Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden and the South Dakota Democratic Party have joined a growing list of partisans inserting themselves into the Sioux Falls mayoral election.

An endorsement from Rhoden and a $10,000 contribution from Democrats continue to whittle away at the longstanding tradition of nonpartisan municipal elections in the state’s largest city.

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The two remaining candidates for Sioux Falls mayor differ in approaches to how they would deal with homelessness, law enforcement and child care.

But in many other areas, Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith would pursue similar goals as the city’s top executive. They both agreed that building relationships with lawmakers and neighboring communities was important, and they both said the city should take its time on whether to move forward on redeveloping the Riverline District, which has been floated as a potential site for a new convention center, citing the future availability of land at the Smithfield plant.

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Watch a full video replay of Friday’s Sioux Falls mayoral runoff debate between candidates Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith.

The 60-minute forum, held at Carnegie Town Hall in downtown Sioux Falls. brought together the two candidates who advanced from last week’s mayoral election and are now competing in the June 23 runoff to determine who will succeed outgoing Mayor Paul TenHaken.

Hosted by Sioux Falls Simplified, SiouxFallsLive.com and The Dakota Scout in partnership with the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters, the debate focused on issues facing Sioux Falls residents, including topics identified through input from community organizations, advocacy groups and neighborhood associations across the city.

Watch the full debate replay below to hear where Erickson and Smith stand on the issues before voters cast their ballots in the June 23 runoff election.

The two candidates competing to become Sioux Falls’ next mayor will square off today in a public debate ahead of the June 23 runoff election.

Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith, the top two finishers in last week’s mayoral election, will participate in a 60-minute community-focused forum at Carnegie Town Hall in downtown Sioux Falls.

The debate is being hosted by Sioux Falls Simplified, SiouxFallsLive.com and The Dakota Scout in partnership with the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters.

Doors open at 4 p.m., and the debate begins at 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Community partners helping shape the discussion include Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., Startup Sioux Falls, South Dakota Voices for Peace, Sioux Falls Housing, the Sioux Falls Arts Council, Transformation Project, South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Dakota Rural Action and Midwest Street Medicine. Representatives from the Whittier, All Saints, Pleasant Ridge, Southern Hills and University Heights neighborhood associations also contributed input on topics and questions.

Candidates will answer policy questions developed with input from a coalition of community organizations, advocacy groups and neighborhood associations from across Sioux Falls.

How to watch

In person:
Carnegie Town Hall, 235 W. 10th St. Seating is available in the main meeting room, with overflow space available if needed.

The Dakota Scout:
Because of technical difficulties with our partner, SiouxFallsLive.com, we are unable to stream the debate, but you can watch it live by going to Sioux Falls CityLink and pressing play:

Watch the debate at Sioux Falls CityLink.

Television:
CityLink is available on Midco channels 16 and 594 and Bluepeak channels 14 and 411. It is also available through the Cablecast Screenweave app on Apple TV and Roku devices.

Online:
The debate will be streamed through the CityLink website and on the City of Sioux Falls YouTube channel.

The June 23 runoff election will determine who succeeds outgoing Mayor Paul TenHaken, who is term-limited from seeking reelection.

NOTE: The Dakota Scout is an independent organization with editorial decisions made without consideration to our paid advertisers.

The two candidates competing to become Sioux Falls’ next mayor will square off today in a public debate ahead of the June 23 runoff election.

Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith, the top two finishers in last week’s mayoral election, will participate in a 60-minute community-focused forum at Carnegie Town Hall in downtown Sioux Falls.

The debate is being hosted by Sioux Falls Simplified, SiouxFallsLive.com and The Dakota Scout in partnership with the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters.

Doors open at 4 p.m., and the debate begins at 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Community partners helping shape the discussion include Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., Startup Sioux Falls, South Dakota Voices for Peace, Sioux Falls Housing, the Sioux Falls Arts Council, Transformation Project, South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Dakota Rural Action and Midwest Street Medicine. Representatives from the Whittier, All Saints, Pleasant Ridge, Southern Hills and University Heights neighborhood associations also contributed input on topics and questions.

Candidates will answer policy questions developed with input from a coalition of community organizations, advocacy groups and neighborhood associations from across Sioux Falls.

