ELECT THOSE WHO
PROTECT PIEDMONT
These four Piedmont residents stood with our community against the mine. Now they’re asking for your vote. Give it to them.
Protect Our Valley is proud to endorse four candidates for the June 2, 2026 Piedmont municipal election. Each of these individuals has actively supported the effort to give our community a voice against the proposed 300-acre limestone quarry — and each brings real-world values, experience, and commitment to the community we love.
Local elections decide who sits at the table when our community’s future is determined. These four people have already proven they’ll fight for Piedmont. Vote for them on June 2nd.
JOHN “JACK”
PARKS
Jack Parks is the real deal — a man who has spent more than half a century shaping the community he loves. A U.S. Army veteran, master blacksmith, and one of the original architects of Piedmont’s incorporation, Jack has served 18 years as vice-chairman of the Commissioner. He didn’t just show up for meetings — he built the institutions that make Piedmont what it is today.
He helped found the city’s incorporation, served on the Piedmont Park Board, and was instrumental in establishing the Piedmont Valley Library. His engineering background and decades of business ownership give him the practical skills to lead Piedmont’s next chapter responsibly.
Jack’s priorities are the priorities that matter: clean drinking water, organized growth, fiscal conservatism, and sewer infrastructure that will make Piedmont a better place to raise children for generations to come. He is firmly opposed to uncontrolled industrial development in the Piedmont Valley.
BENJAMIN
NEILL
Benjamin Neill isn’t a career politician — he’s a neighbor who cares deeply about where we live. He believes local government should remain accountable, transparent, and focused on the people it serves.
Like many families here, Benjamin understands the challenges facing everyday residents: rising costs, concerns about growth and development, infrastructure needs, and the desire to preserve the character of our community while planning responsibly for the future.
Benjamin champions common-sense decision making, responsible growth, protecting taxpayers, and ensuring residents are heard before major decisions are made. He will bring a strong, practical, and independent voice to the board that Piedmont deserves.
“Together, we can build a future that remains affordable, responsible, and rooted in the needs of the people who live here.”
BRUCE
LUTZ
Bruce Lutz has served on the Piedmont City Board for the past two years and is running for another 2-year term. A 29-year Piedmont resident, Bruce owns BJ’s Instrument Repair and is deeply connected to the community he calls home.
A passionate conservative who believes in responsible growth, Bruce is openly and firmly opposed to any mining down the Piedmont corridor. He has been a consistent, outspoken voice for residents throughout the fight against the proposed limestone quarry.
When he’s not serving his community, Bruce spends time with his wife of 35 years, fishing, riding motorcycle through the hills, caring for his dogs, and living out his faith. He is a neighbor in the truest sense of the word.
SHANNON
BLOTSKE
Shannon Blotske has called Piedmont home since 2010 and continues to enjoy the beauty of this community with her two sons, Ethan and Camden. Born and raised in North Dakota, Shannon brings a deep ethic of community service shaped by a family that ran a local grocery store and a hardware business.
Shannon graduated from the University of Missouri — Columbia with a Bachelor of Health Science in Occupational Therapy and built a career that took her across the country before the Black Hills brought her here to stay. She spent years as a Director of Rehabilitation overseeing 20 staff, then in December 2025 took the leap to found Care Full Living LLC, a business focused on helping people age comfortably in their own homes.
One of her proudest achievements: homeschooling both sons from K–12. They’ve gone on to become a Maintenance Mechanic and an Apprentice Electrician. That says everything about her values — practical, committed, and community-minded.
The Right People at the Table
Change Everything
The Mine Fight
All four candidates are on the record opposing uncontrolled industrial mining in the Piedmont Valley. Their voices on the board matter.
Water & Infrastructure
Jack Parks has made clean drinking water and sewer infrastructure central to his mayoral campaign — a long-overdue priority for Piedmont.
Accountability
All four candidates believe residents deserve transparent governance and a seat at the table before major decisions are made.
Annexation Vote
The final annexation vote — still pending — could come before or after the election. The composition of the board determines what happens next.