Scott Munsterman
Encyclopedia
Scott Munsterman is the former mayor
of Brookings
, South Dakota
, who sought the Republican
nomination governor of South Dakota
in the South Dakota gubernatorial election in 2010
. In a Republican primary election on June 8, 2010, Munsterman came in second to Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Munsterman received 17.6% or 14,733 of the 83,832 ballots cast, approximately one third of the 50% received by Daugaard.
Munsterman had been part of the Brookings City Council since 2001, and he had served as mayor for six years until 2009. Prior to running for city council, Munsterman was a chiropractor. He is married to Mary Jeanne Munsterman, and they have five daughters and two grandchildren. According to the American Chiropractic Association
, no chiropractor
has ever been elected governor of South Dakota.
Munsterman made education one of his biggest talking points on the gubernatorial campaign trail in 2009 and said he would reform public education in South Dakota by consolidating school districts and eliminating redundancies by suggesting there might not be a need for one superintendent per district. Munsterman is strongly pro-life, and claims that he is "not sure what the litmus test is for conservatives these days". Munsterman is opposed to government sponsored health care, and has described pending federal medical insurance plans as a “double-barrelled shotgun point right at us”. Munsterman has also described federal medical insurance legislation as a "runaway health care train". He believes that medicaid recipients should exercise "more personal responsibility." During Munsterman's gubernatorial campaign, he met at least once with local ethanol
producers, and assured them that, if elected, he would share their priorities.
In 2010, Munsterman was elected to the South Dakota State Legislature, where, in 2011, he served as vice-chair of the health and human services committee and as a member of the local government committee. In January 2011, Munsterman cosponsored South Dakota Senate Bill 165, which aims to "reduce by ten percent the small school adjustment in the state aid to education formula, and to appropriate the money saved by the state as a result of the reduction to fund the education service agencies." Also in January 2011, Munsterman cosponsored South Dakota Senate Bill 79, which would "provide for the application of LEAN
techniques to certain state government processes and to provide for prioritization and oversight of the lean government program." One of the stated goals of this law would be to "align work processes, identify problematic issues, and streamline the process
." Munsterman was also a cosponsor of HB 1193, which makes it illegal for townships in South Dakota to restrict the "possession, transportation, sale, transfer, ownership, manufacture, or repair of firearms or ammunition or their components" and continues on to state that "any ordinances existing restrictions prohibited by this section are null and void." Coincidentally, in 2011 the South Dakota State Legislature overturned governor Daugaard's veto of House Bill 1146, which prevents health insurers from charging higher copayments for patients' visits to chiropractors than they do for patients' visits to medical doctors. Despite the fact that Munsterman is himself a doctor of chiropractic, he seems to have voted on the bill.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Brookings
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, who sought the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination governor of South Dakota
Governor of South Dakota
The Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a four year term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010....
in the South Dakota gubernatorial election in 2010
South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 South Dakota gubernatorial election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of South Dakota to a four-year term...
. In a Republican primary election on June 8, 2010, Munsterman came in second to Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Munsterman received 17.6% or 14,733 of the 83,832 ballots cast, approximately one third of the 50% received by Daugaard.
Munsterman had been part of the Brookings City Council since 2001, and he had served as mayor for six years until 2009. Prior to running for city council, Munsterman was a chiropractor. He is married to Mary Jeanne Munsterman, and they have five daughters and two grandchildren. According to the American Chiropractic Association
American Chiropractic Association
The American Chiropractic Association , based in Arlington, VA, representing doctors of chiropractic. Its stated mission is to preserve, protect, improve, and promote the chiropractic profession and the services of Doctors of Chiropractic for the benefit of the patients they serve.- Purpose and...
, no chiropractor
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
has ever been elected governor of South Dakota.
Munsterman made education one of his biggest talking points on the gubernatorial campaign trail in 2009 and said he would reform public education in South Dakota by consolidating school districts and eliminating redundancies by suggesting there might not be a need for one superintendent per district. Munsterman is strongly pro-life, and claims that he is "not sure what the litmus test is for conservatives these days". Munsterman is opposed to government sponsored health care, and has described pending federal medical insurance plans as a “double-barrelled shotgun point right at us”. Munsterman has also described federal medical insurance legislation as a "runaway health care train". He believes that medicaid recipients should exercise "more personal responsibility." During Munsterman's gubernatorial campaign, he met at least once with local ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
producers, and assured them that, if elected, he would share their priorities.
In 2010, Munsterman was elected to the South Dakota State Legislature, where, in 2011, he served as vice-chair of the health and human services committee and as a member of the local government committee. In January 2011, Munsterman cosponsored South Dakota Senate Bill 165, which aims to "reduce by ten percent the small school adjustment in the state aid to education formula, and to appropriate the money saved by the state as a result of the reduction to fund the education service agencies." Also in January 2011, Munsterman cosponsored South Dakota Senate Bill 79, which would "provide for the application of LEAN
Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
techniques to certain state government processes and to provide for prioritization and oversight of the lean government program." One of the stated goals of this law would be to "align work processes, identify problematic issues, and streamline the process
The Process (collective)
The Process is an art and philosophy collective formed in the early 1990s. The idea was initially birthed at the same time as, and with a subset of the same people from, the studio work for the Skinny Puppy album The Process, though the direct interrelation ends there. Some of the early...
." Munsterman was also a cosponsor of HB 1193, which makes it illegal for townships in South Dakota to restrict the "possession, transportation, sale, transfer, ownership, manufacture, or repair of firearms or ammunition or their components" and continues on to state that "any ordinances existing restrictions prohibited by this section are null and void." Coincidentally, in 2011 the South Dakota State Legislature overturned governor Daugaard's veto of House Bill 1146, which prevents health insurers from charging higher copayments for patients' visits to chiropractors than they do for patients' visits to medical doctors. Despite the fact that Munsterman is himself a doctor of chiropractic, he seems to have voted on the bill.