Jerry Cole began in his new position with the City of Sturgis as the Rally and Events Director on Monday, December 28, 2015. Jerry Cole, who has a long history in government work will be the man primarily responsible for organizing the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on behalf of the City of Sturgis. Although the Rally has become more of a Black Hills area event, and has really outgrown its roots in Sturgis, it remains the center of the area activities and Sturgis Main Street remains the one must visit spot when in the area for the [in?]famous Rally Week.
Mr. Cole acted as Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of nearby Rapid City for 8 years from 2004-2012, and more recently served as Executive Director of the Hill City and then Dickinson Chambers of Commerce.
He has been known as someone who will buck authority and the status-quo to get things done, ostensibly the rationale for his dismissal as Parks and Recreation Director by the former Rapid City Mayor. If Mr. Cole lives up to this reputation as he takes the reigns of the Rally in Sturgis, it could serve to change the dynamic of what many consider a “Good ol’ Boys Club” of politics and money surrounding the Rally.