SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Two Republican incumbents and two Democratic challengers are running for two positions on the Minnehaha County Commission on November 3.
Republican Jean Bender currently chairs the commission. She says her experience should be important to the voters.
“There are just a lot of moving parts in the county and it takes quite a bit of time to come up to speed…”
Bender says she has experience dealing with the local response to COVID-19 and she expects those challenges to continue. And she touts her experience in helping to spearhead the jail expansion project, bringing it in under budget. She’d bring that same experience to new challenges.
Republican Dean Karsky says a big issue for the commission is finding a replacement for County Auditor Bob Litz, who has announced his retirement. Another big issue says Karsky is decisions on ongoing construction plans in the county.
“For the Administration Building and annex as well as a new Highway Department Facility. The combined projects are absolutely necessary for effective county government and safety of employees,”
Karsky also points to his work in getting the areas’ first community triage center.
Democratic challenger Trisha Callaghan says one of the big issues in the election should be the election process itself. Callaghan says the commission missed the opportunity to make absentee voting more accessible by allowing additional ballot boxes in secure locations.
“Instead, as soon as the Mayor stated he was against this plan the Commission fell right in line, virtually dropping the issue and lining up for voter suppression.”
She says people in the rural areas of Minnehaha County are sometimes forgotten by the county commission.
Democratic challenger, Andrew Dedula, says one of the biggest issues in the race is to get all legs of the government into the hands of regular people.
“People that work the everyday jobs and understand the everyday struggles and blessings that this area has to offer on both sides of the coin.”
Dedula says his main focus would be trying to allocate enough of the county budget toward helping those who “find it difficult or impossible to help themselves.”
