The proposed ordinance would reduce the percentage necessary to win a city council race from more than 50 percent to 35 percent as long as the candidate receives the most votes. If the candidate with the most votes is unable to secure at least 35 percent of the vote, the top two candidates with the most votes would go to a runoff. This proposed ordinance would only impact city council elections.
I think it is turning it back to where it was originally before Rex Rolfing decided to mess with it. Not sure if the entire council supports the change since the two sponsors are the only two councilors who support a November election date. We will see.
Soye (R)-Sioux Falls, wrote a column that said the government has a role to “protect the vulnerable.”
“Any law that is passed is someone’s morality, it is, it’s a moral judgment by the people who are in power at the time,” Soye said.
While I do think things like bathroom bills are wrong, the legislature would be the government entity addressing it. Maybe Paul needs to shadow our REAL mayor for a few days and see how she is running the town (COS Beck).
He also asserts that the only thing Pierre needs to do is send Sioux Falls money. His greed is insatiable, but what would you expect from someone who practices Prosperity Gospel.
Last Tuesday at the City Council Informational (FF 1:30:00) Councilor Barranco sort of addressed this with his commentary about his city representation on the Municipal League. Basically talked about how towns outside of Sioux Falls kind of detest us because of the elitism in City Hall (he didn’t say it like that, but you get the jist). He also talked about trying to mend those fences.
As we watch what is going on in DC and the dysfunctional Republican Party I will say it again; Republicans know how to win elections, especially in SD, but they have no idea how to govern once they win.
Not sure if you caught the above meeting, but it was a scorcher. While I would agree with Minnehaha County Commissioner Joe Kippley that Leah shouldn’t be fooling around with past elections, I don’t agree with him asking her to resign in public. He should have wrote her a letter, got a couple of his other commissioners on board and CC’d the media. It was extremely unprofessional, and the kicker is he is the health director for the city. Getting ‘political’, which was what his stunt was, is not the ethical standard I want my health director to be holding. If anything Joe should resign because of his conflicts, and I have a feeling he will AFTER the November election so they can appoint someone. More trickery. Oh, and the commission has allegedly been playing games with bond levies. More to come on that 🙁
COUNCIL KICKS THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD ON THE RIVERLINE DISTRICT
At the council meeting last night the council took the line item out of the 2025 budget and concocted a steering committee to study the purchase. While I’m happy they killed the line item, I am not happy they are continuing down the path which will ultimately have us buying the land. From talking to councilors I got the feeling they were just going to kill it and let the River Rats figure it out, but this must be the compromise. Folks, all this is, is smoke and mirrors by the council. They plan to implement a 3rd penny tax to have us paid for the Convention Center. This is short-sighted. They should implement a entertainment corporate tax on all business with 500 or more employees. If you think this place will have an economic impact on your businesses, prove it, pony up.
Oh, and Councilor Barranco was the ONLY councilor to vote against a property tax increase. Thank You David! That vote proved to me that at least 7 councilors don’t give a rat’s ass what economic position you are in, they need their play palaces!
E-BIKES HAVE INVADED DOWNTOWN
Not really, but some people seem to be butt hurt they are sitting around downtown. They are not junkers, so I am not sure what people are concerned about. Other cities do it this way. I think the only tweak I would make is having the bikes in a mobile unit so they are not scattered everywhere downtown, but like I said, there is a million other things we need to worry about downtown, and a random bike parked on a corner ain’t one of them.
WAS HARRIS DEBATING BIDEN LAST NIGHT?
After the first 10 minutes of the debate last night I thought Harris was debating Biden.
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.
l3wis 