BROOKINGS – A Brookings City Council election on April 10 is now guaranteed as three more candidates filed their nominating petitions with the city Friday.
Opening on the council this year are two, three-year seats, now held by Patty Bacon and Nick Wendell. Bacon and Nick Schmeichel had previously filed for the posts, and they were joined Friday by Wendell and newcomer Verna Longville.
That means an election will be held for at least those two seats.
Also opening on the council are spots held by Mayor Keith Corbett, for a three-year term, and Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne, for a one-year term. Corbett filed his nominating petition last month, and Tilton Byrne filed hers Friday.
So far, Corbett and Tilton Byrne are the only candidates to file for those posts.
The candidate lists in any of the races could grow, though, as the deadline to submit nominating petitions is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23.
Wendell announced his intention to seek a second term on the Brookings City Council on Friday.
During his first two years of service, Wendell has been a member of the Joint Powers Board, the Downtown Retail Grant Committee and the Brookings Municipal Utilities Board. He has championed a number of efforts designed to improve the quality of life in Brookings, including the bicycle master plan, retail and workforce development, and work related to diversity and inclusion.
“I believe Brookings is the best community in South Dakota,” Wendell said in a prepared statement. “I’m excited to have an opportunity to take what I’ve learned over the past two years and continue putting it to work for our city.”
In addition to his service on the council, Wendell is the founder of The Big Blue Birthday Box, was the founding president of Connect 2140 (young professionals network), is an active member of the First United Methodist Church and is a graduate of the Leadership South Dakota program.
A native of Gregory, Wendell is a South Dakota State University graduate and works as the executive director of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education. He lives in Brookings with his 9-year-old daughter, Amelia.
To learn more about Wendell, search Nick Wendell, Brookings City Council on Facebook.
The Register will have more information about Longville next week.
Also part of the April 10 election will be a Brookings School District vote on a proposed $5.1 million annual property tax opt out that would last for 10 years, raising a total of $51 million from property taxpayers.
This would increase the school district tax levy from 34 cents per $1,000 in valuation to $2.295 per $1,000.
The opt out is being proposed to help the district close the gap between limited resources and the needs and wants of students, staff and the district. If nothing is done, the district is facing more than $750,000 in cuts just to balance its budget.
If approved, the extra revenue would also be used to add faculty, administrators and staff in a variety of areas and pay for training and enhancements to district and program development. It also aims to reduce class sizes in Brookings schools.
Another potential race on the April 10 ballot is for two seats on the Brookings School Board, now held by Randy Grimsley and Steve Bayer. Both have three-year terms.
So far, only two people – Grimsley and former Brookings School District Superintendent Roger DeGroot – have filed for the posts. The filing deadline for those openings is also 5 p.m. Feb. 23.
Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.
