South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

February 2017

Mayor High Crimes Mayor Hubris Mayor Subprime Mike Huether Mike Huether Sioux Falls

I’m wondering if Mayor Huether plans on becoming an SNL writer after leaving office?

l3wis 5Comments

He gave his comical presentation ‘Top Ten Wins’ again this year;

 

  • Sioux Falls City government lived within its financial means by making tough choices. (actually, he went ape crazy on raising fees)
  • A new city administration building, a first since 1936, will serve citizens and employees for decades to come. (Dozens of administration and operational buildings have been built since 1936)
  • Economy flourishes with America’s lowest unemployment rate, four straight years of record development, and largest growth of new citizens in Sioux Falls history. (yet with such enormous growth, revenue growth is down, low and stagnant wages remain and housing is too expensive)
  • Midco® Aquatic Center is completed on time and under budget and opens to rave reviews. (yet low attendance and a high operational cost will plague our city budget for years)
  • Downtown Sioux Falls is the place to be and invest with $50 million in construction, the Washington Square project, Main Avenue Road Diet, and more. (while true, this has been going on for almost 15 years)
  • A $12 million hotel/conference center is the latest development near the PREMIER Center, strengthening our ability to compete for Division 1 NCAA events. (initiated by taxpayer subsidies)
  • The honeymoon continues for the 88th busiest Events Center in the world with $2.1 million in net revenue, and our good news is spreading throughout the industry. (Yet we have no idea if the taxpayers are benefitting from this success financially?)
  • Monster infrastructure improvements in sanitary sewer, the 12th Street Bridge, and roads, roads, and more roads. (something government is supposed to do with our taxdollars. Normal course of business)
  • Bevy of software implementations increases employee productivity, improves service delivery, and maximizes taxpayer dollars. (Can we see the numbers?)
  • Pension reform continues protecting retirees while fulfilling City government pension obligations. (while screwing over the unions. I actually think this administration wants to break the city unions)

 

Denny Sanford Premier Center Event Center Gregg Jamison Sioux Falls

Representative Greg Jamsion introduces law to curb government secret settlements

l3wis 1Comments

I guess it takes a former city councilor becoming a Pierre lawmaker to get our city to stop with their secrets;

District 12 Rep. Greg Jamison’s House Bill 1166, introduced on the House floor Wednesday, aims to bolster South Dakota’s open records laws by making it more difficult for municipalities, school districts and any other governmental entity in the state to keep settlements of civil or criminal proceedings confidential and shielded from the public.

In 2015, the city of Sioux Falls did that when it agreed to keep secret a $1 million settlement it entered with contractors involved in the construction of the Denny Sanford Premier Center after some exterior paneling began to warp before the facility’s opening in October 2014.

“The bill is reflective of that,” Jamison said Thursday. “Clearly that was a problem and I saw an issue that needed to be addressed and here’s my chance.”

I wish Greg luck in getting this passed.

Planning Commission Sioux Falls

Is Jeff Schmidt, from the Sioux Falls Planning Office, trying to censor public input at the Planning and Council meetings

l3wis 1Comments

What are you looking at? (Image, Argus Leader)

We have been hearing rumors for awhile that constituents have been ‘told’ by someone that they can’t testify at Planning Meetings OR the first reading at the council meetings over planning and zoning issues in their neighborhoods. Well we finally tracked down the messenger of alternative facts. Jeff Schmidt from the planning office.

This past Wednesday a citizen told a city official that Jeff was in the lobby of Carnegie asking constituents what they were there for, their name, and if they were going to testify during the Planning Meeting? I guess he has been doing this for awhile. They also buried an item in the consent agenda so the public could not testify on it. (Joe Foss school re-zone)

Besides the interrogation in the lobby (which I’m sure encourages citizens to speak before the body, talk about intimidation? And they are worried about committee board members?!) Jeff has also been telling constituents they can ONLY testify at 2nd reading of the council meetings, which is also not true, they can testify whenever about any city item, whether it is on the agenda or not, during public input.

Transparency certainly is a slippery slope, especially when you have a slippery Pete like Jeff working the crowd.

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce

What’s up with siouxfalls.com?

l3wis 3Comments

Last week, the media was telling us about siouxfalls.com, a site that will be used as a resource for . . . ? The site seems to be a Chamber driven site, and is managed by Forward Sioux Falls. I don’t take issue with the site, many cities have these types of sites. I do have some concerns though.

The site shares a name with the city’s site, with the change of .com to .org, this may be confusing for some people separating our business community from our local government.

Also, I am wondering if the development foundation used the $2 million we gave them to produce the site or if this comes from the CVB’s bid tax fund? I think the Chamber should pay for their own business (membership) driven sites not the taxpayers.

I have asked a city official to look into the funding of the site.

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