South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

Open Government

Open Government Open Meetings SF City Council Sioux Falls

The City of SF found in violation of the open meetings laws

l3wis 25Comments

(Image: KSFY-TV Screenshot)

I was at the hearing/meeting today of the Open Meetings Commission, which involved the termination of city clerk Debra Owen. It was probably one of the most interesting public meetings I have ever attended. At one point, the crowd applauded the AL’s attorney, Jon Arneson after his opening statements. And there was a lot of audible snickering anytime David Fiddle-Faddle from the city would say something.

According to KSFY, the commission still has to decide punishment;

The South Dakota Open Meeting Commission says the city of Sioux Falls violated state open meetings laws when it fired former city clerk Debra Owen last fall.

The city will be formally reprimanded once the commission gets more information from both lawyers involved.

I think the vote was 4-1 in favor of violation. I had to leave before the final vote.

Stormland-TV also covered the event.

I congratulate the Argus Leader and Debra Owen for the victory, even though, once again, like the violation against Dr. Staggers, too little, too late. Debra is still terminated, and the public still does not know why.

 

Open Government Open Meetings SF City Council Sioux Falls

Venue change on Open Meetings Commission meeting tomorrow

l3wis 7Comments
SOUTH DAKOTA OPEN MEETING COMMISSION
AGENDA
Sioux Falls Holiday Inn
100 W. 8th St. Sioux Falls, SD
Burgundy’s Room
March 8, 2012
1:45 p.m.
This is the meeting that addresses the complaint the Argus Leader has against the city concerning the termination of former city clerk, Debra Owen. The meeting was to be held at the DT Library, but for some strange reason there was a last minute venue change . . . hmmm?
1st Amendment Open Government Open Meetings Rapid City

And you thought SF’s city government lacked transparency

l3wis 3Comments

Apparently, Rapid City has everyone in the state whipped;

Although many of the incumbents in next month’s mayor and city council races pledge they are proponents of open, transparent government, they operate the most closed-door city council sessions in South Dakota.

In 2010, councilors voted to shield their discussion from public view at 20 of the 23 regularly scheduled council meetings. They spent more than 18 hours discussing city issues they deemed sensitive enough for private discussion. That is nearly 20 percent of the 98 hours the body met in total, according to an analysis by the Rapid City Journal.

And compare that to Sioux Falls;

However, records indicate that Sioux Falls — which is more than twice as populous as Rapid City — entered closed sessions at only nine of its 43 meetings in 2010. That accounted for less than six hours, or 10 percent of the total meeting time. Sioux Falls City Attorney Dave Pfeifle said they only use the sessions for brief updates on litigation and other important discussions.

The litigation part I understand, but what does ‘important discussion’ mean? Personnel and Litigation matters – fine. Anything else should be wide open. Hasn’t RC learned something from the sanitation debacle? Maybe they have; MORE SECRECY.

 

Open Government PUC

Cap & Trade and Green Energy production will drive energy costs up?

l3wis 13Comments

But when utility companies spend money greasing the palms of our PUC officials that has nothing to do with our energy costs going up?

Public Utilities Commissioner Gary Hanson solicited money for an energy conference from many of the Midwest utility companies that the PUC regulates.

If this is the kind of thing that Gary thinks is okay, I would prefer he does not run for Mayor of Sioux Falls next year. We already have enough of that shit going on in City Hall.

Otter Tail Power Co., a $2,500 sponsor of last week’s conference, has a 15.3 percent rate increase, or $3.8 million, pending before the South Dakota PUC.

Kind of like Sioux Falls developers funding the campaigns of the City Councilors who voted for an unecessary tax increase last year that benefits them. But hey, there is no connection, just look the other way.

“The simple answer is, they should have never done this,” said David Schultz, a professor of business at Hamline University in St. Paul and a frequent lecturer on political ethics. “I question the motive, the conflict of interest is there. Customers, going forward, will question whether their next rate increase is on merit, or based on a trivial, but important, sponsorship as the utilities came through for these commissioners when they needed it.”

I have questioned utility sponsorship for years. This story is way overdue. For instance one of the biggest sponsors of SculptureYawn is Excel Energy, with it’s state director being the key founder, who probably spends countless hours of company time and resources to organize the event. I even talked to the VP of Excel about it once on the phone, wondering how the SD director can be critical of SculptureWalk dissenters (myself) on company time? Of course he defended him, basically saying he has to freewill to do what he wants. How do I get a job like that? While I am all for corporations sponsoring public art, I question our rates going up every year while service gets poorer. How about finding ways to save customers money on utilities instead throwing thousands of dollars around for din-dins and gigantic welded metal geese and turtles?

lgbrz12turtle01757

Once again, pay to play is alive and well in South Dakota and it’s time the State Legislature ponied up and made this practice illegal. Yeah right, who am I kidding?

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