Governor-elect Daugaard announced the replacement for Dusty Johnson’s position on the PUC. Again it is a familiar name. Outgoing Secretary of State Chris Nelson will serve two years as a Commissioner until the public election in 2012.
As Dusty Johnson abandons his newly elected position and lets down 200,000 South Dakotans, Daugaard appoints another bureaucrat to fill Johnson’s post for the next 2 years.
South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Erin McCarrick said, “It looks like the Daugaard Administration is the new retirement home for State employees who are term limited or who have paid their dues to the Republican Party. How are we going to fix the huge budget deficit we are facing with the same players?”
McCarrick added, “Just as many businesses are kept out of government contracts in Pierre through the no-bid process, possible qualified persons are being kept out of positions in Pierre. South Dakota should question the hiring process in Republican Administrations – are there no other qualified people in South Dakota, or do they already live in Pierre?”