The race to replace TenHaken: Sioux Falls mayoral candidates discuss priorities at forum

The race to determine the next leader of Sioux Falls moved to Hamre Recital Hall on April 21, as the city’s five mayoral candidates laid out their competing blueprints for the future.

With only six weeks remaining until the June 2 election, the forum served as an opportunity for Augustana students, faculty and other Sioux Falls residents to weigh the priorities of a field seeking to succeed mayor Paul TenHaken.

The discussion, moderated by President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and ASA President Igen Nyawanda, touched on a wide array of issues, but taking center stage was the question of development — how to manage it and fund it while ensuring that safety and sustainability remain priorities in City Hall.

The mayoral race comes at a moment when two development projects have emerged with the potential to transform Sioux Falls both geographically and economically.

At the forefront of this transformation is the $1.3 billion relocation of Smithfield Foods to Foundation Park near the intersection of I-29 and I-90 — a move that will effectively double the size of downtown Sioux Falls and task the future mayor with overseeing one of the largest redevelopment projects in the region’s history.

Candidate Jamie Smith, an alumnus of Augustana’s class of ‘93, encouraged caution and prudence in regards to developing the property.

“With the big announcement that Smithfield is moving up to the Industrial Park, we’re going to have another 114 acres of land, bigger than our whole downtown,” Smith said. “I believe it would be premature to make a decision without thinking about all of the things that could go there.”

Leaning into his background in urban planning, candidate Joe Batcheller framed the Smithfield project as part of his larger vision for making Sioux Falls the “opportunity capital of the Midwest.” Affordability, safety and purposeful growth create a city in which “people and neighborhoods thrive,” Batcheller said.

Candidate Greg Jamison advocated for the creation of a “capital improvement board” to facilitate “sustainable and measured growth.”

Another candidate, Christine Erickson, offered a perspective on the city’s development, emphasizing that “it’s not a race” and that Sioux Falls, while being one of the fastest-growing cities in the region, must implement a thoughtful approach to further growth.

Candidate David Zokaites shared his ambition for transforming the current Smithfield land and the two adjacent properties — a city maintenance area and the state penitentiary plot — into affordable housing and community space that favors public utility over private profit.

The question of the Smithfield property coincides with another highly contested national discussion: the rise of high-consumption artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

Local controversy revolves around a proposed 500-megawatt “hyperscale” facility south of Rice Street and east of Veteran Parkway called the Gemini Data Center. These centers consume vast amounts of water and electricity, leaving some Sioux Falls residents nervous about potential utility rate increases.

Additionally, data center cooling fans are known to emit a constant mechanical hum that critics worry will disrupt the surrounding area.

Zokaites, a self-described “cynic” of the current political system, opposed the proposal on the basis of public resistance.

“A lot of people didn’t like [the data center proposal], and they told that to the council,” Zokaites said. “But it went up because money talks and politicians have to listen to get elected.”

Smith acknowledged that AI data centers will inevitably arrive in South Dakota, but he expressed concern about placing the Gemini facility in an urban area like Sioux Falls.

Erickson said that she is optimistic about the economic benefits of building a new data center in Sioux Falls, especially the potential of bringing tech, website design and AI entrepreneurship jobs to the city.

“We are using more and more data,” she said. “We’re going to have to figure out how to embrace that but also how to keep data and jobs here in the United States.”

Erickson also praised the City Council’s efforts to implement guardrails and environmental protections for such a project.

Both Jamison and Batcheller argued that Sioux Falls has a unique opportunity to correct some of the fiscal and environmental mistakes other cities have made in creating data centers.

Following the forum, Nyawanda called the event “informative” and “a great opportunity to hear about the candidates.”

Preston Spaans, a freshman government & international affairs major, said the forum “allowed voters to educate themselves.”

At a time when national headlines dominate most of the political conversation, the city’s five mayoral candidates argued that local politics is where real change takes place.

“You have access to it,” Jamison said. “You can show up and voice your opinion and play a part in the process that affects your friends, your family and you directly.”