Simplified: A familiar face will join temporarily join the Sioux Falls City Council in the seat recently vacated by Councilor Sarah Cole. Here's what you need to know about former (and now current) Councilor Vernon Brown.
Why it matters
- The Sioux Falls City Council has the authority to fill a vacant council seat, and councilors Tuesday evening appointed Vernon Brown, who previously served on the council from 2004 to 2012.
- Brown will only serve until after the June municipal election, in which the At-Large A seat Cole previously held will be on the ballot. He was nominated by Councilors Miranda Basye and Ryan Spellerberg.
- The appointment feels serendipitous, Brown said, noting that when he first served on the council, his focus was on improving the city and making Sioux Falls the kind of community where future generations – including his then-newborn daughter – would want to stay.
"My daughter will graduate from college next spring, and she is choosing to hopefully start her career here in Sioux Falls," Brown said. "So it just kind of feels full-circle for me."
Tell me more
Because his tenure on the council will be brief, Brown said he's not coming in with any specific agenda or policy.
- Rather, the goal will be to listen to constituents and support policies that will better Sioux Falls, Brown said.
Basye said she nominated Brown because of his involvement in the community and his "willingness and ability to communicate."
"You can’t go to a ribbon cutting in town or a chamber event in town and not see Vernon out there," Spellerberg added.
What happens next?
Brown will join the council and serve until someone is elected to replace him in the At-Large A seat on the eight-member council.
- His (short-tenured) seat is one of four council seats up for grabs in the 2026 city election.
