In October, Kristi Noem said she’ll work about as hard as Governor as she did in Congress and live in Pierre only part-time:
Republican nominee Noem, who lives about 200 miles from Pierre in rural Castlewood, said: “I’ll certainly be there doing my work, but my family, my husband has a business in Bryant, South Dakota, Booker’s a junior in high school in Hamlin, so we’ll go back and forth. I think it actually opens up a huge new opportunity for us to open up the governor’s mansion to the public more often. … So, my family probably won’t move, because we’ll be there, and we’ll certainly be committed, and full-time on the job, and I’ll go back and forth much like I have in Washington” [Seth Tupper, “Noem, Sutton Won’t Commit to Living Full-Time in Pierre,” Rapid City Journal, 2018.10.24].
The Governor-Elect moved at least some of her stuff to the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday, including her ratty old baseball cap:
Tupper’s October article includes comments worth reading from Governor Daugaard and former governors Rounds, Wollman, and Farrar about the importance of focusing one’s time and energy in Pierre while serving in this (Wollman’s words) “high, high calling.” Most of the agencies and advisors the Governor deals with are in Pierre, so the Governor needs to be there, too.
As it is right now, any citizen can walk into the Capitol and right up to the Governor’s secretary to ask for a meeting or leave a message. That’s pretty cool. If Noem plans to offer the same accessibility when she’s back on the acreage in Hamlin County, that would be a great boon for folks who don’t get out to Pierre.
Perhaps Noem could bring that kind of accessibility to every part of the state. South Dakotans. Why not maintain four seasonal gubernatorial headquarters? Set up shop in Pierre during the winter, obviously. But then, once the Legislature goes home, head out around the state. Spend spring in Sioux Falls, summer in Rapid City, and fall in Aberdeen. Technology makes this possible: a sharp executive can manage a large organization from anywhere in the state with a laptop and good signal. Get out, bring government to more of the people.
Once Kristi gets out of church on Sunday, we’ll see just how much time and energy she expends in Pierre and how well she uses her time away from Pierre to connect with all of the South Dakotans for whom she works this important time-and-a-half job.
Noem lives only a short state-plane ride from Pierre and will commute daily by plane at taxpayer expense of about $4,000/day.
Yeah, Ror, Noem should ask ex-Governor Walker how his use of the state plane for similar such stupidity didn’t sit well with some of his core voters in the Fox Valley. Noem is already on a short leash with the voters. If she pulls that stunt she’s going to go down hard.
A couple of years I commuted from Rapid City to Pierre during session. I was a pee-diddle lobbyist on a very few issues, and it about killed me to do that every day. I can’t imagine someone with the responsibilities of a Governor not being in Pierre to do the work. She’s stupider than I thought if she thinks she can cheat the taxpayers like that.
Just like Trump, the facts were there to see before the election. She was elected anyway… something about that “R” by her name. Now, I am sure we will see she will be just as effective as Gov as she was a Rep, part time, ho hum, ineffective. Maybe it is better she stay home, attend Booger’s school activities and help with the insurance business.
Doing very little and calling it a victory for “small government” is as big a sham as “trickle down”.
“I think it actually opens up a huge new opportunity for us to open up the governor’s mansion to the public more often.”
Wow …… there’s a great AirB&B opportunity there, eh?
Perhaps use the vacant rooms as a shelter for the homeless??
Yep, all kinds of possibilities.
@Buck … Maybe a Mosque/ community center? That would attract some immigrants with a solid work ethic and get the ball rolling towards improvement of the dismal economic situation.
It’s not like the governor’s mansion will be empty while Noem commutes by state plane. Noem’s daughter with the state job will be living there with her boyfriend.
Ror,
Great, taxpayers will love to pay for a handy hook up space. Maybe they should go all Kardashian and bring in cameras.
Is that true Cory that Rohr says she will be using the state plane to fly home every weekend at taxpayer expense? Since she loves the state of South Dakota so much she should pay her own gas and drive home in her own car and save the state some money and be the true conservative she claims to be.
SD should pony up and build a landing strip on the Noem property. Why inconvenience the Governor when she’s praying ummm I mean traveling.
I can understand not wanting to take her son out of school, but if the boy’s father, her hubs, is staying home, the boy will have a parent to watch over him. 16 yos need watching over!😏
I don’t see anything so bad about not living in Pierre full time, but I do agree that Noem needs to go some extra to accommodate folks from central and western SD so they don’t have to drive 100s of miles to see the gov.
There’s a reason the capitol is centrally located. Gov Noem serves the citizens, hence it is incumbent upon her to make herself easily available.
Sorry, but when you sign up to be Governor, you sign up to actually be Governor. The Capitol of the state is in Pierre. If you are Governor you live in Pierre, and your K-12-aged family goes to school in Pierre, and you sit at your desk on the second floor of the Capitol and you do your work. Gov. Mickelson lived in Brookings, but moved to Pierre when he was elected, because he knew the basic obligations of being a Governor. He brought his kids. They went to school in Pierre, a great school district. His son was on the basketball team. I watch them lose to Pine Ridge when Willy White was playing. If you want to visit your old place, go right ahead, but do it on the weekend. If you ain’t willing to do the basics of the job of Governor, resign.
Donald Pay nailed it.
You attack women, don’t you Ryan? You’re guilty, huh? Tell us about one time.
Hahahaha porter what in the world are you talking about?
You fornicate with a yeti in the rockies, don’t you? Tell us about the first time you saw him.
Nutcase.
What a rube. NOem has no experience as an executive. Oft many of the most pressing issues arise between Friday afternoon and Monday morning – and they cannot wait travel for face-to-face assessment or resolution.
Will she follow rounds alleged misappropriation taking state planes to high school events under the guise of having earlier ‘meetings’?
Will NOem be an extended ‘senior mom’ or a governor? Donald, Cory, and past governors are correct. The governor belongs in Pierre. That is where the SD people placed the head of state government. She’s no excuse. Kids are resilient. My three brats attended 2 high schools each. Two attended on two continents. Subsequently they earned 6 degrees, have successful families, and careers. One is the youngest director ever in the history of that global corporation. Yet, earlier exclaimed that moving between sophomore and junior years, ‘ruined my life’. Oh brother don’t be a snowflake, pass the Kleenex. Execute or resign.
John, your poorly written use of the word “oft” and lack of knowledge about Friday afternoon have wrecked my evening nap, and likely will blight my slumber ’till morn.
oft
/ôft,äft/
adverb
adverb: oft
archaic, poetic/literary, or jocular form of often.
Your, ’till, should be ’til.
Until, Till, or ‘Til. Until indicates when something will happen, begin, or end. Till is not an abbreviation of until—it’s actually older than until—and it should not be written with an apostrophe. ‘Til turns up now and then, but major usage dictionaries and style guides consider it an error, so it’s best to avoid it.
Until, Till, and ‘Til—Which Is Correct? | Grammarly
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/until-till-til/
Get a life or an education. In the meantime, consider napping like Vip Van Winkle for 20 years.
Well John. President Obama had no executive experience either. President Trump did.