats in the state House of Representatives. The top two vote-getters among candidates Doug Post, Tim Reed and Larry Tidemann will move on to the November general election to face Democratic challengers.

BROOKINGS – Doug Post has one term under his belt as state representative and he wants to keep making a difference for the people of District 7, so he is running for another two-year term.

The primary election is June 2, with the top two District 7 Republican candidates moving on to the Nov. 3 general election.

Post grew up west of Volga, where he attended high school. He earned a degree in dairy production from South Dakota State University. He grew up milking cows and has worked in the dairy industry in some form since then. 

He’s a dairy farmer, buying his own farm in 1999. 

Post and wife Ginger have three teenage children and are in the process of adopting two foster children. 

He’s served on the boards of his church and the Volga Christian School. He’s done lobbying for milk production. While a state representative, Post served on the state Holstein board.

His first term was a learning experience, and he thinks he’s gotten his feet under himself.  

“I enjoy the work, for one thing. I seem to have found a spot where I think I can really make a difference, in the Appropriations Committee,” he said. “To me, it’s pretty important to keep representing the values, the platform that I run on.”

One of his biggest platforms is the right to life.

“That’s one of my core convictions and probably one of the reasons I first ran two years ago, was because I believe in defending those who can’t defend themselves. That’s one other issue that I would bring up that’s near and dear to my heart and why I like this job and feel it’s important that I’m there,” Post said.

He said there’s a perception that “you just cut deals in a back room” when you’re in politics.

“I’m really fighting for transparency (so everything is done in the open),” Post said. “I’ve been able to really help fight for that ideal out there in Pierre. It’s not always easy.”

He likes working with the “great group of people out there that are striving for the same thing, just to serve the people,” Post said, adding they respect the work he’s done on the Appropriations Committee. 

Hands down, he believes the most immediate priority for the state is COVID-19. 

“We need to get our businesses running again. We need to find out a way to do it in a safe way while still protecting those that are at risk.”

The loss of revenue for the state, cities and counties concerns him greatly. 

“I don’t think anyone has a full grasp” of the lost revenue and services, he said.

“Once people find out how many dollars we’re gonna be short on these budgets, it is gonna be pretty eye opening to ‘em,” Post said.

He fought to keep up the inflationary rates for education, Medicaid and state employee raises, he said.

“We’re on the verge of seeing that tumble down and possibly even cuts in those areas,” Post said.

He cited Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls as an example of the ripple effects on the economy. Growing industries fuel the sales tax dollars that fund things like schools and create jobs, Post said.

“There’s good jobs to be had,” he said. “We’ve got a really good workforce, good communities of hard-working people.

“Ag is definitely the main industry in South Dakota. It has all these spin-off industries that then create more jobs for everyone throughout the state. Bel Brands is a perfect example,” Post said. 

“The ethanol plants are another good way to make more value out of the raw commodities we have in this state,” Post said, citing Prairie AquaTech in Volga for “increasing the value of feed and having a good set of jobs.”

A big part of South Dakota’s future is SDSU, he said. 

“They’re always on the cutting edge of developing new technologies; foster those new businesses that employ more people and they’re usually pretty good paying jobs, too,” Post said.

One issue he’d like to see resolved is the conflict between the municipal electric and the rural electric groups. 

“I kind of ride the fence on that issue because I can see both sides. I represent Brookings and I understand that they, the municipal electric, needs to be able to grow,” Post said. “On the rural electric side, I’m a rural electric customer out here, as is a fair portion of District 7. … If the city’s cherry-picking plots to take over from the (rural) co-op, that leaves other spots under the co-op as more expensive to serve. That’s not exactly right, either.”

He believes in people working toward their goals.

“I really don’t see District 7 or anybody in America as a group. Our Constitution lays down the opportunity for everyone to succeed, I believe,” Post said. “The beauty of the American system and the country as a whole is that the individual always is … protected under the Constitution to be able to pursue whatever they want to do.”

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.