I am often amused that when this mayor or even past home rule charter mayors think their role under the charter is to create initiatives, ordinances and legislation. In the charter, it clearly shows that job is the job of the city council, and the mayor’s job is to run the city, it’s departments and it’s employees as the day to day operations manager.
In this interview the mayor chastises residents for calling and emailing councilors about snow removal issues, talks about his missionary work in a 3rd world country and his initiative for mentorship. While valid things, I’m wondering when PTH is going to plant his ass in his office chair in city hall and get the city running up to snuff? Besides poor street maintenance and snow removal, poor communications about disaster and flood cleanup, low morale in our police force due to understaffing with drug and violent crime on the rise, homelessness out of control and a bunker ramp deal falling through the cracks, maybe our mayor needs to concentrate on running the city, you know, the job outlined in the city charter. I sometimes wonder if he even knows his job description? Someone said to me the other day, “Why does Mayor Paul act like the youth pastor of Sioux Falls?” Good question.
I had to chuckle a bit when the mayor sent out an email yesterday telling councilors to stop bugging city directors in emails. Funny how he chastises councilors for trying to do his job (because he isn’t) yet doesn’t sweat it when he tries to do their job. Implementing policy.
Paul, take off the trucker hat, put on your big boy pants and start solving the problems we have going on in the city, and let the policy making and citizen representation lie with those charged with it in the charter; the city council.