If you had asked me when early voting began, around April 19th, who would win the Mitchell municipal elections I would have predicted something very different than what the ultimate outcome was. I would have said that the lake measure would decisively fail. I would have predicted that Terry Sabers would win the mayor’s race in a close contest with incumbent Bob Everson and that Jordan Hanson would come in a distant third. I would have predicted that Kevin McCardle would swamp Shaun Davis, but that Dan Sabers and Jeff Smith were in some trouble. In Ward Three, incumbent Marty Barrington was running unopposed, so his reelection was a given.
Those predictions would have been made based on concerns and comments that I picked up when out and about in the community and in the quest for news. There is a lot of angst and anger in town regarding the City and its direction. People are unhappy with the business closures, the diminishing retail and restaurant choices. Folks are frustrated by empty storefronts, the lack of housing available to own and by the relatively low quality of much of the rental housing in Mitchell. The lake issue is very divisive and emotional for a lot of citizens. Rising water and garbage rates, inflation and the minor irritants that fester with time all contribute to backlash for those in office. So, I thought it was going to be a “change” election.
Local politics is a little bit like congressional politics though. In February of 2024, only 12% of Americans had a positive view of Congress in general but 41% thought their own congressperson was doing a good job. More than 90% of those in Congress get reelected. That’s due to multiple factors but constituents are able, by and large, to distinguish the individual from the institution. The same is true for those upset with the City but still have a positive view of their own councilperson.
Citizens tend to be realistic. They know that individuals serving in local office are doing their best and genuinely want to achieve the optimum results for those who live in Mitchell. Likewise, the reasonable among us recognize that there are multiple competing priorities and limited dollars so that not necessarily everything that needs to be done, gets done or perhaps doesn’t get done to the ideal level because of the strain on finances in the public purse.
Bob Everson suffered from being the incumbent. Often times being the incumbent is an advantage, as in more name recognition and the ability to raise campaign funds. However, when one has been in public office for a while, and actually achieves policy goals – the political barnacles begin to add up. Mayor Everson presided during Covid which was a tough time, especially for businesses that weren’t “essential”, think restaurants generally and movie theaters nationally, for example. The pandemic also drove people further into the arms of internet shopping, both for convenience and safety. Covid was a stressful time for all as policy makers struggled to find the balance between economic and physical survival.
Sidewalks are a perennial thorn in the Mayor and City Council’s side, but it is a mandate of the American with Disabilities Act and whoever is in office will have to enforce that provision. Sidewalks are here to stay and if you don’t have a sidewalk, get ready because your day is coming.
While City officials aren’t responsible for business closures, fires, bankruptcies, national chains ceasing to exist etc., they do get an inordinate amount of blame for these events. There were several such closures on Bob Everson’s watch, and he took some hits for that.
Bob Everson beat me in the mayor’s race in 2018. He worked hard. He was a credible candidate with a resume of previous government service. People were tired of me and wanted a change. Voters don’t always know what they want, but they always know what they don’t want. It doesn’t matter how long or well one has served in the past, when the People say it’s time to move on, it’s time to move on.
Jordan Hanson worked hard. He used social media, but he also used legacy advertising, the ads on the front page of the Daily Republic as an example, to reach older voters. He organized and participated in numerous meet the candidates and candidate forums. He was positive, enthusiastic and said what was on the minds of a lot of people; there are more issues than just the Corn Palace and the lake, Mitchell is stagnating, young people are fleeing for greener pastures and it’s time for a new generation of leadership. While that wasn’t a landslide message, Hanson defeated Terry Sabers by only 57 votes, it was compelling, and Jordan Hanson is our next mayor.
I thought Jeff Smith was in trouble, mainly because of his long tenure on the Council. I knew Sheldon Songstad, a state legislator from Sioux Falls, who said he “retired” from the Legislature for “health reasons”. Sheldon Songstad said, “Yes, I retired for health reasons. The People got sick of me.” In the end, Jeff Smith’s long and dedicated service, which is obviously fueled by the best of intentions even if one disagrees with him on occasion, turned out to be a net positive and was enough to carry him over the electoral threshold to victory.
