Summary
Lynne DiSanto, also known as Lyndi Meyers, is an American politician from Box Elder, South Dakota, a former Republican member of the South Dakota state senate and former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 35, and the former Republican majority whip in the state House.[2] In 2014 and 2016, she received the highest total of votes in her district, which elected two Republicans to the state House of Representatives, and also was elected as a Donald Trump delegate to the 2016 presidential convention.[3]
Lynne DiSanto | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Dakota Senate from the 35 district | |
| In office 2019–2019 | |
| Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 35th[1] district | |
| In office 2015–2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Box Elder, South Dakota |
| Profession | Realtor |
September 5, 2019, Lynne DiSanto legally changed her name to Lyndi DiSanto,[4][5] separated from her husband Mark DiSanto, resigned from the South Dakota legislature,[6] and moved to Montana. Currently, she is going by the name Lyndi Meyer and has returned to working in real estate under Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Floberg Real Estate in the Billings, Montana area.[7] She has also been known by the names Lyn DiSanto, Lynne Hix-DiSanto, and Lynne Hix.
Political History edit
2014 & 2016 State House Elections edit
2018 State Senate election edit
In 2018, DiSanto was elected to the state senate by defeating Democrat Pat Cromwell with 4,323 (62%) votes to 2,650 (38%) votes.[8]
Controversy edit
#1 On September 7, 2017, DiSanto shared a graphic via a Facebook post showing two stick figures mowed down by a large sport utility vehicle and another fleeing from the attack, accompanied by an "All Lives Splatter" meme, which she described as "a movement we can all support".[9] The graphic added, "Nobody cares about your protest. Keep your ass off the road".[10] The meme was fashioned after the "All Lives Matter" slogan. The post was shared 26 days after 19 protesters were injured and Heather Heyer was murdered in a vehicular attack on August 12, in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally and counter protest there.
After information about DiSanto's post emerged in news media twelve days later, on September 19, she deleted the post and locked her Facebook account.[2][11] DiSanto subsequently apologized for a lack of judgment:
"I am sorry if people took offense to it and perceived my message in any way insinuating support or condoning people being hit by cars,” DiSanto told The Rapid City Journal. “I perceived it differently. I perceived it as encouraging people to stay out of the street.” [12]
Following the news and heavy criticism of DiSanto's post, Keller Williams Realty Black Hills announced that it had ended its association with DiSanto.[11] The Working Against Violence group announced DiSanto's keynote address at its annual Power of Purple Domestic Violence Awareness event had been cancelled.[10] House Majority Leader Lee Qualm stated that DiSanto's position as House Majority Whip would not be affected by this incident.[12]
#2 DiSanto involved herself with a number of missing persons cases and created a Facebook page called Lyn Seeks Truth. The Facebook page is currently not active, however it was accompanied by a YouTube Channel [13] and a website that retained the spelling Lynne for the title.[14] Lynne faced heavy criticism for her speculations and behavior surrounding the Serenity Dennard case, specifically. DiSanto was served a no-trespass order from the police department after she made threatening comments to a constituent [1], and she was reprimanded for recording an interview with Serenity's biological mother against the correctional facility's guidelines. Her actions originally resulted in DiSanto being banned from the prison, but this was later reconsidered.[15]
Personal life edit
DiSanto was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[16]
She attended Chadron State College from 1996-2000 for a BBA in marketing and from 2000-2002 for a MA in counseling psychology.[17]
Prior to her election, she owned a modeling agency/school in Rapid City, South Dakota by the name of "Fierce Modeling".[18] The modeling agency was featured on the reality TV show Remodeled.[19] She also owned Fast-Teks On-Site Computer Services of the Black Hills.[20]
References edit
- ^ "Representative Lynne DiSanto". Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "SD lawmaker shares image depicting protesters hit by vehicle". The Washington Post. 2017-09-19. Archived from the original on 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ SDGOP elects delegates and alternates for Republican National Convention, South Dakota Republican Party, March 21, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ staff, Journal. "Senator DiSanto changes her name". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ "Legal Name Change Hearing Notice" (PDF). Rapid City Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ staff, Seth Tupper Journal. "DiSanto resigns from Legislature". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ "Lyndi Meyer - Billings, MT Real Estate Agent - realtor.com®". www.realtor.com. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ "Unofficial Results: GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 6, 2018". South Dakota Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ GOP State Lawmaker Shares Meme Encouraging Cars To Hit Protesters, by Nicole Lafond, at Talking Points Memo; published September 20, 2017; retrieved September 20, 2017
- ^ a b Kraemer, Sam (2017-09-20). "State lawmaker loses realty job over controversial Facebook post". KNBN NewsCenter1. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ a b Tupper, Seth (2017-09-19). "UPDATE: Firm drops Rep. DiSanto over Facebook post". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ a b "South Dakota lawmaker apologizes for Facebook post". Associated Press. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Lyn Seeks Truth". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ Truth, Lynne Seeks. "Seeking Truth, for You". Lyn Seeks Truth. com. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ staff, Seth Tupper Journal. "Corrections head reconsiders ban against legislator". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ "Lynne DiSanto". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ correspondent, Jan Hill, Journal. "The road to the runway". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Remodeled" Modeling School or Modeling Agency (TV Episode 2012) - IMDb, retrieved 2019-07-11
- ^ staff, Tom Griffith Journal. "DiSanto jumps into lawmaking with vigor in first term". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-28.