Dr. Kermit Staggers and his wife June
I often ask myself that question. What is important to me before I vote. That is one reason why I am a registered Independent, I try to keep an open mind about politicians. I even vote for Republicans on occasion.
Dr. Kermit Staggers for instance. I do not give money to politicians, I think money is the problem, but sometimes it helps. I have given money to Kermit, twice. Once when he ran for mayor and again now that he is running for council. I’m not the monied elite, just an average Joe who wants to see all of citizens concerns addressed, not just the special interests. My money represents one special interest group. YOU! The taxpaying working class Joe who deserves a voice at city hall.
Kermit is a good man in a field of corrupt, self-interest candidates. Just look at his opponent, raising over $45,000 for a seat she doesn’t even want;
“I actually would have preferred this time that someone else be doing this . . .”
(De Knudson, KELO-TV, Feb 17th)
She claims she is running a positive campaign while Kermit is running a negative one.
Lying in your campaign material about your opponent’s voting record is VERY negative. Maybe she believes her lies? How would she know how Kermit voted anyway, she was to busy watching TV or complaining how she was tired.
Running for office so you can ‘block’ someone from being in office is the highest form of negativity and quite frankly childish playground horseplay. Knudson likes to say Kermit’s press conference yesterday was ridiculous and desperate. Let’s talk about desperation.
At the Democratic forum yesterday, Knudson talked about the Walmart zoning issue, she also commented that “She doesn’t shop at Walmart.” of course she doesn’t. She is so out of touch with what is going on with the average citizen, it makes your head spin.
Is Kermit the best choice for the At-Large council seat? YES! While I would have been thrilled to see some more people run for the seat, I think we should consider ourselves very lucky he stepped up to the plate. We can’t let this opportunity be lost, he must be elected. We need a watchdog of this mayor (who is rumored to have orchestrated this whole Knudson race).
The mayor, Knudson and other city councilors asked SEVERAL people to run against Dr. Staggers. Why did they refuse?
Several reasons were given to me (I spoke face to face with 3 prominent community leaders who were asked), here is the short list;
• They didn’t want to work with this mayor.
• They didn’t want their name attached to the new EC.
• They think the current city council environment is very TOXIC and lacks transparency.
• They think this town is ran by the Chamber, the bankers and the developers, which it is. Many potential candidates don’t want to deal with them and their strong arm tactics.
• They respect Dr. Staggers and want him to WIN!
I encourage everyone to vote, TODAY absentee or show up to the polls on Tuesday. Let’s shut down this money machine. Let’s elect someone who will ask the right questions and demand they be answered. Let’s vote for transparency and shine a little light on city hall.
VOTE FOR STAGGERS!
Great video;
http://www.KSFY.com/category/185294/video?clipId=6894127&autostart=true
I also added up all the financial reports of the others running for council in all of the races, excluding Knudson, it totals under $20,000. Amazing. De has spent over double of what all the other candidates in the election combined.
Staggers should win but Im sure vote count will be rigged. Corruption is that bad and they’re even obvious about it.
Somebody needs to ask why the courthouse wasn’t open today during their scheduled hours. It’s not a good idea 3 days before the election.
Good question, since Perry Groten told people to vote absentee today.
Someone should have called Bob Litz at home to see why the courthouse was not open for absentee voting!!!!!!
I know a few pissed off people.
The hours are 8 AM – Noon on Saturday. What time did they stop by?
Around 11, I think. Definitely before 12. They even tried to call but no one answered.
It is very discouraging to see that what has happened with campaign spending at the federal level is now filtering down to the local level.
Recent Examples:
Huether’s campaign for Mayor–$225,000+
EC ‘Build It Now’ campaign–$337,000
Now the local Council races:
(**the numbers tell the story**)
At-Large:
Cory Buttemeier $835
De Knudson $45,000
Kermit Staggers $6,710
Northeast District:
Kenny Anderson Jr. $1,700
Nicole Wilson $0
Northwest District:
Dean Karsky $1,425
James Ysbrand $1,310
Southwest District:
Lyndsay DeMatteo $350
Greg Jamison $3,725
Kyle Vanderlinden $400
Further clarification, they were there around 9…and went to every door.
Wow. The 1% of Sioux Falls must really hate Kermit to spend $45,000 to keep him from getting elected. They must really be afraid of him.
I just told Kermit about the courthouse being closed. I’m guessing it is due to the Easter holiday. I find it funny that KELO finally talks about absentee voting, and the courthouse is closed for a holiday.
Yes the amount of money being spent by Knudson is scary. I agree with scott, why are the SF 1%ers so scared of Kermit. Because they know he will NEVER bow to their special interest needs.
I have also heard that the auditor’s office isn’t running as smoothly as it did when Roust was in charge. In, fact, a lot of people are asking who is running the joint?
Although I’m not a Sioux Falls voter, I watched the Argus Leader Editorial Board video in which all three At-Large Candidates were featured and came away impressed with the professor. A ground game with enthusiastic USF students can make this a race – regardless of the money difference.
He does have a large number of volunteers who will be calling people. REAL, LIVE PEOPLE, not Robocalls.