Tommy Kunz City Council Central District June 2nd

My Campaign


Hey, I'm Tommy. I was born and have spent pretty much all my life, save for a good road trip, in Sioux Falls. Now I want to represent you. I believe that we deserve a safe, more affordable, and transparent Sioux Falls. A government that takes care of the working people, instead of catering to billionaires and outside investment firms.

I don't like how campaigns are normally run so I'm running mine very differently. I never like to waste money and prefer to keep things simple and easy. I made this website myself. Hopefully you find it accessible and focused. Below you'll find out how to reach me, what my platform is, and how you can help get me elected.

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My Contact


[email protected] 605-937-8868 Bluesky
Picture of Tommy Kunz in front of the Falls


My Platform



People-first Neighborhoods

Sioux Falls has grown to be a very car dependent city. This dependence hurts the growth of community in neighborhoods, and especially impacts members of our community without a reliable vehicle.1 Everyone would benefit greatly from promoting and developing more people focused infrastructure.2,3,4 Cities in South Dakota already have amazing examples of walkable neighborhoods. I believe that Sioux Falls can take this a step further.

Sources 1. Strong Towns: The Negative Consequences of Car Dependency
2. CNU: Ten economic benefits of walkable places
3. CNU: Ten social benefits of walkable places
4. American Heart Association: Walkable neighborhoods may pave way to less cardiovascular risk
5. Google Maps: Brookings, Arrowhead and Indian Hills Park Area

Equitable Housing

The people of Sioux Falls deserve clean, safe, and affordable places to live. Currently, many of the less fortunate among us have to settle for unsanitary, dangerous, and predatory landlords.1,2 Landlords like these, abuse the system and exploit loopholes left by policy makers. We must implement and advocate for better protections for tenants facing evictions, withheld deposits, and even lawsuits from escaping unlivable conditions.3 More young adults are living with their parents, a trend that continues as these problems continue.4

Sources 1. Keloland: Roaches, mold & crime riddle apartments of $1 billion landlord
2. Dakota News Now: Tzadik Management questioned on alleged late payments and mounting issues
3. Strong Sioux Falls: The Cost of Looking Away
4. USA TODAY: Gen Z sticking close to home: More young adults choose to live with parents, census shows

No AI Data Centers

Data centers will lead to higher utility costs for working class Sioux Falls residents as it already has in other states.1,2,3 In addition to that, AI has been and will continue to lead to job loss as low to mid-level positions are replaced with automation.4,5 These facilities do not currently, and will never lead to the number of long-term jobs promised.6 Instead, they will cause to reduced quality of life and potential long-term health effects.7,8 Sioux Falls is not the place for AI data centers.

Sources 1. CNBC: AI data center ‘frenzy’ is pushing up your electric bill
2. Fox: AI comes with a hefty charge. Are you the one who gets stuck with the bill?
3. Harvard: How data centers may lead to higher electricity bills
4. CNN: Amazon is laying off 16,000 employees as AI battle intensifies
5. CBS: More companies are pointing to AI as they lay off employees
6. Business Insider: Big Tech promised jobs. Cities gave millions. Where are the workers?
7. YT, Benn Jordan: Datacenters Behaving Like Acoustic Weapons
8. NJ.com: This mysterious humming sound is driving N.J. town crazy as a massive AI data center rises

No AI Cameras

Around Sioux Falls, many AI-powered Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) have been installed.1,2 On the surface, these cameras collect information about your vehicle to aid our local law enforcement in investigations. However, the company behind these cameras has been known to leak information to Federal law enforcement despite the municipality forbidding such disclosure.3,4 This has lead to multiple cities in the country to end their contract with the same company our city uses.5,6 ALPRs do not reduce crime and are a major security risk, from both foreign and domestic threats.7

Sources 1. Sioux Falls: Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
2. EFF: Automated license plate readers
3. The Oakland Press: Federal agencies gained access to car owners’ information from El Cerrito license plate readers
4. ACLU: Flock’s Aggressive Expansions Go Far Beyond Simple Driver Surveillance
5. Techspot: A number of US cities are pulling the plug on Flock Safety's AI cameras
6. NPR: Why some cities are ditching their Flock license plate readers
7. DeFlock: What are ALPRs? Why Should You Be Concerned

Your Help

Here's how you can help me get elected to city council!