Jeff Miller

Why are you running for the position of mayor?

I’ve called Brookings home for the past 47 years, my roots run deep here in Brookings. I’m running for mayor because I know I can make a positive difference in our community.

Though we all can name great things from our community, too many people have felt priced-out, talked over, left out and forgotten. We are all wondering what livability will look like in the future. In these tough times, Brookings needs strong leadership to lead us through. I feel that I fulfill that requirement that is needed at this time. My tenure of over 30 years with the Brookings Police Department and as the police chief have given me the experience in city government that we need. Over the years I have served on various boards and charitable organizations that have benefited our community. I’ve made a positive difference in my professional career in law enforcement which spanned nearly 40 years here in Brookings.

Our community has been very divided on the role of government in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. I will work to unite that divide. That means building consensus not only with the council, but really listening to the concerns of our citizens. We all need to cooperate and work together to get things back to normal.

I’d like to focus on keeping our businesses open and our kids safely in school. Government needs to stay out of the way of business and promote and provide whatever is necessary for our local businesses to succeed. We must focus on maintaining the infrastructure of basic city services of police, fire, streets, and waste management.

What experience do you have and how would that experience help you lead as mayor?

As I stated earlier, my tenure at the Brookings Police Depart of over 30 years, eight of which I was the chief of police, have given me a leg up on the workings of the city. I managed the largest operating budget and staff within the city. Hardly a day went by where major decisions weren’t made that could affect the lives of our citizens. As chief, I made three primary goals for the department; increase the staffing for the department, as we were underperforming in our ability to respond to calls for service. Expand our building size as we were terribly limited in working space. And finally begin succession planning of the command structure for the future. Those goals were paramount to the continued success of the department. We had continued down the path of short term fixes and moved from that to strategic planning to reach our goals. That included more than just space needs and staffing, but additional equipment and training. I believe the Brookings Police Department stands as a shining example of good law enforcement in our region.

What is the greatest challenge that the city of Brookings faces and how do you plan to address it?

There are a number of challenges that the city of Brookings now faces. The most current one, but hopefully short-lived is the COVID-19 crisis recovery. Many of our small businesses and some larger industries have suffered in this recent pandemic. Hopefully with our most at-risk citizens receiving the vaccination, this will help alleviate fears in our community and get back to some degree of normalcy. Fear has been the biggest antagonist to our economy and way of life. This is a hot issue right now in our community as I go around talking to our citizenry. I believe better days are not far ahead of us.

Our biggest challenge is yet to come and that is the limitation of our geographical growth within the city. Brookings is limited in growth due to natural wetlands on virtually all sides except to the north which of course is university property. Most people probably don’t realize that we are critically short on developing land for any further expansion. We will really feel this in the next 10 to 15 years. So land usage within our current boundaries may have to change to make more room for residential development. Each expansion of development will continue to put a load on storm drainage adding to the problem. With each development in low-lying areas and implementing storm drainage will put a strain on other areas downstream. So we must move carefully and consider the impacts that those new developments create.

What is one area, project, or program where Brookings has succeeded and how do you plan to improve upon that success?

Overall, it’s been our quality of life here in Brookings. I often hear how clean and beautiful our city is from visitors. Our parks and recreational facilities are second to none compared to other cities our size. To expand or improve on may take some time once we are out of this economic pandemic. Right now, we are maxed out with the number of parks and facilities we maintain with the resources and staff that we have.

Brookings has a number of events throughout the year which make it an attractive place to come and visit. The Swiftel event center has been an asset to the community in attracting people to come here and enjoy various events. And as with everything else it will come back better and stronger after this crisis is gone.

The expansion of the Brookings hospital and medical staff has been a great improvement and asset to our community. This upgrade has attracted more and more people in coming to the Brookings hospital for their healthcare needs and not always heading to Sioux Falls. This investment is ultimately worth it for our community and positions us for better care in the future.

As well, Brookings has a great track record in employment, education, and the quality of our housing. We have been recognized in our awareness of minorities and disabilities by various awards and initiatives.

And from my close perspective, Brookings is a very safe community in which to live.

Do you have plans to improve Brookings’ retention of SDSU students after graduation?

This has been a timeless dilemma for not only the city of Brookings, but the entire state. Each year we lose our graduating SDSU students who leave for greener pastures in other cities and other states. The only thing I can see as attracting students to stay in Brookings is career opportunities and quality of life that goes along with the city of our size. Some industries here have offered career opportunities, but those are limited. We will always have those graduates seeking a more exciting life in larger metropolitan areas that we will never be able to compete.

