Biker Rallies Lead to Exodus From City Hall

Four years ago, this city seized headlines by holding its annual biker rally, a bacchanal drawing nearly 500,000 people to the Black Hills, while much of the U.S. was on Covid-19 lockdown.

- JOE BARRETT

"One of the most iconic celebrations of freedom in the United States of America," South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has called the 10-day event.

But even in a town known for its wild side, someone has to keep the lights on.

Behind the scenes, the nearly unanimous council vote to hold that rally masked divisions that exploded in recent months into battles over how Sturgis should govern itself.

Sturgis City Hall, situated on Harley-Davidson Way, has seen one rumble after another. The longtime city manager relinquished his post about 18 months ago as citizens mounted an effort to eliminate his position. Then came this year's cascade of departures: the mayor, acting mayor, city attorney and finance director along with other department heads and City Council members.

Sturgis's tumult mirrors broader struggles in small-town America: the mixed blessings of tourist economies, the challenges of revamping local government, and clashes between newcomers and the old guard.

Council-meeting conflicts spilled into social media, where Sturgis factions faced off and sparked a lawsuit that would reach the state Supreme Court.

"It's the stuff that movies are made of," said Angela Wilkerson, 43 years old, an enforcement officer for the state gaming commission who was appointed acting mayor in March and resigned in October.

"Someone needs to do a drama meter for towns," said Tammy Bohn, 61, co-owner of Sturgis Guns, who helps run a Facebook page called Sturgis Citizens for Change and has been involved in lawsuits against the city and its leaders. "It's such a mess."

Many locales across the U.S. have a golden goose - Halloween in Salem, Mass., spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - that have put them on the map and created headaches.