michaela madrid
for lawrence county commissioner
ROOTED IN COMMUNITY
Michaela grew up in Pierre, South Dakota, but always loved visiting the Black Hills. As a child, she spent weekends and summers in Spearfish with her aunt and uncle. In 2013, she moved to Spearfish to attend Black Hills State University, where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Sociology. After attending BHSU, she received her Masters of Public Policy degree from Portland State University. She and her daughter now call Spearfish and Lawrence County home.
Michaela’s career has been focused on helping communities and connecting them with resources. In her current job, she works with Tribal governments and leaders, providing training and support. She helps increase civic engagement, improve government transparency, and strengthen relationships between Tribal, local, state, and federal governments.
Michaela has always been a leader, stepping up to serve her community at every stage of her life. But leadership isn’t just a title to her—it’s a responsibility. He Sapa(the Black Hills) have been home to her Lakota family for generations, and she feels a deep connection to both the land and the people. Now, she’s ready to bring her passion, experience, and dedication to Lawrence County, working to create real, positive change for her community.
values
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Michaela has built strong relationships with a diverse group of people facing various challenges and life circumstances. These connections have given her a deep understanding of how policies impact individuals, helping her consider a wide range of needs in decision-making.
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Michaela is an intentional and creative thinker, able to find solutions by looking at all sides of an issue. She is great at leading conversations that help people understand each other and work together toward common goals.
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As a Lakota woman, Michaela has a deep connection to the Black Hills, where her ancestors have lived for generations. This love for the land and its people drives her commitment to making a positive impact on her community.
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Michaela values government transparency and has led efforts to improve communication and civic engagement. She has facilitated discussions to strengthen relationships between governments and their citizens.
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Michaela is an experienced leader with a background in government, community engagement, and advocacy. With degrees in Political Science and Public Policy, she has worked across Tribal, local, state, and federal levels to create meaningful change.
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In order for a County Government to successfully serve its constituents, processes and elected officials must be transparent. Communities deserve to know exactly what is happening and how they can make a difference. This requires going above and beyond public information laws and ensuring:
Accessible Meeting Times: the current County Commission Meetings are held at a time where a majority of tax payers are working hard to make a living, reconsider alternate meeting times and flexible work arrangements for County Employees
Expand Public Comment Opportunities: by the time the public is allowed to speak on an issue, the decision has already been made, create time during each agenda item for public comment and response.
Increase Civic Engagement Efforts: County processes, documents, agendas, and budgets that are made available to the public tend to use language that can be intimidating and overcomplicated; provide more educational opportunities for constituents to engage in these processes in a meaningful way
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Lawrence County is made up of many different communities. From our cities to our rural areas, we all have a shared investment in this land and in each other. People come here from all over the world to experience the lifestyle we are blessed to enjoy every day. We are deeply protective of the open space, the land, and lifestyle that defines Lawrence County.
Long-Term Impacts: before any decision is made about what activities we want to allow in Lawrence County, we must have honest conversations about the full impact of our decision and our return on investment. We must consider the full scope of economic and environmental impacts to understand what activities will create prosperity that all Lawrence County citizens will benefit from.
Public Recreation Access: outdoor recreation is a primary economic driver of Lawrence County and is key to the Lawrence County lifestyle. By increasing the quality of outdoor recreation opportunities, we not only increase the quality of life for residents, but we also increase economic opportunities as well as create an opportunity for more people to love the land and want to take care of it.
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The primary responsibility of the Lawrence County Commission is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Lawrence County Citizens. As a mother, safety and livability is an issue that is especially close to my heart.
Affordability: cost of living is at a generational high, and action must be taken to reduce this burden on all Lawrence County residents. Reducing taxes for one group by increasing them for everyone does not provide enough relief. The County must comb through the budget to find ways to reduce spending and pass along the savings onto taxpayers.
Emergency Preparedness: the protection and safety of Lawrence County residents is a major responsibility of the County, and we must make sure there are appropriate resources to carry this duty out especially as our County experiences unprecedented growth and extreme weather conditions.
Infrastructure: it is vital to ensure that the roads and bridges our families travel on everyday are safe and effective. While growth is exciting, we must ensure our population is not outpacing the infrastructure resources currently available
on the issues
vote michaela madrid for lawrence county commissioner on Tuesday, November 3, 2026
