Jim Entenman

So Erica Beck wants to run for mayor? LOL.

Not sure what is going on, but several months ago I was told she was running and had the endorsement of Poops. Then this Micah guy showed up and I thot the Beckster was done. Now she is resigning in June and said, “I want to hang with the grandkids.” Oldest excuse in the book. We know you are running. You have been running the city since you have been COS as one of the first thing’s Jumping Jack Flash did was give her the authority to sign mayoral documents when he is ‘absent’ and she has been running the city ever since.

What I find completely arrogant is as her tenure as our shadow mayor nothing has gotten accomplished except shipping dusty monkeys to the East Coast. So many failures under her leadership it is hard to keep track.

But this is what happens when you pull authoritarian leadership and the people (the council) tunes you out.

I have written in the past the former folks who worked with Beck at Lloyd Companies have told me the same thing, SHE IS NOT A CONSENSUS BUILDER. I have also heard from multiple current and past councilors that she is a brow beater when it comes to the mayor’s agenda proposals, and they ain’t happy about it.

The irony of all this is Erica reached out to me after she quit the city and we had coffee and a long chat (mostly her talking). She was a different person. She told me she quit the planning department after MMM forced her to write the Sanford TIF in which she said to me, “This TIF was precedent because this has never been done before for a recreational event center.” Oh, and she was completely opposed to it. She also tried to bring a casino to Sioux Falls (Flandreau Tribe) to use their revenues to pay for the event center in which they pledged $10 million a year towards the bond payments but Mike refused to meet with them because he didn’t want a ‘casino’ in town. LOL. The town is nothing but casinos, but I digress.

She had a good head on her shoulders, but after tasting the power of working for Lloyd she seems to think she has the Chutzpah to do the job. Not even F’ing close!

Besides the horrible management of the city, Beck embraces non-transparent government, which costs taxpayers $$$$. She can’t even say why she is quitting. So I guess your mayoral campaign strategy is to keep this secret as long as you can then surprise people? Weird. If you are running, you tell everyone and your sister, and you continue to let that steam out. Huether won because he was relentless and not mysterious (what a weird dude, and this is coming from a weird dude). The one thing I learned about running successful city campaigns is you come out early and you pound constituents with information about your candidacy. I guess Beck’s strategy is to keep it a secret until election day and hopefully peeps will be confused and vote for her. I can’t believe we are letting this putz run our city (into the ground).

My hope is that she will run for mayor, spend $500K and come in dead last. The chamber folks might think you are the best thing since sliced bread, but their 100 votes won’t get you past the finish line. Can’t wait for you to announce. Jim Entenman part II.

I guess my hand has been forced

I have known for around a year from multiple sources that Poops’ COS, Erica Beck, plans to run for mayor. I have resisted posting, because, well, I don’t believe it. First thing I said to my first source, “Does she plan on being the next Jim Entenman of mayoral politics? Spending the most money and getting the worst results?” And once peeps find out she is the one running the city the past 5 years or so, she really will get NO WHERE with her campaign. She really should register her candidacy as an LLC under Lloyd Companies. If you are going to run Erica, why not wear your true colors? GREEN & GREEN.

You’ve gone in such a wrong direction since the last time we talked. It is disappointing on many levels, because I think you are a smart urban planner who has been hoodwinked by power and money, and not GOD.

I wish you luck, but you are going to get creamed.

What Percentage does Make-A-Wish get from Hot Harley Nights?

It is a question I have been wanting to ask for awhile. And since Entenman has decided to use it as a campaign ‘plug’ I thought the question was a good one.

Over the past couple of years people who used to be involved with Make-a-Wish and Hot Harley nights have expressed frustration with J & L Harley-Davidson (Jim Entenman’s Family Business) with how proceeds from Hot Harley Nights are distributed.

LET’S MAKE IT CLEAR! Nobody has accused Jim or J & L with illegal activity OR fraud, that is NOT what this is about.