Kevin McCardle is something of a maverick and a curmudgeon on the City Council. His penny pinching ways are applauded by most citizens. That’s why I thought he’d have no trouble with a political neophyte like Shaun Davis. The fact that Davis did as well as he did against a popular, fiscally conservative incumbent bodes well for Mr. Davis’ political future. I hope he is not discouraged by this result and considers running for office at some later date.
Dan Sabers is the Clarence Thomas of the Mitchell City Council. Always present, hardworking but mostly silent. I thought that fact, in combination with recent City Council decisions to refer the lake project to a vote of the People, higher water rates etc. he was vulnerable. To paraphrase William Shakespeare in Henry VI, “still waters run deep” and that’s the quality many folks see in Dan Sabers.
I thought the lake project was doomed. I thought it was a tactical error to make lake residents the “face” of the Save Lake Mitchell Committee. I thought the City Council voting to put in a marina, which is viewed by most as a perk for “rich” residents, was a colossal blunder sure to have electoral consequences. However, the lake committee did several things right.
First, the science is on their side. All of the other “solutions” either have been tried in and on Lake Mitchell (alum, first cattails then no cattails, wet dredging, SolarBee etc.) or alternative solutions that have worked other places it turns out wouldn’t be appropriate for Lake Mitchell. Perhaps that was because our lake is bigger, or manmade without many of the features compared to a natural lake or certainly because our watershed is humongous, etc. While some would disagree, it essentially came down to this solution or do nothing until the EPA or the courts got involved and then do something under legal compulsion that would be most probably much more involved and expensive later.
Second, the issue of the watershed was taken on in a very real way. Property was acquired. Plans put in place for wetlands and other natural filtration of the lake. Discussions with land owners in the watershed proceeded apace and the like. It was clear that cleaning up Lake Mitchell was going to be more comprehensive than just work on the lake itself.
Third, there were a series of meetings to explain the proposal and financing. It gradually became clear that property taxes would not go up. Much of the loan burden would not be additional, instead a previous loan that the City had was nearing being paid off so while the lake debt was “new” debt it really wasn’t “more” debt. Those explaining the proposal were cordial, even keeled and temperate, even in the face of hostility from those in the audience of these public meetings.
Fourth, there was the publicity campaign. Some of that was face to face on the streets of Mitchell during First Friday’s and other events. Some of that was over the phone. Some was in the form of radio ads that used “regular people”, in other words non-lake residents with no obvious stake in the issue in terms of proximity and property values, to tout the proposal.
Fifth, the Game Fish and Parks made clear that they would restock the lake at the appropriate point in the reclamation process with the proper species in numbers and varieties right for Lake Mitchell, at no cost to the City.
Sixth, there was an active “get out the vote” effort by the Save Lake Mitchell Committee to see that their supporters made it to the polls. All of that work translated into a thirty vote margin of victory on election night.
Voter turnout was 34%. That’ a “good news, bad news” situation. The good news is the turnout was 34%, double the statewide average of 17%, and historically higher than is usual for a primary election. The bad news is the turnout was 34% which means that two thirds of registered voters didn’t bother to express a view in this election.
I taught high school for thirty-six years. I taught a variety of subjects but always American History and often Advanced Placement Government and Civics. I always told my students, “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.” If you voted and those who you voted for disappoint you, by all means grumble. If you didn’t vote, don’t bellyache. You had your chance to make a difference and to be heard. You didn’t avail yourself of the opportunity, so now suffer in silence.
We’ve got a general election coming up on November 5th. The biggest race is the presidential race. However, there are a number of ballot issues regarding abortion, the elimination of sales tax on food, establishing a top-two primary system, legalizing recreational marijuana along with a number of legislative races as well. If you’re not registered to vote, get registered. If you are registered to vote, take time to vote. Democracy needs you. Our way of government and way of life can’t survive on autopilot. It needs thoughtful, informed, engaged citizens who participate and vote.
I’ll see you at the polls on November 5th.