(Editor's note: This is just one part of a series of stories about local candidates in the upcoming June 2 primary, municipal and school board election. Find more coverage here.)

Simplified: Five people are looking to fill two open at-large seats on the Sioux Falls City Council. Four of the five candidates sat down with Sioux Falls Simplified for filmed interviews covering a wide range of topics from affordable housing to data centers and much more.

Why it matters

  • Four of the eight City Council seats are up for election this year, with only one incumbent, Councilor Rich Merkouris. That means, no matter what, there will be at least three new faces on the council (including at least one at-large seat).
  • The councilors who fill the "at-large" seats represent the entire city – meaning no matter what side of town you live on, you'll want to pay attention to these races in particular.
  • Three candidates are looking to fill the At-Large A seat, including: Vince Danh, James Oppenheimer and Juliann Perrigo Talkington. Two candidates are vying for the At-Large B seat: Rich Merkouris and Samantha Scarlata.
  • This guide aims to make it easy to feel smart about how the candidates feel on a wide variety of relevant policy issues. If you prefer to listen/watch full interviews, you'll find them all in a YouTube playlist:
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First, let's meet the candidates

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

At-Large A

Vince Danh

Danh said he never pictured himself running for public office, rather, the 34-year-old entrepreneur and owner of a local video and photography production company anticipated he'd be helping other people get elected.

  • But then he had a conversation with a friend in which he realized, "If not me, who?"
"I've spent the last couple years building relationships, trying to do my best in the community, and this is just the next step," Danh said.

James Oppenheimer

James Oppenheimer has spent the last decade running three different nonprofits in the Sioux Falls area: Dakota Alliance Soccer Club, the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society and, in his current role as CEO of the Sioux Falls Family YMCA.

"I’ve chosen to run for city council because I love this city, and I want to follow in the footsteps of those before me who have made this a welcoming, affordable safe city," Oppenheimer said.

He said he's been serving the city in various ways through his nonprofit work, and he's excited to see what more he can do for the community.

Juliann Perrigo Talkington

Talkington was unable to meet in-person or respond to questions sent virtually in time for publication. This will be updated if/when those responses are received or a meeting is set. In the meantime, you can find some info on her campaign website here.

At-Large B

Rich Merkouris

Rich Merkouris, a 44-year-old pastor and current City Council member, said he wanted to run again because there are things he's really passionate about "that still need continued work."

"The other thing is, now I've got some experience and understanding on how the system and process works," Merkouris said. "And an opportunity to work with the new (mayoral) administration, I think really has the opportunity to set some things in place for the future of our community."

Samantha Scarlata

Samantha Scarlata, 38, traces her path to running for council to a decision about a year and a half ago to help start an East River Tenants Union to help bridge the gap between tenants and landlords. Through that experience, Scarlata said she's seen firsthand "what so many people in this city go through."

  • She also attributes her decision to run to her mom.
"My mom always taught me to look out for other people and be more selfless instead of selfish," Scarlata said.

Let's talk policy

At the risk of this story turning into a novel, you'll find specific topic-based stories linked below that you can peruse based on your interests and concerns. Click the topic below to see candidate responses to questions on that topic.

Here's how the candidates responded to questions regarding:

What if I don't want to read a whole bunch?

More of an auditory processor? No problem.

You can listen to full interviews with each of the candidates by following the YouTube embeds above or by going directly to Sioux Falls Simplified's YouTube channel.

  • Stay tuned in the coming days for topic-based videos featuring each of the candidates on specific topics including affordable housing, data centers, the future of downtown and more.