You can’t make this crap up. In the mayor’s budget hearing today he let the director of HR, Bill Dah’Toole explain why we needed a Chief Culture Officer (at around $144K a year). A majority of the council was frustrated that the mayor didn’t stick around to explain this expenditure. They also questioned Bill why him and his staff, you know, Human Resources, wasn’t working on a better ‘work’ culture together. COS Beck quickly came to Bill’s defense saying all management works on a better work culture in the city, but they really need a full-time person dedicated to it.
I have often argued you create a better culture by having fewer employees that are extremely qualified, can multi-task and you pay them good wages. You would save the city millions because you would have higher efficiency.
You want a better work culture? Hire people who already have it so you don’t have to train people on the job.
They also are looking for a full-time person to Tweet, Instagram and Facebook. They already have a part-time person dedicated to it, but they can’t handle the workload. Another situation where some of the councilors questioned what our current employees in the media department have been doing. Once again, a problem that could be solved by hiring, as Greg Neitzert would say, ‘ROCK STARS’. People that are already highly qualified so we don’t have to potty train them.
This mayor has added 17 new FTE’s in his first year and now wants to add another 20. Instead of hiring unqualified people who are political hacks or tool salesmen, he needs to hire PROFESSIONALS who can multi-task and handle work loads instead of mini-bars.
Sioux Falls doesn’t need a Chief of Culture. It needs a Pharoah of Taste to look around at how mangy most of the public areas outside of DTSF (streets, gutters, sidewalks, interstate exchanges, metropolitan interstate roadsides, vacant commercial properties) look. Ongoing street & gutter sweeping, gutter & sidewalk weed spraying/burnout, proactive enforcement of commercial/residential weed/grass height codes, cut & immediately trim grass at interstate surface street exchanges, replace snow-removal damaged storm drain covers, temporarily fill concrete street cracks until permanent fixes can be done, enforce quick removal of temporary street repair traffic control signs & cones once they are no longer required, outlaw free standing homemade “FOR LEASE” commercial real estate signs (building window signs or exterior banners ok), enforce vacant commercial property grounds upkeep requirements, fine commercial RE agents who have lease/sale listings for unkept properties, outlaw freestanding homemade election campaign signs, hold urban commercial construction sites responsible for dust control & keeping adjacent thoroughfares clean and free of debris and mud tracked out of construction site, enforce tarping requirements for commercial rock/sand/soil/asphalt haulers on both metropolitan surface streets and interstates.
What about a group of service dogs, that a “Chief Dog Provider” could handle, and make surprise visits to different city departments throughout the day to help with everyones’ emotional needs?
Now, my sarcasm here, may not be too politically correct, but when does all of this end, quite frankly?
Perhaps, we need a “Pothole Guru” or “Pothole Priest, too?”
Although, the latter “Priest” idea might be a bit too much. It would be like “Jesus Plows,” or “…going biblical over development”…. Oh wait a minute, those two have already happened, or have been suggested by our current administration, haven’t they?
(“What about a “Chief Liaison Officer to the Taupe Housing Society of Conformity?”…..”That might be a good idea, too.”….(“Well, I would like to be the Chief Officer to handle UFO sightings in town or gun shoots at Tuthill Park, too, for instance”…”Who knows when crop circles will begin to appear amongst the tall grass on the bike trail, as well?”))
Imagine, you are hired for this position, and then you attend a national conference on behalf of our city, say in Toledo, and then at the end of the day you relax in the hotel hot tub. Then a nice couple joins you in the tub, let’s say from Peoria, where small talk commences, and the husband of the couple asks you what you do for a living, so you say that you’re the Chief Culture Officer for the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Then immediately, the husband looks at the wife and they abruptly get out of the tub with water splashing everywhere, and with the two walking away in earnest and with the husband holding his wife tightly as he looks back one last time at the “Chief Culture Officer” in total horrific disgust… …..#ItsOnlyAMatterOfTime…….
A guy must have to go to work unshaven and wearing a t-shirt under his blazer, and wearing sneakers, too, to come-up with ideas like this, huh? …..#IWishICouldBeCoolLikeThat……
‘
(“What about a Chief Mini-frig Operator’ to defend the Mayor’s supply of diet coke?”….”That might be a good idea, too…”)
Ahh, yes. Budget season… where dozens of armchair Quarterbacks take a 30 second glance at some numbers and pretend they know how to run things. What kind of ‘professional’ leadership role have you had? Did they put you in charge of prepping the Bloomin’ onions and now you think you’re management material?
