September 2013

Charter meeting, all 7 minutes of it

The Charter Revision Commission met for a whole whopping 7 minutes yesterday. In fact the meeting was so brief, a city councilor showed up right before it ended, and an AL reporter showed up as the members were walking out.

There was quite a bit on their agenda though. (don’t be fooled by the SIRE video link, like an old Chrysler in the winter, apparently they have to let SIRE video run for about 15 minutes before the meeting starts, heck and it is even Summer, I suspect this winter they will have to rev’r up about 45 minutes before a meeting starts!)

Here’s a synopsis;

No one from the public had any input.

No directors showed up to comment.

One councilor (Rolfing) showed up, but was late and did not comment.

So onto the agenda (the first part took about 3 minutes)

The city attorney, Fiddle-Faddle decided that the only thing that was important were items 2.02 & 3.02, something to do with 3 days in a month, meetings, blah, blah, blah.

The CRC decided that all other items could wait until a new CRC is appointed, and were unimportant. What I couldn’t figure out was who put these ‘other’ items on the agenda? No one really had an answer.

A very strange meeting, and a pretty lazy CRC. But when you get your ass handed to you, you tend to be a little gun shy.

I see Lloyd Companies is trying to play the TIF game in Madison now

Cory points out something I have known about Lloyd Companies for a long time, they don’t need TIF’s to develop, but hey if they CAN get them, they will use them;

But when we look at the big picture, TIF is a free ride. Go east on Eighth Street two blocks. You find apartment buildings there. I don’t know who built them or when, but the developer of those buildings didn’t get a TIF district to help make those apartments happen. That developer managed to cover his own construction bills and still pay regular taxes to support the city, school district, and county. TIF removes half of that burden from new developers, giving them an unfair advantage as they enter a tight Madison housing marketplace that ought to be drawing hordes of builders and buildings without taxpayer help.

I also find it interesting that Lloyd Companies tried to keep this a secret from the public;

Funny thing was, neither that resolution nor that night’s agenda packet nor any other online document I could find told us where that TIF district would be, or who was asking for it, or what they were going to do with it. Also funny was that the Lake County Commission hadn’t taken any formal action on any proposal to create a TIF district.

A little digging revealed that the proposal for TIF district #2 comes from Lloyd Companies in Sioux Falls. Lloyd prefers that their proposal not circulate until they finalize it.

As Lloyd said on the ‘100 Eyes’ show the other day, (SIC) “A TIF is when we (Lloyd co.) get a percentage of our property tax payment refunded to us, then we use that refund to pay off our bank loan that funded the project.” Can you imagine if you could put 80% of your property taxes paid each year towards your mortgage? For the next 10-14 years? But Lloyd doesn’t think it is a handout? LOL.

I try not to take birth control advice from chaste people

“I don’t believe in the use of birth control, of course I don’t have sex either.”

Nothing like watching a Bishop and a Nun fight over the use of birth control;

The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls has sent a letter to clergy saying he isn’t endorsing a nun’s speech at a private Catholic college in Yankton.

Sister Simone Campbell is speaking Thursday night at Mount Marty College. She is the director of a Catholic social justice education and lobbying group, and an outspoken supporter of the new federal health care law.

Campbell said in comments published in the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan newspaper that many Catholics have misunderstood the law’s mandate that most health plans have to cover birth control for women as a preventive service, free of charge.

Bishop Paul Swain says in his letter that the law doesn’t protect religious liberty, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes it.

Hey, Pauly, it’s a healthcare law not a religious freedom law. Just saying.

Gant’s decision to not seek a 2nd term smells a little fishy to me

While I would agree with Cory, that Gant should resign right now (don’t trust what he will do in the last year of office) I don’t agree with some of the theories coming from the blogsphere;

This announcement comes after a clear vote of no confidence from his own party as Senator Shantel Krebs (R-10/Renner) declared Gant had violated the integrity of the office and began lobbying SDGOP delegates to support her in a convention challenge to Gant’s renomination

Don’t be so sure Cory. I found it a little strange that Krebs had not made a formal announcement even though she had a nice little logo made up and a letter sent to conventioneers. If she lacked so much confidence in the job that Jason was doing, why was she being so quiet about her challenge? The conspiracy theorist in me thinks Shantel knew in advance that Jason was not going to seek a second term, and put herself out there quietly before he made the announcement. Why do I think this? Shantel is a card carrying ALEC member with good standing in the SD GOP. She really isn’t much different then Jason when it comes to her political philosophies. And as a SF conventioneer said to me, there is no way they were voting for her in the convention because of her political views mirroring Jasons’.

May I also note when we were circulating the snowgate petition, Krebs refused to sign, and went so far to tell the petitioner that she doesn’t believe in petitions because making legislation was the job of elected officials. She seemed offended that citizens would want to present their own legislation. Just the kind of SOS I look forward to 🙁

Gant’s former cheeseburger eating buddy, Pitty Patt Powwers even throws out more evidence that this was in the works for awhile;

But with the seat now wide open.. others are also expressing an interest in becoming the custodian of official records for the state and chief elections officer.

