' Governor's Cup' rodeo among recipients of millions from public fund controlled by Noem
ECONOMY GOVERNMENT
‘Governor’s Cup’ rodeo among recipients of millions from public fund controlled by Noem
Future Fund also used for workforce ad campaign, Trump fireworks and other purposes
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2023/12/28/governors-cup-rodeo-among-recipients-of-millions-from-public-fund-controll
BY: JOSHUA HAIAR - DECEMBER 28, 2023 3:30 PM
Governor Kristi Noem rides, with American flag in hand, into the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls in September 2023. (Courtesy of Governor's Office)
Governor Kristi Noem rides, with American flag in hand, into the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup rodeo in Sioux Falls in September 2023. (Courtesy of Governor’s Office)
In September, Gov. Kristi Noem carried the American flag on horseback into a Sioux Falls arena full of fans. … It was the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, advertised as “the richest rodeo in South Dakota history,” with $1 million in prize money. Noem handed out awards, posed for photos with the winners, and shared the images with thousands of followers on her social media accounts.
Several months earlier, Noem had decided to use tax dollars from South Dakota employers to help pay for the event. … In June, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development awarded a three-year contract worth up to $2.5 million to rodeo announcer Rorey Lemmel’s Dean Entertainment Group, to promote and conduct the annual event. The contract said Sioux Falls would contribute additional matching funds.
The state money is from a special fund under the exclusive control of the governor. It’s called the Future Fund. Legislators created it in 1987 at the behest of then-Gov. George Mickelson, “for purposes related to research and economic development for the state,” according to the brief, two-sentence text of the law.
Unlike other funds administered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Future Fund expenses don’t have to go through a board of citizen appointees for vetting or approval. And while Noem has publicized some Future Fund awards, she hasn’t publicized others, such as the rodeo contract. That’s in contrast to awards from other economic development funds, which are routinely announced in news releases.
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