A city of 170k with 1500 employees and a 500 million budget. There’s a lot wrong with this picture. Similar size cities are far less exorbitant. This is supposed to be government, not empire building.
Director of Human Resources for the City of Sioux Falls told us all we need to know…..
“We enjoy low turn-over…..”
Obviously, there is no need for city employees to have their own Chief Culture Officer ($124,000 a year + benefits).
this city is obese with employees…some of whom are grossly overpaid…especially in the attorneys office and parks dept. i say hire 6 police officers, give the PD rank and file the raise they deserve, and scrap the rest of these worthless positions. “culture officer?” you have to be kidding. this once again proves pauly t is in way over his head.
PB – I haven’t worked in a restaurant for over 6 years, always a PT gig anyway. Main reason I don’t is because most restaurant management are dumbasses that let the pothead kitchen staff run the joint, and people are horrible tippers, especially old people, people with kids, active military and worst of all, people who pray at the table before they eat, oh and the Huetterites.
But other than that, I have worked as a PROFESSIONAL in the printing industry for 25 years, I may not work in management or HR but I do know enough NOT to hire an Innovation Manager who only has experience in selling tools online and making pizza with a HS diploma or NOT to hire an internal auditor with NO internal auditing experience. It all starts with WHO you hire to begin with. But what can you expect from born agains? They think they convert everyone into their ‘Culture’. Figure out how to hire people with good culture and experience to begin with instead of a bunch of blockhead puppets.
Given his presentation yesterday, I doubt it.
He walks up to the podium and says, “Anybody need a break, that was pretty intense.” (referring to the previous City Director’s presentation) The Council responses with stone-cold silence!
Paul TenHaken, this is what you get when you hire someone with a H.S. diploma instead of a professional manager.
As a taxpayer and a well-informed voter, I continue to be astounded by many of Tenhaken’s decisions. And, he’s only been in office for 15 months….think of the continuing damage he can do during his remaining 33 months.
For $197,000 plus benefits Jason Reisdorfer better come up with some brilliant solutions for the SF Transit system. On this note, he is not off to a great start. Paratransit has had a strangle hold on our transit system for several decades. When his underling reported to the Council (BTW, next time Jason, have the guts to show up before the Council yourself) she reported that their focus was not on Paratransit!!
Yesterday, proven once again, this guy is not qualified to be a City Director in a town of close to 200,000 people.
Post #9. Well worth the price of admission. Great comeback.
Scott – Your disdain for Christians is showing again and frankly its getting quite offensive at times. You can blast the mayor all you want but, I hate to break it to you, he does not represent Christians or born again Christians. Your painting a broad brush and I know you will say its tongue and cheek comment but, you rail against Christians frequently. Where is the tolerance and understanding. I always wonder why those of you that are Left leaning have tolerance for everything but, Christians. Thought this was suppose to be the “big tent”. I have noticed even when a Christian does good in your eyes they receive a back handed compliment, why is that? If you don’t like Christians at least just say it and be done with it and stop beating around the bush.
Blasphemo: One of the best comments I’ve read on here in awhile. You listed a lot of obvious things that should be enforced/carried out in this city, but are not.
Something as basic as enforcing the tarping/securing of dump trucks hauling rocks around town is not even a blip on the radar of the city. I live a block away from several 8 plexes under construction. The dust is crazy. AC filters filled up, and I’ve never seen a water truck wet the road to prevent it in a year. City parks that haven’t been weeded for a couple of years under the guise of “making it look natural by not mowing it”.
Your newsletter…I’d subscribe to it!
The City’s turnover is extremely low. Much lower than in the private sector.
The biggest contributor to the turnover is – retirement.
Dozens of applications for every open job posted.
So what’s the problem the Mayor is trying to fix? What’s the real motive?
Political favor? Give another unqualified friend a high paying job with no real responsibility?
MK, I’m guessing you pinned the tail on that Donkey. I guess PTH chewed Soehl’s ass for referring to the position as a ‘camp counselor’. I’m amazed that all these supposed conservatives are growing the government by such an amazing rate.
