Gov. Daugaard To Appoint Shorma To District 16 State Senate Seat
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today that he will appoint William J. Shorma of Dakota Dunes to the vacant seat in the state Senate representing District 16. Shorma will succeed Sen. Dan Lederman, who resigned earlier this year.
“Bill Shorma learned the value of hard work from an entrepreneurial family, and he knows what it takes to start a business, create jobs and make a payroll,” said Gov. Daugaard. “He has also given back to his community in many ways, and I thank him for taking on this new public service role.”
Shorma grew up farming and ranching and working in his family’s businesses in Wahpeton, N.D. He was president and part owner of the Shorma family-owned Shur-Co and Truxedo, both of Yankton, S.D. Currently Shorma is CEO of Rush-Co, another Shorma family-owned company located in Springfield, S.D., that manufactures and combines metal and industrial fabric products.
“I am honored to serve District 16 and the great people of South Dakota,” Shorma said. “I look forwarding to meeting as many people as I can and hearing their ideas to keep South Dakota moving forward, while preserving the wonderful place that it is.”
Shorma is a former director of the Board of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. He has served as chair of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chair of the Yankton Area Chamber of Commerce, president of the Prairie Family Business Association and a member of the South Dakota Junior Achievement Board of Directors.
Shorma and his wife of 39 years, Marcie, have three grown daughters and eight grandchildren. They are members of Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City.
The appointment is effective immediately. Shorma will serve the remainder of Sen. Lederman’s term, which expires after the 2016 general election. District 16 includes all of Union County, and southern and eastern portions of Lincoln County, including the cities of Worthing, Canton, Beresford and Hudson.
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These appointments come just in time to have serious impact on the legislative leadership elections. Does this help Ernie Otten or Deb Soholt?
I will give Daugaard the benefit of the doubt but I’d have strongly preferred the honorable term limited representative Jim Bolin.
Hopefully Shorma can be as independent minded for District 16 as Bolin is.
Bill Shorma is a great choice. He will be a legislator with a similar experience, perspective, and skill set of my freshman Representative Arch Beal.
Haven’t met Shorma yet. Looking forward to working with him and welcoming him to Pierre.
What are we to make of the passover of Bolin? Why put Shorma up against Bolin in a primary? Bolin wins that primary I’d think. Why not appoint Bolin to Senate and Shorma to the House?
That the gov wants someone who will support common core and SoHolt. Bolin is polite but is staunchly pro-life and against common core.
I’m sure the govs office is in communication with leadership in the senate and vote counting. You can bet the next appointment will be a vote to solidify SoHolt or someone more in line with the governor.
Most of the time I agree with Daugaard but to bypass Bolin is a disappointing route.
Yes, Bolin is independent thinking, that’s why he wasn’t appointed. The Gov only appoints moderate “yes men”. You are right on about vote counting. Corey Brown and the Gov are both moderates, and they want only moderates in the Senate who will vote for the liberals like Cammack, White (the transgender king), and Soholt.
Seems to me that appointing someone knowing it would create another vacancy would open him up to criticism. Then you would have 2 people in positions that the voters did pick them for instead of one.
Bolin independent what you smoking.