South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

February 2018

SF City Council Sioux Falls

Shouldn’t the City and Council have a public discussion about Sioux Falls ambulance contract transfer?

l3wis 3Comments

So Paramedics Plus sells to an investment company, and the city decides to just transfer an important contract in the consent agenda;

So what does the city’s health department director think that conversation should look like;

Sioux Falls Health Director Jill Franken said the city’s long been aware of the pending transaction and reiterated ambulance service in Sioux Falls nor the city’s contract with Paramedics Plus won’t be effected.

How long has the Bride of Franken been aware? Was she going to fill in the public or council?

“This business transaction has no impact on the city’s agreement with Paramedics Plus, LLC to provide surface ambulance service in Sioux Falls. … I expect and am confident (they) will continue to meet all contract obligations into the future,” she said.

This business transaction has no impact on the City’s agreement with Paramedics Plus, LLC to provide surface ambulance service in Sioux Falls.  Paramedics Plus has consistently met their contract compliance requirements. I expect and am confident that Paramedics Plus, LLC will continue to meet all contract obligations into the future.”

While that is all well and good, should we take the word of one person? Shouldn’t the public have a full explanation from Paramedics Plus why this transfer is going on?

Secret, Secret, Secret, RAMROD.

Elections SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Multi-Housing City Council Candidate Forum

l3wis 2Comments

I guess we were lucky to get this recording. Cameraman Bruce was told this was a ‘private’ meeting/event and should not have been recorded.

I guess listening to candidates debate policy in public is going by the wayside. I do know that other business associations have also been holding ‘private’ or ‘invitation only’ forums for their members. The Realtors held a Mayoral Forum recently at the SF Country Club.

I think ALL forums not only should be open to the public, the public should be invited.

As we have seen more and more in municipal races, big money is donating more money and picking their rubber stampers. It is a slap in the face of Democracy.

Deb Peters Media Stace Nelson State Legislature

Senator Deb Peters objects to commemoration of Kennecke

l3wis 6Comments

It seems Peters is still in denial that Gear Up was one of the biggest scandals to hit our state in decades (oh, I forgot about EB-5);

As feuds in the Legislature go, there might be none deeper these days than between Sen. Deb Peters and Sen. Stace Nelson over the GEAR UP scandal.

Their dispute reached a strange low last Monday.

Peters invoked a legislative joint rule to stop, specifically, SC 28: Nelson’s commemoration recognizing investigative work of KELO television reporter Angela Kennecke.

I guess if I was Angela, I would be like ‘Oh Well’ just doing my job. I guess I have never been big on handing out awards to journalists who were simply doing what they should be doing, investigating. But it was pretty crappy of Peters to do what she did. She has become quite a piece of work over the years.

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Sioux Falls Park Board Meeting, Tuesday

l3wis 1Comments

SIOUX FALLS PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

3:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting

Downtown Library, 200 N. Main Ave., Meeting Room B

ORDER OF BUSINESS

1. Roll call and determination of quorum

2. Approval of minutes from January 16, 2018 meeting

3. Public input

4. Report of standing committees

a. Marketing and Public Needs

b. Park System Planning and Development

c. Partnerships and Recreation

5. Unfinished business

6. New business

a. Gate Fee Applications:

Tournaments – Scott Juhnke

JazzFest – Jackie Nelson

b. Great Bear Management Agreement – Kelby Mieras, Dan Grider, Steve Sanford

c. CIP 2019-2023 Work Session – Tory Miedema, Mike Patten

7. Report of Director of Parks and Recreation

a. Community Center report – January

b. Aquatics report – January

c. Ice Rink Report – January

d. Golf Course – December/Year End

e. Administrative issues report

8. Items added after the agenda deadline

a. The Parks and Recreation Board may include other such business as may come before

this body.

9. Reading of communications to the Board

10. Open board discussion

11. Adjournment

Upcoming events: No scheduled press conferences or ribbon cuttings

*DaCola Note: I find it interesting that they will be discussing the CIP 2019-2023 before a new administration come in.

State Legislature

At What Point Freedom? HB1204 (2/14/2018)

l3wis 0Comments

Elder abuse and those who cause people in need to lose their rights must be stopped. HB 1204 has been introduced into the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2018 under the ominous sounding name Uniform Power of Attorney.

A proponent of the bill was asked if this was a consumer friendly bill and his answer was “it might reduce attorney’s fees.” What?

The Legislature got the 52 page bill introduced for passage with little time to read it much less understand it.

There are over 500 typographical errors as we read it. There are no definition of terms used.

There are words used with multiple definitions, which ones are we to use?

After you get past these errors we start looking at the questionable problems of usage. This legislation has put the protection of potential fraudsters ahead of the protection of a person needing help with a Power of Attorney.

If you want to know more about this mess, watch the video testimony and start to form your own opinions.

Everyone ages. In you time of need, we must be able to rely on people we trust to do the right thing and not worry an unscrupulous actor can interfere with your most precious and scary decisions of how we want to live in our old age and how we want to die. We need to protect the person before we can begin to protect the inheritance.

Help us defeat HB 1204. We must have updated Power of Attorney laws but they must first safeguard the person in need of help as a starting point. Please join us by writing to us at upoa@citizens4integrity.org with your stories of Power of Attorney and guardianship abuses. We need your help to stop this legislation in 2018.

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