February 2018

Sioux Falls City Councilor Stehly to decide this week if she will run for mayor

l3wis February 19, 2018 8Comments

Theresa obviously knows the deadline is Friday, so she will need at least a couple of days to get signatures to turn in by Friday at 5 PM. So if she does decide to run, we will know by Wednesday for sure.

I know she has been mulling this over for a couple of months and we have had several ‘difficult’ discussions about the possibility.

She told me today, “I have had several citizens approach me asking me to run.”

Obviously if Stehly runs she is probably a shoe-in for the run-off. She would also probably be knocking out the chances of other candidates like Anderson and Loetscher.

I guess we will see what she decides.

What do you think? Can Stehly break the 50+1 threshold in a run-off?

Sioux Falls Taxes

Why is the city playing a timeline game with the end of the year financial report?

l3wis February 19, 2018 1Comments

While Sioux Falls Finance Director is correct that over the past 3 years the financial report has not come out sooner than the beginning of April, it hasn’t always been a strict timeline. In fact if you look at the last three reports it has been all over the map.

In 2015 it was created on May 29. In 2016 it was created on June 27 and the 2017 report was created on April 6 (the earliest).

In other words the administration could have easily released the numbers by now. We already know they are available from the State Department of Revenue, and since there has NEVER been a strict timeline, and with an election year, why not release those numbers by the end of February? The state has figured out how to put those numbers together (before the legislative session) probably with a smaller staff than the city.

This is just a game the mayor is playing that doesn’t have to be played.

Watch him closely, he will be playing games with city finance and budgeting all the way to the end.

Art Sioux Falls Washington Pavilion

Is local Sioux Falls arts funding in the toilet?

l3wis February 19, 2018 1Comments

I have had an idea for awhile that a percentage of the Entertainment tax (3rd penny) should be put towards local arts projects and local artists. Community theatre would be a perfect recipient of these monies;

After 15 seasons, the Sioux Empire Community Theatre is making a plea for donations to stay afloat.

â€œThe reality is, community theatre can no longer survive on ticket sales alone,â€ board president Kimberly Jacobson and producing artistic director Patrick Pope wrote in a post on Facebook.

Rumor has it that SECT even asked the city to write-off rental debt last year. Not sure if that is true, but if it is that’s not good.

Right now the 3rd penny has been used for building upgrades to the Pavilion after the bonds were paid off. SMG has asked to get some that money also to use towards the Orpheum and Canaries Stadium. I have often argued that since the 3rd penny brings in around $6.5 million a year, they could easily split off $1 million of it to go towards local arts organizations and projects. Besides, it is a local tax we pay, shouldn’t it go towards local projects?

The Pavilion has been in turmoil for a long time, and the multiple terminations at the end of 2017 shows there is a major restructuring going on at the institution. The Sioux Falls Arts Council is also seeing some major changes. This would be a perfect time for the new mayor and city council to take a hard look at how this money is being spent. It’s obvious the money is there, it just needs to be spread out better. The board members of the Pavilion need to be reigned in and shown there are other artistic opportunities in this city that contribute to a more diverse economic impact. Diversifying this funding would help the community as a whole.

You have to realize not everyone is into going to a concert at the Denty or a musical at the Pavilion. People want local artistic options also, let’s give it to them by spending the LOCAL tax on LOCAL arts.

Elections Sioux Falls

Let the Games Begin!

l3wis February 19, 2018 2Comments

I’m going to start feeling a little bit like Caesar starting next week. Friday, February 23rd is the deadline for Sioux Falls municipal candidates to turn in there petitions. (PLEASE! Someone run against KILEY!)

Starting next week we will have a clearer view of who is running, and that means the resumes of the candidates will start to reveal themselves. Bruce and I have been compiling information on the candidates and I will start posting some ‘interesting’ stories about what some of these candidates have been up to in their past.

Some of it will be downright boring. Some of it will reveal a high level of integrity and some of it will be downright disturbing. We will exploring what makes some of these candidates prepared for the job and some of the scams a few of them are running.

Stay tuned!

Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor Almost Done Mayor Grump Toad Mayor High Crimes Mayor Hubris Mayor Pants on Fire Mayor Subprime Mike Huether Mike Huether Railroads Sioux Falls

UPDATE II: Secret, Secret, Secret, RAMROD!

l3wis February 18, 2018 19Comments

UPDATE II: Bravo to Warren Phear for digging up this Argus Leader story from a year ago. Apparently they released the names of the interested parties back than.

So what really was the administration trying to keep from us? But what is even more ironic is that the AL had this information for almost a year and apparently didn’t check the archives 🙂

Asking why Huether is a closed government advocate is like asking why the sky is blue. We know the answer to the question, yet we still struggle with why it has to be that way;

Sioux Falls officialsÂ areÂ refusing to provide the identities of developers in the running for the first phase of theÂ rail yard redevelopment project downtown.

I’m getting to the point, that I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. It is what it is. Lies, schemes, scams, boondoggles, etc. etc.

I will bet you though that Legacy Development is on that list, and that is why Heather and the city are pulling excuses from their rear ends.

Isn’t it ironic that while Huether is setting up his ‘legacy’ he keeps promoting ‘Legacy’.

UPDATE: Shocker! Legacy is one of the developers!

Of the six development firms who responded to the city’s request for qualifications for the rail yard redevelopment project, four are local to Sioux Falls: Lloyd Companies, Legacy Developments, Eighth and Railroad Center and Pender Cherapa. The other two submitters were Inland Development Partners of St. Louis Park, Minnesota,Â and Philadelphia-based development firm Smart Visions.

The funny part is that I have known for years Eighth and Railroad Center has been interested in developing this property since they border it. It’s not like Lloyd being interested in the property is some big secret either. Huether keeping the developers ‘secret’ is like saying he also knows Santa Claus isn’t real either, but isn’t going to tell anyone.

Sioux Falls City Councilor Stehly to decide this week if she will run for mayor

Why is the city playing a timeline game with the end of the year financial report?

Is local Sioux Falls arts funding in the toilet?

Let the Games Begin!

UPDATE II: Secret, Secret, Secret, RAMROD!

You Missed

UPDATE: The more things change, the more they stay the same

UPDATE II: Sioux Falls City Councilor could be facing ethics violations after tonight’s vote on Tre Ministries project

UPDATE: City Council Agenda (Dec 2-3)

Seems we are a we bit behind on snow plowing