Breakthrough: Erickson first Sioux Falls mayor to rise to top spot after serving on City Council
Mayor says her experience in city's legislative branch increases potential for partnership with council – something not always prevalent in strong-mayor system
Forget the “first woman” headlines. The real glass ceiling Christine Erickson shattered is far more consequential for city governance. And the distinction is more than symbolic.
“As a former city councilor myself, I know firsthand the importance of the partnership between a mayor and the City Council,” Erickson said during an installation ceremony where she was sworn in as Sioux Falls’ 33rd mayor, becoming the first former City Council member elected mayor since Sioux Falls adopted the strong-mayor system in the 1990s.
It means Sioux Falls’ new chief executive spent eight years inside the city’s legislative branch before taking the mayor’s office, an experience Erickson says shaped her view of how City Hall should function after decades of mayors largely driving policy from the executive office.
