Webster native Schoenbeck, legislative ‘loose cannon,’ departs political arena
Influential South Dakota lawmaker calling it quits
![Webster native Schoenbeck, legislative 'loose cannon,' departs political arena 1 Webster native and state Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, R-Watertown, walks back to his Senate office in the state Capitol during the 2024 legislative session. South Dakota Searchlight photo by Joshua Haiar](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c1815f1-8a28-4dee-9017-9554846e1ba3_1140x570.jpeg)
South Dakota lawmakers had a historic opportunity to boost the state’s lowest-in-the-nation teacher pay in 2016, but the votes weren’t there.
The legislation failed by one vote on a Thursday at the Capitol in Pierre.
Lee Schoenbeck was a member of the state House at the time and a supporter of the bill. During a floor debate, he described some opponents’ arguments as “garbage.” He went on social media after the House vote and called some fellow Republicans “chicken” for their opposition.
That weekend during a public forum, Schoenbeck accused his own Republican House majority leader, Brian Gosch, of trying to intimidate a legislator out of supporting the bill with a threat of an ethical investigation. Schoenbeck called Gosch “pond scum” (although Schoenbeck says he accidentally said “scum pond”).
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