During the City Council meeting last night (FF 1:25:00) Pat and David spoke out against the increase siting inflation hurting citizens;
“. . . we have families struggling with high inflation and I am NOT comfortable with a property tax increase,” David Barranco.
“We sit and talk about putting the city in good financial shape and it really doesn’t take that much from the citizens, it’s only a couple of bucks here, and it’s a Coke or a cup of coffee, but if look at the chart director Pritchett presented were talking about 11 to 12 million dollars over the next 10 years that the city will be ‘SHORT’. NO, it’s the taxpayers that will be short of this money,” Pat Starr.
Their colleagues on dais SAID nothing while voting to move to 2nd reading. Starr and Barranco voted NO.
I had to laugh that newly elected councilor stole my cartoon idea in this article;
“My joke is: a doctor, a lawyer and a preacher walked into a bar …” Barranco said of himself and his fellow incoming council members.
He also said this;
He also sees the commanding re-election of TenHaken – and the election of all candidates he endorsed – as a sign that residents are happy with how things are going and that “the city’s on track.”
Yes David, a very small percentage that bothered to vote in North Harrisburg are just tickled Taupe.
During the council debate on Thursday night Janet Brekke said she will work with Chief Thum to try to implement some national standards for the police. In her recent mailer she said;
• Secure a stable Police Department training budget so our officers have the latest instruction available.
• Support Chief Thum’s 3 new initiatives to engage young people so they don’t become offenders.
• Strengthen relationships between patrol officers and neighborhoods.
Apparently this really irritated candidate Merkouris who went on this rant;
While I would partially agree you don’t take all National standards and hope they work in Sioux Falls, you still have to look at what could work. I was very surprised how agitated he got over it, considering the problems we are having with our police and other city employees. There have been 4 arrests over the past couple of months of city employees. Two for abuse and two for child porn.
There was also some other ‘dog whistles’ on other candidates postcards;
David Barranco said this;
I have two strong boys . . .
and continued on the back;
We must not assume someone who shares our values will prevail on April 12.
You can take that how you want to, but I think Barranco is painting his opponent as someone who lacks values and it is a low blow.
Sarah Cole also made some false claims on her latest mailer;
I am not a politician.
I hate to break it to you Sarah, but when you run for office you become a politician. As a recent female business leader said to me when TenHaken made the same claim, “He is extremely tone deaf.”
Politician; a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.
Sarah continues her rant;
The people of Sioux Falls deserve a city councilor that will serve with integrity and respect for others. I won’t play games or pick petty fights.
The timing of this statement after TenHaken tried to intimidate Brekke is interesting to say the least especially coming from a POLITICIAN who has never voted in a single city or school board election in the community she wants to serve.
I think on Tuesday, your choice is very clear; Reistroffer, Brekke, Pam Cole and Cody Ingle.
Sioux Falls City Council Candidate David Barranco has said very little about his past during the campaign, which I find bizarre considering he has only lived here a short period of time. Since then (mostly Republicans) have been reaching out to me and their regret in supporting this person initially. There has even been a sitting city councilor questioning their past support. I have encouraged them to reach out to Cody Ingle, get to know him and even better, cut him a donation check.
While I have heard a myriad of rumors, it’s been hard tracking down or verifying some of the accusations. What is mostly surprising from this Texas attorney and textbook author is the several gaps in his professional life that seem to have just disappeared from the internets.
This is what we know so far;
• Moved with his family in the Spring of 2018 to Sioux Falls from San Antonio, TX after selling his home there. Barranco has never given a reason why he decided to leave Texas because . . .
• Has never applied for or attained a SD Bar License and still maintains his practice in the state of Texas where he has his law license.
UPDATE: Someone mentioned to me today that maybe the reason he hasn’t applied for a SD Bar License is because he doesn’t want to submit himself to a background check. This doesn’t mean looking into his personal criminal history or finances but the cases he has handled and his record as an attorney.
What I would really love to hear from Mr. Barranco is why did he move to South Dakota if he really has NO intent to practice law here? His wife, as far as I can tell, isn’t pursuing a career here either though she has experience in the corporate world.
While I certainly could care less that David has only lived here 4 years and is interjecting partisan politics in a city race, I will defend his right to run for office, but it would be really nice to know what brought him here and why the sudden interest in local politics and legislating when you don’t make a single dime in this town?
Many have been asking the question. When will our media?
Up until this point, the only really thing we knew about Mr. Barranco (who is a candidate in the SE district for the Sioux Falls City Council) is that he fears the boogey man called socialism and he tries to buy votes with go-cart and intertube rides.
But when you start digging around you begin to wonder if his campaign and (family) life in Sioux Falls is all a charade? What are they really doing here? And why does his city council campaign face seem so different than his face from the past?
The first thing several people (lawyers) have questioned is why doesn’t Barranco have a law license in South Dakota? I guess he hasn’t ever applied. He currently holds a license in Texas where his clients are and makes no income in South Dakota. Then why leave Texas for South Dakota? I guess you would have to ask him.
In 1993, David was named UT’s most outstanding liberal arts student; in 1997 he won the Willie Morris Award, which recognizes a superlative “call to intellectualism, vigorous defense of civil liberties, and overall pursuit of excellence.”
Mr. Barranco is especially proud of his SPLC Wall of Tolerance commendation — an award affording him the opportunity to shake hands with a true American hero, Rosa Parks.
The MacArthur Foundation granted David a 2004 Post-Graduate Fellowship in Public Policy.
With all these accolades, you kind of scratch your head a bit and ask why none of this stuff is mentioned on his website or in forums? He likes to talk mostly about dog parks and football.
You also have to scratch your head a little about the life experiences of his wife Catherine who currently doesn’t work at all;
Because it had been her ambition since childhood to attend Harvard College, she applied for early-decision admission to the top-ranked school, got in and never filled out another college application. Not surprisingly, her choice worked out well for her. “I knew Harvard had history and traditions as well as a quality education, with students you could learn from,” says O’Gorman. “You can study down by the river in Cambridge, and in 10 minutes you can be in Boston, having Ethiopian food or going to the ballet.” At Harvard, O’Gorman remained an outstanding student, making the Dean’s List each semester and graduating magna cum laude.
So you attend Harvard, worked as an executive with Walmart, then move to South Dakota and become a house wife after a short stint with the SD GOP with a mysterious departure?
There is something very peculiar about the Barrancos to go from Wine and Cheese Texans to Beer and Chislic South Dakotans. If I had a resume like either one of these folks, wouldn’t you tell people about it while running for office? Maybe he is on a secret mission to destroy local government from within? Wait, someone is already doing that 🙂
If Barranco really is an intellectual he will be bored to death serving on the city council.
