Lower Brule Tribe, Lyman County agree on electing commission

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota county and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe have finalized an agreement that will give a tribal member a seat on the Lyman County Board of Commissioners. It will settle a lawsuit over the county’s election system that had prevented tribal members from winning a seat on the board. The tribe and county finalized an agreement Thursday (Dec. 15, 2022) for one of the commissioners, Brian Kraus, to resign from the five-member board so that the board could appoint a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. It will mark the first time a member of the tribe will hold a seat on the board that oversees the county.