BROOKINGS, SD - South Dakota Senator John Thune is touring the state this week before the Senate reconvenes on January 23. He's hosting several town hall-style meetings to discuss the economy and other issues with local residents. And Thune believes these meetings get to the root of democracy.
Dozens packed the Brookings Convention Center Monday afternoon for a rare chance to ask Senator Thune questions face-to-face.
"I always think it's good to get out and hear from the people of South Dakota as we start up," Sen. Thune said. "We're going to talk about some of the challenges and the problems we face. Hopefully, we'll hear from them, see what's on their minds and the things they want to see us focused on."
Thune's town hall meetings start with a presentation on current economic issues. While the economy is probably at the forefront of most voters' minds, he's leaving some room for anything to be asked.
"By and large, I think the issues most important to people right now are kind of the pocketbook issues," Sen. Thune said. "So, it's jobs and the economy, a lot of people are concerned about spending in Washington. So, we sort of focus on those things, but the discussion tends to be fairly free-flowing."
Thune spent much of last week in Africa checking in on activities by the Department of State and Department of Defense, which is why he felt it was especially important to hear from the people he represents before returning from his Senate recess.
"It's an opportunity to get feedback from people, to use these as a sounding board, to hear what's on the minds of the people of South Dakota and to sort of set the stage, if you will, for what's to come," Sen. Thune said.
And what's to come, Thune says, will be a contentious next couple of months where many issues will be debated and where many voices will need to be heard.
"We've got a tough year ahead of us, an election year," Sen. Thune said. "There's a lot of big challenges with regards to jobs, the economy, tax reform, entitlement reform, all kinds of things we need to be dealing with. And so, getting input from South Dakotans is a part of that process."
Thune will hold meetings in Yankton at 1 p.m. and Mitchell at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. He has meetings tentatively scheduled in both Madison and Sioux Falls on Wednesday, but those may change based on Bill Janklow's funeral service.
