Two fresh faces win spots on Lincoln County Commission; Minnehaha County elects new sheriff
Minnehaha County voters re-elect Auditor Leah Anderson, select new register of deeds
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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