Rich Ward - Aberdeen, SD City Councilor

06/01/2026

The Class of 2027 is here! 🎉

We’re proud to introduce the 41 leaders selected for the 14th class of Leadership South Dakota! These changemakers from across the state will begin their journey in September, exploring South Dakota’s communities, opportunities, and challenges over the next 8 months.

Get to know the Class of 2027 and learn more about their upcoming journey:
https://leadershipsouthdakota.com/news/introducing-the-leadership-sd-class-of-2027

06/01/2026

🚨 The finalists for the 2026 Aberdeen Business Pitch Competition have officially been announced! 🚨

After reviewing applications from entrepreneurs across the region, four businesses have been selected to pitch live on June 29 for a chance to win the $10,000 cash prize sponsored by the Aberdeen Development Corporation.

🎤 2026 Finalists:
• Abode Chiropractic | Marquelle Reid
• CR8 Soda | Madi Jones
• Everlasting Bloom | Jessica Cihak
• Opus ABA LLC | David Jakubowicz

Join us for the live finalist event on Monday, June 29 at 5 PM and support entrepreneurship in our region. This event is free and open to the public!

🔗 Read the full press release and register for the finalist event here: https://northern.edu/news/northern-innovation-and-startup-center-announces-2026-aberdeen-business-pitch-competition

05/29/2026

Tomorrow at 1:00pm, Riverside Memorial Cemetery will officially dedicate the new Pet Remembrance Park & Rainbow Bridge. 🐾🌈

What started as a simple idea from Barb Grosz has grown into a beautiful space where families can honor and remember beloved pets for years to come. The Rainbow Bridge itself is complete and looks fantastic.

The dedication ceremony will include an opportunity for guests to place a collar on the bridge in remembrance of a beloved pet. Community members are welcome to attend and participate.

This is such a thoughtful addition to our community, and I hope we have a great turnout tomorrow.

📍 Riverside Memorial Cemetery
🕐 Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 1:00pm

05/28/2026

🇺🇸 Get out and vote, District 3! 🇺🇸

05/03/2026

**WEB WATER UPDATE**
Good progress this week with the WINS Water Group.

As funding structures and project costs continue to grow more complex, it’s critical we get the long term agreements right. To help with that, we’ve brought on James M. Wiederrich of Woods Fuller to assist in crafting a contract that protects Aberdeen residents while also serving WEB Water and BDM, our partner systems well into the future.

It’s been a strong collaboration so far. His expertise has added real value to the process, and it’s helping ensure we’re building something that’s both sustainable and fair for everyone involved.

This is the kind of behind the scenes work that sets projects like WINS up for long term success.

05/01/2026

04/27/2026

Early voting for the 2026 Primary is officially open! 🏛️

​I just stopped by to cast mine. If you want to avoid the lines on election day (June 2nd), head down to the courthouse this week. It only takes a few minutes, and you get the sticker to prove it! 🇺🇸

04/15/2026

Ensuring a reliable, long-term water source is the single most important investment we can make for Aberdeen’s future. I fully support the WINS project and believe it is the key to our regional growth.

It is important to note that ​we have reached a critical juncture. I am strongly encouraging the City of Aberdeen, WEB, and BDM to finalize an agreement and get it inked. Aberdeen's predecessors in the 1980s weren't able to get this to the finish line for the City, but we have the opportunity to change that today!

​With other communities actively looking to tap into the WEB system, we cannot afford to wait, we can't let the water flow by us again... It is time for all three parties to come together so we can secure our water capacity for generations to come.

Let’s get this deal in place.

Water Investment in Northern South Dakota, commonly called WINS, is a joint project between WEB, the city of Aberdeen and BDM Rural water with a goal of

04/09/2026

Thank you for your support in the WINS project, Senator Rounds!

03/30/2026

Investing in reliable infrastructure is essential to keeping our communities strong, safe, and free. I’m proud to sign this bill to protect the Aberdeen community and ensure the Richmond Lake dam continues to serve South Dakotans for generations to come.

https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=f808294c974087907fc1b480f053af45