Meet your new council chair
I wonder if Diamond Jim realizes as council chair he has to show up to meetings (Item #28), you know, to make up rules that don’t exist and to censor public testimony. Karsky got council vice-chair. I love how there was no other nominations for either seat, and they both got elected 8-0. I think Jamison, Staggers and Anderson were glad they were not nominated. The job comes with a lot of ‘crust’ and ‘posturing’.
Kent Alberty and Carly Reiter were elected to the school board. Hopefully Carly will take Kent’s rubber stamp at the first meeting and beat him over the head with it (or at least smash it with her foot.)
She won’t. Everything I heard from her was Spanish Immersion Program – which is Pam’s baby. Not once did I ever hear her speak about setting and guiding policies or asking the hard questions. Shit – at this point – I just wish someone would ask ANY questions and engage the community and parents a little bit. Oh that’s right – we don’t do that at school board meetings – we do those behind closed doors. School board meetings are basically an appeasement for by-laws. Nothing more – nothing less. Homan has created an environment at school board meetings where they mean nothing so noone attends.
By the way, are some of you aware that the school district pays for housing costs for Spanish Immersion instructors? Yup – when we have to actively recruit teachers – we pay for their housing costs.
And the Chair and Vice-Chair of the city council made me vomit in my mouth a little bit. You’re right – Mexican Jim will have to actually participate and Karsky will have to actually be present instead of posting on FB all of the trips he gets to go on courtesy of his clients.
I’m done now venting.
You know what’s pretty awesome? How South Dakota allows school districts to set their own elections for school board, at the strangest times of year and on a lone ballot, so as to ensure virtually nobody turns out.
Here’s an idea: maybe the rocket scientists in Pierre should require school districts to elect their boards on the regular nonpartisan spring ballot, instead of these nonsense elections with 3% turnout.
Agreed horn guy. As a taxpayer – having stand alone elections are a waste of dollars.
Doubtful (regarding Carly’s newly acquired stamping ability)
She will be stamping away…in Spanish, of course.
Hornguy — what “regular nonpartisan spring ballot”? The school board election is the only game in town in the odd-numbered year, so there’s nothing to combine with.
By virtual of the Home Rule Charter, Sioux Falls is the only town in South Dakota without scheduled annual elections. Not all towns have elections due to lack of candidates but they are planned.
Testor is right. Not to mention, we could have put snowgates and Spellerberg on this past ballot, but our city clerk’s office and the school district can’t play nice together, so the council did not take action. Also, Alice, I disagree, elections are NOT a waste of money, even poorly planned ones. If I get irritated over one issue, it is when politicians try to ‘save’ money by moving elections around or making it harder to access your precints. If the school district wants to save money, I suggest Pammy buys her own vehicle and puts gas in it.
When you have 3% turnout – there has to be a better way to plan. That was my only point. Past history time and time again has shown these stand alone elections do not have a high turn out and I will bet that if this election would have been coupled with something else – people would have done a better job of educating themselves on these candidates. With the number of people who conisistently struggle with this school administration AND the school board – it is clear that the incumbent won by virtue of the fact that he handed out diplomas on Sunday – nothing more. To receive a little over 2,000 votes is nothing to be proud of and not once did I see anything from him or Pam Homan encouraging people to get educated on the candidates or to get out and vote. Hmmmm – I wonder why?
I see there is a push to keep the Mark Twain name. Yes! I encourage everyone who is on FB to go to the page (not the group) Mark Twain – Save the Name and preserve at least a little bit of history in central SF.
The entrenched powers know the only way to continue in power is to keep turnouts low.
Aye carumba. I’m guessing he’ll not allow eminent domain argument for the prior motorcycle property. It could be developed into EC parking and acquired cheap before land in the area becomes overpriced. On the other hand, he’s pesos and the 400 million debt is only $1.99 in US citizen dollars.
He’ll make big bucks on the motorcycle lot. The city attorney should wear him down with 4 years legal expenses. He’ll get what he wants for the property but his take home will be but what it’s worth now. It’s a good play to break him and keep him from becoming the next dictator mayor. It’s like using the IRS against the Tea Party.
Whoops, forgot. Any court case the city brings is automatically dismissed because the courts and the state do not recognize city civil procedures because their government is unconstitutional. Can’t believe I did Jimmy a favor. Sorry, it was an accident.
Hopefully Reiter will NOT turn out to be the “single-issue” (Spanish Immersion) School Board member that she appears to be………..