Sturgis Kitchen Table

In this episode, Eric Davis sits down at the Sturgis Kitchen Table to discuss the current effort to recall the Sturgis mayor with Francie Ruebel-Alberts. Francie is a long-time educator and distinguished elder stateswoman in Sturgis and taught many of its residents government in high school.


Find information about the recall effort here.

An effort to recall Sturgis Mayor Angela Wilkerson is underway in Sturgis. Listen to this short podcast for the details. Stay tuned for an upcoming discussion of the recall effort between Eric Davis and Francie Ruebel-Alberts. Please share this podcast with your fellow Sturgis residents.

Find information about the recall effort here.

In this episode, Eric Davis sits down with Francie Ruebel-Alberts, Aaron Jordan, and Kevin Forrester for a long-form discussion on the form of government ballot question the voters of Sturgis will decide at this Tuesday's municipal election. We begin with a brief and broad overview of municipal government, the nature of its corporate structure, and the division of the legislative and executive branches and how state law permits the executive function to vested in either an elected mayor or an appointed city manager. Then, with the benefit of that foundation, we turn to our roundtable discussion. We hope our conversation will help you cast a more informed vote. Polls will be open at the Sturgis Community Center on Tuesday, April 9th from 7AM to 7PM. Get out and vote!

In this episode, we have an update on the city manager petition lawsuit (Bohn v. Bueno) currently pending in Meade County Circuit Court; a discussion of the City Council's appointment of Sturgis's new mayor; an update on the successful attempt to refer the downtown flat track street race to a public vote; and some information about the upcoming municipal election on April 9th. 

In this episode, we provide updates on the lawsuit over the city manager petitions, the referendum petitions circulating to refer the downtown street race to a public vote, and preview tonight's city council meeting, where the Sturgis City Council appears set to appoint the next mayor of Sturgis, but there could still be a special election to fill that vacancy. This episode has all the details.

In this episode, Eric Davis gives a summary of the February 20, 2024 meeting of the Sturgis City Council to include issues like the downtown street race, the new wastewater surcharge, and the mayoral vacancy.

On February 8, 2024, the South Dakota Supreme Court ended a 2-year legal battle between the City of Sturgis and its citizens. A unanimous Court ruled that a petition filed with the Sturgis City Finance Officer in December 2021 calling an election on the question of whether Sturgis should retain its City Manager form of government was valid, that the Finance Officer and City Council violated clear duties in refusing to schedule an election, and that the City must hold an election on this issue. In this episode, we discuss the history of the dispute and analyze the Court's opinion. You can read the Supreme Court's Opinion here.

In this episode, Eric Davis is back at the Sturgis Kitchen Table with one final petition update. The deadline to submit the petition to refer the resolution authorizing the City of Sturgis to hire a new city manager was last night, and the petitions were not submitted.  After careful consideration and analysis of all the issues, we determined the petitions are not necessary to secure a public vote on this issue considering the pending status of several lawsuits. In this episode, we explain our rationale and a new lawsuit seeking a determination that Resolution 2023-20 and the resolution appointing a 7-member "interim Management team" are illegal and in excess of the authority granted to the City of Sturgis by state law. You can view the arguments and authority for that position here.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but the wait is almost over and an election on the issue of the Sturgis City Manager is on the horizon. We've decided to wait patiently for the South Dakota judicial system to resolve this dispute once and for all.

• Read the Application for Permission to Commence an Original Proceeding for a Writ of Prohibition 
• Press Release

Happy Monday, Sturgis. It’s March 13th, and Eric Davis is back at the Sturgis Kitchen Table with a quick update on the petitions circulating around the community to reverse the Sturgis city council’s decision to hire a new city manager and to instead have a larger discussion and an election where the voters can decide the future of Sturgis city government are making their way around the community. If you haven’t signed one yet, you have this coming week through this weekend to get it done. In this episode, we'll tell you how to add your name to the petitions and how you can circulate your own petition to your family, friends and neighbors who are registered to vote in Sturgis. We still need to gather about 150 signatures this week, and with your help, we can get it done easy. Here's the details.

• View, download, and print a copy of the referendum petition
• View, download, and print a copy of the initiative petition
• Review information from the SD Secretary of State's Office on how to circulate a municipal petition

In Episode 4, Eric Davis is back at the Sturgis Kitchen Table with a very quick update  on the petitions circulating to refer the decision of whether Sturgis should continue to operate under the city manager form of government to a vote of the people. The petitions to call an election on that question are out and circulating,  and the deadline is March 20th. In this episode, we'll tell you how you can add your name to the petitions and then circulate your own petition to your family, friends, and coworkers registered to vote in Sturgis. We intend to call an election on this issue and then to spend the weeks leading up to that election leading a conversation amongst ourselves and others in the community about the history of this issue, the major differences between the two forms of government being considered for Sturgis, and the various pros and cons of each to help you get informed, spread the word, and cast an informed vote at the upcoming election. 

• View, download, and print a copy of the referendum petition
• View, download, and print a copy of the initiative petition
• Review information from the SD Secretary of State's Office on how to circulate a municipal petition