Lori Hogstad was a good city clerk. She stepped in when they fired Debra Owen, leaving licensing and taking over a whole new department. While I disagreed with how Owen was let go, that had nothing to do with Hogstad, she was just stepping up. I also have NO doubt that she would be a fair juror on the ethics commission, but the conflicts with former employees could be an issue in which she would have to recuse herself.
But the conflicts are NOT the major issue here. We are a city of 200K+, why do we always pick the same people and former public officials for these positions? LAZINESS. The mayor and his staff don’t encourage board application and they don’t VET all the applicants, instead the mayor goes trolling for friends or friends of friends. A horrible way to govern, but no surprise from a guy who has NO leadership skills.
What if the Chief of Culture was put on the Ethics Board, and there was an issue with the Arts Director? What would it say about our City culture if there was such an ethical concern, and how would the Board paint this before the public? AND, let’s say that the Arts Director, former or current, was placed on the Ethics Board, and there was an issue with the Chief of Culture, Could the eventual findings of the Ethics Board possibly shed a dim shade on the culture of our city government?
Scott, thank you. You brought up a topic I have been bringing to peoples attention for more than one year. The same people are being chosen to sit on our committees, commissions, boards, while the beaucuracy has remained the same for nearly two decades if not longer. I wrote about this on my own website, Sioux Falls Community Chronicle under City Affairs. Scary how we are on the same page here,.
Sure, put the wolf in charge of the chicken coup. When there’s no ethics at the top, how could there be any throughout? This is worse than putting a drunk Kennedy in charge of public health or another sexy blonde on Trump’s Cabinet