2010
Governor Moose Drool, the gift that keeps giving
While I think Michael Steele is a gigantic idiot (gigantic) I think Palin as the new RNC chair would be the biggest gift to Democrats since she f’d up McCain’s nomination for president. Please, Please, Please, appoint her!
Notice that Democrats are mysteriously silent about it . . . because behind the scenes they are either drooling about the possible appointment or laughing their asses off, or both.
Some conservatives may want Sarah Palin to take over the role of chairman of the Republican National Committee from Michael Steele, but chances are slim the high-priced speech-maker would want it.
Some meetings are worth having
I will have to admit, I was a little humbled last night. I sat down for a few cocktails after the SF city council meeting with two city councilors and and city employee. It was amazing to hear about all of the things they are working on behind the scenes (good stuff).
I kind of called the meeting because of my concerns, and instead of bringing my fat bitching beer belly to a council meeting public input, I decided this was a better approach.
We talked about;
• Code Enforcement
• Events Center
• Contract compliance
• Lyon County casino
• Mayoral election
I kind of promised I wouldn’t go into detail, but I will say this, they are working very hard on all of these issues, and trust me, there is turbulence and disagreement, but isn’t that why we pay attention? I can also say that some solutions are around the bend, and some are in lah-lah land.
Mayor Huether makes some interesting comments about the media
Mayor Mike lays out his vision for the press
During the informational meeting, Mike had this to say about the media concerning the recent audit of Global Spectrum
“. . . why I think it is important to verify the recommendations is that it will help us manage the press as well, not that we want to tell the Argus Leader, KELO, KSFY or KDLT what to report on but I think it will help the public understand that having this business audited is a good thing, and that’s how they started the process, when I was in business, I wanted my department to be audited, because I wanted them to find recommendations and mistakes prior to the press, or 60 Minutes or some Eide Bailley or whoever will be find it, and in this case I think it got out of hand, and I think the spirit was good and then I think oh my gosh, the sky is falling when in reality it wasn’t . . . “
Mike sure has a skewed view of ‘The fourth estate’ It is their job to report everything; the good, the bad and the ugly. One reason why blogs have gotten so popular is because the MSM isn’t reporting that way anymore. This is also an interesting comment, because this is a guy who has had hissy-fits with several media people for simply reporting the facts about his campaign. The media needs to keep an eye on Mr. Huether, I think he will be a Slippery Pete when it comes to the press.
It also seems that the council doesn’t want him to continue the King Dave practice of money transfers;
Sioux Falls city councilors Tuesday set the stage for the latest battle with the mayor’s office over who controls tax dollars, an ongoing struggle that former mayor Dave Munson’s administration also confronted.
If Huether wants to shift money among projects, he might have to get the City Council’s approval first. Councilors are looking into requiring their authorization on certain money transfers – an action Huether opposes.
Which is interesting, because if Mike wants to be a ‘fiscally prudent’ mayor, wouldn’t he want more checks and balances in place?
“I think it’s a good form of checks and balances, and we are protecting our constituents,” councilor Rex Rolfing said.
It is possible to put a process in place without disrupting our form of government. In Omaha, which has the same form of city charter, I believe, the council has to approve any money transfer over $20,000. While that may make the council meetings last longer, there may be a way to streamline that process.
Brown later said, “It’s like handing a big bag of money to one person, in this case the mayor” and allowing him to spend it on projects of his choosing.
But Huether doesn’t think council approval is necessary.
“City government already moves slow enough because of all the controls that are in place,” he said. “At some point, you’ve got to allow government to work, and you have to trust government to work.”
That is the problem, the council trusted the last mayor on this issue, and where did it get us? $300 million in debt. This isn’t about TRUST anyway, it is about checks and balances and I hope the city council moves forward on this issue.
Angie Buhl to be guest on ‘100 Eyes’ today (7/6) at 4 PM
Watch our weekly show “100 Eyes on S.D. Politics” with political reporter Jonathan Ellis for a rousing discussion of political news with today’s guest: Angie Buhl. Managing Editor Patrick Lalley is off this week. Buhl will be the youngest woman ever to serve in the State Legislature when she steps in to represent District 15 in the Senate. Join the discussion of statewide elections and local government.
South DaCola will be asking questions, that is for sure. I also can’t wait to see her army of feminine warriors throw her softballs.