Entries Tagged 'Sioux Falls' ↓

Rex fears the minions will get the keys to the castle, so he has to try to kill the messenger of truth;

I am deeply troubled by Councilor Theresa Stehly’s recent letterto the editor titled, “Secrecy in golf management selection a concern.” Unfortunately, this letter is a classic example of a politician stirring the pot in order gain nonstop publicity in our local media.

Publicity? Stehly has two and half years left on her council term and she is NOT running for mayor, what publicity is she seeking? The only thing Stehly continues to publicize is her support for open government, 100% of the time. It was her campaign issue that won her her seat.

The RFP process reduces the risk to those who compete in the process by protecting the proprietary information of those who are unsuccessful.

When doing business with the public and receiving public money for your services your proprietary information is NO longer private, it becomes public. If those who seek public contracts don’t understand that or agree to those terms, they have the choice NOT to participate in the process. It really is that simple.

Publicizing unsuccessful proposals would severely limit those willing to participate if any thus reducing competition and driving up costs to the taxpayers.

I actually believe it would have an opposite affect. If competition can see who is competing and their proposals it will only drive them to put together a better and more fiscally prudent proposal. It would actually not only save taxpayers money but we would get better services. We found this out with the Pavilion window replacement contract. Once the initial bid was discovered to be inadequate competitors were able to under bid it and save taxpayers thousands of dollars. Closed bids and committees only give us one option, a piss poor way to do business.

As a person who works as an estimator I and am consistently wanting to know what my competition is charging so I can be more competitive. In private business sometimes that information is hard to get, but don’t think we don’t seek it out. I have done government bids throughout the country for states, municipalities and the Federal government and we are always told what the competing bids and offers are at the end of the day. Rolfing’s analogy of local government RFP’s is certainly NOT the norm because it defies that whole nature of free enterprise, competition and a the democratic process. He is delusional, as usual.

I would like to conclude my letter by recognizing those who have served on these committees especially our citizen volunteers. Thank you for your willingness to serve even while some attempt to politicize your efforts. I also ask our citizens to please learn all the facts and hear from both sides of any issue.

So why are certain ‘citizens’ privy to this information, but not all of us? Elected officials who strive for open and transparent government are NOT politicizing anything, they are promoting good government, and I applaud them for it. I also find it ironic that Rolfing is asking citizens to learn all the facts first before drawing conclusions. Isn’t kind of hard to receive those facts when you won’t share them with us? Your assurance is not enough, we found that out with the siding settlement which was a gigantic lie.

Often times those who yell the loudest fear you hearing all the facts.

To that I say, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

Now becoming a yearly holiday tradition for DaCola, see if you can find the unconstitutional snow plows;

The Eighth Annual Paint the Plows event will display 22 plows painted by area students this Saturday, October 21, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The plows will be on exhibit at the Empire Mall in the JCPenney east parking lot.

But, hey, when you want to go against constitutional law, all you need is a disclaimer;

The City of Sioux Falls does not censor the content or any viewpoints on the artwork. Any messages or views expressed are not those of the City or endorsed by the City.

It’s NOT censorship when it’s unconstitutional. But the mayor isn’t going to let some blogger tell him how to practice his fake Christianity.

If I don’t find any Jesus Snowplows this year, I think I will present the Mayor and City Council with a ‘Constitutional Achievement Merit Award’.

Actually, the Jesus snowplows actually got me in hot water at work when one of the cry baby candidates in the last municipal election called our sales manager and complained about my blog post about his relationship with the topic. Doubt he will run for office again anyway after he got his ass handed to him.

My poet friend Charles Luden will be on Pat’s show. Charles’ poetry is a regular on my blog. It should be an interesting interview. Chuck has lived most of his life in Sioux Falls and has a great historical background of the city. Chuck was a drummer in several bands since the 70’s and has published several poetry books.

I’m thinking more and more with the recent acceptance of the administration to do a siding report that the Chamber was in cahoots with the mayor in recommending the council gets a report. It just seemed to ‘easy’ to me that the mayor would go along with it, and the Chamber was pushing for it.

Like I have already said, the mayor only agreed to this as long as he can have staff on the RFP committee (he can control). If I was the city council, I would request the final report be sent directly to Carnegie Hall and not City Hall, and after they review it in executive session, they share it with the Public at the exact same time as they share it with the mayor’s office.

