I avoided posting about this for a few days because I have been having conversations with different foot soldiers about this press conference;
Years ago Paul told this story how he helped a homeless person and he got burned, and he has been bitter ever since;
Then Paul said this;
“We are losing the war on addiction with our Native American Community.”
Sure. But let’s put things in perspective.
70% of admissions to the Link are homeless individuals. Most homeless individuals (not staying at a shelter) are living on the street and suffer from some kind of addiction.
There were 17,000 admissions to the link with ONLY 4,700 individual visits.
It costs us $2.5 Million a year to run the ‘turn and burn’ facility. (they basically detox you and throw you back to the wolves).
It costs us millions in public safety and judicial costs to arrest these folks, over and over again, some individuals have been arrested 75 TIMES!!!!!
So why not spend the money on a municipal shelter that takes in addicts and doesn’t shove a bible up their asses when they walk thru the door?
While I agree with Paul that a majority of these individuals are Native, that is NOT the issue, it is living on the streets! If we combat homelessness on a larger scale (like getting them housing) most of these problems would go away. Saying addiction in this community is a problem of the tribes and natives is ridiculous, HOMELESSNESS is the problem, and if you get them off the streets you can get them help. They are also residents of this community even if they are living under a bridge, and it is OUR responsibility to take care of them. It would be like a couple moving here from California and their house burns down in the first week they live here and the SFFD refuses to put out the fire because they are from ‘California’.
The argument is that ridiculous.
Also Natives suffer from addiction at higher rates due to poverty and other societal factors.
Also Paul asserted that addiction can be cured.
There is NO cure for addiction, and most addicts wish there was. The only cure is management. You will ALWAYS be an addict. I have two close relatives who have been sober for 30 years and 20 years. It is constant struggle for both of them, they have to fight it every day. I compare addiction to Type One Diabetes; While there is NO cure, it can be treated and you can live a healthy life, but you have to be vigilant.
To blame our addiction and homeless problems on Native Americans based solely on the numbers is bigoted and misinformed.
With any problem you go to the root. Homelessness and addiction go hand in hand. Solve one of the problems and you treat the other.
Duh.
So what the F’ck have you done Paul besides bitch about a minority group and pretend a cure exists? Not only are you tone deaf and ignorant, you are a bigot and you OWE the Native Americans in this community an apology for your moronic statements.
“From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever,” -Chief Joseph
On a personal note, I had an artist mentor, he was Native American, an ex-con and a sober addict. This sh!t gets personal with me because I love my native brothers and sisters and my aunt belongs to several tribes so it is family to.Paul has always been insensitive to minority groups, but this was a new LOW and disgustingand very hurtful to me personally to say these things about my close friends and relatives.
UPDATE IV: I still find it a bit ironic that Denny is giving $50 million to communists while the company he founded pays communist level wages. I know, pretty funny. Oh, and the stories that have been swirling around the donation and how it came to be; Pretty juicy stuff, but just funny gossip at this point. While it didn’t involve a 5-Foot branch, it was still just as kooky.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation will use $50 million from T. Denny Sanford to buy the existing site, clean it up and eventually, redevelop it.
$50 million won’t be enough to replant grass on the site. To clean up that site and prepare for development will be $200 Million+. Are you telling us that this will be paid for by private investment? Hardly. When Public Works director Cotter was asked about the cleanup he just mumbles something about multiple approaches. In other words, coming to taxpayers locally, statewide and nationally. Heck, they had to admit in the meeting the TIF was being paid for by sales taxes across the state.
DOUBLE DIPPING ON THE TIF
As I have pointed out recently they plan to ask for a different TIF on the languishing apartment development by 8th and RR in the next couple of months, so I was surprised by this large one. First off, the obvious. The Development Foundation which gets millions from taxpayers each year already received a $94 million dollar TIF for the park a couple of years ago. That TIF was supposed to trickle down to the businesses that build out there. So why isn’t Smithfield just using part of that TIF? Oh, that’s right, they want MORE to build their wastewater treatment plant. Smithfield’s company wide profits last year were $1.5 billion. They ain’t hurting and they can afford this. I also struggle with giving foreign communists tax breaks while we are propping up our schools with sales tax on food instead of property taxes from international communist companies that can afford to pay those taxes. The taxpayers will eventually get screwed on this. When I talked about a petition drive on a TIF, this would be an excellent one. But the city of course has their excuses;
“We’ve used TIFs to stimulate private investment in areas that would remain undeveloped or underdeveloped and which will have long-term impact on the community,” Power said.
