Three candidates set to run in Mitchell mayoral race, while field of council candidates expands

Sam Fosness, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·2 min read

Mar. 26—MITCHELL — As the June 4 election citywide nears, the field of candidates running for mayor and the four Mitchell City Council seats are set.

Three candidates are running for mayor. The three-way mayoral race includes Mayor Bob Everson, Jordan Hanson and Terry Sabers.

The deadline to file nominating petitions for the mayoral and city council elections was Tuesday, March 26.

Everson is eyeing a third term as Mitchell's top-elected official, while Sabers and Hanson are challenging the incumbent.

Hanson, an entrepreneur and real estate developer, and Sabers, former co-president of Muth Electric and president of Mitchell Area Housing Incorporated (MAHI), are both first-time mayoral candidates.

Several mayoral debates and forums are scheduled ahead of the June 4 election. The first debate featuring the trio of mayoral candidates is scheduled to take place on April 24 at the James Valley Community Center. The debate is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m.

The Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce announced it will be hosting a candidate forum featuring mayoral and city council candidates. A date and location has yet to be determined for the Chamber of Commerce's candidate forum.

Four city council seats will be decided on June 4. All four council races will feature an incumbent candidate eyeing re-election.

Dan Sabers, Jesse Stroud and Sarah Deakins have filed nominating petitions for Ward 1, the southwest portion of the city.

Sabers is eyeing a third term on the council. Challenging Sabers' re-election bid are Deakins, an official with the Department of Social Services, and Stroud, a marketing professional and consultant.

After deciding against running for mayor, Mitchell City Council President Kevin McCardle is seeking re-election for the Ward 2 council seat he's held since 2017.

McCardle is being challenged by Shaun Davis, who recently filed a nominating petition for Ward 2.

Longtime council member Marty Barington is running for Ward 3. Barington is running uncontested, which means he will serve another three-year term on the council.

Barington has served on the council since 2006, making him one of the longest-serving council members on the eight-person governing body.

Since nominating petitions began circulating in early March, the Ward 4 race has expanded to three candidates.

Jeff Smith is eyeing another term on the council. Smith has represented Ward 4, the northwest portion of Mitchell, since 2006.

Challenging Smith are Don Everson, a former Mitchell detective, and Montana Walcott, a local entrepreneur and business owner.

Ward 4 boundaries include Lake Mitchell residents. Also on the June 4 ballot is a $16.8 million loan application that the city is aiming to use to fund a future Lake Mitchell dredging project.