Two things. Most of the year it is too cold to walk anywhere, and when it is warm, it is the only option for the working poor.
City Hall at 9th and Main was a bit empty at 1:30pm Wednesday. The City Attorney’s office was pretty quiet also. Where were they? Try Carnegie Townhall, the mayor was giving a political speech on the City’s dime and time, again. I walked into the Council Chamber and hizonor was giving his standard campaign stump speech with a room full of city employees in attendance. I wonder how much money wasted on this political event? Wait, it’s tax money being wasted, yours and mine. On top of this, the city’s website was being used. Channel 16 CityLink was also being utilized. This looks a lot like a major waste of taxpayer money being used to help hizonor have some publicity for his campaign.
It is an amazing process for the average citizen to file an ethics complaint in the City of Sioux Falls. Try and find a brave attorney to assist you in the research, then the filing. I have a great deal of respect for many attorneys and always will. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence to find code close to what is needed to make officials stop, then take notice, then correct their course. We have been attempting to help City Hall and the annexes personnel understand limits instilled in the US Constitution, State of South Dakota Constitution and the Sioux Falls Home Rule Charter.
This city government constantly rules by loophole. We have had to stand back and watch this action for too long. The Mayor’s Learning & Listening sessions are filled with his political views until he is reminded not to be political during city sponsored events. Since I prepared this complaint, word is reaching me, a double, super-secret, buried in the basement floor, under the rug in the back corner rule was broken in this submission process. We are trying to make changes to the way this government is operated and it is time to make them accountable.
If this complaint is rejected because we did not do all the steps exactly right, I guess we will have to keep trying until we do get it right. You know come to think of it, there are so many ethics issues we are uncovering with the current administration, each will need to be ranked in descending order of importance. This has been a great lesson in City Charter rules and lack thereof. With this new found knowledge, it looks like we could keep the city attorney’s office quite busy. Oh wait, a few of these might require outside legal counsel.
READ THE FULL DOCUMENT:Â Citizens for Integrity Press Release 2014-03-26.pdf – Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended
Press Release • March 26, 2014 • Bruce Danielson, Citizens for Integrity
Today I have filed on behalf of Citizens for Integrity an ethics complaint based on:
Sioux Falls Code § 38.021 EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC FUNDS TO INFLUENCE ELECTION OUTCOME PROHIBITED
Established Sioux Falls Code, South Dakota law, Administrative rules, Executive Orders and customs have restricted the use of Sioux Falls City resources to enhance a political campaign. Mayor Mike Huether today is violating these long standing guidelines.
From the city website: < http://www.siouxfalls.org/central-services/multimedia-support/citylink/programs/regular-programs/ask-the-mayor.aspx >
According to City policy (Executive Order 12-24), candidates for any elective public office are not eligible to appear on CityLink for 90 days prior to the next municipal election (April 8, 2014). This City policy ensures candidates do not use public funds for their own personal promotion. The policy states that candidates may appear on CityLink “if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to presentation of the subject matter or in coverage of official City meetings such as City Council or Council Informational Meetings.†These types of incidental appearances also may include events like news conferences and ribbon cuttings.
After January 7, 2014:
- The “Mayor’s Listening and Learning Sessions†will continue to be held at various locations across the city but will not be recorded or televised on CityLink.
- “Ask the Mayor†programs will not be recorded or televised on CityLink.
- “Inside Town Hall†will continue to be recorded and televised but will not include candidates for any elective public office.
Today we once again have our Mayor abusing his office for personal gain. The circumventing the established nonpolitical
Nobody watches TV16. I didn’t see anything on network news. I doubt the Argus will say anything. What we have here is a failure to communicate or a conscious uncoupling.
The poll he’s referring to named Grand Rapids MI as number 1 safest. Uh, unemployed auto workers left there for Kentucky. Criminals left too because anybody still living there is on welfare.
I get it – you don’t like the mayor like most of the people who come here to feel important. But this seems like you’re grasping at straws. It’s part of his job to do the state of the city. Is this the best you could come up with? Of all the corruption or alleged corruption with TIFs, land deals, etc., you come up with – he gave a speech that is given every year and it was broadcast on Channel 16??? At some point you start looking foolish or even a bit obsessed (think pathloss). But keep spending your money on lawyers and such because in the end they need to eat too I guess.
OK I was wrong about network coverage. It’s all over the news this morning. There were takes to his stepford wife and droid yes men. It’s probably front & last page of the Argus but hardly anyone reads this 2 page flyer.
Pathloss, Grand Rapids is on the west side of the state of Michigan. That is where Michigan’s banking industry is. You are thinking of the east side of the state where Detroit is… Rampant crime over there.
The key difference is what is “feeling safe” to actually being safe. Every night people are going on the news and saying they are “surprised” that this happened or that happened in our community. Unfortunately, I don’t believe people are going to figure out how much crime has risen while the Mayor has been away at the store picking out the color scheme for the new event center before April 8th.
At this point I’m wondering if I should root for Jamison just to see this blog return to some level of civility and get back to discussing real, legitimate issues rather than an ongoing vendetta against all things Huether… or if I should root for Huether just to watch this place rage-explode on April 9th.
I honestly feel there will be several more people here in the pathloss side of the mental health spectrum if Huether wins re-election.
When the Mayor did his last Listening and Learning session in 2013, he went on at great length about how this would have to be the last session until after the April election.
He explained the 90 day rule and said he was committed to continuing with the Listening and Learning sessions if he was re-elected, “God-willing”.
Based on his statements that day, I do not understand why he has continued with these sessions right up until the election.
Can someone enlighten me?
Anonymous,
I’m sure city Attorney paid by taxpayers you and me, probably told MMM its okay, they won’t remember, they won’t care. I’m glad you remembered. I’m hoping for spring cleaning come election day.
I guess Huether gave the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ speech yesterday at the Heritage Alliance luncheon. He asked people to pray for him because some people are mean to him. He should probably pray for a thicker skin.
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