Is a new packing plant underdeveloped? Hogwash. I bet if this went to a vote and failed they would still move ahead with the plant. Think about it, we are cleaning up their mess for FREE downtown, they are getting a TIF for the land already and all the commodities (hogs) they buy are in the region. They asked for the TIF, because they can. It wasn’t needed and they know it.
SPEAKING OF THE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
So over the past few weeks the city has been getting some favorable bids, which means the engineering consultant the city was using was over estimating;
• Minnesota Avenue was estimated for $19 million, bid came in at $12.24
• Marion Road/Foundation Park estimated for $26.5 million, bid came in at $17.2 million
While we should be happy bids came in under, this causes lots of issues because of budgeting. So why was the consultant so OFF in the estimates?
Because the consultant has an employee who sits on the Development Foundation’s Board. Funny how those things work.
UPDATE III: As one person texted me after the presser, ‘I have more questions then answers.’ Yah think?
We heard very little about cleanup and redevelopment, and here are lingering concerns;
• Why was Mark Cotter secretly meeting with Smithfields over wastewater for a year? And what was promised? And how much of this expansion has to do with Smithfields? And if it is, what are they paying for the expansion? Does the council even know? Secret deals are never good deals, heck, the last COS was involved (oh and Poops announced that Vanessa is his current COS. I don’t remember that going thru a review process.)
• They are already getting a TIF thru the Development Foundation for the new plant. What other tax rebates and incentives were included?
• This will be an automated plant as assumed, so how many jobs will be lost in transition? Maybe none since they plan to almost double capacity.
• Denny is paying $50 million for the property and gifting to The Development Foundation which will parcel it off and make lots of $$$ from it. Will these profits be offered to help clean up the property?
• Who is paying for the cleanup? Like I said, an estimate 10 years ago was $100 million to properly demolish and remediate waste from the site. So why would Denny pay $50 million for a property that will cost another $100 million to clean up? Because we will be paying for it and the Development Foundation and their cabal of grifters will cash in. Someone told me they will likely call it the ‘Sanford District’. Oh Puke.
We have a few years before we have to face this, but I will damned if we are going to pay to clean up the communist’s mess! Not gonna happen. They have made BILLIONS from this community, they should do the right thing and pay for cleanup and sell the land privately.
I guess we will find out more at the presser, but I have quite a few questions, like a timeline and what kind of handouts? If a new plant will be built in Foundation Park, they are already getting a TIF, so who will pay for the cleanup of the old plant? The Feds? The State? The City? These communists have made billions from us, they should pay to clean up the land, and sell it to developers. I guess we will find out how much this ‘generational change’ is going to cost us.
UPDATE: I figured perusing some DTSF bars tonight I would be able to dig up this announcement. I did. But I promised my source I would not reveal, but if you contact me personally, I will tell you. It is actually something most SF residents have wanted to have happen for a very long time. Also, the irony is I thot about this morning on a ride, ‘Maybe it is this?’ and I laughed and said to myself ‘Pipe dream’. Like I said, very positive for the community, but my concern is what will it cost taxpayers? It is so huge, we will have to partake, but how much? Also I heard the deal was inked by Rhoden and forced onto Poops, which should not shock anyone. The only drawback besides us bailing out this adventure is the transition will actually cut hundreds of jobs, but in a good way?
——————
We don’t have the tax revenue in Sioux Falls to make a generational change, and neither does Pierre.
So all week I was looking forward to just going out to a party on Friday night to hang out with friends and NOT talk about Sally or any politics. As I am walking out the door I get a text about Rhoden and Ten Haken’s ‘Generational Change’ coming to Sioux Falls and the announcement Monday morning. My guess is this was cooked up over the last couple of weeks because I know so many leaks in the Sioux Falls city government sinking ship that I would have been told what it was already.
