Sam Kooiker

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Sam Kooiker
Kooiker in 2012
Mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota
In office
July 5, 2011 – July 6, 2015
Preceded byAlan Hanks
Succeeded bySteve Allender
Personal details
Born (1974-03-09) March 9, 1974 (age 50)
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Jennifer King
​
(m. 1999)​
Children3
Parents
Websitestandwithsam.com

Sam Kooiker (born March 9, 1974) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota from 2011 to 2015.

Early life[edit]

Kooiker was born on March 9, 1974, in Japan,[1][2] while his father John Kooiker taught at the Christian Academy.[3] The family returned to the United States in 1975,[4] where Kooiker and three siblings grew up on the family farm in Boyden, Iowa.[5] He attended Western Christian High School in the neighboring town of Hull.[6] While in high school, Kooiker held a job at Hy-Vee's Sheldon and Sioux Center stores.[7][8] He earned bachelor's degrees in criminal justice and psychology and a master's degree in public administration from the University of South Dakota (USD).[5] During his time at USD, Kooiker continued working for Hy-Vee in Vermillion, South Dakota, and was also an intern at the Sioux City Police Department in his home state of Iowa.[7][8]

Kooiker and his wife moved to Rapid City in the summer of 1999, where he worked at Gateway Computers for eight years; at the South Dakota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for about a year; and at Golden West Technologies for six years.[5]

In 2015, Kooiker's father was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives.[9]

Political career[edit]

Argus Leader political columnist David Montgomery described Rapid City as an overwhelmingly Republican town where local politics is hotly contested between factions within the Republican Party which Montgomery designates as the "Establishment Party" and the "Outsider Party."[10] Montgomery characterized Kooiker as "the most successful representative" of the more "populist" outsider faction.[10]

Kooiker was named to the Rapid City Planning Commission by then-mayor Jerry Munson in 2001, and served until 2002.[11] He was elected to the Rapid City Common Council later that year and represented Ward 2 until he was elected mayor.[5] As a city council member, Kooiker gained a reputation for being detail-orientated, especially on budget issues.[12] While serving on the council, he was censured twice, privately in 2005 and publicly in 2010.[13][14] The 2010 censure was the first public rebuke of an elected official in Rapid City history.[15]

Kooiker had defeated Alan Hanks and incumbent Jim Shaw in the first mayoral election of 2007, but a runoff three weeks later was won by Hanks.[16] The next year, Kooiker applied for the position of city administrator in Cherokee, Iowa, but did not get the job, which instead went to Don Eikmeier.[8] He stayed in Rapid City, and decided to run for mayor again in 2011. Kooiker began his campaign with heavy use of social media, primarily Facebook,[17] and was elected mayor that year by "a wave of overwhelming support in some of the city's poorer precincts,"[10][18] defeating Hanks by 478 votes.[19] Kooiker took office on July 5, 2011.[20][21] He ran for reelection in 2013, against state senator Mark Kirkeby.[22] Amid allegations of micromanagement,[23] Kooiker defeated Kirkeby, by 4,702 votes.[24]

In 2014, Kooiker appointed Lt. Elias Diaz, an officer of Native American and Hispanic heritage, as chief of police.[25][26] When the appointment met with opposition in the city council, Kooiker appointed Karl Jegaris instead.[27]

Kooiker lost his bid for a third term in June 2015, as former Rapid City police chief Steve Allender won the election by 1,226 votes.[28] Kooiker's second mayoral term ended on July 6, 2015.[29] Cherokee, Iowa mayor Mark Murphy announced Kooiker's hiring as city administrator in October 2015.[7][30][31] Kooiker was sworn in on December 22, 2015, though he had begun work earlier that month.[32][33] In 2017, governor Kim Reynolds named Kooiker to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.[34][35]

Kooiker was offered the city manager position in Sheldon, Iowa, in October 2018.[36] Sheldon's city council voted to approve the hiring of Kooiker later that month,[37] and he assumed the office in December 2018,[35] succeeding Sean Hutchinson.[38]

Personal[edit]

Kooiker married the former Jennifer King in 1999,[39] whose family owned King's Grocery/Pasties in Lead, South Dakota from 1959 to 2000.[40][41] They are the parents of three daughters, Abbie, Aubrie and Ellie.[42]