The concern has always been what is the percentage given to Make-a-Wish from the total proceeds. Obviously organizers with charity events keep a certain percentage for organizing the event and product/vendor costs. Those ratios can vary based on what the event is. Some fundraisers can take up to 60% or more of the proceeds for administrative reasons.

Then there are all the vendors that may benefit from such an event. Like merchandise or beverage providers.

Friends who have attended the event over the past decade have told me they are surprised MORE isn’t given to Make-a-Wish, especially with all the events going on, the amount of beer purchased at these events and merchandise sold, not just at the events but at the store.

I would be curious what percentage of proceeds (after costs are covered) is actually given to Make-a-Wish? Is Hot Harley Nights just a money making venture for J & L in the name of charity? Or is it fair and equitable for both of them?

Entenman, “Mayor Huether wants to be King.”

I about spit out my green tea this morning while I was watching the replay of DT Rotary Mayoral Debate from yesterday when Entenman said this during the debate. (You can find the debate by going to Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary FB page).

In all fairness Jim read a statement about how he will NOT be like Huether, is NOT a placeholder for Huether in 4 years and WILL NOT hire him as chief of staff, then later saying because Mike “Wants to be King.” The crowd erupted in laughter.

The funny part about the ‘rumors’ that I have posted about here didn’t come from my ass, they came from the horse’s mouth, or at least one of the show ponies. I heard about the placeholder/COS probability from someone who is actually helping Entenman with his campaign.

Depending on what place Jim comes in, that ranking won’t be the affect of some rumor, it will be the affect of either an affective or ineffective campaign team. According to the ‘King’ he is still popular with the voters, and I would think that association with him would help Jim.

GAG ORDER

Another interesting moment in the Rotary debate was when candidate Mike Gunn said that the mayor has put a ‘Gag Order’ on all city employees. I’m not sure if this is true, but let’s just say it wouldn’t surprise me. I am also not sure how that would even work? Executive order? And if that is even legal by state law standards. I would like to hear more about this, hopefully Gunn will be sharing the details.

SAFETY REPORT DENIED

I had a couple of people call me last night up in arms over the latest cover up by city hall;

Sioux Falls city officials are declining to release a copy of a 2016 safety audit of Falls Park, saying it belongs to the city’s insurance company.

First off, like the Gag Order revelation, does this surprise us? This guy will do anything to cover up information, and now that Fiddle-Faddle paddled his way over the Public Assurance Alliance, good luck getting any information out of them, even though both the city and the PAA are taxpayer funded.

My guess is that there were recommendations in the report the city didn’t follow thru with. Just like the rumor I heard that either the EPA or the State DENR told the city to put up a sign at Falls Park warning people about the high levels of E-Coli in the water, and did not.

Hold tight folks, this nightmare is soon coming to an end.

UPDATE: Chamber says Entenman a life-long resident of Sioux Falls

UPDATE: The Chamber made the error, not the Entenman Campaign.

As I have been telling people, it is often the ‘little’ things you have to pay attention to in campaigns. Details that candidates will try to slip by you.

I have noticed that Entenman’s campaign is built on a lot of spit balling and approximates. Like how he kind of just guessed that 2017 ended well financially for the city. Or that he has the intention to serve 8 years, even though he only did one term on the city council after his bucket list of the Event Center and BID tax was marked off the list. Seems he is learning from his buddy MMM who he would emulate as mayor, it’s NOT a lie if YOU believe it.

He claims in the Chamber interview he is a life long resident of Sioux Falls. Never mind the time he spent going to college in Aberdeen or the over 15 years he lived in Brandon. It’s kind of like a certain legislator from SD that lives in Texas most of the time.

Brandon isn’t a sub-division of Sioux Falls (they probably wish they were with all the water problems they are having) It’s actually a separate community with a different zip code.

Dell Rapids, Canton, Tea, Baltic  . . . Sioux Falls? Close enough.