Governor’s chief of staff to visit GF&P panel

• Dusty Johnson

Dusty Johnson

Talk about it

PIERRE — Top members of the Daugaard administration refused Thursday to provide detailed information about a vague item on the agenda for next week’s meeting of the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission.

The Monday agenda refers to “Comments from the Governor’s office.”

Inquiries to Game, Fish and Parks Secretary Jeff Vonk and to the governor’s communications director, Tony Venhuizen, were referred Thursday to Dusty Johnson, the governor’s chief of staff and a Mitchell resident. Johnson said that if he disclosed information “too far in advance, it would be disrespectful to the people I am there to speak to.” He said some people still need to be contacted before the meeting.

The governor’s office doesn’t normally send a representative to the commission’s meetings. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.

Later in an email, Johnson wrote: “We are going to be talking about how we can work together to make Game, Fish and Parks better. To say more than that this far out wouldn’t be respectful to the commissioners.”

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