Billion blasts reprieve ‘chaos’

By Chet Brokaw, Associated Press Writer | Sunday, September 03, 2006

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HURON — Democratic challenger Jack Billion on Saturday criticized Republican Gov. Mike Rounds for problems that caused a postponement in the planned execution of a convicted murderer earlier in the week.

“The unfortunate thing is this case came up and our government and our administration was totally unprepared to deal with it,” Billion said at debate at the State Fair in Huron. “We really created chaos in the state of South Dakota and disappointment for the people.”

But Rounds, seeking a second term as governor, said he had to delay the planned execution of Elijah Page, 24, on Tuesday because state law calls for using two specific drugs and the state Corrections Department had planned to use three drugs, which is the standard in other states that use lethal injection for executions.

“It was not an easy decision to make, but I made the right one,” Rounds said. “If we’re going to execute someone in South Dakota, we will do it by the book, by the law.”

Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Rounds and other state officials for not changing the law since the Corrections Department adopted a policy to use three drugs about five years ago.

Billion said the called-off execution demonstrated a lack of leadership by Rounds.

“In my estimation, that’s bad leadership and that’s bad decision-making,” Billion said.

Rounds countered that once he discovered the discrepancy between the law and the planned execution procedure, he had to call off the execution.

“The mark of a good leader is you do what’s right,” he said.

Rounds will ask the Legislature to fix the law. He has delayed Page’s execution until at least July. Page and one other man were sentenced to death for the brutal March 2000 murder of Chester Allan Poage near Spearfish. A third accomplice was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.

The debate, sponsored by the Mitchell Daily Republic, featured a disagreement on the rules.

The rules provided that a panel of reporters would ask questions, including some suggested by the audience. Each candidate also was to be allowed to ask three questions of his opponent. But as that segment of the debate opened, Rounds told the crowd he had not agreed to the rules of the debate.

“I will not be asking any questions, so we’ll have more time for questions from the audience out there” the Republican governor said, drawing a mix of applause and boos.

Billion said Rounds wants to set the campaign rules to give himself an advantage.

Billion then asked a couple of questions, starting with the bill Rounds signed that would ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota. Billion had earlier criticized the law and asked whether Rounds still supports a bill that would prevent a woman who is raped and becomes pregnant from having an abortion.

Rounds said he supports the bill passed by the Legislature. It has been referred to a public vote in the November election, and is expected to be challenged in court if voters approve it

The governor said the law was passed specifically in an attempt to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision that established the constitutional right to abortion in 1973. The South Dakota law will never take effect unless the Supreme Court upholds it, he said.

Rounds also noted that the bill would allow emergency contraceptives for a rape victim at any point before a pregnancy can be detected.

Earlier in the debate, Billion said the abortion ban was poorly written, too restrictive and could cost taxpayers a lot of money because they will have to pay legal fees in a court challenge.

“State government should not be involved in the personal health decisions of the women of South Dakota,” Billion said.

But Rounds said the measure was passed by more than two-thirds of the members of the Legislature and those lawmakers are prepared to come up with money to fund any court fight.

“I believe abortion is wrong. I believe we should do everything possible to eliminate abortion in South Dakota,” the Republican governor said. “I believe we’re talking about not just a woman but we’re talking about a woman and her child.”

During the debate, Rounds emphasized his work in economic development, education and other issues in his first term. He said 2,400 students now have scholarships, the state’s economy has grown to a record level, state funding for schools has grown substantially, the state has made progress in getting a national science lab at the former Homestake Gold Mine, and a bipartisan effort saved Ellsworth Air Force Base from closure.

Rounds noted that his 2002 campaign slogan was “Working together, we can make South Dakota even better.”

“That idea was not just a slogan in the past four years. It became an operational movement,” the GOP governor said.

But Billion said South Dakota’s economy is growing at its slowest pace in decades, the state lags behind its neighbors in education spending and scholarships, and South Dakota’s state government is the most secretive in the nation.

“This is a result of poor leadership under the present administration,” Billion said.