CH, don’t have a problem with Christians, I have a problem when Christians try to force their dogma philosophies into government. As a deist, I don’t lose to much sleep over it, but if I was a city employee who was of a different god worshipping religion, I wouldn’t be to happy about it.
CH. As long as evangels continue to make excuses for trump, you’ll get zero respect from me.
Some guys in city government who suffer from pepperoni envy buy big pickup trucks and wear cowboy hats to the Mayor’s Sale of Champions.
Other guys suffering from the same insecurity complex come onto a blog to cast insult toward the blogger-in-chief. To each their own.
lol it sounds like a dog-catcher but for art work.
CH – many of us share the disdain you refer to, AND consider ourselves believers. But, we may acknowledge we and our faith is flawed, we don’t embrace regular church attendance, & we are “sinful and unclean”. However, those who enter public service are – or at least should be – held to a higher standard of behavior and actions. When they also tout their alleged deep faith practices, that should be reflected in all of their affairs. . . . not just on Sunday. It disgusts us to see these avowed pious public players demonstrate such hypocrisy in their self-serving political maneuvers.
i’d also guess that if ptk thinks he needs a chief culture officer, then i’d think that this person would need to have a staff. one person can’t be expected to carry out hawaiian shirt day, inside out hat day, and other such important matters effecting the culture of city employees.
Blasphemo – You nailed it. I am also disgusted with the “Show Christians” and I agree 100% with your post. I just get the feeling that Scott hates Christians and even after I called him out and he says he has no problem but, then says he has an issue with them pushing “dogma” on them. Once again using a phrase like that says you have a loathing for Christians. If this was the first time I had seen comments from him like this I would let it slide but, I have seen it frequently. I recall a post not too long ago about the Christain organization taking over the School for the Deaf buildings and him making backhanded comments about them doing good works even though they are a Christain organization. I read this blog regularly and this disdain has been consistent. So my point was for being so tolerant he has been pretty intolerant of Christians. The writings and comments are consistent and speak for themselves. These are not my words but, his and to deny you have a loathing seems disingenuous but, maybe I am judging too harshly.
scott – don’t forget ‘bring your dog’ to work day, that takes a real smart chap to organize.
CH, tolerance is a two-way street, and if people expect me to be tolerant of their beliefs, they need to be tolerant of mine, that is not usually the case. A great example is the Jesus snowplows. Even though the city has been warned several times that religious markings cannot be on government property, they continue to do it. If supposed Christians can judge people like me, or other non-Christian religions, why can’t we be critical of them? Like I said, I’m over it, I could care less what people want to believe, my point is, if you are going to throw a pie in my face, expect me to throw one back.
Really disgusted with the fraud, waste, and abuse that our city leadership participates in. Beyond absurd.
Can anyone explain what this is? It sounds like the head of a reich ministry, but googling it shows some metaphysical blah-blah from corporatespeak. Is this a new hakentool for “hey, let’s run a government as a business”?
Scott – You are correct about a 2 way street but, you frequently lob insults at Christians in general without ANY coming you way. This to me sounds like typical identify politics. You and I have different views on a lot of things Scott but, I respect your opinion and your rights to do as you please. God gave us free will and I see no reason man should make another rule to overrule our creator. I am not pushing my beliefs on you and not trying to insult you, I am simply pointing out you paint us all with a broad brush because some Christians have judged you. Your comments recently about the Christian organization taking over the School for the Deaf buildings and doing “good work for a Christian organization” are backhanded insults and numerous examples of it throughout your writings. So Yes it appears you have an issue and you are “lobbing pies” in peoples face who have not transgressed you at all. My question is WHY, its unnecessary and I do take offense to it. I know I am not the only Christian on this blog and there are many things we could discuss that is wrong with “religion” but, you just continue to insult without provocation.
CH, I often tell people that about 33% of what I know only makes it to the blog, the rest gets ‘filed’. Let’s just say the school for the deaf negotiated deal is in that FILE and will probably never make it to the blog. But if you want to know more about it, I encourage you to speak with peeps from the deaf community, because they feel they got the shaft.
Oh, and as a Deist, I do believe in GOD as our creator, that has never been my issue with Christianity, my issue is how ‘SOME’ of them also practice a healthy dose of hypocrisy.