Simplified: Mayor Christine Erickson has been on the job for a month now, and we're getting an early look at her leadership style. Sioux Falls Simplified chatted with members of Erickson's transition team and heard from the mayor herself on how the first month is going.
Why it matters
- After winning by only four votes in the July run-off election, Erickson knows that she didn't take office with a mandate from the voters – something she's acknowledged from day one, including with her transition team, said Kadyn Wittman, a District 15 state representative and transition team member.
- Another thing she's said from day one is that she's committed to doing the work, and Erickson told reporters earlier this week that she's also putting her transition team to work in meeting people where they are, gathering information on city departments and bringing tangible recommendations for how to improve city operations.
- For transition team member Jodi Schwan, who previously served on Mayor Paul TenHaken's transition team and worked as Mayor Dave Munson's chief of staff, Erickson's move into the mayor's seat has been "a really healthy process so far."
"She was very clear about her desire to be collaborative not just with folks who supported her, but she wants to have open dialogues and relationships with those individuals who have not always been in alignment with her policy stances," Wittman said.
Tell me more
All new mayors start with an emphasis on listening first, Schwan said, but one thing she's observed with Erickson is who she's surrounding herself with.
- Whereas TenHaken's transition team was largely folks with government expertise, Erickson is bringing in a mix of people with community and business experience.
Erickson has divided her transition team into four focus areas, and each of those areas has dedicated team members taking meetings with city staff and community stakeholders.
The four focus areas include:
- Government effectiveness and operations
- Public safety and infrastructure
- Growth and economic vitality
- Community, quality of life and resident experience.
Schwan and fellow transition team member Matt Paulson – founder of Marketbeat and major donor in Erickson's campaign – both said they feel they've been given the OK to gather input wherever they feel is valuable.
"I just think Christine and her administration are open to whatever the best idea is, wherever it may be," Paulson said. "They're sending us out to go find good ideas for city government, and I think through this process we'll find a bunch of them."
Paulson also added that the goal of the transition team overall is to get an outside look at government and find opportunities to make things more effective – but it's not necessarily the goal to come in and make a whole bunch of changes right away.
"She really wants to take the time to understand why things are the way they are and really only make changes once she has really talked to everyone involved," Paulson said.
For Wittman, what's been reassuring to see is Erickson's willingness to engage with people who've maybe historically not had a great relationship with city government – for example, people who are justice-impacted or unhoused.
"She is not just talking the talk," Wittman said. "She is actively pushing us to take action so that she can meet with community members ... she genuinely does want to build those relationships and those connections with communities that maybe did not align with her campaign."
What happens next?
The transition team will continue meeting regularly through September and October, and they're expected to have final recommendations for Erickson in early November.
