(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: Data centers have been a hot topic in Sioux Falls and statewide as local leaders decide how these facilities might fit into zoning designations, qualify for economic incentives and more. Sioux Falls Simplified asked each candidate how they'd approach decisions about data centers in the city.
Here's (approximately) what we asked:
Let's talk about data centers. How would you manage the tension between welcoming growth/new businesses to Sioux Falls with the concerns of residents about water usage, electricity rates and more?
Here's what candidates said (in alphabetical order):
Michael Crane
"First of all, I think that it's safe to say that we're not going to get rid of data centers. They're something that we're going to have to cope with, and I think that, on a case-by -case basis, you have to analyze the usage. I think that when you look at the one we're dealing with, the effort that was gone, that the city went through to limit the amount of fresh water that goes into that is very appropriate. I think that the discussion about electrical use and making sure that the increases aren't passed on to the single-family user and that kind of thing are absolutely appropriate."
Is this story helping you feel smarter about the 2026 election? Support Sioux Falls Simplified in bringing smarter, easier local news to our community.
Brady Kerkman
Kerkman said if you'd asked him a few months ago, he would have said he was "totally against" data centers, but he's gotten a lot more educated about them recently.
"Whether I agree with data centers or not, if I was in that chair at that time, and let's say 70% or 51% or 52% of my district said, 'yep, we're going to vote for them,' I would have voted for them," he said. "I am not voting for myself, and that may mean there's times that I don't agree with the vote. But here's the deal, I'm only a representation of the people in that district. And so I'm going to get some hard data to help me make that decision.
"I'm not trying to be wishy-washy on it. I'm not trying to ride the fence, but what I am trying to do is educate myself so I can make the best decision moving forward."
Sara Pankonin
Pankonin said AI helped her make her campaign website, but she also sees how AI could be both good and bad.
"It'd be really cool if part of this campaign – even if I don't win the election – if I end up figuring out who in this country that I'm a part of is in charge of whether or not AI is good or bad, and who is going to police the bad AI. If I knew that ... let's say we're going to pay for a data center or approve one – how much of the AI going through that data center is good, and how much of it is bad?"
See all Simplified election coverage here:
