Either Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken wants to be my youth pastor, fitness instructor or my adoptive dad because he had a lot of fatherly advice for me as I left the meeting last night, to which I replied, ‘Thanks Dad!’ He sarcastically told me that I had a lot of constructive input (he purposely walked out of the meeting during my general public input and waited for me to leave the meeting in the lobby with two other tough guy city employees). While being extremely thin skinned (which I always knew) he is starting to turn into the last mayor who used to like to accost people after the meetings in the parking lot. I called him ‘Picking fights Mike’. Maybe Poops needs to look into getting a Medical MJ card so he can take something to relieve his stress?
I have often been puzzled why elected officials take criticism about policy so personal? It has nothing to do with you personally, it has to do with your policy decisions as a paid public official in that capacity. If you want to wear sneakers and have a mohawk, I really don’t care. Plow the streets and fill the potholes Converse All Star.
I think what triggered his frowny face was when I testified against raising the mayor’s salary and the salaries of the city council 30% in one year. They already get inflationary raises (you know, like the rest of us and union city employees). The argument from do nothing councilor Marshall Selfish is that the Mayor should get paid the same as the directors and he is the CEO of the city and that most CEO’s in Sioux Falls make $260K a year. That is actually the top of the scale in Sioux Falls, it averages around $140K. (The mayor makes $130K now and they want to raise it to $195K – Ironically $1 per resident – where the number really came from. How 3rd grader of them). Either way, the Mayor is NOT a CEO and should not be compared to someone running a for-profit corporation (I also pointed that out and that the directors get paid too much). I still think this will fail at the ballot box by over 60%. If the mayor doesn’t like what he makes as the mayor, maybe he can just resign and return to the private sector. He certainly isn’t doing us any favors especially when he is cocking off to constituents in the lobby of Carnegie (That’s usually a 2nd term thingy).
I was also very vocal on other issues like the attorney bounce back rule (ridiculous). This was the testimony that seemed to put Poops over the top. He stared me down for several minutes when I returned to my seat and called me some name by mouthing it at me. I couldn’t make it out but I’m sure it wasn’t GOOD JOB. I was surprised he could even do that with 12 Werther candies in his mouth. But I’m no DUMBASS, I know Poops hates public input, it seems to enrage him.
I have never understood why people run for office then get upset when citizens are critical of the jobs they are doing and wondering why they don’t get paid more. If it bothers you that much, please resign immediately and go back to the private sector where everyone stuck their nose up your ass because you signed their pay checks. In the public sector, we are your boss, not the other way around.
SIDE NOTE: A citizen who attended the meeting last night parked in an open parking spot right behind Carnegie (where they normally park for meetings at around 5:45). They told me when they parked there was NO tow away bag on the pole, but when they got to their car after the meeting the bag was there. They just drove off (no ticket on windshield) and this morning the bag was gone. This citizen spoke also at the meeting and not in a praise be god sorta way.
I also spoke during public input at the 4 PM Informational Meeting about affordable housing towards the end of the meeting.
ThuneHaken tried to pick a fight (verbal, I think) with me once, too. It was when he was first running. Hell, I thought I was back in high school again. I just stood my ground, answered his questions, played dumb, and smiled. Taupeville thuggery, I guess not just anyone can wear a plaid sport coat and luggage tan wing tips with white cushy soles, huh? I know motorcycle clubs don’t like it when you wear their colors or insignia either.
“Do comfy chairs at the State Theater justify a 30% pay raise?”….
How many times every year do the planning and zoning folks have to come back and correct their sloppy work? If it weren’t for the Register of Deeds who know s where the property would be registered properly?
Ten Hackers is like the Wizard of Oz. Lots of BS and a scary machine but just a hot air balloon. You’re supposed to run and jump out a window like the cowardly lion.
Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re the problem. You complain about EVERYTHING all the time. Unless it’s your idea, it’s a bad one. I was watching a guy off the bus yesterday in the middle of the downpouring rain with a 50 mile an hour sidewind, and it hit me how better off we’d serve him by giving him an electric scooter.
There was a time when mayor poops used a local fitness center to lead his own churchy fitness group, taking over rooms and equipment without permission. He seem to think he was a prevlidged member who could do s he pleased until the staff kicked him out.
you can tell this city council is already owned by ALEC because there are no mobs of ALEC sponsored protestors showing up like in other states. This meeting was pretty tame compared to those.
Yeah, a weather event that happens 1 day every 20 years is a great reason to say no to ebikes. I know people who ride all year and even if you are a novice, you could ride bike to work 70-80% of the year. As my ideas being bad or wrong, please tell me what is wrong? I want specifics. But you cannot give them, all you can give is one example of a man standing in the rain. PTH is a lazy and ignorant.
