South DaCola

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Paul Ten Haken

Elections Jolene Loetscher Paul Ten Haken Sioux Falls

Vote for anybody but TenHaken

l3wis 38Comments

I guess if you want to take that as an endorsement for Loetscher, so be it.

Even with all the missteps by the Loetscher campaign over the past couple of weeks (which has more to do with HOW she responded, NOT what she was responding to) I just can’t bring myself to vote for Paul.

I have heard many voters tell me they are so disgusted with both campaigns they are not voting for either.

I try to remind them of my Banana VS. Raisin argument, you have to pick one.

Let’s face it, there really isn’t many differences between Jo and Paul in their professional lives. Both young business professionals that have been very successful. Neither has elected government experience, but both have been involved with boards and legislation and both have worked on political campaigns with their agencies.

So what separates Jo and Paul?

Some of those things are obvious. While Paul has been a little wishy-washy about diversity, Jo has made it a part of her campaign platform. And while Jo has been beat up a little about not having a 100-day strategy or plans for a transition team, unlike Paul, Jo understands that this is all new to her, and those plans have to be made carefully. I also think Jo understands the separation of power between the council and mayor.

Jo has made many missteps along the way, but she has never lost my trust and she has always continued to show a genuine passion for people.

Jo has also not lined her campaign chest with the business elite in Sioux Falls (or their toddler children) who will be the first to be asking for corporate welfare if a TenHaken administration rolls in.

Besides the fact that Paul has been involved with some pretty shady political hackery in his past, thinks it is OK to troll your employees on Facebook and tends to take an authoritarian approach to government the thing that has bothered me the most about Paul is that he has never really has had a consistent platform from day one. Jolene has never waivered from her platform.

Like I said, the inexperience of both of them is worrisome, but you gotta pick one. I pick the Banana.

Elections Paul Ten Haken Sioux Falls

TenHaken doesn’t do ‘Negative’ campaigning, he leaves that up to his minions

l3wis 25Comments

It was quite comical when Paul said he has ‘tools’ to negative campaign, but won’t use them. It seems his biggest ‘TOOL’ over at the DWC has been quite busy smearing Loetscher. Here are a few of his headlines and posts about Jolene;

Loetscher Campaign going into this weekend… see definitions for “quicksand,” “death spiral,” “free fall”

Dakota Posts shoveling a load this AM on Jolene Loetscher

And here Jo goes again – SD Biotech association says they “have no idea” what Loetcher business is, despite biotech claims

Argus takes Jolene Loetscher to task for lack of transparency. Is she channeling Mayor Mike Huether?

Candidate for Mayor Jolene Loetscher twists opponents words when he says he wants to keep race positive

Uh oh, Jo. Fraternal Order of Police slams Loetscher campaign ads as “misleading”

KELO-TV boosting former reporter’s negative camapign smears against opponent in mayor’s race.

Loetscher campaign seems to be getting a bit desperate as Sioux Falls mayoral campaign winds down to run off

I know what you are thinking, I have been posting stuff about Paul. First off, everything I have said except for parodies has been the truth. Secondly, I have not received one single penny from the Loetscher campaign. Have I talked to Jolene and her campaign manager? Yes I have, but they have never asked me to post anything about Paul. Every post about Paul has been on my own fruition or at the advice of my readers who have tipped me off about several things.

Either way, I think Paul’s claim he has kept it clean is a bit of a stretch, considering there have many people behind the scenes stirring the pot and throwing the mud for him.

1st Amendment Elections Paul Ten Haken SF City Council Sioux Falls

Public Input belongs to the Public, not the mayor or council

l3wis 36Comments

So if Paul becomes mayor he thinks he is going to make some changes;

TenHaken said establishing a sign-up sheet for those wishing to address the City Council, potentially reducing the five minute time allotment, enforcing a code of conduct for everyone at meetings and designating seats in the Council chamber for those who’ve signed up to speak.

First off, Public Input belongs to the public. Secondly, the mayor has ZERO power in changing the rules at public input, that is the council’s job.

I will not sign a sign up sheet, and I will not sit in a designated area. Public input belongs to the public. We own this government and the agenda, not the mayor or council. I will not have goofy rules put on my 1st Amendment rights.

When people are acting up, you gavel them and ask them to leave or escort them out by security.

It is already intimidating enough for people to come and speak, we don’t need to make that process harder for EVERYONE because a few bad apples called the mayor names when HE wasn’t following his own rules of conduct.

I refuse to take a number and be called on like a person waiting at the DMV. And if Paul or the Council think they are going to thru with these changes there will be the biggest revolt they have ever seen, and it won’t involve respect or decorum.

Elections Media Paul Ten Haken Sioux Falls

UPDATE III: FORMER Argus’ ED Board member Co-Chairs TenHaken’s Campaign

l3wis 19Comments

UPDATE III: Ding! Ding! Ding! And the winner is . . .

As the May 1 election approaches, those distinctions have been drawn. It is our conclusion that TenHaken’s experience and leadership qualities make him the best choice to succeed Mike Huether as the city’s next mayor.

Shocker!!! Oh, but the Argus wanted to reassure us no funny business is going on;

Editor’s note: Though community at-large members are a key part of the mission of the Argus Leader editorial board, such members were not part of the discussions involving this endorsement.

So Stu Whitney and Cory Myers endorsed Paul. That makes me feel comfortable.

UPDATE II: From Cory Myers;

Hi Scott, all – Michelle is a former community member of the Argus editorial board. She was not part of any editorial board discussions concerning the mayoral candidates, nor any board discussions since December of 2017.

How fun it was for Cory Myers to cry about transparency yesterday;

But specifically for a campaign so focused on transparency, I see no reason why Loetscher won’t release this voicemail.

You mean like when you (didn’t) release this information before the general election when your editorial board endoresed TenHaken and Loetscher;

Oh, that’s right, you didn’t bother telling your readers.

Ironically, TenHaken is the one that scooped this on his FB page. So the Argus ED Board, who has a FORMER member that is assisting TenHaken’s campaign, was endorsing TenHaken.

WOW! Let’s talk ‘transparency’ Cory.

Can’t wait to see if the Argus endorses TenHaken before Tuesday. Cory might have to do a lot of explaining to his far away boss in Denver and the execs at Gannet. Or maybe this is just par for course?

Why not endorse Donald Duck? It would seem less ridiculous.

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