The1986 Sioux Falls mayoral election took place on July 1, 1986, following a primary election on June 17, 1986. On June 4, 1985, voters ratified a change to city government that expanded the size of the city commission to five and cut short the mayor's term, forcing an election in 1986 for a new five-year term.[1] Incumbent Mayor Joe Cooper, who was elected in1984, originally planned to seek re-election,[2] but instead opted to run for city Public Safety Commissioner.[3]
Former State SenatorMike O'Connor, the1982 Democratic nominee for Governor, placed first in the primary, winning 41 percent of the vote, and faced Jack White, a real estate agent who narrowly lost the1984 mayoral election to Cooper. White defeated O'Connor by a thin margin, winning 51–49 percent.
