Candidates set for Mitchell mayoral race, council elections on June 8

Apr. 1—The pool of candidates vying to become Mitchell's next mayor is set.

Giovanni Lanier and Jason Bates are the two candidates challenging Mayor Bob Everson at the June 8 election, bringing the pool to three. While Tara Volesky took out a mayoral petition in early March, the former candidate did not submit her petition with the 50 signatures needed prior to the deadline.

Prior to being elected as Mitchell's 35th mayor, Everson secured two terms on the Mitchell Board of Education for a total of six years. He was also appointed to serve on the city Planning and Zoning Commission in 1997 and spent 13 years as a member of the city Parks and Recreation Board. After graduating from South Dakota State University, Everson went on to become a professional mechanical engineer at Roby, Quintal and Everson in Mitchell, a position he still holds.

Lanier, a local bartender, has resided in Mitchell for roughly two decades. The Chicago native transplanted to Mitchell in 2003 to play collegiate football for Dakota Wesleyan University. While Lanier has yet to serve on any city government boards in Mitchell, he's not letting that hold him back from running for mayor.

Bates, a local bar and restaurant owner, has resided in Mitchell throughout most of his life. After graduating from Dakota Wesleyan University, Bates went on to become a professional wrestler and made appearances on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a prominent pro wrestling organization. Bates has not served on any city government boards, but that's not stopping the Mitchell business owner from competing to become Mitchell's next mayor.

City Council races

Among the four City Council seats that are on the June 8 ballot, two candidates will be challenging the incumbents, Marty Barington and Dan Sabers.

Clay Loneman, of Mitchell, recently filed a petition to challenge Sabers in Ward 1. For Ward 2, Pam Bathke, of Mitchell, recently filed a petition to challenge Barington.

Kevin McCardle and Jeff Smith are the remaining incumbent Mitchell City Council members up for reelection on June 8, but both are running unopposed. That means McCardle and Smith will automatically serve another three-year term on the council.

Sabers, who has a wide variety of business management experience in the hospitality and recreation sector, was elected to the council in 2018. He secured 45% of the votes in the 2018 election, defeating Loneman and Tim Goldammer. Goldammer narrowly trailed Sabers with 38% of the votes, while Loneman lost by the widest margin, receiving 17% of the votes.

Loneman's bid is to represent Ward 1 — the southwest quadrant of Mitchell. He was defeated by council member Steve Rice in his first try for Ward 1 in 2017. Loneman recently graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He's worked in a variety of sectors in the past few years, including HVAC and transportation.

Barington has represented Ward 3 on the City Council since 2006. The Mitchell native will compete against Bathke in the upcoming election as one of the longest tenured council members. Barington, an established businessman and sales manager for Custom Touch Homes, ran unopposed in the 2018 election, earning him another three-year term.

Bathke, an accountant and business consultant, will be entering her first race for a seat on the City Council. Bathke received her bachelor's degree from Dakota Wesleyan University and later went to earn her master's degree in business administration at the University of Sioux Falls.