South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Airport Sioux Falls Transit Transportation

Transit On Demand is available at the airport

l3wis 1Comments

I stand corrected! I had a long post written last night about how On Demand doesn’t appear to go to the airport, but it does;

The airport, for example, wasn’t an option. I was instead prompted to take a bus and then a 50-minute walk.

As it was explained to me by a reporter, the app just gives you options and the first option was to take a fixed route or walk.

Uh, okay.

But my bigger concern is the data mining;

Via has its own app that you have to download, and there are quite a few steps to get it all set up,

While data can make the service much better, your personal information like credit card and tracking info should be scrubbed every 24-48 hours. I want to use the service, but not sure I can trust a 3rd party contractor partnering up with another 3rd party software provider (and who knows what other financial services they are partnering with?)

All this Bloomberg Institute of data mining is getting old.

Downtown Sioux Falls Sioux Falls

Business Diversity Ordinance needs to be implemented Downtown Sioux Falls

l3wis 5Comments

As I have mentioned before, Downtown Fort Collins, CO was really transformed once they did a business diversity plan. Basically no two similar businesses can be on the same block on either side of the street. It’s really basic, you can have two restaurants or bars next to each other, but they must be different in concept, etc. What’s fascinating is DTFC has all kinds of business diversity; credit unions, chiropractors, dental offices, mortgage, you name it. It is also 4x the size of ours in walking accessibility. And here is the last comparison, Fort Collins climate and population is very similar. We can do this here.

It’s really an easy process. Basically DTSF as an org would hire a consultant to study the ordinance. The city council would fund the study and once completed, present to the council where they can make tweaks in a couple of public working sessions. After about 16 months you could pass the new ordinance. There of course would be a grandfather clause (basically if you are already established, you don’t have to leave, BUT any changes in lease agreements or closures the ordinance would be in effect.)

I started thinking about this more since Vishnu Bunny was forced out DTSF. I knew this would eventually happen since a small group of investors are buying up DTSF properties like mad and paying way over appraisal pushing the little dude out. I know several DTSF business owners who rent but would prefer to own their storefront. One of them told me, “We can secure the loan, we just can’t find anything available.” One of the problems is the joint venture between Tupy and Paulson and their development company they run out of a UPS store PO Box. They are literally buying all and any property DTSF which they will eventually transform.

Jeff Mann, the owner of Vishnu is a good guy. I should know, I helped him beat down the city and Mayor Huether at the time to get Vishnu DTSF. There was some clown, whose name we won’t mention, trying to influence the mayor to stop the venue and we went to the media. Huether had a change of heart and showed up to the opening in which I proceeded to explain genital piercings to him. His face was priceless. Either way, Mann has shown he was a staple of DTSF in which I participated in several art exhibits on First Fridays. We really are losing a gem.

Our downtown is turning into a dump because we don’t promote business diversity. I have almost boycotted every downtown business except one, because they promote business diversity. Maybe DTSF needs to have their next board meeting at Book Coop and learn a little about diversity.

Charter Revision Commission Ethics Mayor Subprime Mike Huether Mayor TenHaken Mike Huether Munson Open Government Open Meetings SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Charter Revision Commission Triple Check the Charter

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Kirby

l3wis 1Comments

Joe did a great blog post today about the charter. While I disagree with some of his premises and anecdotes he is right about ONE thing;

City government would be improved if we established a better separation of powers while at the same time, strengthening the role of our legislature. Here are some changes I think are worth considering in the charter and/or the way city government operates.

  1. Take the next mayor off the city council to establish better separation of powers.

I think this would FORCE the council to do policy because they would be running their own meetings and agendas. This doesn’t mean the mayor could not still present policy but he would have to get at least ONE sponsor on the council and if it really is HIS policy and not something a department head cooked up, he needs to come to the council and present.

I think the charter has worked well also, but the biggest problem is the laziness of the councils since and the corruption at city hall. This of course spells incompetence.

Some rules and regs really do work, but you must apply them, this city has NOT when it comes to policy and our legislative branch.

SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls City Council Agendas are WHACKED

l3wis 2Comments

This isn’t a coincidence, it all started after the new head city clerk started, and it is getting worse. Agendas mysteriously getting posted for meetings that don’t exist, meetings moved or canceled due to improper postings, etc. Well this week they decided not only to start the meeting an hour early they are putting the executive session first.

Now, there have been meetings when the ES is at the beginning of the meeting, but it is ONLY when it is basically the only item on the agenda. So what will happen now is if you showed up at 3 PM to watch the meeting, you will be immediately kicked out of chambers for the ES which could last 5 minutes, or 50 minutes, you have no idea, so the public must sit there waiting for you to finish so the public meeting can began. Uncalled for. Public business first, then you can fart around with your secret deals.

I also don’t understand the urgency. I am assuming the council will be interviewing or actually hiring a replacement for Bixler who is retiring at the end of October. Don’t know who Bixler is? No surprise, he didn’t do much to be noticeable. He was the council’s legislative advisor and budget dude. How did that work out for yah?

Public meetings are for the PUBLIC and should be as accessible as possible. These clowns and their closed government sh!tshow is getting old. This is NOT the council’s meeting, it’s the public’s. Not sure if they will ever figure it out.

Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls

UPDATE: The Riverline ‘RATS’ are looking for a place to hide

l3wis 8Comments

UPDATE: I got word today from a very dependable source that the convention center is a ‘DONE DEAL’ when you talk to the business and banking community. They already have the chess pieces in place to make it happen, with or without the public’s approval. They also are lobbying the legislature right now to do a 3rd penny sales tax to pay for it, but they need their approval first. They are suggesting a ‘sunset’ clause, which never happens. Remember the Pavilion, you know the private non-profit that taxpayers fund in the millions each year even though they have over $14 million in their reserves. The entertainment tax was supposed to sunset after the bonds were paid off. I think that happened about a decade ago, still exists. Don’t be fooled by these grifters. This is a way for the bonding companies to make lots of money off of the backs of taxpayers. Most of the jobs will be hospitality, low wage, part-time with no benefits. Have you ever met a full-time bartender with the Pavilion, Denty, Orpheum, Bird Cage, etc.? NOPE. Because the jobs that will be provided by this convention center won’t make a dent in our brain drain problem. I agree there will be a massive economic impact from the new convention center, it will bankrupt our city.

The council seems to be a little butt hurt over the fact that they haven’t seen an appraisal OR a purchase agreement for the Riverline District, you know, the plot of land some douchey investors want us taxpayers to buy with cheeseburger taxes (entertainment). The problem is the council hasn’t seen a purchase agreement yet, and likely won’t until it if dropped in front of their faces at the last minute. And will the public get to see these documents?

I have concerns, but based on rumors I hear from realtors, at this point it is just pure speculation, but I have expressed privately to current and past city councilors that I have concerns about the purchase agreement due to potential conflicts of interest. It is NO secret that some who sit on that dais have spouses, business associates and other friends who pose major conflicts of interest. It will be interesting to see whose name(s) appears on that document, or will we see a lot of sharpie blackouts? This town gets more corrupt by the second.

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Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Airport Sioux Falls Transit Transportation

Transit On Demand is available at the airport

Downtown Sioux Falls Sioux Falls

Business Diversity Ordinance needs to be implemented Downtown Sioux Falls

Charter Revision Commission Ethics Mayor Subprime Mike Huether Mayor TenHaken Mike Huether Munson Open Government Open Meetings SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Charter Revision Commission Triple Check the Charter

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Kirby

Harrisburg School District Open Government Open Meetings

Update I: Did the city of Harrisburg violate open meeting laws