April 2025

First SF City Council candidate emerges

l3wis April 29, 2025 11Comments

Mike Zitterich is running for central district city council. The election will either be next June or September. I also heard this will be a crowded race with the potential of 7 candidates running, which means a runoff.

I am filing this document today with the City Clerk Office. Mike Zitterich for Honest Government for the Central District. I will be updating my website in the near future to provide additional info.

I want to see from the City Council: 

1. Financial Transparency, 
2. Honest Government,
3. I want to see more investigations done by the council of the government,
4. I encourage a better dialogue/correspondence between city council and residents both during meetings, and outside the meetings,
5. I see myself as the next Kermit Staggers, a strong opposing vote against large government bureaucracy’s, voices, more in line with residents,
6. I want to see more planning and promoting of other Business Districts here in Sioux Falls ‘other than S.F.D.T’  – I want to urge other parts of the community to establish B.I.D organizations,
7. I want to promote and push to change our T.I.F strategy, getting away from large projects to introducing smaller, single-family type projects 1 Block, 2 Blocks like the City of Sturgis, 
8. I want to promote, and help lead to establish city-wide Natural Wildlife, Nature, Historic Program that introduces policies to promote our awesome natural wildlife, nature parks, our history, and the idea of adding camping and lodging parks throughout the city within our Department of Parks and Recreation, one that promotes Family and Youth Outdoor Entertainment. 

With your guidance, I would like input on how we could create a public office “Government Financial Transparency” to be made up of appointed members to audit and review ALL city departments, offices, agencies, all Nonprofits that take city funds, with the goal of trimming city expenses,, while using the savings to set aside and perhaps give back surpluses to the residents. 

With your guidance, I would like input on how to move forward with recommending changes to our charter that accomplishes two things – I want the City Attorney to become a “elected member” of the Governing Board, no longer appointed by a mayor, and one that services a 4 year term (two terms), while changing the charter to create a “odd numbered council” with no less than 2 At-Large Chairs, and any number of District Chairs (5, 7, 9, etc), with the Mayor and City Attorney as the other “Elected At-Large Chairs”. 

With your guidance, I would like input on the idea of creating an ordinance to make ALL “legal opinions” of the City Attorney Office to be public record, allowing residents to review them on the city website, just as the State Attorney General must do. This improves transparency, and hopefully urges the Attorney Office to be more accountable to the people, along with being elected. 

I also support lowering the 2nd Penny Sales Tax from 1.00% down to 0.75% to give back to the residents the chance to keep as much money in their pockets, and I urge the City of Sioux Falls to set the example on taking less property tax revenue, thus leading the charge to give back to the property holders the ability to invest in their properties, encouraging more residents to donate to the city treasury, private funds that could be appropriated by the City Council for future community projects such as flower gardens, community watch advisory committees, to public infrastructure supported by the residents. 

Mike Zitterich