Gov. Noem appointee's time in South Dakota Legislature will be short lived
Newly sworn-in representative will serve 17 legislative days before stepping away from state government
South Dakota’s newest member of the state House of Representatives isn’t staying long.
Newly-appointed lawmaker Kristin Conzet isn’t new to the state Capitol, having served in the state House from 2009 to 2018. And though she’s honored to have been tapped by Gov. Kristi Noem to fill a vacancy in the chamber, she’s got no intention of sticking around after the 2024 Legislative Session.
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“No,” she told The Dakota Scout Wednesday when asked if she had aspirations to maintain the District 32 seat that was vacated when Noem appointed the district’s former House member — Becky Drury — to fill a different vacancy.
“I am not running. Put me on the record and use an exclamation point,” Conzet said.
That’s not the case for Noem’s other appointees. Drury always intended to run for the House in District 34 after recently moving into the district, creating the opportunity for Noem to use her to fill the vacancy created when former Rep. Jess Olson resigned her post last fall.
Sen. Mike Walsh, sworn into office Wednesday to fill a District 35 vacancy created by the resignation of Jessica Castleberry, also confirmed to The Dakota Scout he will file candidacy in hopes of maintaining his seat in 2025.
Future ambitions were part of the governor’s calculus when vetting potential appointments, Noem’s spokesman Ian Fury told The Scout. However, that some under consideration — like Conzet — intended only to serve what will amount to 17 legislative days was not her only consideration.
“It’s the governor’s prerogative to make these appointments,” Fury said. “She considered many factors when determining who could best fill these seats. Whether they would run again was one factor but far from the whole conversation.”
Fury declined to disclose what other potential appointees were considered.