Kooiker has cerebral palsy.[43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gesick, Jennifer Naylor (March 10, 2013). "Kooiker announces campaign for re-election". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Rapid City mayor, council president visit sister cities". KOTA-TV. October 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "[No title]". Sioux County Index. September 21, 1972. p. 11. Retrieved July 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Hall, Jacob (December 19, 2014). "Kooiker gets GOP nod for HD 4". The Iowa Statesmen. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d McLaughlin, John Lee (March 6, 2015). "Mayor Sam Kooiker announces run for third term". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Visser, Jeanne (July 4, 2007). "Kooiker loses close race for Rapid City mayor". Sioux County Index Reporter. Small Town Papers News Service. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015 – via Dordt College website. Alt URL
  7. ^ a b c "New city administrator named". Cherokee Chronicle Times. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Ross, Ken (January 4, 2016). "Sam Kooiker feels at home in Cherokee". Cherokee Chronicle Times. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  9. ^ McLaughlin, John Lee (January 8, 2015). "Rapid City mayor's dad elected to Iowa Legislature". Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Montgomery, David (June 28, 2014). "Rapid City mayor accuses two city councilors of racism". Argus Leader. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  11. ^ McLaughlin, John Lee (July 7, 2015). "Allender assumes command as Rapid City mayor". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  12. ^ Rusch, Emilie (February 7, 2010). "Just who is Sam Kooiker?". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  13. ^ Griffith, Tom (May 24, 2015). "Mayoral candidate profile: Despite critics, Kooiker says he's a uniter". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  14. ^ Rusch, Emilie (February 7, 2010). "Council votes 6-3 to censure Kooiker". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  15. ^ Rusch, Emilie (April 5, 2010). "Kooiker censure plays out in city election". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  16. ^ Rusch, Emilie (June 26, 2011). "Hanks, Kooiker campaigns increase aggressive tactics". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  17. ^ Pilkington, Ed (February 11, 2012). "How Facebook helped elect the mayor in Rapid City, South Dakota". The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Montgomery, David (June 30, 2011). "Kooiker, Hanks results point to divided city". Argus Leader. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  19. ^ Montgomery, David (June 29, 2011). "Voters stand with Sam". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  20. ^ "Rapid City Councilman Sam Kooiker elected mayor". Argus Leader. Associated Press. June 29, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  21. ^ Rusch, Emilie (July 6, 2011). "Kooiker, new aldermen sworn in". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  22. ^ Orlowski, Aaron (February 25, 2013). "Mayor candidate field opens up, Sen. Mark Kirkeby throws hat in ring". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  23. ^ Simmons-Ritchie, Daniel (May 10, 2013). "Mayor Kooiker, Sen. Kirkeby debate issues". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  24. ^ O'Sullivan, Joe (June 4, 2013). "Kooiker romps to second term". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  25. ^ McLaughlin, John Lee (June 10, 2014). "Mayor announces new Rapid City police chief, but choice and process draw criticism". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  26. ^ Eagle, Karin (June 16, 2014). "Native Sun News: New police chief focuses on Indian cold cases". Native Sun News. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  27. ^ McLaughlin, John Lee (June 19, 2014). "Mayor gives nod to Jegeris as chief; says appointment process worked". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  28. ^ Tupper, Seth (June 3, 2015). "Allender handily defeats incumbent Kooiker for Rapid City mayor". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  29. ^ Janssen, Heather (July 7, 2015). "Allender sworn in as new mayor of Rapid City". KEVN-TV. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  30. ^ Lawrence, Tom (October 13, 2015). "Sam Kooiker heads home". Black Hills Pioneer. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  31. ^ "Kooiker leaving Rapid City to manage modest-sized Iowa city". Rapid City Journal. October 6, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  32. ^ Ross, Ken (December 24, 2015). "In with the new". Cherokee Chronicle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  33. ^ "City has two new employees". Cherokee Chronicle Times. December 11, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  34. ^ Carstens, Courtney (August 17, 2017). "Kooiker appointed to Civil Rights Committee". Storm Lake Pilot Tribune/Cherokee Chronicle Times. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  35. ^ a b Rushing, Ty (January 17, 2019). "Kooiker glad to be home in Sheldon". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  36. ^ Rushing, Ty (October 10, 2018). "Kooiker offered Sheldon city manager job". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  37. ^ Rushing, Ty (October 16, 2018). "Sheldon council to vote on Kooiker hire". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  38. ^ Struck, Paul (October 24, 2018). "Kooiker's journey takes him 'home' Accepts Sheldon City Manager post". Cherokee Chronicle Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  39. ^ McLaughlin, John Lee (July 3, 2015). "5 questions with outgoing Mayor Sam Kooiker". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  40. ^ Steen, Jomay (October 11, 2007). "King the pasty queen". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  41. ^ Daly, Dan (December 19, 2000). "Meat pies survive grocery closing". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  42. ^ Rusch, Emilie (March 1, 2011). "Sam Kooiker to run for Rapid City mayor". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  43. ^ O'Sullivan, Joe (May 5, 2013). "Kooiker, a mayor who energizes and divides". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
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