People who live within the western and northwestern parts of Rapid City will have a six-pack of options next Tuesday when they pick their Ward 5 representative on the Rapid City Council for the next seven months.

One of the six candidates - Aaron Costello, Ty Ferley Lillian Letner, John M. Lundeen, Peter Schmid and Christopher Self - will serve the remainder of the term of former Alderman Bob Hurlbut, who resigned in September.

Aaron CostelloCostello, 29, graduated from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology with bachelor's and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and is employed by Evans & Sutherland, located in the Black Hills Business Development Center. He and his wife, Rebekah Dargatz, have lived in the Black Hills area for more than 10 years.

Costello said engineers tend to have an analytical, inquisitive mind-set and are trained to solve problems, something he feels would be an asset on the council.

"The decisions being made right now are going to have major effects 15 or 20 years from now. That's going to be the prime of our family life and we want to make sure Rapid City is a great place for our children and our friends' children," he said.

Some of the issues Costello feels strongly about are air quality, public safety and making sure upcoming utility rate increases don't put too much of a burden on people living on fixed incomes. He supports economic development, enhancing safe streets by increasing bike paths and ensuring street crossings are well placed, and efforts to create a vibrant downtown that retains businesses and provides a cultural center for the community.

"I believe Rapid City has the resources to become a leader in technology-based industries. Those industries will help increase prosperity," Costello said. "In the long term, it will help families and individuals by increasing the number of quality jobs in the city."

Ty Ferley

Ferley, 38, owns Tile & Stone Imports by Budget Tile and Flooring in The Gap. Born and raised in Rapid City, Ferley earned a degree in psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1994 and worked in various communities in the West before returning to Rapid City in 2000. He has a 4-year-old son.

Ferley is pro-small business and believes the city's bureaucracy creates obstacles for those who want to grow a small business in Rapid City.

"There's more obstacles to do anything, it seems like," he said. "You have to run through hoops."

Ferley said he is not against business brought to the city by larger corporations, but feels the city could be friendlier in its rules so small businesses can compete.

"I love Rapid City. I'm concerned about how it develops and grows," Ferley said. "I'm not really a political person, but I'm running because I honestly think I can make the decisions that need to be made for the benefit of Rapid City. I'm in favor of the small guy, and I'm in favor of letting people be."

Lillian Letner

Letner, 39, a mother of two, holds a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's degree in health-care administration from Trinity University. In the past, she worked as a health-care executive overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets in a variety of locations but currently works for her husband, James, who is a local real-estate developer.

Letner's main issues are support for economic growth and development, revitalizing downtown, eliminating development roadblocks and creating enhancement for business, investment in infrastructure and creating a livable and sustainable community

Letner is frustrated with how slowly the city moves to solve various issues. Letner said the council was talking about downtown revitalization and parking concerns when she moved here seven years ago and is still talking about those issues.

"I've worked in the private sector, but also for nonprofits and in huge government agencies, and there just wasn't this quagmire where you're kind of stuck and not moving forward," she said. "I don't want another six years to go by and we're still talking about revitalizing downtown and solving the parking problem."

Letner said she has made Rapid City her home and wants to see it prosper by making the community a place where prospective employers want to relocate, which would help keep talented young people working in the area.

John Lundeen

Lundeen, 23, served in the military and is using the G.I. Bill to go to school full time, studying political science at Black Hills State University.

Lundeen, who is married, said he decided to run because he grew up here and thinks he can serve the community well. When walking door to door in the ward, Lundeen said people have emphasized a need for improved infrastructure, including contiguous sidewalks and stop lights in certain areas. He said his priority will be to do what constituents want him to do.

"There's a lot of stuff being done, not because it makes sense, but just to get it done. It doesn't always seem like the council has the people of the city in mind when making decisions," Lundeen said. "I'm not bringing my own agenda, I'm trying to accurately represent the ward. I want to serve them. I think I have what it takes."

Peter Schmid

Schmid, 31, owns Schmid Insurance, a business started in 1931 by his great-grandfather. He and his wife have two young children. Schmid graduated from Creighton University in 1999 with a degree in finance and international business. He was a member of Leadership Rapid City class of 2003 and serves on the United Way's board of directors.

Schmid said important issues for his ward and the city are maintaining and updating infrastructure, responsible growth that includes parks when new developments are built and improving the way the city makes decisions.

"I think we need to re-examine the city manager concept or lengthen the term of the mayor," Schmid said. "We have 70,000 people living here, a $130 million budget. There are 11 people elected to two-year terms. The mayor, whoever is elected, has to put his entire career on hold for two years and is constantly worrying about re-election."

Schmid believes a city manager would bring a level of expertise to running the city. Absent that, extending the term of mayor would remove the pressure of re-election bids and allow elected officials to better learn the intricacies of running the city.

"I'm an outsider looking in, so I would never claim to have all the answers. But from a business owner perspective, it doesn't seem right, the way it's been working," he said.

Schmid is a strong supporter of the 2012 program and the good things it has brought to the community. If elected, Schmid thinks he could help improve the council's ability to work together.

Christopher Self

Self, 27, a full-time student at National American University studying international business and pre-law, went to high school in White River and spent two years in the Air Force before returning to South Dakota to attend college.

Self said one of the issues he is interested in is growth and its positive aspects for the community. He also feels he would bring a younger viewpoint to the council, especially on efforts to retain college graduates here.

The concerns expressed by people within Ward 5 are diverse, Self said, but many have mentioned wasteful spending, such as expensive out-of-state council trips and abuse of TIFs. Self said he advocates a more rational and efficient use of resources.

Self also believes the city should review the history of the 2012 program, decide what worked or didn't work and set goals for a new 20-year vision for the program. He also supports efforts to attract high-quality jobs and promote schools and education.

"I'm interested in providing new or possibly improved ideas to make some changes," Self said. "My strengths are being forward-thinking, planning ahead instead of knee-jerk reactions all the time. I'm big on efficient, rational logic and I have a willingness to work with everybody."

The winner of Tuesday's special election will serve on the council through July 6, 2009. If no candidate earns 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 4, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held Nov. 25.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415, or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com