Dave’s greatest tool

This ringing endorsement of King Dave’s accomplishments comes from the same people who once depicted him as a Dr. Suess character. Besides spending record sales tax revenue like a drunken sailor and racking up a record debt I still struggle with what Dave’s accomplishments really were. Because I can shoot holes in all of these, real quick;

the man who grew up in the historic North End ultimately did not accomplish some things that many of us – maybe even he – had hoped for. Time, economic conditions, his own style and an often-fragile relationship with the City Council,

Fragile relationship? You mean the fact that he could only get 6-7 councilors to rubberstamp his agenda and budgets?

Phillips to the Falls became a reality – perhaps, in public perception, his greatest accomplishment.

What? He broke city law to approve a 100% over budget expenditure on the project, and after 5 years the land still remains undeveloped and as far as I know, still owned by the city. The only thing that was accomplished at Phillips to the Falls was a plaque of Munson being erected and a massive bilking of taxpayers.

He rescued the Orpheum, stabilized funding for the Lewis & Clark pipeline, cleaned up the Loop and gave downtown a welcome face-lift.

The taxpayers of Sioux Falls rescued the Orpheum, we are getting suckered in higher water rates for a pipeline we don’t have yet and downtown has become a very boring place to hang out. When I turned 21 over 16 years ago there was more than two live music venues downtown that played Rock & Roll. There was also a dance club. As Rocco said to me the other night when he was hanging out in Sioux City on fourth street.

“People aren’t a bunch of stuck up yuppies on fourth street like in downtown Sioux Falls. Everyone is cool.”

Munson has turned downtown Sioux Falls into a Mayberry for elitists who think there brat kids who are enrolled in club sports deserve handouts from the city, and I don’t think Mayor Subprime will be much different.

There was one thing Dave was good at; using his gavel at council meetings with people he didn’t agree with. I still think he has no respect for the First Amendment and freedom of speech, and for that, all I have to say is ‘good riddance!’

8 Thoughts on “Munson’s accomplishments? Please, fill me in.

  1. I’ve bitched about this many times, but I’ve always been enraged by the “he loves this city” mantra that the local media uses for every single blowjob story on him. Does that mean that the city councilors don’t love this city? Or those that ran in this past election? Or, most importantly, those that don’t agree with his actions? It’s fucking ridiculous.

  2. Costner on May 17, 2010 at 7:45 am said:

    Munson has actually been very successful in several areas. He has convinced the public that record debt is perfectly acceptable provided we have less of it than other cities our size.

    He has also led us to believe that Sioux Quartzite columns, bronze plaques, and historically correct windows at the Pavilion are more important than pothole-free roadways… and sadly many of his supporters seem to agree.

    He has been successful in controlling drunks at Mivervas, and he has told more citizens they are “out of line” at city council meetings than any mayor in history.

    In addition to this, he has been wildly successful in hiring and retaining employees of questionable ability including his Chief of Staff (who should be moving her nameplate to her new office sometime this morning).

    Finally, he has been the most successful at ignoring city rules and when caught he was very successful at skirting the law by promising not to run for Mayor again, and then backpedaling on his original promise and fooling the ignorant public to vote for him again.

    So how can you say he isn’t successful?

  3. I think you judge a politician by how well he annoys those out to get him or her.

    So, yes…he’s been the most successful mayor we’ve ever seen.

  4. Plaintiff Guy on May 17, 2010 at 9:07 am said:

    L3wis says it well. Other comments are (sadly) true.

    I’d like to add what’s most important:
    He turned city government into a tyrannical dictatorship ignoring state and federal constitutional law.

    The council meeting tonight about mayoral city bids corruption is a start to restore democracy. It’s a worthless endeaver. The mayor can ignore anything that’s said and continue to get huge kickbacks from contractors.

    I’m not opposed to CEO’s paying themselves millions when the company doesn’t return a profit. You bought the stock and you learned a lesson. I have no problem with securities fraud bilking wealthy investors. What is inconscionable is someone who gets rich stealing public money.

    Home Rule charter will not be repealed by Huether or any other mayor. The only return to democracy is with a citizens class action asking state supreme court to constitutionally (SD & US) revoke the charter.

  5. Plaintiff Guy on May 17, 2010 at 9:16 am said:

    We need Munson. About now, he’d change this topic to Events Center and we’d forget he’s a traitor who should be tried as a terrorist for high treason.

  6. John on May 17, 2010 at 10:56 am said:

    Classic Munson- right after he commits fraud his quote in the paper was that he thought he could fix it before anyone found out. Not only did he commit fraud he was too stupid to fix it!!!

  7. l3wis on May 17, 2010 at 8:08 pm said:

    John, It’s hard to get mad at such a goof. I remember when he used to gavel me, and I would tell him that he had no right to silence me, and he didn’t get it.

  8. Plaintiff Guy on May 18, 2010 at 11:26 am said:

    Don’t give him any ideas, he’ll start using the gavel on defenseless drunks.

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