How to watch

In person:
Carnegie Town Hall, 235 W. 10th St. Seating is available in the main meeting room, with overflow space available if needed.

The Dakota Scout:
The debate will be livestreamed on TheDakotaScout.com.

Television:
CityLink is available on Midco channels 16 and 594 and Bluepeak channels 14 and 411. It is also available through the Cablecast Screenweave app on Apple TV and Roku devices.

Online:
The debate will be streamed through the CityLink website and on the City of Sioux Falls YouTube channel.

The June 23 runoff election will determine who succeeds outgoing Mayor Paul TenHaken, who is term-limited from seeking reelection.

NOTE: The Dakota Scout is an independent organization with editorial decisions made without consideration to our paid advertisers.

Lincoln County Commissioner Betty Otten has resigned, citing health concerns less than two years after voters elected her to represent District 2.

Otten submitted her resignation on June 10 to Lincoln County Auditor Sheri Lund. It takes effect on June 18.

The timing matters. South Dakota law requires the remaining county commissioners to appoint a replacement from District 2. Because the vacancy comes after May 1 in an even-numbered year, the appointee will not appear on the November ballot and will serve the rest of Otten’s term, Lund confirmed.

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Sioux Falls has placed its newly reconstructed Well 25 into service, restoring a key groundwater source and expanding the city’s drinking water capacity.

The new Well 25 replaces a 1952-era well at the same north-side site near the Big Sioux River that served Sioux Falls for more than 70 years. According to city officials, the reconstructed well adds more than 5 million gallons of daily capacity to the system and can produce as much as 7 million gallons per day during peak demand.

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The two candidates still standing in the race to be the next mayor of Sioux Falls will face off in a pre-runoff debate later this week.

The top two vote-getters in last week’s mayoral election, who advanced to a June 23 runoff election to determine who will succeed outgoing Mayor Paul TenHaken, have agreed to participate in a community-focused forum Friday at Carnegie Town Hall.

Candidates Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith will answer policy questions developed with input from a broad coalition of community organizations, neighborhood groups and advocacy organizations from across Sioux Falls.

The debate is being hosted by Sioux Falls Simplified, SiouxFallsLive.com and The Dakota Scout.

The event will be held in partnership with the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters and is free and open to the public.

Doors will open at 4 p.m., with the 60-minute debate beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The debate also will be livestreamed and broadcast through CityLink, the City of Sioux Falls’ YouTube channel and participating media outlets, including Sioux Falls Simplified, SiouxFallsLive.com and The Scout.

Community partners helping shape the debate questions include Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., Startup Sioux Falls, South Dakota Voices for Peace, Sioux Falls Housing, the Sioux Falls Arts Council, Transformation Project, South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Dakota Rural Action and Midwest Street Medicine.

Representatives from the Whittier, All Saints, Pleasant Ridge, Southern Hills and University Heights neighborhood associations are also providing input on topics and questions.

NOTE: The Dakota Scout is an independent organization with editorial decisions made without consideration to our paid advertisers.

Sanford Health will break ground on a new medical building this month at its main Sioux Falls campus, in part to make way for the relocation of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

Medical Building 4 will be built on the northeast corner of 21^st Street and Grange Avenue, east of Medical Building 1. The completion of the 52,000 square foot building is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The new building will house the Sanford Dermatology Clinic and the Sanford Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Clinic.

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Leaders of the Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium say they are closing in on a major fundraising milestone that would unlock an additional $10 million donation and move plans for a long-awaited aquarium project closer to construction.

Great Plains Zoo and Butterfly House & Aquarium President and CEO Becky Dewitz, during an afternoon briefing to the Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday, announced that the organization’s “We Can’t Wait” capital campaign has raised more than $47 million toward a $50 million goal.

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Lincoln County government faces an $8 million budget shortfall.

That’s the financial outlook commissioners in Canton face heading into 2027 budget planning, which kicked off Tuesday morning with warnings that spending cuts, project delays or reserves will be necessary to balance next year’s spending plan.

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Minnehaha County is embarking this summer on a mission to develop a strategic plan to address homelessness.

