Alex Jensen won't seek 2nd term on Sioux Falls city council, endorses former state lawmaker

Sioux Falls City Councilor Alex Jensen has endorsed a former state representative to replace him, after deciding not to seek re-election this April.

Richard Thomason filed paperwork to run for the At-Large C seat Wednesday. Thomason served for two years as a state representative for South Dakota's District 13, and currently works as a relationship manager at Central Bank.

His release says he is "a firm advocate for fiscal responsibility with balanced budgets and low taxes," with a "commonsense approach to decision making that involves research and communication with both sides of an issue to be fully informed."

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Jensen endorsed Thomason in the release, saying he was "incredibly excited Richard has decided to run," and Thomason has "a sincere understanding of the issues facing our community, and I know he’ll be a great advocate for public safety and fiscal responsibility."

In addition to Jensen's support, Thomason's campaign committee is chaired by former Councilor Christine Erickson.

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Thomason's announcement means three of the four open council seats in this election cycle now have a candidate who has announced their interest in running. The other two candidates include Ryan Spellerberg in the southwest district and Tarek Maalouf in the northeast district.

A candidate has yet to announce for the city's northwest district, where Greg Neitzert is term limited.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Alex Jensen won't seek 2nd council term, endorses former SD lawmaker