Just in case you missed the ads for my farewell reception, didn’t hear the scuttlebutt around town or didn’t see Jason’s column last week...I am taking this opportunity to say that after five years, Tammy and I are saying farewell to Custer and our beloved Black Hills. We are also saying goodbye to the many, many dear friends we have made here in what I have come to call “my adopted hometown.”
I'll have more to say about that in a moment but first I want to say a word about that column last week and give my faithful readers the lowdown on our move and the reasons behind it.
Richard Dean Hill was born Feb. 14, 1937.
As a fourth generation Hill, Richard lived his early years at the family ranch at Cascade and attended the country school at Cascade, S.D. He transferred to public schools in Hot Springs, S.D., from grade seven to graduation. Richard was athletic and played football, basketball and held several records for high school. His discus record stood for 15 years.
Terrence Joseph McGeeney was born to Joseph and Helen McGeeney June 20, 1940, in Terre Haute, Ind., and graduated from Custer (S.D.) High School in 1958.
As a teenager, he excelled in basketball and football, enjoyed fishing and water skiing and held a job as an attendant at Butch’s Standard Service.
In 1989 Terry earned a bachelor of science degree in human resource management from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He later earned a master of science degree in the same field.
For discussion this week, I am, with her permission, printing the bulk of an email sent to me from a District 30 citizen:
“Dear Representative Goodwin, I read with interest your piece in the paper this week that proposes the elimination of private residence property tax via an increased sales tax (or consumption tax). My family wholeheartedly supports your proposal. If South Dakota could pull this off, it would be a revolutionary step in support of private citizen rights in this country.
When opening my mailbox last Wednesday I found the hit piece on me that most of you received as well. It is ironic that the swamp members sent this postcard. South Dakota Strong is a liberal political action committee in Watertown where Sen. Lee Schoenbeck is the head Republican In Name Only (RINO).
Say this for our elected officials: those who are complaining about skyrocketing valuations and property taxes have their full attention. Whether it’s at the local level, such as the Custer County Commission, or higher up at the state level with our District 30 representation, the message has been received, and sleeves are being rolled up to get to work to see what, if anything, can be done to stem the tide.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of months here at SHP Holdings, as our staff spent many, many hours working to bring you the annual Progress Edition, the latest issue of Down Country Roads Magazine (which is delayed by press issues in Minnesota) and then the Black Hills Adventure Guide, our tourism piece that will also be delayed somewhat by a paper shortage at the press where we get that particular publication printed.
Greetings! As promised, here is a proposal to eliminate all residential property taxes statewide. Before showing this proposal, I’d like to preface this by saying I feel our current property tax system is antiquated and quite frankly, broken. It picks winners and losers and is taxing homeowners out of their homes, not to mention the stress and strain it is putting on homeowners.
We are a scant 17 days from Custer High School graduation, and the school will once again say farewell to dozens of students as they set sail into the rest of their lives. The graduates will trade in their Wildcat purple for the black and blue of adult life, whether they are immediately entering the work force, taking a year off or planning for the next four or more years of college.
As I turn the last page of my K-12 chapter – alongside the rest of my senior class – I can envision our next chapter and happily say that we will be OK. As a graduating senior, it’s been a surprisingly bittersweet experience these last few months, figuring out our futures, saying goodbye to some of our closest friends and leaving our childhood for a much larger world than we ever could have imagined.
