Jaspers Jumps from Ag to East River; Two Major Departments Left with Interim Secretaries

Two days, two departures from state government. Mike Jaspers announced this morning that two years as Secretary of Agriculture is enough; he’s going to work for East River Electric in Madison. Jaspers’s step-down comes within 24 hours of Don Kirkegaard’s surprise departure from Education’s top spot.

Both Agriculture and Education will be interimly Secretaried by folks holding down other jobs in each office for the remainder of Dennis Daugaard’s term, suggesting state government is going into lame-duck mode for the summer and fall.

And while Kirkegaard is hopping a couple borders to Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, Jaspers is seeking job security in a comfy Madison office known as a safe harbor for District 8 Democrats. Hmm… two high-level departures, two lingering interim heads… it sure seems like some Republican officials aren’t sure who’s going to be naming Secretaries in seven months.