UPDATE: I have been reviewing the past 8 years of city government (2,800 posts) because I want to post about the highlights and lowlights and I found the below post. I found it funny that the city council is considering changes to public meetings, all meetings, when just 8 years ago when the council attempted to make this change in ordinance, which I have encouraged this council to do, Mayor Huether vetoed the transparency ordinance and it has gotten worse since. You can’t fix transparency in baby steps. The next council needs to pass a series of ordinances that address transparency and if they want to form a citizen committee on it I would be willing to serve. We need to stop the corruption and bleeding.
He may not win, but I’m guessing there won’t be a press release about this honor on the city’s website;
Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether: For going beyond even state law to shroud public business in secrecy. In early 2017, the city council passed an ordinance to require meetings of a city board to be recorded and published on the city website. Huether vetoed the bill and said: ‘Here’s the way (transparency) works: It protects you one minute. It stabs you in the back the next.’ The Argus Leader newspaper filed a lawsuit in 2015 against the city that went all the way to the South Dakota Supreme Court to get a simple contract detailing what the city called a $1 million refund from a settlement over flawed siding installed on a $115 million event center. After the court ruled in the newspaper’s favor in September 2017, the documents showed city officials weren’t telling the truth: The city received less than half of what Huether claimed. After the drowning of a 5-year-old girl in a park in March, the city defended its safety protocols by citing a 2016 audit officials said was conducted on the park. City officials denied the Argus Leader’s request for a copy of the audit, claiming it belonged to the insurance company. When the newspaper contacted the insurance company, reporters confirmed no such audit exists. Huether is term-limited but has indicated he’d seek public office in the future.
Surprised he wasn’t a finalist every year of his administration.
How timely.
The nomination can become part of Mayor Mike Huether’s legacy.
I’ve heard that he admires Janklow and Trump.
Finally. An award Huether deserves.
Just get Huether gone. I don’t want to hear that name anymore.
Wow. That’s not a warning sign of corruption or anything.
Is today his last day ,glad he is done.
did anyone congratulate him on his nomination during public imput?
“Good job, Mayor! Good job!”
This all sounds so typical of how the city government has worked over the past 20 years, and I don’t know if has anything to do with the Mayor or council, maybe a degree, but the City government has gotten used to getting away with murder, getting their way on anything it asks. They do lie a lot, the Delbridge Museum, the Event Center Siding, etc.. Afterall, under the charter, its acts more as a ‘territorial government” upholding and defending the contracted developers, its construction partners, all the non-profits. It now makes me think, my brother fought the CITY over his dog, they stole his dog, claiming he was not following the rules, but they, the city gave him rules, then claimed he was violating the ordinances. He began looking more into the ordinances, and found that they were violating the ordinances themselves, giving him rules and instructions that basically were not in the ordinances. Did they do this on purpose? Then my brother took them to court, and the city attorney (for the police department) called my brother every name on the book, just slandering my brother calling him a bad pet owner, etc. They imprisoned his dog for more than 6 months prior the court trial. When is government suppose to hold your property prior any kind of ‘conviction by court/jury trial? Never. so they the city violates your constitutional protected rights, 4th, 5th, 6th amendments, then slanders you on top of it. I will have to get the name of the city attorney for ya, but all I know its the attorney that works within the police department.. So the yes, the city lies and over exaggerates, but then, when has the City Council ever held the city government accountable. One thing that came up at the “Charter Revision Commission” – is Carl Zylstra asked, why should we remove the Mayor from the council, we have a strong city council form of government. You cannot blame the Mayor for invoking his Administrative power, but then, give the council a free pass for not invoking their powers – they have subpoena power, they can hold a public hearing, bringing to the stand ALL city officials, officers, agents, employees holding them accountable. BUT they do not. So it gives the appearance of a strong mayor system. Which we do not have. The city council has become pussified over the past 15-20 years. We did at one time have a council that worked well with the people, but it has grown distant since the Huether administration.
Looking at the Sioux Falls Citizen Survey results you posted, it appears people were happier with Mayor Huether’s leadership, and things have gone downhill since TenHaken took over. Am I reading that right, and what are your thoughts on that?
https://www.southdacola.com/blog/2025/12/sioux-falls-citizen-survey-results-down-in-almost-every-category-since-2021/
If you want to be part of the city government so badly why don’t you run for council? We don’t need a citizen committee when we already have a council elected by the citizens.
JR, you are correct, it has gotten worse, but Mike got the ball rolling on this crap and Paul went with it, including putting public input to the back of the meeting. He is a MILITANT closed government person who actually BELIEVES withholding information from citizens makes better government. I know, not sure who mentors these clowns? Paul was denying access to public information before he even got elected by moving Pitty Patt’s server around so he wouldn’t get caught for defrauding state government.
JD, The City of Sioux Falls has over 40 boards and commissions that advise the Mayor and Council, plus several specific standing committees of the City Council like Operations, Audit, and Fiscal, all aimed at getting citizen input and managing city functions. The exact number can fluctuate as new ones are created, but it’s a large body of advisory groups.
This would be a temporary committee made up of citizens, public administrators, teachers, lawyers, etc. People who have expertise in transparency and public records. I wouldn’t expect our city council to come up with their own set of changes to public access since over the past 20 years they continue to move closer to closed government as we have seen in these surveys which tells me this current council, mayor and future council and mayor have NO clue how to proceed on this. They need help.
As for running for office. Never happen in this current form of government. If we had a city manager and all policy came from council, then it would be worth serving because you would actually be doing work instead of just voting yes every Tuesday for a beer license. The current city council structure is weak and powerless. But I do enjoy people telling me to run. My big mouth would never get elected and you know it, you all want me to throw my hat in the ring so you can drag my personal life thru the mud while laughing at my monsterous defeat. Your wish ain’t coming true, but nice try. I have gotten more things changed and into ordinance over the past 20 years then any individual serving councilor, so I’m sure I would be at a disadvantage with my advocacy if I was on council.
JD, there is also a group of folks in town reworking the charter right now and once they are finished they will likely do a petition drive and put it to a vote in a special election. I suspect this will happen in the Fall of next year or Spring of 2027. I encouraged them to get it done before this election, but there isn’t enough time to do it justice. I am NOT involved with the discussions but have been let in on some of the changes and will probably involve myself in the petition drive.
It’s obvious to me that citizens can’t make changes to city government by reaching out to their reps, so we have to change the rules so they HAVE to serve us.