Pankonin said she disagrees with the city's purchase of the Westside Recreation Center, which the city bought from Sanford for $9 million in 2024. She said she didn't like to see the city enter into an industry that's already well-served by the private sector.

"If we didn't have that in our town, then I could see the city providing a service like that," she said. "But because we already have private entities like that, when I see the city getting into a new endeavor such as owning a gym, I jusst think it competes with a number of private businesses that we already have."

Crane said he would've taken a different approach with the January vote to rezone land in northeast Sioux Falls to pave the way for a new, hyperscale data center. He would've voted to defer the decision after seeing the overwhelming public input.

"In addition to the concerns over the data center, I've had questions from several people about, 'what are you going to do to make city government more transparent,'" Crane said. "And when you think about it, it's become more of a problem because we don't have any media coverage any more ... We’ve gotta figure out how to make information more accessible to people and help them know where they can go."

Crane said the improving ridership numbers show Via is "doing some good things," but he'd like to see the city get more creative with its approach to public transit as the population grows. He added that mayoral candidate Jamie Smith made some good points at a recent public debate about the challenge of people who can ride a bus to work but who cannot ride one home because service ends before their shift is over.

"We need to continue to work and develop and look at how we can be more efficient and provide good consistent service," Crane said.

Pankonin said she's heard from residents about the limitations of paratransit and the Sioux Area Metro "on-demand" service.

"I need to look into the budget a little bit more about it," she said. "And I also want to see if theres any more nonprofits that people need to be aware of because I think it's kinda neat that we have Project Car out there. Solutions could come form a variety of avenues but there definitely need to be some solutions."

Pankonin said while her main priorities are public safety, transportation and green spaces, as a mother she does understand what it's like to drop kids off at daycare. She said she'd like to look at the city budget, as well as city regulations, and see if there's a way to help families.

"I think that we need to hve enough rules and regulations to have a safe place for our children, but not so many that it is hard for qualified caregivers to start a daycare," she said.

Crane said he doesn't think the city should be the one putting in most of the money, but he wants to look at partnerships with providers and the business community. He also said he'd like to see a comprehensive development plan -- similar to what the county is working on right now with homelessness.

"I think it has to be a focus, a priority, but I’m cautious on putting a lot of money in," Crane said. "I'd rather develop a complete plan, figure out how it's going to work and get buy-in from everybody that has a stake in the game."

Crane: "Yes, I would. I think they need the coverage."

Pankonin: "This is an ordinance I have to read myself. I'm a little bit surprised that I'm being asked as a city councilor. I just don't know how much it comes into the role as a city councilor. ... If there truly is something in this non-discrimination ordinance that that many people are feeling unwelcome, then it needs to be looked into. I need to look into it yet."

Pankonin said a person she met on her campaign told her about a root from Africa that helped him tackle his addiction. She said it's been used in other states and could potentially be used at The Link.

"Beyond that, I just really want to listen and hear from more people who are working with this everyday," she said.

Crane said he's interested to see the plan the county is developing in partnership with the city and other stakeholders, and that he's in favor of a housing first approach.

"When people get housed, that gets them a major step forward on the road to recovery," Crane said. "And that means we’re probably, as a city, going to have to be a player in probably helping some of these agencies and others expand services and facilities."

Crane said he's been impressed by some of the kids on the mayor's youth council and that it's a "heck of a thing" to help young people understand what government does.

Pankonin said she thinks it's "critical to get young perspectives in decision-making because "not only do they have good ideas, but they're also our future."

Pankonin: "Because of how much I care. I have a strong combination of experiences and skills, and it includes critical thinking. I have a caring heart, a desire to serve, business ownership experience. I have experience working for the city, engineering experience for communities in water, sanitary sewer. ... I can hear many people's views at the same time when making a decision and so I think that's a good skill as well."

Crane: "I think when you look at where we’re at and some of the issues that are out there on the horizon like freezing property taxes or eliminating property taxes–those are major kinds of discussions that are going to impact those things we’ve been talking about ... I think because of where I’ve served during my time in the community, I have the background and knowledge to be an effective leader in that kind of discussion. The other thing, and it's true, I’m excited to be able to get involved and do that. I think it’ll be fun."