Primary Election Tuesday

Custer County voters who have not participated in early voting will head to the polls next Tuesday, June 4, to decide a variety of local and national contests.
Locally there are six Republican candidates for two District 30 seats in the state House of Representatives, including incumbent Trish Ladner. She is joined in the field by Custer’s Pat Baumann and Stephen Saint, as well as  Matt Smith of Hermosa, Matthew Monfore of Hot Springs and former District 30 representative Tim Goodwin, who lives north of Hill City. Democrat Susan Scheirbeck of Hill City will await the two primary winners in the fall general election.
The District 30 Senate race has three Republican candidates, including incumbent Julie Frye-Mueller of Rapid City. She is facing Amber Hulse of Hot Springs and Forrest Foster of Rapid City. The winner of June’s primary will face Democrat Bret Swanson of Hermosa in the fall.
Both the House and Senate seats are two-year terms.
Two seats are up for grabs on the Custer School District Board of Education, as incumbents Jeff Barnes and Jeff Prior both seek reelection to another three-year term, and are joined in the race by fellow Custer resident Heath Reindl.
There is one election for Custer City Council. In Ward I, incumbent Dixie Whittaker faces challenger Bruce Miller for a two-year term. In Ward II, incumbent Julie Jenniges will run unopposed for another two-year term, as will Todd Pechota in Ward III.
In the Custer County Commission race, incumbent Republicans Mark Hartman and Mike Busskohl seek reelection to a new four-year term. They are uncontested in the primary, but will face Democrat Colton Jones of Hermosa in the fall.
There is one race for seats on the Town of Hermosa Board of Trustees, as Kelburn Koontz and Aaron Serviss square off for a two-year term. This seat will replace former board president Jerry Styles, who recently resigned.
A three-year term on the board is also available and will be filled by Shanna Harris, the only candidate to file a petition to fill that position. Harris will replace current board president Dan Holsworth, who has reached the newly-instituted term limits for Hermosa and cannot seek a position on the town board for six years.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Look for results from the election in next week’s issue of the Chronicle. Live updates will be given on the Chronicle’s social media, as well.