Rapid City Election Controversy Leads to Legal Action, Recount Scheduled
The Rapid City Journal is reporting that Rapid City Area Schools CFO Coy Sasse and general counsel Kelsey Parker, through a local law firm, sent Area 6 school board candidate Brian Johnson a cease and desist letter on June 12, after Johnson publicly criticized the school board’s election process. Johnson, who lost to incumbent Jamie Clapham by a narrow margin, alleges mismanagement of the election, including polling place changes, improperly stamped ballots, and voter disenfranchisement in Meade County.
The letter, sent by attorney Michael Hickey, accuses Johnson of making defamatory and malicious statements about Sasse and Parker, citing his comments in a newspaper interview and on Facebook, where he suggested Sasse should be fired. It orders Johnson to retract his statements, remove posts and videos, and preserve documents related to his claims—or face legal action.
Johnson, who posted a copy of the letter and a video response online, dismissed the move as an intimidation tactic, saying, “It’s to try and silence me… Yeah, not going to work.” A recount of the vote will take place on June 19 at the Pennington County Auditor’s Office and is open to the public. Johnson hinted at more developments to come but did not elaborate.
https://www.kotaradio.com/2025/06/18/593/