Press "Enter" to skip to content

Mid-Central Paid Melmer to “Draw on Past Positions”

Last September, when everybody connected with Mid-Central Educational Cooperative and the Department of Education was running scared from possible connections to the exploding GEAR UP scandal, former Secretary of Education Rick Melmer forgot the thousand-dollar checks he got from Mid-Central and claimed he wasn’t working for the cooperative in 2012.

I have what appears to be a draft of a contract under which Rick Melmer would have earned his nine $1,000 checks from Mid-Central for consulting work from August 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013:

Draft contract, MCEC and Rick Melmer, 2012-2013
Draft contract, MCEC and Rick Melmer, 2012-2013

This document is a draft, not a signed copy, so I can’t say for sure that these are the exact terms of Melmer’s service to Mid-Central during this period. But note that one of of the obligations specified above is for Melmer to “Draw on past positions and experiences to assist with the successful implementation of the grants.” Gee: that sounds a lot like writing old-time cronyism—use your connections in Pierre—right into this public contract.

Recall that this contract was just prelude to the big money: the following year, Mid-Central arranged for six figures to flow to Melmer for leveraging his past positions and experience in service of Mid-Central’s grant-shuffling schemes.

11 Comments

  1. sterlinr 2016-07-29 10:15

    How to take care of one of the gov’s good-ole-boys.

  2. Jeff Barth 2016-07-29 10:59

    Just stuff cash in your pocket and forget about it.
    When will we get tired of this shhh…aving cream?

  3. Jason Sebern 2016-07-29 12:50

    Melmer is a consultant for many public schools in South Dakota. He receives big money in return for advice that adds little value to the districts he serves. The local taxpayers are probably unaware …

  4. MK 2016-07-29 16:46

    Melmer was part of this scandal. But, no one has the ” guts ” to call him up on his responsibilities and deception. Or perhaps, it would be just too close to the big guns.

  5. oldguy7850 2016-07-30 07:59

    CAH do you think Melmer did anything illegal? I would like to see him along with Moore charged with something but maybe they just know how to work the system.

  6. mike from iowa 2016-07-30 08:49

    Someone needs to do a psychological profile on wingnut voters to try to understand why they continually ignore
    corruption in their politicians.

    Maybe the sound, sight or smell of corruption makes them salivate and want to vote for more of it.

  7. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-07-30 09:05

    Jason, that consulting business model is also built on “drawing on past positions.”

    OldGuy, the above contract with its clear crony language does not appear to violate any statute. Melmer had revolved out the door of DOE two years prior. Maybe there’s some moonlighting conflict with his USD job at the time, but I suspect it’s just working the system.

  8. Joe 2016-07-30 23:41

    I don’t know if its illegal or not, but it does confirm (if actually signed), that he was involved with their dealings and getting paid well for those dealings as early as 2012. If Jackley is serious about investigating this, I’m guessing Melmer has been talked to by authorities.

  9. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-07-31 13:39

    One would think, Joe. One would also think Melmer would not have any difficulty recalling that he signed a contract like this and received thousand-dollar checks for drawing on his past positions and experiences for Mid-Central.

  10. mike from iowa 2016-07-31 14:02

    I really don’t see Jackley getting serious about going after friends who have profited handsomely at taxpayer expense.

    Ruffling too many party feathers might cost him in his bid for Governor. I could be wrong.

  11. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-01 07:22

    Mike, maybe it will depend on whose side those friends take in the 2018 campaign finance race.

Comments are closed.