Baltic mayor survives recall election

BALTIC, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The city of Baltic held a special election on Tuesday after a PAC Group gathered enough signatures to invoke a recall election of the mayor.

Deb McIsaac said she is maintaining her commitment to serving the residents of Baltic and is looking forward to brighter events in the city’s future.

The unrest may have stemmed from a disagreement between the city and developer Brian Hefty over the city’s building ordinances.

Last April, the PAC South Dakota Citizens for Transparent Government collected enough signatures to call the election.

The unofficial count is 301 for Mayor McIsaac and 224 for Jamie Ingemensen, who is a member of the group that gathered the petition signatures.

“And it took them five weeks to get 136 signatures,” McIsaac said. “I ran for mayor last year. It took me ten days to get 120. I think the citizens knew that there was no basis for the recall and they came out in droves to prove that.”

McIsaac revealed she hired her own personal attorney and is facing $15,000 in legal fees to defend her position and reputation.

She’s looking forward to community events this fall as a way to move on.

We reached out to her opponent, Jamie Ingemansen, and are awaiting a response.

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