Francis Toscana (Term 2001 - 2013)
Francis Toscana was born in December of 1948 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Deadwood, South Dakota. He is a third generation of Toscana’s that lived in Lawrence County. In 1950 at the age of two, Francis’s family moved from Lead to Rapid City, South Dakota and spent his formative years attending the Catholic school system. After high school, Toscana attended and graduated from University of South Dakota (USD) with a degree in Biology and attended and graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSMT) with a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. After a brief stint working for the State of South Dakota as an Environmental Engineer, Toscana moved to Deadwood in July of 1975. He married Kathy Huling one year later. Their children, Anthony and Katherine, enjoyed the benefits of being raised in a close-knit community. Toscana began a forty year career as the Manager of the Lead-Deadwood Sanitary District (LDSD). During his tenure, he helped with the rehabilitation of Whitewood Creek from a dead stream to a cold water fishery with the completion of a waste water treatment plant in lower Deadwood. In the 1990's under Toscana’s supervision, a second waste water treatment plant was constructed in Lead, South Dakota.
In July of 1991, Toscana was appointed to the Deadwood City Commission by Mayor Bruce Oberlander and remained on this Commission for the next twenty-two years serving as the finance, police, public works, historic preservation and planning and zoning commissioner. Toscana in 2001 was elected and served four terms as Mayor of Deadwood. During his years as an elected official, Deadwood evolved from being an almost bankrupt community to a vibrant tourism destination.
Toscana also served on a number of state boards during his time in Deadwood. He was president of the SD Municipal League and the SD Water and Wastewater Association. He also chaired the SD Municipal League Work Comp Fund. Toscana was active in youth sports for many years including soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. He was a member of the chain gang for Diggers football for over fifteen years. He was a member of St. Ambrose Parish, Deadwood Elks Lodge, the Rotary Club, the Optimists Club and the Deadwood Library Board. His wife Kathy was an avid volunteer for many diverse groups that aided children, abused women and animals. She was most proud to have served on the Deadwood Volunteer Fire Department. In December of 2015, Toscana retired from the L/D Sanitary District and moved to Rapid City.
