BROOKINGS – Ope Niemeyer is running for his third term on the Brookings City Council and filed his petitions for re-election Feb. 3.
Niemeyer was elected to his first term six years ago and is running again because “I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done. I felt it was important that somebody that has a business, that they be involved in the city council,” he said. “I kind of represent the middle of the road, the middle income person, that works a regular day.”
He owns Ope Niemeyer Flooring, LLC, which employs 20-47 people “depending on the time of year; we have a lot of summer help,” he said.
As a business owner, he’s concerned with having a skilled workforce that can afford to live in Brookings.
He’s donated time and materials to Habitat for Humanity’s houses.
“People have to have their own home; good, safe, comfortable home they can afford,” he said.
Some of the other issues he’d like to keep involved with as a councilor are the proposed overpass on 20th Street South and the indoor rec center.
“I’m pretty strong about the county and the city being involved (with the overpass), but I also feel we need to have a partnership between private and public. This benefits those on the other side of the interstate more than anybody,” Niemeyer said.
“We obviously have to come up with a different idea for financing it (after the voters turned down a levy opt-out for the rec center last spring),” he said.
Niemeyer likes talking to people and getting their perspective.
“I quite often will meet up with somebody who’s been in Brookings for a short amount of time, and I’ll ask them what’s Brookings missing that you had somewhere else and see if we can integrate that into what we have,” he said.
He has served as liaison for Brookings Municipal Utilities and on the investment committee, and feels his experience as a businessman helps him as a councilor.
After graduating from West Lyon High School in Inwood, Iowa, he learned the flooring trade and then attended South Dakota State University, where he earned an ag business economics degree and met his wife, Beth, who is a civil engineer. They lived in Fargo and Pierre before moving to Brookings and have two adult daughters.
Niemeyer believes in giving back.
“Beth and I, both, are very missionary minded. I’ve gone to Haiti five times,” he said.
He also works to improve things at home.
“I think I’m making a difference,” he said and wants to keep doing that as a member of the council.
The city election is scheduled for April 11. There are two city council seats up for grabs, currently held by Niemeyer and Councilor Dan Hansen. Both have three-year terms.
Hansen filed his petitions earlier this month.
So far, three candidates – Patty Bacon, Keith Corbett and Don Diamond – have filed petitions in the mayoral race. That post has a one-year term.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
