Senators don't want former appraiser director probed on nepotism allegations facing Kristi Noem
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South Dakota's most powerful state senator says inquiries related to allegations of abuse of power against Gov. Kristi Noem should not be part of a legislative panel's line of questioning for the former head of a state-run appraiser training program.
The Legislature's Executive Board on Wednesday formally ratified a request by the Government Operations and Audit Committee to subpoena as a witness Sherry Bren, the executive director of the South Dakota Appraiser Certification Program who retired in March following the settlement of a wrongful termination lawsuit against the state.
The committee is seeking testimony from Bren related to accusations that a closed-door meeting involving her, the governor and the governor's daughter, who was enrolled in the certification program at the time, led to Noem's daughter being certified as a state appraiser.
More: Appraiser training plan for Gov. Kristi Noem's daughter happened after meeting at Governor's Mansion
Noem and Department of Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman have denied the allegations, saying the meeting was held primarily to discuss shortcomings in the program. And any deficiencies in the program – not the allegations facing Noem – are what should be discussed when Bren appears before GOAC, said Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, the Watertown Republican serving as President Pro Tempore in the Senate and as co-chair of the Legislature's executive board.
"We feel strongly that this (subpoena) has a limited scope and it's about the functionality of the appraisers program," he said, saying he was speaking for Senate members on the executive board. "It’s our strong opinion that when Ms. Bren appears, that this should be about that and not about personalities or personnel issues or anything like that."
Schoenbeck told the Argus Leader following Wednesday's executive board meeting that his comments are a strong encouragement to GOAC, but they do not bar the committee from inquiring about the allegations facing Noem during Bren's testimony.
"It does not bind them," he said.
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Earlier this week, GOAC also issued a second subpoena to compel the release of records related to the appraiser certification of Noem's daughters, Kassidy Peters. But Peters, on her own accord the following day, released a "stipulation agreement" to GOAC members that she'd entered into with the Department of Labor in August 2020, days after the meeting at the Governor's Mansion with her mother, Bren and other top decision-makers in Noem's administration.
Peters also informed the labor department this week that because of "irreparable damage" caused to her personally and professionally as a result of the allegations, she no longer intends to have a career in real estate appraisal and will turn in her license by year's end.
Because of that development, GOAC chairman Sen. Kyle Schoenfish, R-Scotland, told the executive board that the subpoena for Peters appraiser certification files has been withdrawn. And with ratification of the Bren subpoena, GOAC will now move forward with scheduling its next steps regarding its nepotism probe.
"The vote of the executive board made a strong show of support for the GOAC Committees work," he said. "The focus will be on facts related to the appraiser program just like the previous meeting that covered the same topic."
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: SD senators don't want Sherry Bren probed on allegations facing Noem