The best we have to offer is our quality of life. A clean and almost crime free community that is able to blend cultural and sporting activities with beautiful parks and neighborhoods. Brookings is steeped in the tradition of working together in partnership with SDSU and I hope to keep that tradition.

Our best days are ahead of us if we show courage and allow ourselves to let go of old grudges and work together. I believe in public service, volunteerism and helping build a strong community. Brookings is a terrific place to live and I will work hard to keep it that way.

Ope Niemeyer

Why are you running for the position of mayor? What experience do you have and how would that experience help you lead as mayor?

I felt compelled after serving for 10 years on the council to move to the next step. I have run a local business for 30 years and during this last year, the council has been tested. I’ve felt that my leadership on the council is a great testament to my qualifications for mayor. During this past year, we have had to make some tough choices on COVID-19 mitigation measures. I’m proud of my stances on those votes and would be honored to continue to lead if elected mayor. I also love Brookings and loved my time attending SDSU that I wanted to make this my home.

Do you have plans to improve Brookings’ retention of SDSU students after graduation?

We want to keep as many students in Brookings as possible. The city of Brookings has been working to keep engaged with SDSU and departments to find possibilities to make students stay in Brookings. We’ve created landscaping jobs for students in the summer to improve our surface water runoff and companies in Brookings such as Daktronics, First Bank and Trust and other manufacturing facilities that work very hard to create internships for students. Those internships can lead to full-time positions right here in Brookings. They are very passionate about keeping students in Brookings. The Brookings Economic Development Corporation also has opportunities for students to apply for their entrepreneurial grants.

What is the greatest challenge that the city of Brookings faces and how do you plan to address it?

Keeping up with growth is a concern as infrastructure will be expanded and must be a part of the conversation. We may be running out of developable land in the south and west of town; we need to think about where we will be in 15 years and what will happen if we don’t plan infrastructure accordingly. We need to think about moving to the north and east, even if that means having to leapfrog some of SDSU’s research land.

What is one area, project, or program where Brookings has succeeded and how do you plan to improve upon that success?

Our quality of life in Brookings has been bringing people to Brookings and keeping them here. Graduates and retirees love our town and the quality of the schools, hospitals and parks being some of our highlights. SDSU is a wonderful partner that brings diversity and entertainment to Brookings. We want our city to be comfortable and inviting to new residents and students to want to stay after graduation. During my time on campus, I’ve worked towards those goals by implementing an expanded bike path on the north edge of campus and supporting the Performing Arts Center. The PAC brings immense economic and entertainment opportunities to Brookings that other cities cannot match. We’ve seen band competitions and major performers utilize the venture.

Bradley Walker

Why are you running for the position of mayor?

I am running for mayor because l believe the current city council has brought harm to our community by their continued overreach in putting restrictions on our small business community. People have lost their livelihood and their ability to provide the basic needs for their families because of arbitrary decisions made by the council on what is “essential” and what isn’t, despite the overwhelming objections voiced by the citizens. I am running to be a voice for the people, to listen to all opinions and vote the way l see what will benefit the community the most.

What experience do you have and how would that experience help you lead as mayor?

l have no previous governmental experience. l came here four years ago to retire, but when things changed and the local government started telling me how l had to live my life, I decided l should step in and do what l could to stop them from taking away basic freedoms from all of us. l worked for the same company for 35 years and dealt with many situations with people having different opinions and always tried to use logic and reason to resolve any problems that occurred.

Do you have plans to improve Brookings’ retention of SDSU students after graduation?

Just one example would be trying to retain as many Nursing graduates as possible by offering incentives from the Brookings Healthcare System, Avera and Sanford to join their teams as there is an ever increasing shortage of healthcare workers everywhere and with the aging population here in Brookings, they are a valuable community resource we can’t afford to lose.

What is the greatest challenge that the city of Brookings faces and how do you plan to address it?

The greatest challenge our community faces right now is the division brought upon use by the actions of the city council. Asking neighbors to report one another over perceived violations of the mask mandate, in effect pitting neighbor against neighbor, is wrong and detrimental to the health of the community. My focus will be on restoring unity and trust back in our community and regaining the kind, neighborly small town atmosphere that used to be the standard around here.

What is one area, project, or program where Brookings has succeeded and how do you plan to improve upon that success?

 I think the Brookings Ice Skating Association is a tremendous program that provides much needed mentoring and character building skills to the young citizens of our community. l will support the city’s continuing investment in the Larson Ice Arena and the valuable asset it provides to our community.