Oppenheimer recalled a meeting last fall -- the same meeting in which the city heard a few hours of testimony related to Operation Prairie Thunder -- in which councilors voted down a zoning change to turn a single-family home into a duplex.

"Rather than defer or do more research, the council voted 4-3 against it and killed the project right there," Oppenheimer said. "I would've either looked for a deferral or voted in favor because I like affordable housing and starter homes."

• Oppenheimer also said he would've voted to defer the January data center rezoning request rather than approve it that night as the council did.

Danh said he would've voted differently during the Jan. 6 council meeting in which about five dozen people spoke out about a rezoning to pave the way for a potential data center in northeast Sioux Falls. He said it felt strange for the council to move forward with that project -- especially given the unknowns about data center regulations in the state legislature, and the number of public dissenters.

"I remember talking to some of the youth outside afterwards and hearing things like, 'Oh, my vote doesn't count,' 'Democracy doesn't matter -- they're always going to pick what they want instead of us,'" Danh said, adding that he wants to see the city do a better job at educating the public about ongoing issues before they come to a final vote."

Danh: "I think our public transit has served us well for where we’ve been, but moving forward as we look to scale our city and look to bring in more people it needs to be more accessible"

• Danh also added that he'd like to see the city thinking bigger, whether it's a hub and spoke transit system or a future light rail as the city and state explore the renovation of the viaduct downtown. Overall, there's more work to be done and more research needed.

Oppenheimer said the Sioux Area Metro's new on-demand transit is a "wonderful addition," and there is more growth needed in the transit system overall.

"As Smithfield moves north, we are going to have to get quality public transit to that area of town," he said. "We’re going to have to start looking at making increasing the frequency of bus routes as the city gets bigger, being able to get out to the suburbs to and from downtown."

Oppenheimer said he'd like to see more research done on this topic and perhaps a committee to "dust off" the previous childcare plan presented in 2023.

• He also noted that public safety is one of his key priorities, with a particular emphasis on youth and ensuring kids have after-school programming available to them. And he said he'd like to look at ways the city can incentivize childcare to be more affordable or incentivize businesses to create childcare within their organizations.

Danh said he also sees childcare as not only a workforce issue, but also a public safety issue. He shared the example of a tri-share model pilot project in Brookings (in which parents pay 1/3 the cost of childcare and the business/government/philanthropic communities pick up the remainder) as something Sioux Falls could test.

• He also said by investing in children, it'll pay dividends for the city in the future.

Danh: "Yes -- I don't see any reason not to. When we talk about Sioux Falls as the best little city in America, it's the best little city in America for everybody."

Oppenheimer: "Yes, 100%. Everyone has a right to live the way they want to."

Oppenheimer said he'd like to see more focus on a "Housing First" approach in the short-term, with a long-term solution involving working more with youth.

"Long-term, we need to look at after-school programming and mentoring," he said. "I think Mayor Paul TenHaken was completely on the right lines looking at that. Investing in this is a long-term play."

Danh said one thing he'd do differently than the previous council is the messaging from the city about helping unhoused neighbors. He specifically pointed to the "Cash handouts don't help" marketing campaign, calling it a "misfire."

"It feels like we're telling people, 'don't be good people,'" Danh said, adding that he'd rather see a more positive message encouraging people to support nonprofit partners.

Danh said he wants to continue to give opportunities to the youth to participate, whether it's existing programs like the mayor's youth council or perhaps new efforts like a page program for the council.

"The youth is the future, and we'd be silly not to invest in them and give them the opportunity," Danh said.

Oppenheimer also praised the mayor's youth council, saying that it's hugely important to engage young people within the city.

• He shared the example of how Downtown Rotary includes junior rotarians, and he said he'd like to see the City Council committing more to engaging with high schoolers, perhaps, for example, by committing to attending a certain number of student council meetings.

Oppenheimer pointed to his experience, passion and vision. For experience, he's run local nonprofits for the last decade and currently oversees a team of over 200 people and manages a $200 million budget.

• He also wants to bring positive, efficient, transparent, servant leadership with a focus on public safety through the lens of supporting youth, sensible balanced growth and improving the city's roads.

"I have the passion for this ... I bring that passion, that energy," Oppenheimer said. "Each neighborhood needs a focus, needs a park, needs good transportation, needs a good way to connect to the bike path, needs a grocery store, a place of worship. Growing the city into different neighborhoods is something I'm very passionate about, and most of what the council does is zoning, so you truly get to decide those sorts of things."

Danh said he's a product of Sioux Falls, pointing to his parents' restaurant and how they found success despite arriving in the city with nothing, as well as his own experience as a business owner. He said he's also been able to grow with the city.

"Even though I grew up in the city, I never was an insider," Danh said. "I had to earn my place at every table I sat at, whether it was translating for my parents so we could get a better deal when it came time to get a lease or trying o fit in at a school system that didn't look like me at the time. Because of that, I know how valuable it is to be inclusive."

• Danh also pointed to his experience as a storyteller, marketer and communicator, saying he'd be able to help people understand what's going on in their city and "translate" their concerns to the people in power.