The day Sioux Falls swore in Mayor Christine Erickson.
Ten months after the campaign began, and eight weeks after election night at Jack Rose, Christine Erickson raised her right hand inside Carnegie Town Hall and took the oath of office as the first woman mayor in Sioux Falls history. The city had a photographer ready for the ceremony. The mayor-elect wanted hers: Lloyd Duimstra of Dime LA Media, with her since day one, photographed the day the city made history.
Ten months. One story. Photographed to the last page.
Dime LA Media joined the Christine Erickson campaign at the announcement and never left: photo, video, social calendars, and press coordination through eight months of the race, then the win at Jack Rose. When it came time to put the moment on the record, the city already had a photographer lined up for the ceremony. Christine's answer was simple: "No, I want my guy." This gallery is that day, from the first hellos in the chamber to the first gavel in her hand. For everything that led up to it, see the campaign and election night gallery.
The mayor's photographer, on a historic day.
"I Want My Guy"
The city had its own photographer for the ceremony. The mayor-elect asked for the one who had covered her campaign from day one instead. That is the whole pitch.
The Street Team
The Whole Ceremony
Arrival, the outgoing mayor’s final gavel, the oath, the council sworn in beside her, the remarks, and the blessing. Nothing staged twice, nothing missed.
At Work · c/o Lloyd D.
Lloyd & Christine
The People In The Room
Family, friends, council, and the city itself inside Carnegie Town Hall. History is a room full of people, and the coverage treats every one of them like it.
With AG Marty Jackley
Trusted With History
There is exactly one first woman mayor of Sioux Falls, and one photographer standing in the room when she took the oath. That trust was earned over ten months.
Before the Ceremony
The chamber at Carnegie Town Hall fills with family, friends, and city leaders in the minutes before the oath. Click any frame to view it full screen.
Passing the Torch
Before the oath, a quiet chapter closes: outgoing mayor Paul TenHaken and mayor-elect Christine Erickson share the chamber one last time before the office changes hands.
The Oath of Office
Right hand raised, family at her side, Christine Erickson is sworn in as mayor of Sioux Falls. The moment the city elected her for, on the record.
The Gavel and the Chair
Paul TenHaken hands Christine Erickson the gavel, they embrace, and she takes the mayor's seat for the first time. The first woman in Sioux Falls history to sit in it.
The Council Takes the Oath
The same election that made history at the top of the ballot seated new leaders beside her. Zak Okuwe is sworn in to the city council with his family at his side, the new mayor watching from the chair.
First Words as Mayor
Mayor Erickson steps to the podium for her first remarks in office, and Pastor Adam Weber of Embrace Church closes the ceremony with a prayer over the new administration.
The Family and the City
After the gavel: the portraits people keep. Family, friends, the new council, and a room at Carnegie Town Hall that watched Sioux Falls history happen.
