July 2025

So what candidates are ‘qualified’ to be mayor?

I was pondering this today, what if I didn’t know any of the candidates running for mayor? I didn’t know them personally or even knew what they looked like and I was asked to review their professional resume (non-government experience) who would I lean towards? Well, just based on resumes it would be Joe Batcheller.

I know this sounds odd, because Joe has NOT announced yet, but it sounds like he is running, and he checks most of the boxes;

• Non-partisan moderate (not even sure if he is a Dem, Repug or Indy)

• Lead a non-profit for several years

• Worked as an urban planner (his degree)

I think the last point sealed the deal for me, because we had no mayor since Hanson that had any government experience, especially planning.

This is NOT an endorsement of a fella who hasn’t announced yet. It’s just something I thought I would look at. Joe is going to have to show some enthusiasm and some pizzazz when he is out on the trail, and I’m not sure he can pull that off, BUT on paper, he’s a winner.

We know how it rolls in SF, it comes down to looks and personality, and if you ain’t got it, you are toast.

I am encouraging citizens to actually research the professional resumes of the candidates running instead of just looking at a wink and a nod from another salesperson.

The next mayor will be handed a giant stinking turd; half the directors will be gone, the operating expenses on all the new play palaces will drain tax dollars and we will likely be in a ‘light’ recession by the end of the year, and like the last one in 2008, it will take several more years for the middle class to get caught up in Sioux Falls. I still know people who are still behind the 8-Ball from that recession.

We are going to need a leader who knows city government and how to pull it’s levers.

Is the current Sioux Falls City Council competent?

First, I want to say that are at least 1 or 2 councilors that do the work, but that faction changes on a daily basis and is getting smaller. Don’t get me wrong, I think peeps on the City Council are nice, and respectable business peeps in town, but they have no clue how to do policy or actually put in the time. I have blogged about city politics for over 20 years, and I have never seen a more LAZY, IGNORANT, INCOMPETENT and frankly MISINFORMED council. If it is Black they vote White, if it is White, they vote Black, they almost resist so they don’t make a bad decision. So, I get it, you think this is my opinion, not at all backed up with data;

We got an ‘F’ in workforce. I was actually surprised it wasn’t lower. Let’s face it, the rich do very well in Sux, because they are taking from the rest of us, this is enabled by a council (who have two members that never received one f’ing vote!) And maybe that is why they suck, they didn’t have to face an opponent? They didn’t do anything wrong, they signed up to run, and had no challengers, but they also have had no constituent choose them, so they tend to mend their own fence.

I guess, as I look at the policy body for the city (council) you have a lot of power to improve this, but you are not doing it, you sit on your hands, and to be honest with you, you look like a bunch of dolts when you discuss policy because everyone knows you don’t do a f’ing thing. AND, BTW, this isn’t me talking, constituents who follow this are scared, pissed and mortified by the city leadership. Tons of rich folks are mad to because they got screwed on deals. I’m sorry, but when you have a local governing body that rolls over like a dead dog every Tuesday, yah gotta question their motives.

THE CHARTER IS CLEAR! YOU ARE THE POLICY BODY, THE MAYOR IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. YOU TELL HIM WHAT TO DO, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SUCKERS! SUCKERS! SUCKERS!

I think 100% of the council knows we have issues, so what are they going to do about it? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Erickson to run for mayor

Well, it hasn’t been a secret that Christine Erickson is running for mayor. She confirmed the news with me over a month ago but was working out logistics before announcing. We actually had a long and productive conversation. I pretty much told her it was ‘hers to lose’ unless some dark horse business person announces. I also asked her feelings about working with council and she pretty much said she will stay out of their way unless they ask for assistance from the mayor’s office. Now, granted, all mayoral candidates say that, and never deliver, because the power goes straight to their heads and it irks them that 8 part-time councilors are telling them how to run a city. They are not, they are proposing a framework you should follow. I think Christine will be more sympathetic because of her legislative and council experience. But, she knows all the tricks on how to hide things from council. I’m not sure who else will announce. Beck and Huether still seem to be hold outs, at this point, and many others have said they will likely NOT run. Former DTSF director, Joe Batcheller will also likely announce soon.

*I assisted Erickson in the past on FREE youth public transit initiative and school start date initiative.

UPDATE II: Sioux Falls continues their ‘White Trash 4th’ festivities

UPDATE II: So a friend who used to live in Sioux Falls and still has businesses here sent me a suggestion after reading this post, he now lives in a suburb of Casper, WY;

Hey saw your article. They do something like that with the fireworks here in Glenrock, WY. It’s a $10 minimum donation to the fire department per car and they have two baseball fields where you wait in line and have like 6 stations each where you can shoot your fireworks and all the fire trucks are there. It’s a great event!

UPDATE: From cynicism comes relief. I am reminded, quite often (daily) that my cynicism is a problem, to which I reply, ‘If we lived in a perfect world, I wouldn’t be a cynic.’ So after posting this I have had tons of people reach out privately to me, at first I thot to scold me about not being woke about trashy people, but in fact, quite the opposite. People agree, pick up your trash, they also agree, even poor kids should be able to have fun. The solution? The city should designate a fireworks area for people who don’t have the property (or the legal right) to do it in the city limits. So you have a designated area. There have been tons of suggestions, but I suggested Sanford Sports Complex, because the parking lots and football fields would be well suited in case a fire broke out. You could also get a non-profit involved to raise money by having food trucks at the event, selling sparklers and snaps, etc. and putting out a message about their charity. They could also hand out garbage bags to event goers and afterwards volunteer to clean up. It could be a great community event and everyone would feel included instead doing the duck and run under the Burnside Bridge. Thank You! I love it when my cynicism leads to solutions, but doesn’t it always 🙂 Now if we can just get the knuckleheads at city hall to see the vision . . . nevermind, already feeding the leading mayoral candidate my ideas, because this one is out to lunch.

It doesn’t fail, every year after the 4th I am dodging empty fireworks containers on the bike trail, it has been this way since I can remember. The irony is the penalty for shooting off fireworks is less then littering, oh, and you are doing it all on taxpayer owned property. Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. They do it in the same spot every year (right off of Burnside). Not one cop has driven by and witnessed this in 30 years? It’s one thing to use public land to shoot off fireworks illegally, but did you ever think about bringing a garbage bag and cleaning it up? Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. This part bothers me the most. I’m okay with some trailer trash kids blowing things up once in awhile, but for Godsakes, why aren’t the parents making them clean this up? Because you know they are present, probably their idea. Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. So next year, I want an undercover officer stationed under the Burnside bridge on the bike trail, and start handing out those tickets, mostly for littering. I know it would require an officer to leave their vehicle, and that can be a struggle, but just pretend you are getting a FREE 64 oz Fountain Mt. Dew at the C-Store (probably pissed they don’t have a drive thru.)