I’m hearing at least two others are expressing strong interest in entering the contest. I’m also hearing rumors that Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dan Lederman may be renewing the past interest he’d expressed in running for SOS prior to 2010.

Mr. SD ALEC himself is even considering the run. I may be a little thick at times, but if you think all of this excitement about running for Jason’s seat started after his announcement today, you are smoking some pretty good stuff.

And how are the Democrats reacting?

When is the SD Democratic Party going to wakeup? (H/T – GP)

The South Dakota Democratic Party, what’s going on? Or not? As we prepare for the 2014 election cycle, there are movements glory on the Republican side of the spectrum, but almost nothing from the Dems. What’s going on?

If a real political looked at the political situation in South Dakota, this expert wouldn’t be dreaming of running for office. A real political expert would actually be putting those ‘skills’ to bring long term positive results for the party of his or her choice. I guess Facebook games are more fun and rewarding. Too bad George Cunningham didn’t have Facebook likes when he ran for office long ago, maybe he would have won (yea, right). South Dakotans seem to respond well to Facebook games or why waste time playing there (oh yea, it’s the latest gimmick).

Imagine if a real political would use connections and outside resources to help reform the party he / she is supposed to support. What could a well-connected political do? For starters let’s consider these items (you will probably be able to add to the list):

1) Throw gimmicks out the window. The Web and Facebook are not strategies they can be tools.

2) Take lessons from history. Preach Good Government.

3) Consider why the issues based petition movements worked, take lessons from them.

4) Assist party leaders with long-term strategy, why build a whole new party every election?

5) Develop a long-term realistic financing system for party, how can a movement survive if there is no money.

6) A mantra of 1970’s the Democratic party was get $5 or $10 contribution from anyone willing to give. If a voter contributes $10 today, they will have made an investment in the organization and want it to succeed.

7) Take a page from George McGovern’s 1953 playbook, be in every town in South Dakota, all the time, collecting names and address. Find out who the quiet supporters are and build a new party supporters.  There are thousands of South Dakotans waiting for someone to lead the way out of the GOP mess.

8) Cultivate positive candidates for local elections, this includes school boards, city councils, county commissions, the perfect training ground for future leaders.

9) Teach the electorate and more importantly candidates to be winners by winning the small elections. Prove to the voters, Democrats can lead.

10) Why support Republicans instead of Democrats in any election? What are you thinking? If you do not like the Democrat running, work to educate the potential candidates who want to run, not GOP hopefuls who are friends of your friends.

11) Run candidate and supporter training programs every month somewhere in South Dakota. Make it look like you know something other than Facebook.

12) Build winners by building a winning system. Why do you think the GOP always wins in South Dakota (other than Jason Gant’s way)

There are a lot of frustrated people in South Dakota who are ready for major change. 2013 has so many correlations to 1969 when a long forgotten toothpick was drawn in Pierre to see who would run as a Democrat for Governor in 1970. The Democrats had seen a spark of possibility in the disastrous Frank Farrar administration and decided to throw all caution to the wind and run hard. It was a coordinated plan to win everything in 1970. The swamped the Republicans went home, not knowing what happened.

We have a situation in 2014 where the party in power is planning to be the winner based on overwhelming advantages. What does the Democratic Party have? Frustration. The party could play on the frustration of the voters but they would rather play Facebook games.

Look at what advantages the Democrats have by not being in power the last 33 years:

– No political power scandals

– No Jason Gant, Secretary of State scandals

– No unclaimed property scandals

– No Mette child adoption scandal

– No insider contracts

– No Governor’s fund insider deals

– No state pension fund games

– No ALEC connections

– No regressive Koch Brothers model legislation to defend

– Don’t be afraid, the voters wants fearless, forward thinking governance

– Add to the list, it might help the Democrats see the light…

Where are the Democratic Party’s candidates for the down ticket positions? There are some amazing possibilities for SOS*, Treasurer, PUC and more who have not been tainted by ALEC. We are 14 months out from the 2014 election and there is no open discussion of a Governor candidate yet? What? The only name to come up so far is the lackluster mayor of the big town with so many links to scandal it makes our collective heads spin?? We have a chance once again to vote for someone good to help South Dakota in the US House of Representative but we hear nothing positive from anywhere. We have a group of GOP fighting over Tim Johnson’s senate seat and the Dem’s are so powerless they have to fight with the Washington powers to let them in the door to even talk. If I were Weiland I’d be P*ssed at all of them. Some support, at least he is sticking his neck out.

I guess If I interim leader of the party and wanted to make it permanent I’d be drawing up some long-term plans with short-term goals. If you do not know how to win an election in South Dakota, go talk to those who were in the room doing strategy the last time South Dakota Democrats actually won.

*DL’s note: The Dems should be all over the SOS seat like stink on shit. With all the turmoil in the GOP party with the incumbent flop, Gant, you would think they would use this as fodder to expose the backbiting going on in the party. Also include the witch hunt against Willard and the Dems have plenty of fire to unseat a GOP SOS. But first I guess they have to get a candidate. What are the waiting for?