"Gov. Mike Rounds took the right step recently, selecting Sisseton-Wahpeton tribal member Debra C. Flute to the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Rounds sponsored a move last year to require a Native American on the board by law, but that failed, as another such effort this year probably will fail.

But having a Native American on the board always was a good idea, and Rounds has the authority to make such an appointment whenever there is a vacancy. It's to his credit that he finally did.

With an unbalanced percentage of Native Americans in our prison system, it only makes sense that a Native American serve on the board."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Naming Native to parole board a good choice (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/25)

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