While the city plans to build a new $25 million dollar city administration building that was only approved by ONE person, the mayor, the SFPD has to fight for decent COLA raises.
We were told the new building would help morale with city employees. Getting paid a decent wage with good benefits and appropriate raises helps morale more than anything.
The building is merely being built to appease promises the mayor made to contractors and bond salesman. That’s it. While the taxpayers of this fine community are stuck with another mortgage as our crime rate continues to grow.
But the mayor paints a rosy image of everything;
“The last time we celebrated something like this was way back in 1936. Serving Sioux Falls citizens is serious business, and our new City Administration Building will take us to a whole new level of performance,†says Mayor Mike Huether.
We have built dozens of administration buildings since 1936, and I never remember anyone celebrating spending tax dollars on city office buildings.
I encourage any councilor that opposed this building to NOT show up to the ground breaking.
“our new City Administration Building will take us to a whole new level of performance”
So we can look forward to numbers in the future showing how the new building actually improved performance? That’s one of the dumber things Huether has said. He really will say anything to try and sell his point of view.
Back to the wage issue – how about an ordinance that limits the department head raises to no more than what their employees receive?
Friends of mine who work for the city say there is a marked increase in the amount of micromanaging from the mayor and his directors too. I’ve always hired good people, and allowed them to do their jobs without undue interference. Never had a problem with morale.
Raised to the department heads was how Huether won favor. The lowly worker doesn’t matter. Especially, to the department head who stays home waiting for a comfortable retirement.
Don’t you get it? Huether wants contracts he can skim. The higher eschelon got raised if they made it look like an Admin Building was needed. General employees, police, and fire don’t make the corrupt mayor rich. They get nothing. Guess what? They’re a voting block that can combined with the 6400 will keep Huether out of higher office.
Within the mafia there sre wealthy godfathers who make rewards to captains and lieutenants. The soldiers hope to eventually get made but more often get prison time or killed.
When there are decadent raises for copo department heads, there must also then be decent increases for soldiers.
Improved performance of what, measured how?
MMM’s background is in marketing (Citibank, First Premiere Cards), and it is what he has been all about as mayor for almost seven years.
Let’s hope Sioux Falls voters are in the mood for a Big Change in 16 months!
I see in todays argus nitezert is again a microphone grabbing wannabe headline grabber. He is a fighter for denying the working class city worker a raise which in reality will only cover inflationary health insurance increases and other day to day pocketbook grabbing costs. Why some here continue to ride the nitezert bandwagon is baffling to me.
He wrote this on FB;
Just to be clear although the article makes it sound like I am taking sides my overarching point was I wanted to express my understanding of where negotiations are at between the police and the city. Specifically that the police don’t accept it and the city is firm this is their final best offer so they are at a stalemate. And, we as councilors are not parties to the negotiation so I want to stay pretty much neutral until they bring us something to vote on. I am hopeful but not terribly optimistic they will come to an agreement. I did express my understanding this is truly the cities last best offer from what I understand and that I believe the other two unions are accepting the basic proposal from the city, so the city from what I understand is a bit perplexed that the police are pretty firm in opposition to these general terms. But again my point was to express where I understood both sides are and I’m trying to reserve judgement until we are presented something we have to vote on.
So, did he say, “we are not playing games”, or did he say “they are not playing games”. He said WE. Just a fruedian slip on his part at best.