Your guide to Minnehaha County races

Megan Raposa -

Note: This is part of a series looking at the Nov. 8 election. Meet legislative candidates here, state-wide candidates here, and read up on ballot measures here.

Simplified: With so many big statewide races on the ballot, you'd be forgiven for forgetting there are also county-level races. But, fear not. There's still time to meet all of the candidates seeking office in Minnehaha County before you go cast a ballot.

Why it matters

  • Minnehaha County is the most populous county in the state, and its elected officials have a say in everything from property taxes to public security needs to infrastructure projects.
  • In this guide, you'll meet five people vying for three seats on the Minnehaha County Commission.
  • You'll also meet two people hoping to win office as the County Auditor – a position which oversees elections in Minnehaha County.

Meet the county commission candidates

Candidates are listed in ballot order. Voters will choose three of the five. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Nichole Cauwels

Age: 47
Occupation: Dentist
Political party: Democrat

Why did you decide to run for this office? I grew up in the 4-H program, and my kids are in the 4-H program (which relies on the annual fair) ... There's a push right now at the county level to sell off the fairgrounds, and there's not really a plan or a way to replace them.

  • I really don't want to see that go away, and so knowing that those decisions are going to be upcoming, I wanted a seat at the table.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the county right now?

Three things:

  1. Mental health care access at the Juvenile Detention Center. I think we’re harming our youth ... and we need to have a better way
  2. C02 pipelines. I don't see that there’s really any benefit to it at all, in addition to it’s an unproven technology and it’s very dangerous
  3. Affordable housing. That needs to be at the top of the list, and we need to be working toward common-sense solutions that benefit everybody.

Tom Holmes

Age: 71
Occupation: retired teacher and former state lawmaker
Political party: Democrat

Why did you decide to run for this office? I was asked to. Public service has always been important to me – that's the main reason I went into teaching and was in the legislature. I'm running for county commission because it's simply another opportunity to give back and to serve my fellow human beings.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the county right now? Short-term, you have the CO2 pipeline issue. The other issue is what's going to happen with the WH Lyons Fairgrounds. For me, the most pressing issue and the most long-term issue revolves around mental health. The use of methamphetamine in our community is devastating. If elected, I would definitely want to look at how we deal with mental health and look for ways to improve upon what we do.

Joe Kippley

Age: 38
Occupation: Healthcare administration
Political party: Republican

Why did you decide to run for this office? With two young children, I see the importance of having a safe and vibrant community to raise our next generation of leaders.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the county right now? We need to support public safety and law enforcement to keep our communities safe while we continue to grow at such a fast pace.

Jen Bleyenberg

Age: 42
Occupation: Financial aid coordinator
Political Party: Republican

Why did you decide to run for this office? It is important to me that I make a difference in my community, and I have a passion for serving others. My five years as the treasurer of Wall Lake Township ignited my interest in local government, and as a lifelong law enforcement family I have a special interest in continuing to ensure that the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office and our first responders are supported.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the county right now? There is one issue that is impacting every area of the county. Minnehaha County is a wonderful place to live and work, but county offices and departments are not immune to staffing shortages. I am looking forward to working as a team to improve hiring and retention in all levels of the county.

Gerald Beninga

Age: 71
Occupation: President and CEO of Active Generations
Political party: Republican

Why did you decide to run for this office? There's a lot of things that are not completed that need to be addressed. That's the reason I'm doing this again – I really feel strongly that I have something to offer.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the county right now? Public safety. We have spent and will have to continue to spend significant dollars of our budget on the Sheriff's Department. We probably have over 60 legal advisors ... that is what our community needs at this point. It's not as bad as it has possibly been in other areas of the country – we're not defunding police, we're supporting them.

Meet the county auditor candidates

Brian Wirth

Age: 39
Occupation: Fraud investigator
Political party: Democrat

Why did you decide to run for this office? I believe local elections matter. Your local government affects your life on a more day-to-day basis, and I want to make sure everybody’s votes are counted and all county tax dollars are secure.

If elected, what changes do you plan to bring to the County Auditor's Office? I would make sure the vote counting machines are counted thoroughly. I would make my own set of test ballots and run them through the machines numerous times. Also, whenever our contract is up with the company we contract with, going to make sure we can, if we want to, hand count the ballots.

Leah Anderson

Age: 56
Occupation: Accounting
Political party: Republican

Why did you decide to run for this office? Being a grassroots candidate, I am not your typical politician. Out of concern for our country and the future of our grandkids, I began getting involved in local politics. Through prayer and with the encouragement of others, I knew I could best use my 29 years of financial accounting experience to serve as Auditor of Minnehaha County.

If elected, what changes do you plan to bring to the county auditor's office? Customer service, communication, transparency and strengthening staff and volunteer relationships would be top priorities. A welcome change for confidence in our elections would be random audits of our tabulation machines prior to certification of the vote count. South Dakota is one of five states that has never performed post-election audits. Also cleaning up our voter rolls will be a major priority.