Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of three stories featuring candidates for Brookings mayor. The one-year post is up for grabs in the April 11 election. Vying for it are Patty Bacon, Keith Corbett and Don Diamond.

BROOKINGS – There’s a certain something about Brookings that draws people in. Patty Bacon knows this well from her own experience, having returned to Brookings four times.

She knows the strengths of the community and wants to enhance it from the mayor’s office.

Her top priority if elected would be to facilitate community engagement in local issues. City task forces and boards on subjects ranging from mental health issues to the proposed indoor recreation center have done a great job for getting members of the public involved in city discussions and decisions, and it means it’s not just city council members having a say, she argued.

And there are many complex issues the city’s facing, but two in particular are close to her heart: affordable housing and poverty.

Years ago, Bacon moved to Rapid City on her last dime for a job she was expecting, all as a single mother with her kids. When she got there, she was told there was no job for her, but they found some work for her to do; it was enough to pay the rent and get some groceries.

While in Rapid City, she eventually ended up as the assistant director of the Canyon Lake Senior Citizens’ Center, where she daily saw its members struggle with finances during retirement.

“They didn’t have retirement plans where they worked and they didn’t save anything, and they were finding out quickly that Social Security was not enough,” Bacon explained.

To help these retirees find another source of income, she helped start a program called Project Reentry. Women in particular needed help, since many were stay-at-home mothers and hadn’t worked paid jobs before. But they still had skills to offer, so Bacon and others helped them put together résumés. Most of them got jobs through the program.

This was the start of 30 years of work in nonprofits. Throughout the years, she’s done such work as a consumer credit counselor and serving as the first director of the Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity.

“Service has been a part of my whole life,” Bacon said. “I enjoy serving. I find value in my life when I serve.”

And when it came time to buy a house in Brookings, she struggled like everyone else to find something within her family’s modest budget. That and the constant refrain from those she spoke with led her to emphasize addressing affordable housing in her city council run in 2015.

“I did a presentation to the council in October 2015 and put forth a resolution to create the Affordable Housing Task Force. We’ve been working on that for about a year, and I am excited that we are going to bring back some exciting suggestions to the council on ways to address that, both at the middle income level and the lower income level as well,” she said.

The city needs to be ready to support local law enforcement with resources so it can better address such problems as increasing drug crime.

“We (need to) very sincerely talk to Chief (Jeff) Miller and our law enforcement officers to see what resources we need as a community to invest in so we can keep it at bay and not wait until it’s an overwhelming issue,” Bacon said.

Sustainability is another thing she’d like the city to work on, in the sense of economic, social and environmental sustainability.

As a member of the city council, this was her shot to run for mayor safely. With this race being to fill the remainder of former Mayor Tim Reed’s term, the election for a full mayoral term would have been at the same time as her city council term expires. She would have had to choose which election to go for, and although she wants to use the mayor’s office to do more work on these critical issues, it’d be a risky proposition.

“I’ve got too much work to do on affordable housing, so this was my opportunity,” Bacon said.

Bacon describes herself as practical minded and a creative problem solver. Take the 20th Street South overpass, for example.

“The feds don’t feel there’s enough traffic that it’s bothering them, so they’re not going to put any money in. SDDOT isn’t going to put in any money,” she said.

That means a $15 million project for the city to tackle. But if they were to also put in an exit on this overpass, it could draw in traffic to businesses on the southern end of town, boosting economic activity there.

“I want us to look at other communities that have gotten investments from businesses to help pay for those. Sioux Falls has done it more than once,” she said.

With a record of service and leadership, Bacon encouraged voters to choose her as Brookings’ next mayor this April.

“I believe I’ve taken good initiative since I’ve come on the council. I haven’t waited to get engaged. I have really worked hard on virtually all the issues we’ve talked about, and I feel I have … the vision that a good chunk of our community wants to see happen in Brookings.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.