So after the first text my phone started to blow up. ‘What is this?’ or ‘I think it is this.’ I gotta tell yah, I don’t have a freaking clue, but as I had discussions with folks we created theories and here are the TOP three;
• Convention Center
• Data Center
• Dumpling Factory
Heck, they might come out on all 3! Who knows. My top guess, and I am hoping one of my leakers fills me in before Monday, is the state will help fund a convention center thru low interest state loans. But how is this a generational change? It is not. A DATA center farm may be closer to a generational change, but that is also odd. And who can forget the millions the state and city gave away to bring in a dumpling factory that pays slave wages.
Just once I would love a politician to come to the podium and announce real change that doesn’t cost taxpayers a penny and is completely transparent. Who am I kidding?
How can you come out with such a huge announcement that has been shrouded in secrecy and expect people to get behind it? Rhoden is running for governor and if you see his latest poll numbers he may come in 4th in the primary and he is grasping at anything. Policy changes not expenditures make generational change. Throwing tax dollars into a burn barrel is not change, it is stupidity. But hey, a duck is a duck, and these ducks are walking us off a cliff.
What do you think it is? And if you have evidence showing exactly what this is, please send it to me, would love to make the announcement before them.
First off, this is an 8-5 job unlike private practice and I can guarantee if you are a private attorney in Sioux Falls you ain’t pulling this much and you are likely working 60+ hours a week. But what else is astonishing is our city attorneys are rarely litigators. The city pays out MILLIONS each year in outside legal counsel and is constantly defending suits due to their lack of transparency, maybe this is why they pay them so well? Not sure, but when I was talking to some minion city employees about this recently their heads were about to explode. Some if not most of these attorneys were getting almost a 40% raise in 4 years! That is 10% a year! No for profit corporation gives out those kind of raises. I also find it ironic that all the assistant attorneys make the exact same amount instead of based on case load or experience. Very odd. We also have to look at sales tax collection over the past 4 years, not even close to the 40%! All salaries come from 1st Penny sales tax revenue. This is just blatant fiscal corruption on the mayor’s part (he can give any amount of raise he wants to). I hope the next mayor goes on a termination spree and gets the city’s management salaries in context with economic realities. And the ones that have a problem with it and go get a job in the private sector, preferably in a different town. There is also the irony the mayor cutting library hours and MCC while handing our ridiculous raises NOT based on performance.
Allenstein, Keith E Senior Assistant City Attorney $123,572.80-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Bengford, Paul M Senior Assistant City Attorney $123,572.80-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Engel, Amanda W Senior Assistant City Attorney NOT EMPLOYED-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Golden, William H Senior Assistant City Attorney NOT EMPLOYED-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Pfeifle, David A City Attorney NOT EMPLOYED (Outgoing salary of former city attorney was $180,000-(23) $217,360.00-(24) $227,219.20-(25) $236,371.20 4 YEAR RAISE: $56,370
Attorney Laurenz, Cheryl F Senior Assistant City Attorney $123,572.80-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Attorney Leonard, Karen A Deputy City Attorney $147,971.20-(23) $180,481.60-(24) $186,804.80-(25) $192,400.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $44,429
Attorney Sage, Ryan J Senior Deputy City Attorney $123,572.80-(23) $154,752.00-(24) $160,160.00-(25) $173,700.80-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $50,128
Attorney Schlimgen, Catherine A Senior Assistant City Attorney $101,025.60-(23) $125,840.00-(24) $137,051.20-(25) $148,137.60-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $47,000
Mulder, Amber L Senior Assistant City Attorney NOT EMPLOYED-(23) $145,433.60-(24) $150,529.60-(25) $162,032.00-(26) 4 YEAR RAISE: $38,459
Something just smelled too fishy about this data center rezone the other night. I was astonished that not at least ONE councilor voted this down. Their asses were so puckered up Tuesday night you could have stuck a piece of coal up there before the meeting started and it would have been a polished diamond by the end.
Go back a few weeks before Christmas when Poops’ Christmas card included eviction notices to non-profits across the city (It was one of the most Christian things he has done 🙂 Most of the NGO’s cut service immigrant. I said that this was a threat from DC to cut ALL of our Federal funding (health, infrastructure, parks and rec, police, fire, housing, landfill, public transit, etc.)
This has been going on across the country, Trump has been cutting Federal funding to cities that don’t follow his agenda on immigration and AI and data centers.
