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With the upcoming Wagner City Council elections Tuesday, April 9th, it is important to learn more about the candidate’s seeking election to the council. In Ward 1, the candidates are incumbent, Dan Cimpl, and George Langdeaux Sr. In Ward 2, the candidates are incumbent, Rich Dufur, and Gene Niehus. In Ward 3, the candidates are incumbent, Colby Kirwan, and Brenda Jaton. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Wagner City Hall.

Dan Cimpl

Dan wanted to run for another term on the Wagner City Council because there were several things that he wanted to see completed that would take another term in order to do so. One big priority on Dan’s to do list was that he wanted to see more police officers on the Wagner Police force and wanted to be able to provide better pay for those officers. To Dan, building the police force would help to preserve the well-being of the residents and Wagner community as a whole.

George is running to be a Wagner City Council member because he wants to see change in the city government. Langdeaux sees that Wagner is growing and that overall Wagner is a great community to be a part of. George would like to see more of the council members listening to of the Wagner community members to get input on what needs to be changed. One area that George knows needs to be changed would be an increase in housing for the Wagner community. Safety is another concern for Langdeaux. He would like to see Wagner attract and retain more quality law enforcement officials that are willing to work with the tribe in order to keep Wagner safer.

George believes that one issue that needs to be addressed in the Wagner community is balance. He does not feel that everyone is considered when making decisions for the good of the community. George feels that some decisions are not made with the consideration of what is best for the Wagner community at large. George’s approach to handling controversial and complicated issues would be to listen to both sides of the issue. He also believes in doing his research whether it be researching the issue or looking to other communities with similar issues and seeing what they have implemented to fix the problem.

George is a retired Army National Guardsman, having served in the Wagner unit for 20 years. He is also a member of the Wagner VFW, supporter of the Missouri Area Boys and Girls Club, and an elected member of the Wagner Community School Native American Education Committee. George has been married to his wife, Tana for 17 years and they have two children together, Ryann and Tegan. He also has four grown children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In their free time, the couple enjoys spending time as a family which includes camping in Pickstown and attending their daughters ball games and activities throughout the year.

Rich Dufur

Rich has served on the city council for two terms and is seeking a third. He feels that as a city council member, he has helped accomplish a number of projects for Wagner and would like to continue. One of Rich’s major goals as a city council member would be to see the council to start putting funds aside to fix the curbing and streets. It will be a major undertaking, but is a project that needs to be started. Dufur would like to see more community members attend the city council meetings and give constructive input.

Some issues that Dufur feels needs to be addressed would be as he mentioned before the curbing and fixing of the streets, fixing up the softball and baseball fields for the Wagner youth to provide them with places to grow and learn teamwork. The fixing of the fields would also encourage more tournament level games which would bring more revenue to Wagner. When it comes to handing controversial and complicated issues, Rich listens to all sides, gathers as much information as possible and then works with the community and the council to come up with the best solution.

Rich has been a member of the Wagner community for the past 42 years. His favorite part about being a resident of Wagner would be seeing the growth of the community in the time that he and his family have lived here. He enjoys the atmosphere of Wagner where its residents always have a wave, smile or conversations readily available. He has been married to his wife, Regina (Nedved), for 48 years. The couple has two daughters, two sonin- laws, and two grandchildren. In his free time, Rich enjoys hunting and fishing in this beautiful part of the country.

Gene Niehus is running for a seat on the Wagner City Council because he wants to make sure that the residents of Wagner’s voices get heard. When asked what his approach to handling controversial and complicated issues would be, Gene’s response was that he would directly engage in open conversations with Wagner residents to better understand their perspectives.

Issues that Gene feels needs to be addressed by the Wagner City Council include rebuilding the communities’ trust in the city council’s commitment to the community, dog ordinances and the enforcement of, giving community employees a voice, addressing affordable housing, working more closely with the tribe when possible and managing crime effectively. Gene has been in law enforcement for the past 46 years and understands the need for focus on community safety. He believes that council members should work alongside the mayor on public matters, prioritize the voices of the Wagner residents and individual wards over council majority decisions and listening to and address residents’ concerns.

Gene enjoys living in Wagner because it is a community where everyone is familiar with one another. People freely express their ideas, give feedback and offer help. Niehus has served the community on several boards and organizations over the years. He has served as President, Vice-President, and board member of the Wagner/ Lake Andes Ambulance board; a Wagner School Board member; has been a life-long member and former Commander of the Wagner VFW and a life-long member of the Wagner American Legion; is a member of the Wagner Saddle Club and a member of St. John’s Catholic Church. Gene is married to his wife, Katie, and they have four adult sons all married and with families of their own. When Gene is not busy working, he enjoys spending time working with his horses and cows.

Brenda is running for a seat on the Wagner City Council because she feels that she is deeply committed to the Wagner community and wants the opportunity to be an influence on the future direction of Wagner. Brenda had previously served on the Wagner City Council. Issues that Brenda feels that need to be addressed are affordable housing, building a stronger Wagner police force, build the city budget, build a better working relationship between the City of Wagner and the Yankton Sioux Tribe, and pushing to re-open the Wagner nursing home. When it comes to handling controversial issues, Brenda feels that the council members need to take the time to listen and help each other stay focused on the future for the common good of the community.

During her years as a Wagner resident, Brenda has served on many boards and organizations including Wagner Area Growth, Wagner Pool Fundraising committee, 605 Unity Jam Committee, Chamber’s Wagner Farm and Home Show committee, fought to Save the 4 Lane Highway 46 and is currently serving on the ROCS board.

Brenda is a life-long resident of Wagner. She grew up on a farm just south of Wagner, graduated from Wagner High School in 1997, worked in the Ag industry for 18 years and currently owns and operates with her husband, Joey, the Sinclair/Midtowne Oil & Wash in Wagner. Brenda and her husband Joey have three sons, Tyler (23), Tyler (17), and Justyn (16). In her spare time, Brenda enjoys spending time at the river, camping, fishing, and also traveling to different racetracks to watch her husband race stockcar.

Colby Kirwan

Colby Kirwan is seeking re-election to the Wagner City Council. When asked what some of the issues that he feels need to be addressed in Wagner are, Colby said that crime and public safety is the top one. He would also like to see more community involvement at the meetings and encourages Wagner residents to attend meetings and reach out to council members and city staff in order to get more involved in the city government. Sometimes the council does not know about issues unless it is brought to their attention.

When it comes to handling controversial issues, Colby feels the best way to handle them would be to get a much factual information. Then consulting as many people with as much experience as possible to make the best-informed decision for the situation. His favorite part of Wagner would be the people. Colby is amazed at how much the community cares about each other and the involvement of residents in local organizations. Colby’s experience that best benefits the council would be that he has been a business owner in Wagner for ten years which has allowed him to work in many different communities across two states exposing him to many different people, communities and city governments.

Colby is involved in several community and state organizations including Wagner Area Growth, the housing board, Chamber of Commerce, a member of the SD B.A.S.S. Nation, SD Nursery and Landscape Association, advisory board for the horticulture Technical College, member of the National Association for Landscape Professionals and the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Colby is married to his wife, Halie, and they have two children, Jordyn and Killian. When Colby is not busy, he enjoys spending time with my family, camping, hunting and fishing.

Best of luck to all the candidates who are running for a position on the Wagner City Council. Do not forget to vote Tuesday, April 9th. Everyone’s vote and voices matter to make Wagner the best community it can be for all of its residents.