Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of six Brookings City Council candidate profiles that will appear in The Brookings Register this week.
BROOKINGS – Nick Wendell got his feet wet in city government and now he’d like to get in deeper by serving another term on the Brookings City Council.
Wendell is part of a four-way race for two 3-year seats on the council that also includes Patty Bacon, Verna Longville and Nick Schmeichel. The election is April 10.
Wendell was elected to fill out a 2-year council term after Scott Meyer resigned to move out of state.
“I have tried to be very thoughtful and well-informed on the decisions I have made on the council. And I’m anxious to continue that work,” Wendell said.
He moved to Brookings in 2000 to attend South Dakota State University, earning an undergraduate degree in journalism. He worked for an ad agency in Sioux Falls for a couple of years, then came back to work at SDSU and earned a master’s degree in higher education administration. He stayed at SDSU for a dozen years, ultimately serving as the director of the Center of Student Engagement before taking the position of executive director of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education last fall.
In the community, he’s been involved with Connect 2140, Downtown Brookings Inc., and Big Blue Birthday Box. He’s active in First United Methodist Church.
As a councilor, he’s served on the Brookings Municipal Utilities Board, the Joint Powers Board and the Downtown Retail Grant Committee.
Wendell has a 10-year-old daughter.
He feels it would be “kind of a waste to step away” now after investing so much.
“I always said … as a first-time councilor, ‘I don’t know what I don’t know,’ and it was after I was in the seat that I realized that was even truer than I thought it would be. There was a tremendous learning curve,” Wendell said. “Now that I’ve completed one term, it feels like I understand and appreciate the process well enough to be even more effective in a second term.”
He wants to be part of Brookings moving into the future and has some ideas on how to do that.
So many of Brookings’ priorities “are connected in some way,” Wendell said, listing infrastructure like Sixth Street and 22nd Avenue, and the South Main Fire Station; quality of life; and workforce.
“The need to continue to maintain existing infrastructure and invest in new is crucial in a city our size that is growing and changing in a certain way,” Wendell said.
Brookings has to keep its momentum in quality of life issues, he said.
“I think Brookings is the best community in South Dakota. And I don’t get very many arguments, no matter where I’m at when I say that,” Wendell said. “But that didn’t happen by accident.”
He credits all those that came before for laying the foundation by being thoughtful in their planning and says the current council has to continue to do that.
Workforce will be a challenge, he added. Older folks need to be replaced as they retire; younger ones are looking for jobs and a place to raise their families.
“There are industries here that need more workers. There are businesses that could expand if we had a stronger workforce. There are businesses and companies that would relocate to Brookings if we had workers,” Wendell said, adding the council will have to consider how best it can help with that problem.
“Technical education is going to be a pathway to address workforce challenges in our state, so I have a dual interest and a dual perspective,” he said, alluding to his job and council seat.
He sees Brookings as a multi-generational city with amenities for everyone, especially when it comes to art, culture and diversity.
“I think that the threads that make up the fabric of our community are becoming more and more diverse, and I think that’s a really cool thing,” Wendell said.
Staying on track will take a lot of planning, he said.
“The five-year and 10-year Capital Improvement Plans that really lay out what necessary investments are on the horizon, what we have already marked dollars toward and what we’re committed to supporting and what options are out there and how we really cast a long-range vision in our budget outlooks. That’s important,” Wendell said.
Setting up the Mental Health Task Force is a good start, but there’s a long way to go, he said.
“There will be a need for increased support and services – not just to folks who are personally struggling with a mental illness, but their caretakers, their family members, employers or potential employers. Mental illness affects every corner of the community,” Wendell said.
One issue he thinks the council needs to resolve is the Old Armory, whether the city decides to preserve it or demolish it.
“I say that as somebody who has an appreciation from both angles. I understand those who want to preserve that facility and I understand those who recognize that it may be important to re-utilize that space,” Wendell said.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
