Mayor Hubris

Was our local newspaper turned into a Pro Events Center propaganda piece today?

“A downtown events center will benefit not only downtown businesses, but also all businesses that are along the main roadways into downtown. The more options you give people in and out, the more they will explore them. This is where we will miss out if we build anywhere but downtown.” – Dave Syverson

Like we didn’t hear enough about the Events Center during the campaign, we get to hear about it more today in the Gargoyle Leader. And I’m not talking about couple of stories, I’m talking about SEVERAL stories.

Here’s one about building it Downtown.

Here’s another about the low-ball cost.

Here’s yet another about the private meetings.

This one is about readers spurting off;

And this one is about all the questions that still remain.

Tired yet?

Well my favorite (that really doesn’t have to do with the Events Center) is Beck’s editorial about Mayor Hubris.

For one thing, like our friend The Road Runner, he comes across as self-assured to a fault. Back in July, meeting with the board of directors of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Huether asked them to imagine what could get done in Sioux Falls if there were “two of me.”

Yes, just imagine.

And occasionally his self-analysis seems, well, a bit generous. As he told our reporter Megan Luther: “The one comment that I hear over and over again is, ‘Mayor Huether, man, you are getting things done, and we really appreciate it.’ ”

He shouldn’t be so hard on himself.

The only thing that was missing is a comment about his perfect hair.

Mayor Huether’s ‘tangled web’ events center plan

According to my sources today, Mike has been holding private meetings with councilors this week about his EC plan. He has been doing it in small groups, I am assuming to trump SD open meeting laws. There is a public meeting tonight (budget working session) and as I understand it, some councilors are going to question him about the plan, and want answers before a (expected) Friday press conference on the plan. Mainly they want to know how are we gonna pay for it.

Secrecy and government don’t work together well. Spill the beans already Mike, at least to our elected officials.

Events Center plan will be dumped into our laps this week

“Yeah, because, I want to take your attention away from turds in our streets and budget cuts to essential services.” – Mayor Hubris (Republican sidenote; this is meant to be satire. Mike Huether is not a staffer of a US Senator. He did not ‘really’ say this, but it would be ‘funny’ if he did).

Huether is going to present us with another (failing) Events Center plan this week. Chalk it up;

Sioux Falls city councilors will get the specifics of Mayor Mike Huether’s plan for a new events center this week, including what it will look like, where it will go, its size and how the city will pay for it.

Speaking Saturday at his weekly listening and learning session at the Whisk & Chop Cafe, Huether called his plan “a prudent proposal that will make us proud for generations to come.”

So, in other words, you found a donor and you are going to build it downtown without raising taxes? Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

The Gargoyle Leader’s ED board supports city dictatorship

No surprise that the ED board supports Home Rule and the dictatorship of the mayor when it comes to money transfers;

The fiscal committee plans to bring a recommendation about a proposed ordinance revision to the full council after its September meeting. We’d urge the council to exercise some restraint. It’s simply too early in Huether’s administration to determine whether there’s a legitimate concern about money transfers.

This isn’t about the relationship between Huether and the current council, this is about future mayors and councils. Did we learn anything from the Munson administration? The council should be a check against the mayor’s spending. One person shouldn’t have that kind of power.