Munson chastises partisanship in one of his final interviews
l3wis 
Munson takes a swipe at Mike Huether in this interview, without mentioning his name. (FF 24:00 minutes) It is interesting.
2010
Stormland TV News editorialized government travel story, with the help of sore loser, Darrin Smith
Meet Don ‘Hearst‘ Jorgensen
The propaganda wing of city hall, and now apparently Mike Huether’s campaign, Stormland TV news attempts to make Kermit look like a spendaholic because he spent $2,375 a year attending conferences that the city requested him to attend because none of the other members on the council wanted to go;
Sioux Falls mayoral candidate Kermit Staggers has been accused of saying no to a lot of different things as a member of the city council, but he surely doesn’t say no to travel.
According to these public records, Staggers has spent more of your tax dollars on travel than any other city council member.
Kermit Staggers, who wants to be mayor of Sioux Falls for the next four years, has been campaigning on responsible spending. But when it comes to traveling on taxpayer dollars, Staggers admits he spends.
Yeah, Don, why don’t you just say that you are voting for Mike Huether in your opening statements? After a few calls to the station by city clerk Debra Owen and a Staggers supporter, the 10 PM news changed there tune and admitted that Kermit attended these conferences AFTER they requested him to. But there is a lot of other information missing. First off, the council is allocated $16,000 every year for these travels, it is a POOL of money, there is no limit what one councilor can spend, Kermit chose to represent the city more at these conferences, which is a good thing, because the rest of them didn’t have any interest. Secondly, I heard when ‘Jorgie’ was investigating this story (that was handed to him on a silver platter from the Huether campaign) he was told by a city representative that this is common practice and about the pool of money but he ignored those facts and ‘Jorgie’ couldn’t resist to do a hit-job on Kermit.
So who handed this info to ‘Jorgie’? No other then, sore loser, Darrin Smith. You remember Darrin Smith? Don’t you? He was the last Democrat to fail in the mayoral election (I think he got 4th place, even Sweet Vernon the Velvet Hammer beat him). He was such a sore loser, he quit the council, and we got Bob Litz appointed. I can’t believe that the Huether campaign would use someone like this, a loser AND a quitter. Double whammie. But that is normal with Dems, when the going gets tough, they bail. When the Feds deemed First Premier Bankcards fee-harvesting schemes illegal, what did Mike do? He bailed. If Mike finds the job of mayor too hard, what will he do? Bail?
Lastly, I find it ironic that ‘Jorgie’ would get such a problem with Kermit’s travel expenses when the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consulting fees, and travel expenses for the several task forces we have adopted for a new events center who have failed to deliver us a solution.
Is Barry Huether pulling out the big guns?
UPDATED (The actual photo of the DC resident’s car in the BACK parking lot of Huether’s headquarters.)
These plates might be a familiar site around Huether rallies
Someone just informed me that they have noticed a car with DC plates that mysteriously has been following the Huether campaign 🙂 I still think it is funny that someone who claims that this race has become ‘too political’ hires an Obama strategist, who apparently now is bringing in backup from DC. All this to beat a college professor who is running his own campaign on less money. Silly.
Who bought these Google Ads? I wish I knew.
Everyday I Google Kermit and Mike’s names to see what pops up. Today I had a surprise, a Google ad linking my site. I have no idea who is behind this, but I am checking into it.
The Washington Pavilion’s solution to all their problems? Rename the joint.
Andy is coming! Andy is coming!
I knew about some of these changes a few weeks ago;
The Great Hall at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science will be renamed in honor of a longtime supporter, the late Mary Sommervold, officials announced Thursday.
I will keep my opinion about this to myself.
Two large shows are scheduled at the Pavilion’s Visual Arts Center: an Andy Warhol exhibit in 2011 and photographs by Ansel Adams in 2012. While shows in the six art galleries usually are free, the bigger shows will be ticketed attractions to help support the center.
Whoo-Hooo! Warhol!
In addition, new tenants are on the way to the downtown Sioux Falls landmark at 11th and Main, to help share costs and add to the arts offerings there.
The administrative offices of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Sioux Empire Arts Council will move there from off-site locations in coming months.
The Dakota Academy of Performing Arts soon will move its programming into the Pavilion, too. And a Native American fine arts museum and gallery will be added.
The changes were made possible in part by more than $100,000 in grants the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation gave to local arts organizations, and a special fund drive in Sommervold’s honor that now stands at $580,000.
While some of these changes are probably a good thing, I worry about putting all of these offices under one roof for a number of reasons. While I think these organizations should work together, and I have been a longtime advocate of the Pavilion giving discounts to local non-profit art orgs, like Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues, for example, I wonder if this is a Power Grab for the Pavilion to take control of all the arts orgs in our city. I guess only time will tell. I also find this move interesting only a few days before a new mayor is decided.
The Sioux Empire Arts Council’s administrative office has been in the Horse Barn Arts Center at Falls Park since 1999. It soon will move to the Pavilion.
From her new office, Deb Klebanoff, executive director, says she might have greater visibility and can step up her outreach to the arts community. But she says she hopes that use of the barn for local art exhibits and other community gatherings will continue at Falls Park.
The fate of the Horse Barn, a 100-year-old city-owned building, has not been decided.
Yeah, maybe they will give it back to the artists that were managing the facility just fine until a bunch of elitists stuck their nose where it did not belong.