      A pair of dice last week decided this year’s race for mayor of Edgemont. In the April 11 election, incumbent Carla Schepler and challenger Rheta Reagan each received 103 votes with a 3rd candidate, Carl Shaw, collecting 70.
After the official canvass left Schepler and Reagan tied, each asked for a recount, which was held last Thursday at the Edgemont City Hall.
The tie remained after the recount, triggering a South Dakota law that says ties in municipal elections will be broken by lot.
Chosen as the method for the Edgemont mayor’s race was rolling dice with the highest point total the winner. Schepler rolled a 3 and a 1 for a total of 4 while Reagan did one better with a 3 and a 2 for a count of 5.
While the Edgemont city election was this month, the city and school board races in Hot Springs and Oelrichs are June 6th with the petition deadline passed..
Hot Springs will have only 1 contested City Council race, Ward 1 where incumbent Craig Romey is challenged by Hal Glanville.
Incumbents Linda Varvel and Debra Johnson are uncontested in Wards 3 and 4 while Travis Orback was the only person to file in Ward 2, where David Burris decided not to run again.
The other Ward 4 seat is on the ballot for a 1-year term, but Malisa Niles, appointed to fill it last month, did not file a petition as she’d indicated she would.
There are 2 Hot Springs School Board slots on the ballot with 4 candidates: incumbent Kathryn Burchfield and newcomers David Steward, Darcie Engel, and Guy Prescott.
There are no contested races in Oelrichs with Town Board member Timi Burdette and School Board incumbent John Cope the only candidates to file for those seats, the only ones up for election this year.