The goal, said Human Services Director Kari Benz, is to work with various agencies and the city of Sioux Falls to create a plan for services, and one that catches people before they end up in a perpetual state of homelessness. Benz said there is a strong desire among social services agencies to develop a plan that can be used for the next several years.

“I think it’s a hot topic because there are so many people who are passionate about this topic,” she told the County Commission Tuesday.

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Six newcomers to Sioux Falls city politics have three weeks to convince voters they deserve one of three seats still in play before the June 23 run-off election.

Half the eight council seats were on the ballot on Tuesday, but only one — At Large B — was decided in the first round of voting on Tuesday. That was Councilor Rich Merkouris, who cruised in his re-election bid.

In the other three — At Large A, Central and Southeast districts — no candidate received the 50 percent threshold necessary to avoid the runoff.

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The City of Sioux Falls has launched a new annual exhibition format for the Charlotte Carver Gallery, featuring the work of local artists and adding a new piece to the city’s public art collection.

City officials unveiled the inaugural juried exhibition June 4 at City Hall and announced the selection of Breanna Fischer’s oil-on-canvas painting, “Lighthouse,” for purchase and display in city facilities.

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A Sioux Falls School District task force ranked replacing Whittier Middle School and building a new west-side elementary school as the district’s top facility needs.

The list could shape what voters see if the district puts a bond election on the ballot in April 2027.

While the School Board did not take action on the report, the ranking moves the district closer to a bond request for Whittier, a west-side elementary school, and security upgrades.

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Lincoln County commissioners nearly stalled certification of Tuesday’s primary election after Commissioner Doug Putnam called the canvass process a “joke” this week.

He also questioned how much work the board had done before signing off on the results.

The fight broke out during what is usually a routine duty for county commissioners: reviewing precinct returns, approving the abstract of votes, and sending official results to the state.

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Two former campaign foes are joining forces with Jamie Smith, endorsing the Democratic state senator less than 48 hours after Smith made a runoff with Christine Erickson that’ll settle the Sioux Falls mayor’s race.

It turns out that Greg Jamison and Joe Batcheller got along well with the second-place finisher in Tuesday’s municipal election, so much so that the pair announced dual endorsements of Smith’s candidacy during a morning press conference Thursday in downtown Sioux Falls.

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Three of the four races for Sioux Falls City Council on the ballot Tuesday will be decided in a run-off election on June 23.

Only Rich Merkouris in the At-Large B District achieved the necessary 50 percent threshold to claim the seat outright. The only incumbent among the four races faced just one challenger – Samantha Scarlata – winning 60 percent of the vote as final totals came in early Wednesday.

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Three incumbent members of the Sioux Falls School Board won re-election by comfortable margins Tuesday.

Incumbents Dawn Marie Johnson, Marc Murren and Gail Swenson each secured another four-year term that will begin in July.

During the campaign, the incumbents highlighted what they described as positive momentum in the Sioux Falls School District, pointing to student progress and ongoing initiatives. The challengers largely focused on concerns about district budgeting and spending.

Johnson said she was grateful for the opportunity to continue serving after completing her first three years on the board.

“I will always be happy, and I will always be grateful to be a part of this community,” Johnson told Sioux Falls Live late Tuesday night.

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Two newcomers are set to take their seats on the Lincoln County Commission, replacing the board’s current head and a longtime county fixture.

Local marketing manager Amy Harms defeated Commission Chair Tiffani Landeen in the county’s third district, while South Dakota Biotech Executive Director Joni Ekstrum bested state banking regulator Mike Mathis in the fifth district.

Harms earned 63 percent of 1,473 votes over Landeen, while Ekstrum won in a slightly narrower race with 58 percent of 2,069 ballots cast.

Currently serving as chairwoman of the Lincoln County Republicans, Harms will take Landeen’s seat on the five-person commission that oversees the roughly 80,000 people living in one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties.

Last month, Harms told Sioux Falls Live she intends to take a more scrutinous look at county expenditures, include more public access to commissioners through the promotion of evening meetings and alternate public events and to keep her inbox open to constituents — especially when it comes to fiscal votes.

“This isn’t something I ever wanted to do, but I couldn’t sit back any more and watch the disrespect that was happening on the board, the disrespect to taxpayers,” she said last month. “... My perspective is going to be different because I haven’t been in government except for my volunteer role.”

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