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Paul TenHaken

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Paul TenHaken
Mayor of Sioux Falls
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 15, 2018
Preceded byMike Huether
Personal details
Born
Paul Joseph TenHaken

(1977-11-13) November 13, 1977 (age 46)
Sioux Center, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJill TenHaken
EducationDordt College (BA)
University of Sioux Falls (MBA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Paul Joseph TenHaken (born November 13, 1977) is an American businessman and website developer who has served as the mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota since May 15, 2018.[1]

Early life and education

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TenHaken was born in Sioux Center, Iowa, to parents Lyle and Beth TenHaken.[2] He was raised in Worthington, Minnesota.[3] TenHaken attended Dordt College and received his degree in graphic design in 2000.[4] Upon graduation, TenHaken moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and worked as the mascot of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.[5] He attended the University of Sioux Falls and received an MBA in 2004.[4]

Business career

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TenHaken founded Click Rain, a marketing technology agency in Sioux Falls, in 2008. TenHaken was named one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs as well as South Dakota Young Entrepreneur of the Year. TenHaken is also the co-founder of the Dispatch Project, a non-profit that organizes overseas mission opportunities for business leaders. His efforts have received accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine, When Work Works, Inc. Magazine, and Sioux Falls Business Journal.[6]

Mayor of Sioux Falls

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TenHaken placed first in the April 10, 2018 election, and won the May 1 run-off election with 62.7% of the vote.[7]

Ten Haken pushed to get a new city flag approved in 2018 after the election.[8] The city officially adopted the flag on July 10, 2018,[9][10] and by November 2018, the flag was being flown in front of city buildings and inside the mayor's office.[11]

On April 9, 2020, over 80 employees at a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls were confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19. The plant announced it would suspend operations beginning April 11.[12] On April 14, 2020, TenHaken stated he would be proposing a stay at home order to the city council.[13] After three days and tremendous backlash, he decided not to pursue the stay at home order. Mayor TenHaken is credited as saying it is difficult to lead locally in a non-partisan way. He has also said a mask mandate could 'destroy a city' due to how politicized the issue had become.[14]

In April 2022, Mayor TenHaken was re-elected to serve a second term as mayor by securing 73% of the vote, a record for any mayoral race in the City of Sioux Falls since transitioning to its current form of government.

One of Mayor TenHaken's goals in office was to make Sioux Falls the fittest city in the country.[15] He has implemented several programs to improve the city's health including a citywide running program,[16] outdoor fitness courts[17] and soccer pitches.[18]

Electoral history

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Sioux Falls mayoral election, 2018
Candidates General election[19] Runoff election[20]
Votes % Votes %
Paul TenHaken 10,925 34.11 20,869 62.70
Jolene Loetscher 7,973 24.89 12,413 37.30
Jim Entenman 6,111 19.08
Greg Jamison 4,543 14.18
Kenny N. Anderson Jr. 2,136 6.67
Mike Gunn 343 1.07
Turnout 32,031 30.37 33,282 31.70

References

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  1. ^ Sneve, Joe. "TenHaken's transition into mayor's office centers on repairing relationships". argusleader.com. Argus Leader. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  2. ^ Lawrence, Tom (May 5, 2020). "TenHaken still fond of Sioux Center". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Worthington native up for 'Hottest Husband'". Worthington Daily Globe. February 24, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Lawrence, Tom (May 4, 2020). "TenHaken leads Sioux Falls through virus". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Sneve, Joe (May 4, 2018). "From mascot to mayor: Paul TenHaken's path to Sioux Falls City Hall". Argus Leader. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  6. ^ Source, Secondary. "Executive Profile of Paul Ten Haken". bloomber.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. ^ Sneve, Joe. "TenHaken elected mayor: 'Voters sent a loud and clear message'". argusleader.com. Argus Leader. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. ^ Albers, Monica (August 31, 2017). "The People's Flag: How One Design is Sparking Conversation". 605 Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  9. ^ Tuchscherer, Rebekah (June 13, 2018). "Sioux Falls flag update: Council worried that city brand won't be protected". Argus Leader. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "Sioux Falls City Council approves city flag". KSFY. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Vanessa Gomez (November 29, 2018). "Sioux Falls community embraces official flag of the city". KSFY. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  12. ^ "Smithfield Temporarily Shuts Pork Plant Due to Coronavirus". U.S. News & World Report. 2020-04-09. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  13. ^ "Mayor TenHaken to propose stay at home order to City Council early in the pandemic because of coronavirus numbers". kelo.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. ^ "'Wear a dang mask': TenHaken begs residents to stop spread of COVID-19".
  15. ^ "Kicking off '100 miles, 100 days' challenge". 22 April 2023.
  16. ^ "100 Miles, 100 Days – Mayor's Fitness Challenge". Archived from the original on 2023-09-25.
  17. ^ "First Outdoor Fitness Court Opens in Sioux Falls Park". www.siouxfalls.org. Archived from the original on 2023-10-01.
  18. ^ "'Mini-pitch' soccer fields give access to Sioux Falls kids in core neighborhoods". 20 April 2023.
  19. ^ "SUMMARY REPT-GROUP DETAIL". 11 April 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  20. ^ "SUMMARY REPT-GROUP DETAIL". 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Sioux Falls
2018–present 		Incumbent
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