Rapid City voters have elected Jason Salamun as their new mayor.
The transition begins immediately, and Salamun will be sworn in at the July 3 City Council meeting.
The five-candidate race was never clear cut, but with no runoff Salamun secured a plurality of votes and the mayor’s desk. Salamun edged second place finisher Laura Armstrong by just over 200 votes. The race is close enough for a recount.
The campaign watch party was hosted at the Rushmore Hotel downtown. Salamun said his community connections won him the race.
“It’s not about who you know – it’s about who you know that are willing to say they knew you," Salamun said. “So, it’s about the relationships I have, the relationships I built, and even if people didn’t know me, they knew somebody that knew me, and could tell you over decades of living here what kind of person I really am. On the campaign trail it’s tough to always get that information out.”
Salamun said now is when the real work begins.
“We ran on a platform of strengthening public safety, and I think that will be a huge priority for us," Salamun said. "Nothing really happens before you assemble your team and make sure you have the culture and everything in place in order to make great things happen.”
While the municipal election is non-partisan, the mayoral race featured at least three candidates who campaigned on their conservative acumen.
Armstrong’s campaign received donations from former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jaime Smith and other Democrats.
Armstrong said she’s still processing the election results.
“We’re going to move forward. We’ve got some amazing people here in Rapid. And I think we started nice momentum," Armstrong said. "As always, I’ll remain optimistic. That’s me, through and through.”
Alderman Ron Weifenbach and Rapid City Developer Brad Estes each received under 20 percent.
Armstrong was elected to the Rapid City Common Council in 2017. When she first took office, the council held parity between genders. She was the only woman on the council following the last municipal election.
Lindsay Seachris, who ran unopposed in Ward 2, will now be the only woman on the council.
Following the final call on election results, Armstrong offered Seachris some advice.
“Do your best,” Armstrong says. “Be kind. Be fair. Do your homework. Make a decision and move forward. Just do what’s right for the community. Do self-less work, not selfish work.”
Voter turnout was just shy of 31 percent.
