Remember when Sally Tomato tried to overthrow our government?
l3wis 
2025
Data Center Re-Zone Lobbying Hard!
I have been seeing quite a few ads online for this Data Center Lobbyist front called NetChoice. And they have specifically said in the ads that they are pushing for the rezone on the Data Center between SF and Weirdsville (Brandon).
I guess they are getting serious about this. But why would you advertise to the public when all you have to convince is a mayor and 4 councilors? NetChoice really doesn’t understand how this works.
Oh, and I read their posts about data centers. Total hogwash. I told someone for every ONE positive story about data centers there is 1,000 negative stories. Do you think that is a cabal?
I have told people I think only one or two councilors are opposed to this, but will get their titties twisted on Jan 6 and vote like good kids.
THIS IS PASSING, I HAVE NO DOUBT!
The sad part is this will set a VERY dangerous precedent. I think the city should wait for the state legislature to put regs in place before re-zoning, and BTW, in a joint-jurisdiction zone, which is even more troubling because who really has the authority to approve this? The County? The Township? The City? I don’t know, it is a freaking mystery to me.
If this moves forward, you will see a massive data center park built in Sioux Falls, and since we didn’t stop this NOW we are screwed, but are we?
I think this re-zone is important enough that there needs to be a petition drive to call a special election and overturn the re-zone. If we don’t stop this NOW, we never will.
I don’t have the resources to get 7,500 sigs in 20 days, but several non-profits do. I emailed a local non-profit opposed to this rezone and told them to get a petition drive ready, because this is the only way you will stop this madness, I would also coordinate with the sustainability folks, the Dem party, Jamie Smith’s campaign and that local group of independents lead by Knobe.
And it is madness. The way the council has voted on items affecting residents over the past two years has been baffling, counter productive, damaging, and frankly disgusting. If it’s black, they vote white. If it is white, they vote black. They vote against our interests so much I am trying to figure out what’s in the water at Carnegie?
The big boys in the tech world think they are going to roll us hayseeds in SD, it’s time we stand up to them and tell them were they can stick their servers.
The State of SD needs to eliminate GOED
I don’t have a problem with the office, most states have a department like this. But our version of GOED has been corrupt for years. In fact, I got a GOED director fired during the Huether administration. I have never trusted anyone in that office;
Steve Westra was South Dakota’s commissioner of economic development four years ago when the office first agreed to provide financial assistance for a CJ Schwan’s company project.
After leaving state government, he’s now a vice president for the company, which has benefited from state grant and loan approvals totaling $69 million.
All the while, the chairman of the state board that approved some of the aid, Jeff Erickson, has also been a member of the CJ Schwan’s board of directors.
Have yah met Steve Westra? I had the pleasure(?) one time. Doesn’t surprise me that him and his sidekick are cashing in, I think I would have been surprised if he hadn’t.
But corruption aside, why is the state giving millions of my tax dollars to a processed food plant? Look around the next time you are out in public, do you think we need more processed foods? Or more $16 an hour jobs? No thanks. Just look at these stats from one of their products;
Well at least there is some Potassium in there 🙁
The one thing that has always bugged me about the GOED office is the ridiculous crap they will bring in with our tax dollars even though these companies planned to move here anyway, provide crappy wages and send all profits out of state. Why are they not attracting more sustainable businesses that pay living wages? Because that work is hard, and you don’t get reach arounds from those companies (golden parachutes).
Some elected officials in the state seem surprised by these revelations. I’m just trying to figure out why it took the media so long to expose it. As I heard recently on a TV show, “We are just monkeys riding a dog in a circus.”
Well, at least monkeys eat a lot of Potassium (nanners).
Trump’s RACIST economic policies are starting to seep into Sioux Falls
I knew it was only a matter of time;
The City of Sioux Falls notified LSS South Dakota on Friday, December 19, that the City will no longer financially support the Multi-Cultural Center starting December 31.
The city has supported this institution for 28 years. The yearly grant is $146K. Is it a lot of money? Sure, but just last week the council OK’d a social media contract for $100K with NO objections from council. So the money is there.
I think the city is doing this with pressure from the Governor’s office and ultimately DHS. Notice most of the services are for immigrants. I will agree with the city on one thing, the city really shouldn’t be funding the center, it should be funded thru the state, school district, county and Feds, but as I have told councilors in the past, while the money comes out of different buckets, we are all paying into those buckets, so does it really matter?
This is just racist policies coming down from DC and Pierre because the city knows they can afford this for decades to come. I guess if I was walking out of office in June, the last thing I would want my legacy is being a RACIST. There really is no other way to look at this. The city has the money and has funded this for almost 3 decades! This is not an economic decision. So I guess Trump, Noem and Rhoden are running Sioux Falls under white hoods.
No wonder you can’t find a lawyer in Sioux Falls
If I had a dollar for every time someone tells me that they can’t find an attorney in town that is willing to take on a case against the city I would be living on a private island. I know people who have tried to sue the SFPD or fight code enforcement and they usually have to go to Minneapolis to find an attorney. Why is this? Because the city has MOST of the law firms in Sioux Falls on retainer so they can’t take your case.
A few months back I had a meeting with an attorney from East River Legal Services and some Tzadik residents. They seemed unwilling to help or felt like they couldn’t help. I found it strange that this non-profit didn’t want to challenge code enforcement with the city. I just figured it was too complicated of a case to pursue.
Fast forward to today. The city announced this;
The city of Sioux Falls has recommended 10 organizations for funding to address priorities in the year ahead.
They were selected through a new Community Partners Program after applying for funding to address three priority areas: supporting at-risk populations; expanding culture, arts and community programming; and strengthening economic vitality and growth.
The funding is allocated through a competitive request for proposal process
Guess who is getting money? East River Legal Services. Of course this isn’t a typical retainer payment but it is a grant from the city. I think it would be very hard for them to defend a client against the city taking this money.
The remainder of the grantees have gotten money from the city for decades, so I am not sure what problem the city solved with having a review and application process if you are just going to pick the same non-profits.
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titantic.