Once a model of civic unity, the city now suffers from fragmentation and complacency. It’s time for leadership that brings us back together.

Decades ago, Sioux Falls had something rare, a civic spirit that felt both personal and powerful. It wasn’t just about growth or ambition; it was about shared purpose. Our slogan was “Sioux Falls: A Good Thing Going”.

The city’s business owners, civic leaders, and public officials didn’t just coexist, they collaborated. That collaboration was our secret sauce, the quiet force that made Sioux Falls different from other cities on the northern plains. It was why we grew faster and were more successful than many of our peers.

Chamber of Commerce

The Community Pulled Together

In those days, local ownership was common. The people running the biggest companies also ran into each other at Rotary, Chamber meetings, and the country club. They knew each other well enough to pick up the phone when the community needed something. When a major issue came up, whether a downtown project, a school bond, or a push in Pierre, the city’s key institutions spoke with one voice.

That unity wasn’t just good manners; it was strategy. Our city got what it needed from Pierre. State officials knew they were hearing from a community that stood together. It was that cohesion, and the respect it commanded, that helped build the foundation for the success Sioux Falls enjoys today. But that spirit has faded. Somewhere along the way, we lost our edge.

A Frayed Fabric

Look at the signs. United Way giving, once a source of local pride, and a barometer of local generosity and teamwork, has been flat for years. It is now well below its historical peak. Some major employers no longer encourage participation. The Chamber of Commerce, once the heart of civic coordination, has seen membership stagnate since the 1990s, even as the city’s population has doubled. And we are expanding more and more into a second county and several new school districts.

Meanwhile, the ties among our major institutions, the City, the school district, the Chamber, and others, have loosened. Each now operates in its own silo, pursuing narrow goals rather than a shared vision. Collaboration has become transactional rather than habitual.

A House Divided

This fragmentation shows up in our political presence as well. In Pierre, Sioux Falls no longer speaks with one voice, and it shows. State policymakers sometimes seem unsympathetic to the realities of the state’s largest city. More troubling, Sioux Falls–area legislators often vote against the city’s interests, sometimes unaware of what those interests even are. The coordinated legislative strategies of past decades have been replaced by personal agendas, disjointed efforts and missed opportunities.

Why It Happened

There are understandable reasons for this shift. Growth has brought complexity. Sioux Falls is no longer a mid-sized prairie town where everyone knows everyone. Today’s leaders come from across the country. They are talented and energetic, but they didn’t live through the cooperative era that defined earlier decades. They may not realize how effective that model was nor what it takes to sustain it.

At the same time, the nature of business has changed. Local ownership has given way to corporate consolidation. Many of the city’s largest employers now have out-of-state headquarters, with decisions made elsewhere. Civic engagement is no longer baked into leadership expectations. And the general decline in civic participation nationwide, whether in service clubs, volunteer organizations, or community boards, hasn’t helped.

Yet acknowledging the causes shouldn’t lead to despair. Sioux Falls didn’t get where it is by shrugging off challenges. We built this city’s reputation on initiative, optimism, and shared purpose. We can do it again.

Sioux Falls City Hall

The Case for Leadership

So, who leads now? That’s the pressing question. In earlier decades, leadership wasn’t confined to elected office, it was distributed across business, education and government. But those groups coordinated under strong, unifying leadership from City Hall. That’s what we need again.

The next mayor of Sioux Falls has an opportunity, and arguably an obligation, to rekindle that civic unity. The mayor should convene the city’s major stakeholders: the Chamber of Commerce, the Development Foundation, the school districts, county leaders, local legislators and key employers. The goal should be simple but profound: restore the communication, coordination, and common purpose that made Sioux Falls exceptional.

That kind of leadership requires listening, relationship-building, and the willingness to work together. It means re-establishing trust among institutions that have drifted apart and reminding everyone that Sioux Falls’ success has always come from collaboration, not isolation.

A Call to Reclaim Our Spirit

The Sioux Falls of the past wasn’t perfect, but it was more cohesive. Our positive attitude built the city we enjoy today, the thriving downtown, the parks and trails, the expanding economy, and the can-do civic reputation. The Sioux Falls way, working together for the greater good, can still be our way forward.