I know, I know, a little early, but you would be surprised how much chatter has been going on already about the next mayoral race. The below predictions are PURE speculation based on convos I have had with city government nerds;
• Mike Huether, the former mayor has been actively reaching out to potential supporters and it is highly likely he will run.
• Greg Jamison, Greg currently serves in the SD legislature, but I have a fishy feeling he would love another round with Mr. Huether.
• Christine Erickson, she is coming off a very successful campaign against the stinky folks, and she has the ego to take a stab at this.
• Alex Jensen, not sure what to think of this, but his name has been floated out there by TenHaken worshippers.
• Greg Neizert, not sure if he is interested, but it seems like the most logical next political step.
• Theresa Stehly, I doubt she will run, but I can almost guarantee if she does run she will be in the runoff.
I’m sure there will be a couple of other Zombies (SNARK!) entering the race, but I have a feeling we will see a very crowded and diverse group.
Huether should run. I want to see him cry when he loses. He’s proven unpopular, without a political party, and couldn’t raise enough funds. I think Jamison is smart enough not to inherit foolish city real estate mistakes and debt. Stehly is to honest. It takes a criminal mind. Neitzert is boring. Christine who? What about Trump?
#anyonebutmike
Hard pass on PTH Jr aka Alex.
Opportunism doesn’t always age well.
https://www.keloland.com/news/mayor-huether-registers-as-independent-voter/
Kelby should run
Heels is the favorite. Huether will try to pull a Janklow, but without the Republican base it won’t work. Stehly would make it interesting though. Miss Mobridge versus Heels, what a race. Then the voters would have a true choice between TIFs versus boulevard flowers. What about Vernon Brown, or is it still Tea Time Movies for him? The Jamisons are like the Vikings and the Humphreys: Can’t win the big won. It will be up to ALEC whether Neizert runs and it will be up to Alex as to whether Jensen! runs.
I would love to see someone who isn’t already entrenched in politics nor has a long term political agenda/aspiration. Mayor should be a natural community leader. How about someone like a successful small business owner or nonprofit leader whose employees are fiercely loyal and can speak to their leadership. I’m not advocating for any specific person yet but just want to talk about the qualifications we should be looking for as people organize and plan ahead.
If someone has already served on Council or in another elected office, I consider that a strike against them, not a point of merit. However, I wouldn’t rule them out, but I would want to look for very specific examples of how that person served in office to build a stronger community and maximize positive impacts for the community. Unfortunately so many already elected are trapped either willingly or unwillingly in the games of special interests always playing chess and seeking more power. These games don’t serve the people at-large but serve the small professional class that has the time and money to employ such games and use government as an instrument for power/money/advantage etc. The currently councilor closely aligned with the current Mayor, case-in-point.
Vote for Pedro!
You can all nominate me in 2026 I will gladly run for Mayor and take the seat for 1 4 Year Term. I can do it.
“Mike 4 Mayor!…. No, not that one”….
“Zitterich!… Alphabetically, it comes before Zokaites… So there you go!”….
Zokaites without the zombies: Zitterich 4 Mayor!
#StillWaiting4Skippy #WhatsMunsonDoing?
“I’m thinking about running, too”…. (…. “I’m really getting sick of this gig with VSG”…. )
“Ricehopper”?…. That’s what they used to call me in Nam.
Eventually, we will have a mayor whose last name starts with a “Z”, but first we need to get through the rest of the letters…. (Maybe Steve wants to run….)