Republicans Drew Dennert, Mike Gage, Mike Wiese elected to Brown County Commission

Brown County voters have elected Republicans Drew Dennert, Mike Gage and Mike Wiese to serve on the county commission for the next four years.

Dennert, a former legislator, was the top vote getter with 8,394 votes, or 29%, followed by Mike Wiese with 7,135 and Mike Gage with 7,118. Both Wiese and Gage had 25% of the vote. Democrat Chad Fischbach finished with 6,212 votes or 22%.

The winners each said they were pleased with the support they received during the election.

Dennert, 26, has served the last six years as District 3 state representative, but said running for county commission has been something that's interested him for quite some time. With Dennis Feickert not seeking re-election, Dennert said he felt this was the right time.

"For me, I looked at this as I wanted to be the candidate who stood up for the entire county and stood up for the needs of the entire county," Dennert said, noting that each area of the county has completely different concerns, though many of them deal with roads.

He said the county has a lot of big things happening in the next few years, so the conversations will be interesting. One of the main topics, he said, is how the county can address capacity concerns at the jail. One option is the construction of a new regional jail inside the former Hub City Inc. building on the northeastern edge of Aberdeen.

On that topic, Dennert said, there are still questions to be answered.

"We'll see what's feasible and what's not and what funding will come from the state and counties," he said.

Appointed to the commission in December to replace Rachel Kippley, Gage, 45, said he's been amazed at the support he's received as a candidate considering he doesn't have a lot of name recognition.

Kippley resigned from the commission earlier this year when she was hired as manager of the county fair.

Gage said there's been a learning curve since his appointment, but he's enjoyed the experience.

"With every meeting you see how things work better and better. You keep trying to do what you feel is in the best interest of the county," he said.

No matter the issue, Gage said, commissioners have to take their time and do their research because it means a lot to someone.

"I really took that to heart," he said, noting that it was a tip from another person.

With 24 years experience serving on the commission, Wiese, 66, said he works hard to represent the residents of the county and to do the right thing. He's been active with the legislative summer study about regional jails and the county's need for more space for inmates.

Wiese said coming up with solutions is part of the job.

"Are you there to watch things happen or try and do some things to move things forward?" he asked.

He thinks the summer study by the legislature helped not only gather feedback, but improve understanding about regional jails. But, he said, there's still a long way to go on the issue.

Also re-elected was incumbent Republican Doug Fjeldheim. He was the sole candidate to file nominating petitions for a two-year term.

Conservation district merger approved

Brown County voters overwhelmingly approved the merger of the South Brown Conservation District and the Brown Marshall Conservation District. There were 8,836 ballots in favor and 3,116 against.

The merger aims to provide greater efficiency with a single district.

Legalizing recreational marijuana, Brown County votes only

• *No: 7,137 (52%)

• Yes: 6,692 (48%)

Expanding Medicaid, Brown County votes only

• *Yes: 7,643 (56%)

• No: 5,930 (44%)

Results from other county races across the region follow.

District 1 commissioner Day County

• *Sara McGregor-Okroi, R-Grenville: 240 (56%)

• Linda Walters D-Waubay: 191 (44%)

District 3 commissioner Day County

• *Daniel Kjos, R-Roslyn: 395 (72%)

• Richard L. Tobin, D-Pierpont: 157 (28%)

District 5 commissioner Day County

• *Derek L. Sinner, R-Webster: 249 (55%)

• Dari Schlotte D-Webster: 205 (45%)

Edmunds County auditor

• *Keith Schurr, D-Mina: 983 (59%)

• Daniel Hardison R-Bowdle: 688 (41%)

District 3 commissioner Edmunds County

• *Michael J. Geditz, R-Ipswich: 186 (64%)

• Jerome Schaffner I-Ipswich: 104, (36%)

Potter County sheriff

• *Curtis D. Hamburger, R-Gettysburg: 995 (91%)

• Joshua J. Zweber, I-Gettysburg: 104 (9%)

District 3 commissioner in Spink County

• *Kevin Siebrecht, I-Redfield: 324 (61%)

• Michael Siebrecht R-Redfield: 205 (39%)

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Brown County election results 2022 commissioner Aberdeen South Dakota