Meet the Candidate: Jake Schoenbeck

Schoenbeck running for second time in two years in District 2 House race

Jake Schoenbeck is seeking election to the South Dakota House in District 2. He faces incumbent lawmakers John Sjaarda and David Kull.

The eastern Sioux Falls district borders Minnesota and includes the communities of Brandon and Valley Springs in it.

The Dakota Scout sent a series of questions to all legislative candidates running in contested races for the state House and Senate in the June 4 primary election. Candidates were asked to limit their responses to each question to 150 words or less.

Age: 28
City of residence: Sioux Falls
Profession: Vice President of Internal Audit at Plains Commerce Bank
Public service/community service experience: Currently on the Board of Directors for the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, 2022 Delegate at Large to the State Convention for Minnehaha County
Family information: Youngest son of Lee and Donna Schoenbeck

1) What's the government's role in facilitating economic development in South Dakota?

The government's role in facilitating economic development in South Dakota should primarily be focused on creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive through limited regulation, low taxes, and infrastructure investments. Rather than direct intervention, the government should prioritize policies that promote entrepreneurship, job creation, and innovation. This can include fostering a skilled workforce through education and training programs, maintaining a reliable transportation network, and supporting key industries such as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. Ultimately, the government's role should be to empower individuals and businesses to drive economic growth and prosperity in South Dakota.

2) If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Former Governor Bill Janklow. Gov. Janklow through his influence on my father and South Dakota politics as a whole had a formative impact on my upbringing. As he passed away when I was only in high school, there are so many questions I would have liked to ask him. His experiences working with reservations, as attorney general, and both stints as Governor saw some of the most impactful periods for South Dakota. Through his leadership we saw the creation of the trust industry in South Dakota and the bolstering of both agriculture and banking. I think one dinner with that man would offer me more insight on how to lead and represent than a decade in politics could offer.

3) Does the "Landowner Bill of Rights" -- adopted by the Legislature amid opposition to carbon pipeline companies using eminent domain -- strike the right balance between the interests of property owners, counties and the ag industry - and should voters get a say when they head to the polls in November?

In 2023, if you had told me the Legislature would come to a compromise on carbon pipelines, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Leadership in the House and the Senate crafted thoughtful legislation that both empowers counties and provided the single largest group of protections for landowners ever passed in South Dakota history. In Minnehaha alone, the county will receive property tax relief dollars of over three quarters of a million dollar from this pipeline per year. Almost all ag groups, who are the landowners, supported the comprise to help ensure corn prices remain high in South Dakota. As for the ballot in November, we have a great process here in SD that allows for ballot initiatives. If the supporters of that measure get enough signatures, of course they should be able to vote on it November.