I just got a tip that a California company has been surveying Sioux Falls residents about the performance of our mayor, city council and thoughts on an Events Center. I will update you when I have more details, but I am wondering if any South DaCola readers got the same call? And is this a city expenditure or a private expenditure? And if so, who is funding it?
Poll me. City government isn’t so bad for a Nazi regime. They’re not rounding up jews, yet.
I think a certain Federal Judge in our community would have a problem with that.
UPDATE, from a few call recipients:
Asked if I was registered to vote.
Asked my age range.
Rate the job the mayor is doing.
Rate the job the city council is doing.
What should be their top priority? 1) Jobs 2) Fixing Roads & Infrastructure 3) Building an Events Center
I picked 3 because it seemed the most interesting so I got some follow up Events Center questions.
Such as, if the events center was not built in the location I favored would that effect my voting for it to be built.
2nd update:
I may have the order of questions wrong but it starts off by asking what you think of the mayor’s job performance, and then the city council. The tipoff is in the next question – the biggest issue in Sioux Falls. The EC is listed as the first choice, with jobs at number
two and streets at number three. Another EC question is next, and I believe I was able to say I’m
against it. The question that really pissed me off is the next one – if the mayor/city council picks
the site you don’t prefer, how likely are you to vote against the project? Given that I just said I’m
not in favor of it being built, shouldn’t there be a choice in there that represents me?
This person told me they think it is a survey funded by BID.
So is it true Sy?
Well, actually – no (re: “shouldn’t here be…..”. Your “preferred location” would be “nowhere”. So, ANY location would NOT be your “preferred” location. The question you don’t like covers all the options – equally – without naming one.
Does the council have a job? They’re puppets so that city government looks like democracy. Obscene puppets for what their hands are doing under their heads.
Who are they calling? Most of us have cell phones (unlisted). Sounds like another mayor manipulated survey focusing on seniors who yet have land lines. Seniors on fixed income who vote. Seniors that Huether can bribe. Next, a call-in survey to the first channel we delete when we program our TV’s (TV-16).
you’re technically correct, rufsux, but the problem is then my preferred answer of not building one at all would go to help BID’s position of “downtown or nowhere”.
It’s not BID’s poll.
I also don’t think it’s the Mayor as they can’t by law spend any of that allocated money on marketing.
Might be another AL/KELO poll, or from “Build it Sioux Falls”
Thanks Sy, for clearing that up. I also here it may be a private marketing group that Huether is involved with. Here are the questions I got emailed to me:
Here are the questions as we know them from other people who got the call
and wrote them down:
1) Are you a registered voter?
2) Please rate the job Mayor Huether is doing (1-4).
3) Please rate the job the City Council is doing (1-4).
4) What do you think should be the top priority of the Mayor and City
Council: A-Events Center, B-Jobs or C-Street and Road Repairs
5) The Mayor’s Event Center proposal has the Event Center being paid for by
bonding. Do you support the city borrowing $99 million to bond the Event
Center?
6) In a recent meeting, it was determined that 4 Council members were for
the Arena site and 4 Council members were for the downtown site.
If the Event Center went to a public vote, and the site chosen was NOT the
site you wanted would you support the Event Center being built?
7) What age demographic are you in?
I didn’t get one in the mail, but I received a call last night. I would prefer the mailed ones. They are easier than having to take the handset away from your ear to push a number. I do think there should have been another answer choice for the questions pertaining to funding the event center and how you felt about the location. Otherwise, I hope the people sponsoring the poll got an earful from me.
Just an other politic stunt brought to you by the magic of sub prime lending…
“4) What do you think should be the top priority of the Mayor and City Council: A-Events Center, B-Jobs or C-Street and Road Repairs”
If I got this question on my phone it would be the same button for all 3 options. That can’t be right.
I did get the call and I thought it was 1) Jobs, 2) Street and Road Repairs or 3) for the Events Center. The reason I think I remember that because I thought they were trying to bury the Events Center, because who is going to pick that over jobs and road repair? I could be wrong, it was a 2 min call.
These calls sometimes use smart technology, so what you got for your 4th question could depend on what you answer on the first three.
Nice post l3wis.
Does this thing have something to do with the “majority” the mayor insisted he had an obligation to serve, during his latest Lisnin’ & Lern’em talk at the Center for Active Generations?
Event venter, jobs, and streets were definitely the order my call had.
Center not venter.
So it comes down to three; Either KELO or the Argus did it by themselves or together. Or a 3rd entity that is funded thru private marketing dollars came up with it.
This should be interesting.
I wonder how many registered SF voters still have a landline? Did anyone with a cellphone get this push poll?
it’s looking more and more like a private 3rd party is behind this.
I like how they phrased question 6 as opposed to simply asking: “If we build an Events Center should it be downtown or at the Arena?”
The first poll they did back in October of last year had a direct question like that and at the time I think it came back with 15% support for downtown. Whoever commissioned the poll was apparently extremely worried about that number moving up so I think there’s your answer as to who’s behind it.
Also note that they are asking if the City should borrow $99 million for the EC, which obviously would be on top of whatever cash the Mayor wants to put down so there’s also your admission that this will be a $125 million project.
If I remember correctly, there was a request to the AL to do a poll for cpompariosn to the one they did earlier just a couple weeks ago. This could be that request being fulfilled.
comparison
Nielson Brothers Polling has recently completed a survey of Sioux Falls. However, the questions mentioned above don’t match ours. NBP survey is intended as a public poll to better understand the views of Sioux Falls residents on key social and political issues. Our results should be published in the next couple of days. We also just completed a Rapid City survey, and those results have been released. Thanks. Paul Nielson, Nielson Brothers Polling
I don’t think so, ruf. Otherwise they would’ve asked the same question as before to guage where the public sentiment has moved.
No where in this poll can a person determine whether or not there’s growing or shrinking support for downtown and that’s by design.
I got the call on my cell phone TWICE. AND I have a blocked number. It sounded third party, but seemed to favor the mayor. I chose jobs but was only asked EC questions…
Nielsen Brothers polling.
No offense to Paul, but I don’t know why anybody would pay to undertake any kind of polling these days. Landlines are becoming more and more rare, and nothing (outside of maybe exit polls) are replacing them as a reputable method.
Whoops, maybe I should read all comments first.
Paul – Maybe there is another poll going on. I have to tell you though, I’m getting pretty sick of these continued polls on the EC. Why don’t we do the real one already and let people vote?
@ Sy – what makes you think the AL would be scientific enough to think to ask the identical questions to their former poll?
As to WHO is consducting it. Any one being called can just do *69 after the call to get the number being used to peform the poll. Then go to 1-800 lookup on the ‘net and find out who that number belongs to.
We already figured it out.
…I don’t know why anybody would pay to undertake any kind of polling these days.
~Scott
Prolly cause most are push polls getting a feel for whatever agenda driven results the advocates paying for it want.
Same with the latest two EC studies. Two very different results favoring…, guess who, those that paid for the studies.
Lies, Lies and more Lies. The only freaking poll that matters is the one on voting day, and they know this, that is why there ass was handed to them on the indoor pool and rec center vote.