The race for City Council is on. Here is questionnaire sent to those running to help you understand the candidates.

Who are you, in your daily life?

I retired from Monument Hospital in 2016 as a Registered Nurse of Anesthesia after thirty years.

I am a father and grandfather, and I enjoy spending time with my siblings and friends.

I am a Veteran of the United States Navy during the Vietnam War era.

What prompted you to run for city council in the first place?

I ran for city council because I love Rapid City and the neighborhood that I lived in for thirty years.

I want Rapid City to be the best Rapid City it can be. I like to see responsible growth, new families, new businesses and new investments without losing the quality of life that we as citizens enjoy living in Ward 5 and all Rapid City.

How have you worked in the past to contribute to the local community?

Over the past thirty years, I have been involved with the West Boulevard Neighborhood Association, The Black Hills Historical Association (Journey Museum), Rapid City Preservation Commission and the Rapid City Planning and Zoning Commission and recently Rushmore Rotary.

Because being active members of those committees and commissions my growth and knowledge of Rapid City and desires of its citizens have been positive for me.

I received the 2018 Rapid City Chamber of Commerce Rushmore Honors Award for Contribution to the Arts and Cultural life. I received the Governor’s Award for History in 2020. I graduated from Leadership Rapid City in 2011.

I have demonstrated my commitment to Rapid City by supporting local businesses, working alongside with neighbors and citizens who care deeply about Rapid City.

What do you consider to be the pillars of your campaign?

We are experiencing unprecedented times with record breaking growth, the Downtown Innovation District, Airport expansion, and Ellsworth bringing in the B21. Growth can be a good thing, but only if we handle it the right way. I am very proud of Rapid City’s successes and all that has been accomplished.

Our neighborhoods are under real pressure currently. The city’s planning division estimates around 600 short term rental properties during the off season and up to 900 during the tourist season. Every one of those converted homes is a house where young families are unable to purchase a home where they could thrive and grow equity.

I served on the city’s Vacation Home Advisory Committee for over a year and as a result, an Ordinance was approved by the City Council last December to provide regulations of short-term rentals such as licensing by South Dakota and permits through the city.

But we cannot just make the rules and then walk away. We need continued citizen input for infractions, along with the city requiring regular check-ins and follow-through.

We must put our neighborhoods first, we as a city follow the rules and policies that we write. I believe the vacation home ordinance will be a test; we must enforce what we write.

I served three years on the Rapid City Council from ward 5, and I learned that just showing up and voting isn’t enough, we have to follow through for our citizens.

How do you feel about the city’s role regarding issues between Summer Nights and Downtown businesses? Would you have done anything differently?

I am in support of Summer Nights and have been through its inception, however, I believe our local downtown businesses are suffering economic losses from streets being closed during the Thursday night celebration. Those businesses support the citizens of Rapid City every day of the year and pay the BID Tax to do so.

I would like to see Summer Nights elsewhere in Rapid City, preferably Memorial Park, where there is ample parking and would not disturb our downtown businesses.

What are your feelings on the use of fiscal tools (like TIFs) to attract private investments within Rapid City? What would be your approach to using these tools?

I believe TIFs are an important development tool for growth in Rapid City where growth may not occur but for the TIF. I believe we have 19 active TIFs in Rapid City currently, and they have been and will be positive for Rapid City. TIFs must be used correctly and within parameters set.

What is a public investment you feel Rapid City could benefit from? (such as roads, parks, public transit, etc.)

I think that with the changes in how the Vision Fund is spent that Mayor Salamun proposed and with approval by the city council is a positive direction for growth in Rapid City. A major change is the introduction of the Strategic Growth Revolving Fund which will hopefully place new infrastructure where the city wants to grow, and the developers can build there; this should stimulate new growth and pay for growth in the future. New growth pays for new growth.

A lot of current attention is on Citizens’ desire to own hens, and attempts to bring this policy to the council via Alderman Tamang. If you were made to make a decision on this, or another proposal, how would you evaluate whether or not a project or policy is worth implementing?

I agree with our citizens’ desire to own hens, which were brought before the council in the past and were defeated. It seems this proposal has a good chance of being approved by the present council. If those citizens who want hens follow the ordinance structure on the number of hens, coop size and the raceway, etc. all should be happy.

As I stated previously, I love Rapid City and I would like to be part of its future success. I know that it cannot be done by one person or a single member of council. It will take the citizens of Rapid City, our city staff who do an excellent job, the city council and Mayor Salamun all working together to bring this to fruition.