SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The mayor of South Dakota’s largest city will serve another four years in office, while the mayor of Yankton has been ousted. Voters around the state also decided other issues ranging from pool projects to property tax proposals.
Sioux Falls voters on Tuesday backed Mayor Mike Huether for another term, over challenger Greg Jamison, who will continue to serve as a city councilman. Unofficial returns show Huether winning with about 55 percent of the vote.
Huether said he felt blessed. He said he wants to continue to develop the city while keeping “that piggy bank fat and happy.” Mayors in Sioux Falls can only serve two consecutive terms.
Jamison said he was exhausted and disappointed but thankful for the opportunity.
In Yankton, incumbent Mayor Nancy Wenande finished fourth among four City Commission candidates and was ousted. The commission will reorganize next month, according to the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.
Wenande said she was “absolutely devastated.”
“I have worked tirelessly for the last nine years for the citizens and am disappointed not to have an opportunity to continue my service,” she said.
Voters in Sioux Falls also favored rezoning land for a new Wal-Mart store that has been opposed by some neighborhood residents, but they rejected a new outdoor pool at the city’s Spellerberg Park, after a campaign by a group pushing for an indoor pool.
Voters in Mobridge approved a special tax to fund a new pool in that city, according to the American News in Aberdeen. In White Lake, residents voted to support a city-operated day care, according to The Daily Republic newspaper in Mitchell.
Bridgewater-Emery School District voters approved an opt-out of the state property tax freeze to raise more money for the district, while voters in Gregory rejected an opt-out proposal, The Daily Republic reported.
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