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Hey, Dems Exec Crago! Don’t Let Vice Chair Raschke Borrow the Credit Card!

Last updated on 2013.09.30

I see the press and Zach Crago himself are dropping "interim" from the description of his position as South Dakota Democratic Party executive director. I hope that means Crago is here for keeps. With his energy, organizing, and social media sense, Crago will build on the positive changes started by Ben Nesselhuf, who's now off having fun bringing Vice President Biden to campaign for his new Iowa boss Jim Mowrer.

Crago's elevation from assistant to exec also brings current-generation balance to the old guard hanging onto the reins of party power. Last Saturday, the SDDP elected old hand Deb Knecht of Houghton as party chair and Darrell Raschke as vice chair.

Darrell Raschke... Raschke... where have I heard that name? The SDDP blurb says Raschke "worked for the State of South Dakota, retiring in 2012."

Retired?

Embattled manager Darrell Raschke spent parts of Saturday and Sunday hauling boxes of personal materials from his office to his truck, and at one point drew the attention of a trooper for the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

Then he resigned Monday morning from his $98,000-a-year job running the James River Water Development District.

His departure took effect immediately during a special meeting of the district board’s seven current members.

It came on the heels of a financial review by state auditors that found numerous improper business practices, as well as thousands of dollars in undocumented credit-card expenses that he charged [Bob Mercer, Jeff Natalie-Lees, and Scott Waltman, "James River District Manager Raschke Resigns," Aberdeen American News, 2012.02.21].

That review by the Department of Legislative Audit found that Raschke...

  • oversaw contracts that were not "competitively solicited" or properly monitored;
  • was reimbursed more than $3,000 more than he should have been for travel and meals in 2009 and 2010;
  • charged $675 in meals to motel bills paid by the district, then took federal per diem for those meals;
  • charged almost $4,200 in meals to the district credit card and took federal per diem for those meals; and
  • charged over $2500 to district card at the Longbranch in Pierre on what Raschke claimed but could not document were meals with "lobbyists, legislators, and/or constituents" discussing district business.

To top it off, Raschke then tried to rewrite his board's official response to the Department of Legislative Audit, inserting language to call the state's findings "subjective," without the board's knowledge or approval.

Well, at least Raschke isn't we Dems' treasurer. Crago, keep an eye on the office credit card!

4 Comments

  1. Rorschach 2013.09.26

    There are people in both parties who use taxpayer money for personal expenses. Several former governors have been caught using state planes for personal business, reimbursing the state only after they got caught. Legislators have used taxpayer funds to go for conferences around the country then skipped the meetings to go golfing. In SD there are more Republicans taking advantage of their positions simply because there are more of them in positions of authority.

    But Democrats need to be policed as well. I trust the findings of the Department of Legislative Audit. And I'll give credit where credit is due. Sen. Al Novstrup (R-Aberdeen) deserves credit for bringing Mr. Raschke's activities to everybody's attention and pushing for a change at the James River Water Development District.

    When it comes to people using taxpayer resources for personal gain I don't care which party they are members of. They need to be removed. Hopefully when the attorney general revises his consumer protection laws he will include a law that deals specifically with this type of issue.

  2. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.09.26

    That does make me a bit nervous, R. One of the strongest arguments Dems can make against the current regime in Pierre is their abuse of monolithic power to do favors for themselves and others with taxpayer dollars. We need to be able to stand on firm moral ground when we issue that critique. Mr. Rashcke probably shouldn't be writing the press releases on that topic, even though he appears to have written the book on it.

  3. Lorri May 2013.09.27

    Cory, as you know, I'm Secretary for the SDDP and was at the meeting where Darrell Raschke soundly defeated Tom Cool for the VC position. Rachke did more campaigning for the position and there was some bad blood with the constituency about our Constitutional Revision Committee, which TC headed up. (I say "our" because I'm on that committee.) Raschke's job as VC will be primarily to be a fundraiser for the SDDP and I think he'll do a fine job. Everybody needs a second chance and this might be Raschke's. Deb Knecht, our new (not interim anymore) Chair, will keep him under her thumb. Zach Crago was also appointed as the Executive Director of the SDDP. He has been doing a fine job since Ben Nesselhuf abandoned ship, and will continue to do so. He's a common sense, respectable, respectful, progressive young Democrat who will do a fine job. He'll be an organizer as well as a fund-raiser. We are down two positions in the SDDP. Zach and Jennifer Rumpca (Compliance Director) are manning the ship and will do fine. These opinions are mine and mine alone, and should not be inferred as having any connection to my being the SDDP Sec't.

  4. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.09.27

    Thank you, Lorri, for that firsthand perspective. Believe me, I recognize the value of second chances (thank you, Ken Greeno at Montrose!) I also appreciate what seems to be carried in your comment about Knecht keeping Rashcke under her thumb: the recognition that in granting a second chance, we still need to keep that person under close scrutiny and accountability to make sure he doesn't repeat the errors committed in the first chance.

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