Alice McCoy said she would work to find a balance between preserving important state programs and keeping property taxes low if she is elected to state Senate in District 35.

The seat is open after Sen. Bill Napoli decided not to run again. South Dakota Rep. Jeff Haverly, R-Rapid City, is also running for the position.

McCoy, a Republican, served eight years as a state representative and has also served on the Rapid City school board.

"The voters have said that property tax relief is the most important issue," McCoy said in a news release. "But, when you cut taxes, then you must cut services. The largest portion of property taxes goes to education. As a past school-board member, I also realize that education is an investment in our future. If we do not pay for our kids' education, we will have no choice but to pay for their incarceration."

McCoy said that on the House Education Committee, she tried to vote for bills that improved education without raising taxes. She tried to do the same on the Health and Human Services Committee and the Local Government Committee.

"So, my job as a state Senator is to do what the people want, not what I think is the best for the people.

"I hope to accomplish the will of the people," she said.

McCoy has lived in District 35, mostly east Rapid City, for more than 40 years and said she understands the community's needs and issues.

She is vice president of the North Rapid Civic Association and is involved in several other community groups.

She was named Rapid City citizen of the month in September 1997, and has been a Sunday school teacher, a member of the Citizens Police Academy and a Pennington County Republican precinct leader.