She will be talking about her re-election bid. The phone lines will be open, 338-KSOO (5766) so get your questions in. I would like some people to question Erickson on her votes for the golf contract, the DT parking ramp and why she chose Legacy when she sat on the RFQ committee. I would also like to see some questions about why Erickson has supported property tax rate increases and water rate increases while serving on the city council. The Christine we elected is NOT the Christine we have now.
Even though both Bruce and I have been cleared by the Secret Service to cover presidential campaign events, that’s NOT good enough for Hizzoner;
Mayor Mike Huether doesn’t think a having a blog and a Youtube channel makes someone a legitimate journalist, but industry professionals say it’s not his place to decide.
There is NO licensing process or test to become a journalist. The rules are pretty simple;
While the mayor doesn’t take questions from Danielson at press conferences, South Dakota Newspaper Association Dave Bordewyk said Danielson and anyone seeking information from their government have just as much right to attend press conferences and make any inquiries as reporters from established media sources. And if a citizen plans to convey the information they gather to others, they’re a journalist.
“Thankfully we don’t live in a country where the journalists have to be licensed, you don’t have to apply to be a journalist in America still,” he said.
Bordewyk said public officials can pick and choose which media members and citizens they acknowledge, but, ideally, no member of a community would be shunned from participating.
“You would hope those in government would error on the side of casting a wide net in terms of allowing anyone to ask questions,” he said. “Press conferences are a pretty public event after all.”
I don’t think the mayor looks at it as a ‘public event’ he looks at it as ‘his event’ and a time to spread his ‘positive’ propaganda.
Not sure if Jeff has fought to be chair or not, but it seems a bit odd that as long as he has been there they won’t give him a chair position. They had their chair election yesterday and re-appointed Heiberger as Chair (she was chair before Beninga) and Bender as Vice-Chair.
Unlike the city council, the commission is a partisan position, and since Jeff isn’t a part of the majority party on the commission, I believe they continue to deny him a chair position. Sad really, since he has the most experience.
Barth also voted against using the Argus Leader as the official designated paper for the county in Sioux Falls. State law really doesn’t give them much of a choice on the matter, but it was a good protest vote. Barth has been critical of the paper for not covering county business very well. While I will agree to some extent, I will say it again, the meetings are at a very bad time, they need to be moved to after 5 PM.
UPDATE: I’m awaiting to see the actual meeting (apparently it takes two days, again, to see the video) but I guess Barth also chastised the city for not telling the countyabout the asbestos dumping since the county gives permission to the city to use the landfill.
UPDATE: Theresa announced that her and councilor Starr are bringing a REPEAL forward January 2, 2018, to HALT the bond sale and other items related to the DT Parking ramp until the investigation of Aaron Hultgren and Legacy development plays out. She will need 6 votes to withstand a VETO.
l3wis 
