The SDGOP Platform Accountability project, which can't be held accountable since they remain anonymous, thinks it's a big deal that former state economic development chief Richard Benda, who died under as-yet unexplained circumstances last week, contributed money to Marion Michael Rounds's gubernatorial campaign in 2006.
Yeah, him and what, half the rest of the people in Pierre on Rounds's payroll? Big deal.
But if you're into that kind of thing, also contributing to Rounds in 2002 and 2006 was Dennis Hellwig, who conceived and owned the ill-fated and now investigated Northern Beef Packers before being pushed out by the Korean investors whom Rounds and Benda recruited to finance the struggling plant in 2009. Hellwig revealed the federal investigation of NBP to the press yesterday.
And in 2010, Hellwig contributed to Scott Munsterman and Dave Knudson, not Rounds's man Dennis Daugaard.
Dennis Hellwig says he was contacted by one of the original promoters of the beef plant idea, Philip Friend who headed the Connecticut-based Ridgefield Farms involved when the plans failed in Huron and Flandreau. When investors in Huron pulled out of the scheme, the reasons and dealings were kept very hush-hush, although the state was in the thick of whatever was going on. Hellwig was still owner when the mechanics' liens came pouring down, and the Korean investors in effect bailed him out.
Part of the highly touted business climate in South Dakota is that corporations do not have to list their major investors and there is no tracking of the relationship of state agencies and private schemers. Recall that the Janklow administration had money coming from the credit card companies and refused to tell the state treasurer how much and where it was deposited. When an investigation was initiated, Mike Rounds shepherded through the legislature a bill which would make it a crime for any state official to reveal to anyone that such investigation was going on. This is the business climate of South Dakota.
There are people involved who consider themselves entrepreneurial movers and shakers. No investigation should leave out two organizations involved in the NBP scheme that share the same office building: the Aberdeen Development Corporation and the South Dakota Regional Center. A full accounting of their relationships with business schemes is still to come. It will take someone with the skills of Julian Assange or Edward Snowden who can find asylum somewhere to reveal the source of that stench in the South Dakota business climate.
Great post David and very informative.
"Mike Rounds shepherded through the legislature a bill which would make it a crime for any state official to reveal to anyone that such investigation was going on. This is the business climate of South Dakota."
This has to be hammered on by the press to Rounds. Keep after him until he explains his reasoning behind this. Then the question will be do we want somebody like this as our Senator?
Another reason Madville is the #1 political blog in South Dakota. Never would have learned of this by reading DWC.
All of this is quickly developing Rick Weiland as our new U.S. Senator
Hey, David: does SDRC maintain a live, working office presence out in that building? Where is Joop Bollen?
And what's your take on Hellwig's bailout? You same to be saying the Koreans did him a favor by taking over his project and giving him an exit.
Sure hope you are right Charlie Johnson. What do we as citizens have to do to make it happen?