It was NO coincidence that the developer of this project was associated with Peter Thiel who is a close advisor and investor with our president. Oh and the lobbyist who used to work for the former ND governor and now Secretary of Interior then In comes royalty from Castlewood, Kyle Peters who is married to one of Noem’s daughters, and the list goes on, even a professional link between the lobbyist and Mayor Metro-Yeti Karen Poops.
You know why the legislature is proposing a sales tax break to Data Centers? Because new Federal Regulation requires it and NO roadblocks to data centers or they will sue and cut Federal funding.
The sad part is that if this is what REALLY happened, the council needs to hold a press conference and be truthful with the public. This has all the signs of a shake down. Believe it or not, if the citizens see our local elected officials being bullied by DC, we WILL defend you. F’ck Em anyway, they can keep their dirty tariff money for more orange makeup, or is it hand cream this week?
The interesting factor will be if this makes it to the ballot? And if so, the citizenry votes it down. Will Sally still slice our tomato in half? We will see.
And where is Ironic Johnny, Marion and Dustbowl telling El’ Dictator he can’t dangle this crap in our faces?
Out to lunch.
Rounds was on Barfrage the other morning trying to justify the murder of a lesbian mother poet who was trying to help officers push out their stuck vehicle, then he went full hypocrite. He says that the corruption in MN state government needs to be reigned in and blamed Walz. That is real f’ing rich Marion! Mr. EB-5 and Gear-Up murder cover ups? A five foot branch, a murder suicide with a fire proof safe melting and millions in Federal funds missing? Let’s just say Janks may have invented state government corruption but you perfected it. You should be calling Walz and advising him on how to bury the bodies better, we hear you are a specialist, or at least that is what the wall of yarn tells us.
Notice I call it Falls Park and not THE FALLS. The first thing the next mayor needs to do is take down that stupid looking 1982 jacket vest colored sign and replace if with a new quartzite sign that says ‘Falls Park’. So if any future mayors try to do the same thing, it will be a little bit harder to replace. I still don’t know how a mayor can just make that decision on his own with executive authority? That should have gone thru public hearings with the naming committee, historic board, the parks board, the planning commission, the rubberstamp arts commission and a vote of the city council. Heck, the next mayor needs to do just that to get it changed back! So much corruption at city hall. When I bitched to someone about this who works at city hall they kind of said to me like ‘Who cares.’ and I was like, ‘How would you like it if he renamed Fawick Park, Sanford Park and replaced David with that goofy Happy Chef looking statue that sits on the Sanford campus.’ They had a change of heart.
LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL WE COULD MAKE FALLS PARK WITHOUT SPENDING MUCH ON PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE
If you have ever been to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, Canada, you know what I am talking about. It is one of the gems of this coastal city. When I lived in the Pacific Northwest I made a couple of trips to Victoria (before 9/11 so all you needed was an ID to enter the country and empty your pockets before getting on the ferry. I saw them make an old lady cry because she couldn’t take her peaches with her. The attendant was like, ‘Mam, this is a 45 minute ride and there is a huge food court at the dock’.) Victoria is on a peninsula thingy so driving there is a pain in the ass, so peeps drive from Seattle to Port Angeles and take a 45 minute cruise in open ocean. I tell you this because we came back on high tide once and I was as green as cucumber.
Internationally renowned, the 55-acre display garden located near Victoria, British Columbia was created in 1904 by Jennie Butchart. Still privately owned and operated by family descendants, The Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada. Open every day of the year, welcoming over one million visitors annually.
You just get lost in there. I would recommend the city fund a trip so a councilor, parks manager and parks board member can go see this in person. We could do this at Falls Park using native flowers and grasses and really turn Falls Park into a nature wonderland instead of a Six Flags.
There is also a bigger idea in all of this. If you read the Buchart website you will notice it is privately owned with volunteers. You could get corporate sponsorship’s for the garden beds at Falls Park that could pay for the little maintenance they will need or even have a team of volunteers. If the Pavilion can use volunteers to operate it’s Great Hall, then why can’t the city have volunteers maintain Falls Park?
There are so many opportunities to bring in the community on this and make it the talk of the midwest, but if contractors in this town don’t get a contract every 5 minutes to poor concrete over our parks, they get nervous and city hall folds like a cheap suit.
l3wis 
