From the SoDak Governors Blog, Former Chief of Staff and member of the Board of Regents Tony Venhuizen eulogizes fellow former Chief of Staff Jim Soyer, who passed away yesterday:
Jim Soyer, a former chief of staff to Gov. Bill Janklow and longtime Governor’s Office staffer, has passed away.
Jim Soyer was, to my knowledge, the longest-tenured employee in the history of the South Dakota Governor’s Office. With only a couple of short interruptions, he served in the Governor’s Office in various capacities from 1979 to 2015.
and..
One rule in particular always stayed with me: “Always do the right thing, and don’t consider the politics. Once you’ve decided what to do, politics will help you decide how to explain it and achieve it. But never let politics stop you from doing the right thing.”
Please keep Jim’s family in your prayers.
Jim Soyer was an outstanding public servant, a brilliant political strategist, and a good man. It was a pleasure serving with him.
At the rate the Noem administration is burning through chiefs of staff we will have lots of commemorations someday.
Rest in Peace Jim