Daugaard Appoints Big Oiler to Grease Economic Development
Published 2016-07-19 by
Cory Allen Heidelberger
Governor Dennis Daugaard has appointed Freeman oilman Scott Stern to succeed J. Pat Costello as Commissioner of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Governor’s office provides this CV for our new oily GOED chief:
Scott Stern and the infrastructure he likely loves.
Stern is a Freeman native and a graduate of the University of South Dakota. For 29 years, Stern worked with Stern Oil Company of Freeman, including 14 years as vice president and general manager. For the past four years, Stern has worked a district sales manager for Petro-Canada America, a division of Suncor Energy [Governor’s office, press release, 2016.07.18].
Get ready for GOED to throw money at pipelines and refineries.
In campaign finance news, Scott Stern donated $1,000 to Daugaard in 2009. He gave the South Dakota Republican Central Committee $1,000 in 2011 and $1,000 in 2012. Scott and Staci Stern each gave Mark Mickelson’s leadership PAC $250 last year (interestingly, but their listed address on that report is Chandler, Arizona).
Costello’s GOED predecessor Richard Benda gave Daugaard $1,000 in 2008, $1,000 in 2009, and $1,000 in 2010. It’s good to know our economic development chiefs have been supporting Governor Daugaard’s economic development.
You know it’s all libbie fake journalism but I expect pretty soon they will check out this Mr. Stern fellow against the E-B5 list and blame him for owning a shotgun or a white pickup truck. I, for one, say give this fellow a chance to do his job before you go all paparazzi on him.
Did you know Mr. Sibby used to work for this fellow?
This is a tragic mistake. We need a leadership capable of leading the state forward to leading the nation in renewable energy production but Governor Dennis Daugaard is stuck in a fossil fuels paradigm.
Frank
FYI his ex wife is… Kelly Duncan. State Ed Board Member Duncan Got More Mid-Central Money, DOE Contract.
What? Really? Kelly Duncan was married to Scott Stern? When?
Frank
Yes, really. Google it. They use to be married and lived in Freeman. They have 3 daughters.
mike from iowa
Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan – Marriage Record
Bon Homme County, South Dakota
Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan were married on May 27, 1983. At the time of their marriage, both Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan were 21 years old.
MD
So I assume based on last name that Stern oil was the family business. So, why did Mr. Stern leave the family business (from a high level position) and work for an outside company in a seemingly middle of the road position for the past 4 years?
I won’t speculate, MD, beyond suggesting that middle rung at Petro-Canada might still be higher than top rung at Stern Oil.
leslie
can u imagine the progress most folks would have made under Gov. Wismer. Perhaps not Stern, and Stern’s plum position for a mere $1,000, though :)
Darin Larson
If we had expanded Medicaid three years ago, the governor could have shut down GOED for the last three years and put that money into education funding, roads or other infrastructure, and our economy in SD would have been infused with over a billion dollars that would have circulated throughout our economy. You would think the Republicans could understand this when put in terms of dollars that they can understand. I know they can overlook helping 50,000 SD citizens obtain needed healthcare, reduce the toll on our counties” indigent care funds and hospital emergency room writeoffs, but usually economics gets their attention.
And don’t tell me its on principle because our country is broke. The Republicans in the legislature gladly accept $1.7 billion from the feds every year to the tune of almost 40% of our state budget. It is a little late to say we are not going to take federal money.
Shut down GOED—you’re on the right track, Darin. The stimulus data I’ve cited indicates Medicaid expansion would create more jobs than Mike Rounds tried to claim credit for over his entire time as Governor.
South Dakota certainly isn’t broke. We have the wealth to do these things. The moneyed interests just have to be willing to share that wealth to the same proportion that they share it in other states. In other words, South Dakota needs to stop whoring itself out as a tax haven for a few mobile elites.
You know it’s all libbie fake journalism but I expect pretty soon they will check out this Mr. Stern fellow against the E-B5 list and blame him for owning a shotgun or a white pickup truck. I, for one, say give this fellow a chance to do his job before you go all paparazzi on him.
Did you know Mr. Sibby used to work for this fellow?
Two good reasons to burn him at the stake.
This is a tragic mistake. We need a leadership capable of leading the state forward to leading the nation in renewable energy production but Governor Dennis Daugaard is stuck in a fossil fuels paradigm.
FYI his ex wife is… Kelly Duncan. State Ed Board Member Duncan Got More Mid-Central Money, DOE Contract.
What? Really? Kelly Duncan was married to Scott Stern? When?
Yes, really. Google it. They use to be married and lived in Freeman. They have 3 daughters.
Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan – Marriage Record
Bon Homme County, South Dakota
Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan were married on May 27, 1983. At the time of their marriage, both Scott Stern and Kelly Duncan were 21 years old.
So I assume based on last name that Stern oil was the family business. So, why did Mr. Stern leave the family business (from a high level position) and work for an outside company in a seemingly middle of the road position for the past 4 years?
I won’t speculate, MD, beyond suggesting that middle rung at Petro-Canada might still be higher than top rung at Stern Oil.
can u imagine the progress most folks would have made under Gov. Wismer. Perhaps not Stern, and Stern’s plum position for a mere $1,000, though :)
If we had expanded Medicaid three years ago, the governor could have shut down GOED for the last three years and put that money into education funding, roads or other infrastructure, and our economy in SD would have been infused with over a billion dollars that would have circulated throughout our economy. You would think the Republicans could understand this when put in terms of dollars that they can understand. I know they can overlook helping 50,000 SD citizens obtain needed healthcare, reduce the toll on our counties” indigent care funds and hospital emergency room writeoffs, but usually economics gets their attention.
And don’t tell me its on principle because our country is broke. The Republicans in the legislature gladly accept $1.7 billion from the feds every year to the tune of almost 40% of our state budget. It is a little late to say we are not going to take federal money.
Shut down GOED—you’re on the right track, Darin. The stimulus data I’ve cited indicates Medicaid expansion would create more jobs than Mike Rounds tried to claim credit for over his entire time as Governor.
South Dakota certainly isn’t broke. We have the wealth to do these things. The moneyed interests just have to be willing to share that wealth to the same proportion that they share it in other states. In other words, South Dakota needs to stop whoring itself out as a tax haven for a few mobile elites.