The Mayor’s name is the Honorable Mayor Paul TenHaken. It matters not who the mayor is, but if you cant call him by his real name, but use some disrespectful nick name, I would imagine that will kill any sense of having a quality conversation. You can be upset with the Mayor, City Council, or City Staff all day long, but end of day, you got to show respect, if you want them to respect you. You got to learn how to agree by disagreeing in a respective tone, especially in such a public setting as the “Carnegie”. The forum is designed to engage in the “public business” of the city; while you have the individual committee meetings, commission meetings to present continued dialogue on a more one on one basis concerning more detailed and speculative issues you want addressed. Take the “Charter Revision Committee” – it is a commission utilized by City Staff, the City Council, and the Citizens in order to bounce ideas off of each other regarding revising the charter, where you get to discuss one on one with a ‘member’ from each city district, and while the City Attorney is there for the purpose of providing his/her opinion on the matter at hand in order to help craft proper language in order to be placed in the charter. Their job is to work with you to discuss your ‘proposal’ and to legally write the draft of such proposal, just cause they vote NO to not place it on this years ballot, does not mean you cant bring it back the following year once you make changes to your proposal to fit their recommendations and advice given. When I made my two proposals, I did so knowing that my goal was nothing more than public discussion, while my long term goal was to revise the charter in due time. I took their advice, their recommendations, and then I requested that ‘we’ continue the discussion by talking amongst ourselves ahead of a upcoming session (2024). Nothing will stop me from also holding independent town hall forums inviting the public to be part of that discussion, where I can invite at least 1 person from each precinct within the city to participate.
The point of the matter is this – Be Respectful, address the Mayor and City Council in a respectful manner, abide by the Decorum rules, and all will be fine and dandy.
The City Council Forum is not some yahoo chatroom where any body can simply use a fake screen name and throw insults towards each other without consequences, it is a Public Forum where the City Staff, Businessmen and women, lawyers, land owners, lawyers, developers, and the residents all meet in one common place to discuss the public business of the city.
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Prior Restraint addresses what I can and cannot say at the podium, not the chair or anybody else who thinks they are being disrespected because I give them a dose of the truth.
I watched the video of you at the council meeting, I can see why some might not be happy with you. I would say you kind of attacked because it’s election time, and, yes prolly true why something’s being discussed now after 3 1/2 years. But, giving an ultimatum is probably not the best way to go about it? As far a KETO goes…it may help with that belly you got hanging over your belt?
But can I still call him “Poops” on Bookface? Because his daughter does.
Mike, per usual; TLDR. Scott, if you want specific examples, just scroll through this blog for awhile. You’ll see as many as you like. What’s funny to me is that you obviously see yourself as the voice of the people, but you’re clearly not. TenHaken is one of the most popular mayors I can remember. He’s essentially running unopposed. David has zero chance, Tanezza has slightly better, but not much. Near as I can tell, there are about 10 people that post on here agreeing with you, and probably half of those are VSG and his various aliases. The people of Sioux Falls by and large don’t agree with you on much and show it at the polls. You think you speak for the little guy, but the little guy doesn’t agree with you. I’m guessing that’s why you’ve shut the blog down for good a few times. You’ve had moments of clarity where you’ve realized you’re not making a difference. I truly don’t understand why you continue to live here as miserable as you are. My guess is that you’ll read this and not post it like you’ve done with a few similar things I’ve said.
“So let me follow this logic”….. “All the people who don’t post, but read this blog, don’t agree with this blog?”…. “Really?”….. “How do you know?”…. “Especially, if they are not posting?”
I will agree I am NOT right about a ton of stuff, but I also realize I lean very liberal and progressive on a bunch of my ideas. I have never wanted to be a voice of the people, if I actually believed that I would have ran for office a long time ago, but I understand that most people in SF lean moderate to right and that would make me unelectable. I mostly try to point out corruption and the lack of transparency and would think that is not some crazy leftist idea. Less corruption and more transparency actually saves taxpayers oodles of money and I would think most people agree on that issue. In fact voters across the state attempted to pass some very comprehensive transparency laws and the legislature slaughtered it. Voters in the state have also supported minimum wage hikes, Rec MJ and twice voted against abortion restrictions. I don’t think I am too far fetched. I also helped uncover the siding debacle and the conflicts in the SOS’s office, something this current mayor actively participated in. When I here people say they don’t agree with me, I just say people are oblivious of what is going on. Just compare the FB page of Taneeza compared to Paul. While he talks about gravy and gets like 2K likes she brings up important social issues and gets 15 likes, why? Because the public doesn’t understand or care about what goes on at city hall. Paul will win because he is a tall, hansom, x-tian white dude and Taneeza will lose because she is a left-leaning, brown muslim woman. That’s reality. I wish I could wave a magic wand and get more people involved with city politics but at this point all I can do is be an advocate. Remember also I helped in the campaign of 5 city councilors and 4 of them were Republican, and I never held that against them because I knew they were qualified. There are many things the city has implemented because of my advocacy, and if you truly read the blog, you would see them. I don’t always win, and that doesn’t bother me, I like this town and that is why I needle these people, because I think we could make it better, but it all starts with wiping out corruption and bringing more sunshine, until that happens it will continue to be business as usual. And you will see, the salary increase will go down in a ball of flames. Why? Because our current council and mayor are very out of touch with average citizens, they truly are the warriors of class warfare, not me.
that old bald dude who said lewis don’t get out of town ever was a hoot