RAPID CITY, SD — Following tense June 2nd elections jam-packed not only with primaries but municipal and county elections, Mayor Jason Salamun held a press conference this morning where he said his piece on the race.

“Obviously the people had their voice heard, and I think that’s good – great to see,” said Salamun, who said that he wished for higher voter turnout in Pennington, which numbered 28% in total. “I applaud all the candidates who put their name on the ballot. It takes a lot to put your name on a ballot – Takes a lot of courage, and if you’ve never done it, you just don’t understand it”.

After the late night watching polling numbers, everyone in the room seemed eager for some time to rest, however the mayor said he’d been busy this morning congratulating victors in the election.

When speaking to municipal results, Mayor Salamun said that any new face “changes that dynamics,” in reference to the City Council. As City Council elections saw the reintroduction of former Alderwoman Laura Armstrong (with other elections going to incumbent members) on this, Salamun remarked that “You have one new council member who’s returning to council, so the learning curve is not nearly as steep as somebody who’s first coming in“.

Overall, Salamun seemed satisfied with the race, and remarked that he expected a similar dynamic to emerge following the introduction of Armstrong.