One of the more common questions I get lately as Sioux Falls’ official (or unofficial) bloggers is, “What is Jamison’s platform and agenda for mayor?”
That is a very good question.
While I can speculate on a lot of Greg’s intentions, like a more transparent government, and more controlled and stable economic and development growth, I really don’t know much about his plans as mayor.
I do know this, Greg probably learned a lot about how Huether runs a campaign. During his initial run for mayor he consistently was taking his opponents ideas and turning them into his. This is what sales people do, they really don’t have much pride when it comes to having original ideas, because all they care about in the end is closing the deal. And he was successful at that.
My guess is that Jamison is probably holding his best ideas in until it gets down to the nitty gritty. Is it a wise move? Not sure, but you do have to be careful about sharing your ideas with a salesman, because he will sell them before you have even had a chance to take out a patent.
As an incumbent, Mayor Meltdown also has the advantage of using city resources to campaign (Channel 16, local media press conferences, etc.) I liken it to an incumbent president using Air Force 1 as his personal campaign bus.
Will it be hard to beat Huether? Incredibly. Is it impossible? Not at all. But as Kenny Rogers sang,
You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.
Is Jamison’s campaign strategy a gamble? I guess we will find out.