Five may vie for District 34 seat

By Bill Harlan, Journal staff | Tuesday, November 13, 2007

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RAPID CITY - The June 3 Republican primary for a state Senate seat in a west Rapid City district could be a five-way free-for-all.

At least five Republicans - all of them prominent in Rapid City - have expressed interest in the seat, which will be open next year. Incumbent Republican Sen. Royal "Mac" McCracken will have to step down because of term limits.

Republicans voters outnumber Democrats in District 34 by almost 2-to-1, so the winner of the Republican primary will be the favorite next November.

With the election almost a year away, no one has officially announced. Nominating petitions can't even be circulated until Jan. 1.

Pennington County Democratic Party Chairwoman Cheryl Kandaras said so far, no one in her party has stepped forward - though she promised viable candidates.

However, five Republicans contacted by the Rapid City Journal acknowledged they were considering a run.

Three likely candidates are:

- Rapid City Alderman Bill Okrepkie.

- Former state Sen. Mike Diedrich.

- Soon-to-retire Black Hills Workshop chief executive officer Dennis Popp.

Two possible additions to the race are:

- Retired Rapid City Police Chief Craig Tieszen.

- Retired Rapid City School District business manager Dan Dryden.

Bill Okrepkie

Okrepkie, who represents Ward Three on the city council, is almost certain to run. "The more I think about it, the more I want to do it," he said last week.

Okrepkie is a retired Navy helicopter pilot. Now, he teaches online college courses. His campaign would cite city council leadership - especially for advocating for $500,000 for the fire-training facility at Western Dakota Technical Institute.

"That's going to save lives," Okrepkie said.

Okrepkie has been prominent in some controversial city council issues, but always on same side as the majority of his Ward 3 constituents. He favored the U.S. Highway 16 Wal-Mart and tax-increment financing for a Cabela's store.

Okrepkie moved to Rapid City only 3-1/2 years ago, but he already has served chairman of the Pennington County Republican Party.

Mike Diedrich

Mike Diedrich, an attorney for IGT Gaming (formerly Sodak Gaming), is a lifelong resident of Rapid City, and said he was almost certain to run.

Diedrich's campaign will emphasize experience in Pierre. He served two terms in the state Senate, from 1987 through 1991, then was elected again in 1994 after he earned a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Diedrich was city attorney for Rapid City for 11 years, and he has been active in the Republican Party here for decades.

Last year, Diedrich went door to door campaigning for fellow Republican David Lust. "It's going to be a lot of walking, but I really enjoy it," Diedrich said.

With legislators limited to three consecutive terms, Diedrich thinks his experience is even more important. "I know how the process works really well, so I can use that to be more effective more quickly."

Dennis Popp

Dennis Popp (pronounced "Pope") is chief executive officer of Black Hills Workshop, a training center and residence for people with disabilities.

Popp will retire Dec. 31. He took the workshop job 29 years go, when it had only 100 clients. Now, the workshop serves 600 clients, employs 300 people and has a budget of about $20 million a year.

Popp is a past chairman of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. He also serves on five national boards related to disability issues.

Popp will emphasize economic development, education and access to health care, he said, and he'll stress his ability to bring together a wide variety of interests. "I've done a lot of listening," he said.

Craig Tieszen

Craig Tieszen retired as police chief in Rapid City on July 20, after 32 years with the department, and he is less certain than Okrepkie, Diedrich or Popp.

"I'm still thinking about it," Tieszen said.

Tieszen had been chief since 2000, replacing the retiring Tom Hennies.

Tieszen is a 1968 graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, with a degree with chemical engineering. He spent 1971 through 1975 teaching school in a small village in Kenya. "It was the biggest adventure of my life," he said.

If Tieszen were elected, he would be the second Rapid City police chief to serve in the Legislature. (Hennies was the first.)

Dan Dryden

Dryden retired last year after 35 years with the Rapid City School District, 31 of them as business manager.

Dryden described himself as "interested but undecided" in the race. Like some of the other candidates, he has been approached to run by other Republicans.

Dryden was managing a school-district budget of $125 million when he retired, so he'll understand state education funding.

This year, Dryden served on the state's Zaniya Health Care Task Force, looking for ways to increase access to health care for the uninsured.

Dryden currently serves the boards of the Black Hills Stock Show and the Central States Fair and others.

Okrepkie will have a recent record to both tout and defend, but none of the five candidates described specific legislative programs they'll stress. All of them are for economic development, better schools, quality health care and fiscal responsibility, which is normal for a legislative race - especially when the general election is a year away.

Sometimes, campaigns for the legislature hinge on a key issue - abortion, for example, in a couple of Rapid City districts in 2006 - but legislative races often become contests of resumes.

If that's the case, District 34 Republicans could have a tough choice to make among five candidates who all have a history of community involvement.

And because there are no runoffs in primaries - a plurality wins - just a few votes on June 3 could all the difference.

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com