The entire video.
Ethics complaints filed by Citizens for Integrity against Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether and Board of Ethics Chairman Greg LaFollette were heard and dismissed on April 23, 2014.
Mr. Gregory LaFollette defended his memory loss and bad judgment in not recusing himself due to conflict of interest issues during a previous Ethics Board hearing decision process.
When his fellow board members ‘cleared’ him of ethical practices he proceeded to retake the chairmanship of panel. He was asked to recuse once again before discussion of items 2 & 3.
The second group of ethics complaints were filed against the Mayor of Sioux Falls for illegally using city resources to run for reelection, specifically the Townhall Chamber for giving a campaign speech disguised as the State of the City Address.
The Mayor did not show up. In his place, City Attorney David Pfeifle recused himself from his legal Board Of Ethics duties to be the partisan defense attorney & personal representative for the Mayor.
Pfeifle’s departure from the bench left the Board without the mandated City Attorney representation necessary for guiding the Ethics Board.
Rebecca Dunn’s testimony;
Kermit Staggers had the dignity to appear for his ethics hearing. He lost but appealed to the state. It was front page and Huether won into the mayor’s office. Later, the state censured the city and cleared Staggers. It was page 10 of the 4 page Argus.
Staggers faced his accusers and cleared himself. His accusers were 2 police officers who should have had ethics hearings themselves. A police officer is obligated to protect and serve. They’re disqualified because they must enforce not judge. They’re city employees. Citizens have priority in these matters.
Mike Huether would not face his accusers and deferred to the city attorney who (ethically) must represent the city and not an individual. An ethics hearing is a personal charge exempt from usual city business. I’d like to be polite but the mayor is a coward and the city attorney should be disbarred.
This could be deferred into a state revue. There’d be another censure. It would be a cumulative 10 or so and there’d be no action and lots of unpublished Letters to the Editor.
I was a victim of a similar hearing. The code enforcer charged the front of the hearing and threatened me. I was not allowed to present evidence. The city attorney (plaintiff) conducted the hearing. It was 8 hours in this room in a summer month with no air conditioning. The city said the hearing didn’t happen and there was no recording. I later produced a tape of the hearing with the sound of the city attorney changing his recording to another (continuing) tape. If you find yourself at one of these, leave your civil & constitutional rights outside.
[…] holed himself up in his office a couple of hundred feet away without answering to the charges. (see video below). Mr. Huether owes A LOT to this ‘average […]