| Paul TenHaken | |
| Office: | Mayor of Sioux Falls |
| Term Start: | May 15, 2018 |
| Predecessor: | Mike Huether |
| Birth Name: | Paul Joseph TenHaken |
| Birth Date: | 13 November 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Sioux Center, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Jill TenHaken |
| Education: | Dordt College (BA) University of Sioux Falls (MBA) |
Paul Joseph TenHaken, (born November 13, 1977) is an American businessman and website developer who has served as the mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota since May 15, 2018.[1]
TenHaken was born in Sioux Center, Iowa, to parents Lyle and Beth TenHaken.[2] He was raised in Worthington, Minnesota.[3] TenHaken attended Dordt College and received his degree in graphic design in 2000. Upon graduation, TenHaken moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and worked as the mascot of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.[4] He attended the University of Sioux Falls and received an MBA in 2004.[5]
TenHaken founded Click Rain, a marketing technology agency in Sioux Falls, in 2008. TenHaken was named one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs as well as South Dakota Young Entrepreneur of the Year. TenHaken is also the co-founder of the Dispatch Project, a non-profit that organizes overseas mission opportunities for business leaders. His efforts have received accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine, When Work Works, Inc. Magazine, and Sioux Falls Business Journal.[6]
TenHaken placed first in the April 10, 2018 election, and won the May 1 run-off election with 62.7% of the vote.[7]
Ten Haken pushed to get a new city flag approved in 2018 after the election.[8] The city officially adopted the flag on July 10, 2018,[9] [10] and by November 2018, the flag was being flown in front of city buildings and inside the mayor's office.[11]
On April 9, 2020, over 80 employees at a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls were confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19. The plant announced it would suspend operations beginning April 11.[12] On April 14, 2020, TenHaken stated he would be proposing a stay at home order to the city council.[13] After three days and tremendous backlash, he decided not to pursue the stay at home order. Mayor TenHaken is credited as saying it is difficult to lead locally in a non-partisan way. He has also said a mask mandate could 'destroy a city' due to how politicized the issue had become.[14]
In April 2022, Mayor TenHaken was re-elected to serve a second term as mayor by securing 73% of the vote, a record for any mayoral race in the City of Sioux Falls since transitioning to its current form of government.
One of Mayor TenHaken's goals in office was to make Sioux Falls the Fittest city in the country.[15] He has implemented several programs to improve the city's health including a citywide running program,[16] outdoor fitness courts[17] and soccer pitches.[18]
| Sioux Falls mayoral election, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | General election[19] | Runoff election[20] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Paul TenHaken | 10,925 | 34.11 | 20,869 | 62.70 |
| Jolene Loetscher | 7,973 | 24.89 | 12,413 | 37.30 |
| Jim Entenman | 6,111 | 19.08 | ||
| Greg Jamison | 4,543 | 14.18 | ||
| Kenny N. Anderson Jr. | 2,136 | 6.67 | ||
| Mike Gunn | 343 | 1.07 | ||
| Turnout | 32,031 | 30.37 | 33,282 | 31.70 |