Oh, Sandy!

From KDLT - video is available at the site.

What the owner of Olivia's Adult Supercenter in Tea calls a get out the vote effort angered a candidate he says he supports. A banner on the front of Olivia’s reads "help us support Manny Steele and Sandy Jerstad, vote November 4th." KDLT’s Stacy Steinhagen found out what both sides say it really means.

Olivia's owner David Eliason says, "We wanted to support Rep. Steele and Sen. Jerstad."

David Eliason says this banner went up Saturday. A couple hours later surveillance tape captured what district 12 State Senator Sandy Jerstad thought about it.

Jerstad says to Olivia's employee who asked who she was, "I'm Sandy Jerstad and I'm calling the cops unless you take that sign down immediately."

Sen. Jerstad says of the incident, "I did raise my voice, fine for me to raise my voice, I believe, at that thing being done."

Jerstad says the banner was retaliation from Olivia’s owner for legislation she'd proposed to regulate businesses like his.

Jerstad says, "He didn't like that so he thought he'd get back at me, he'd kind of smear my name by putting my name on his building."

A charge Eliason denies.

"It was good to see Sen. Jerstad and Rep. Steele were both instrumental in getting something passed in South Dakota to put some regulations to regulate these businesses statewide," Eliason says.

Eliason says sales actually are up since state rep. Steele's legislation became law restricting their hours to closing at 2 am and reopening at 8 am and he adds state Senator Jerstad still has his vote. As for his public support of her, police Jerstad called on are powerless against the first amendment.

Eliason says, "The sign is staying right where it's at until I decide to take it down."

Jerstad says, "In the end, after rethinking about it, I thought this doesn't matter at all, it's not going to make a difference at all."

The voters will soon decide what the endorsement means to them. State Senator Jerstad tells us her anger at Olivia’s was fueled in part by several postcards sent out by her opposition.

She says their claims that she'll raise taxes and vote against second amendment rights are false. State representative Manny Steele tells us he believes the owner of Olivia’s wants them in office because the owner believes they're easy on businesses like his. Steele adds it's in Eliason's rights to endorse whoever he likes. And Steele says it's been an advantage for him because several voters have been calling him.