If this report is reviewed by the mayor and his staff before the ENTIRE council sees it, I will struggle with trusting the contents of it. When hiring the firm, the council should DEMAND that all correspondence goes through them (preferably Jim David, NOT Tom Greco, who has shown his allegiance to the mayor’s office time and time again).

I would like just for once the city council and public getting the information first before the mayor’s team can water it down and LIE, LIE, LIE about the results.

UPDATE: HERE IS A COPY OF THE RFP: (DOC: Building-Enclosure-Consulting)

Well here we are again at the special club meeting of the special people who do things we mere mortals have to put up with, otherwise known as the monthly search for the Sioux Falls Park and Recreation Board hangout. We found it at the Prairie Green Golf Course (of course) where we’re constantly reminded of tee times through the meeting. If this wasn’t enough, as we were recording the meeting we were treated to the flushing of toilets in the next rooms. What a pleasant experience.

We learn so much when we show up but yet learn so little. Normally when Cameraman Bruce shows up to these hidden city meetings there is never a handout of the exhibits for him, this time he just grabbed them as he could. We are posting the handouts in a PDF (DOC: 2017-10-17-Park&RecBoard) so you can see how weak the numbers are at our ski hill and golf courses. We get to see how we’re getting a new park experience across from the packing house to commemorate the millions of livestock hoofs moved through the property in the past. At least the visitors will get to share the smells as they visit on little town on the prairie.

Isn’t it about time we look at getting ready to dump some of these toys? Even the special people are seeing how the screws are pinning them down.

Why was there no questions about the new marketing program (scam) results never presented to the Park Board dreamed up by Kearney?

It’s a smellabration and it really stinks. Our Park and Recreation Board shows it every month.

Mr. Lee, Public Affairs & Communications Director for the SF Chamber is leaving to run a Sioux Falls branch of his family’s bank.

While I disagree with Mark about 99.9% of the time, I will say I am going to miss him. I’ve enjoyed his multiple jabs over the past couple of years in his Chamber articles directed at me and South DaCola. As you know, I much more prefer criticism over praise, it keeps me on my toes. I hope the Chamber can replace him with someone just as sharp and sometimes biting.

Seriously, I don’t know the answer to that question, and wondering if anyone can fill me in?

It all came about after brunch with a friend on Sunday, I was on a mission to find wall hooks (cheap) I finally just gave in at Lowes. So we drove around the Lake’s complex because I had not seen it yet. My friend says to me, “That’s a lake?” and wondered what qualifies as a lake, I told her I really didn’t know.

Does anyone?

The other part that I wondered about is if it is a lake will there be access for boats to fish on it and will people be able to swim in it? Or is it just for looks? I have heard rumors that boating or swimming in the lake is probably NOT a good idea because the family who owned it MIGHT have used it for a construction scrap dump. I have no idea if that is true, but I would be curious what is at the bottom of that lake.

I’ll await your answers.

Not even sure why the council even votes on this stuff;

Because its current golf course management contract expires on December 31, 2017, the City of Sioux Falls completed a competitive request for proposal process to select a golf course management company. The news conference will announce the company with which the City will negotiate a contract and why this process was important to undertake on behalf of the City and the golfing community.

If you are voting on a contract, shouldn’t you be shown at least the TOP 2 RFP choices and make an up or down decision from that? How can the council VOTE on ONE contract offering? What makes it even worse is that the RFP committee that picks the ONE choice is secret, and picks there choice in SECRET. Even with the press conference tomorrow, some councilors still don’t know who was chosen.

UPDATE II: Boy, these things change quickly, I am hearing now that DGM & GreatLife have neither been chosen for the golf contract. Not sure who it is, but I hear there were 5 companies that responded to the RFP.

To be quite honest, I’m more concerned about the secrecy than anything. I think there is too many damn golf courses the way it is, and with all the private ones popping up over the past decade, maybe the city should sell the courses and get out of the golfing business. Or better yet give them to the country clubs so we can finally build an east/west route from Kiwanis to Louise in the center of the city. It still amazes me we allow a few rich people in town to dictate the traffic chokehold we have on the west central part of our city. I would have used imminent domain 20 years ago to bulldoze them. But that would take courage and leadership.