Editorial: State not as open as it looks from gov’s office

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has pledged to continue his work to improve government openness in South Dakota.

At the annual convention of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Daugaard outlined the improvements that have been made in the state in the past few years.

Among those most recent improvements:

* A law passed in 2010 that requires printed materials related to a public board’s meeting be available to the public.

* Any findings made by a subcommittee selected by the governor must be made available in an open meeting, and that body must also delay action until the next meeting.

* The guest list for the Valhalla cabin — the state-owned vacation house in the Black Hills — will be released to the public. Too, the governor said he will release the guest lists for the Governor’s Golf Classic, the annual buffalo roundup in Custer State Park and the Governor’s Pheasant Hunt in October. He will exclude, however, the names of business prospects from other states who attend, since he considers that information to be sensitive.

* A law that requires professional services contracts of $10,000 or more to be posted on the state website.

The governor is right — much progress has been made. But once again, we cannot help but note problems still abound in South Dakota. And politicians who feel great strides are being made probably have no idea such troubles exist.

For example, the state Division of Criminal Investigation recently refused to give detailed information about a pickup that burned — with a body inside — in Hutchinson County. Although the DCI told The Daily Republic the incident was ruled a suicide, the agency refused to explain how the pickup caught fire. A spokeswoman flatly told this newspaper the matter is closed.

And when a Plankinton resident last week led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase of more than 80 miles through central South Dakota, officials in Lyman County declined to give the suspect’s name. It took two more days for the public to learn that Hermelindo Cucul-Pop was the suspect who was charged with aggravated assault, grand theft, aggravated eluding and reckless driving, among other charges. Cucul-Pop allegedly struck two vehicles on Interstate 90 and rammed a patrol car.

Even when his name was released, officials in Lyman County would not reveal if this potentially dangerous person — who, if guilty, is indeed a menace and danger to society — is in custody. This region’s residents deserve to know where he is.

We are glad Gov. Daugaard and others are trying to create an atmosphere of openness in South Dakota. It is truly appreciated.

However, we remind the governor that for those in power, openness isn’t a problem and never has been. For the rank and file residents of this state, that’s not always true, and that’s the problem that needs to be fixed.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorial, columns