This is the first question that popped into my mind when I saw they were going to sue for the information. But I wasn’t the only one asking the question, I have received several emails asking the same thing.
Why?
It’s clear from the city’s track record on all things transparent and legal, they will spend as much money as they can fighting this (our money) which will probably never be decided until it makes it to the SD Supreme Court, which will take several years.
Cameraman Bruce and I both told the Argus there are other ways to skin a cat on this topic, and if they want to take the courts route, good for them, but other information about how the EC was built and paid for also exists in the private sector with the contracts the contractors signed.
While I will commend them for taking on the legal aspects of transparency in government, South DaCola will continue to pursue the low road. You never know who will crack that nut first?
It also seems the Argus finally figured out how to quote Bruce in an article;
Citizen activist Bruce Danielson, one of the most vocal critics of the city’s handling of the Premier Center siding dispute and closed-door nature of the manager at risk method used for the building project, agreed the public should have access to the settlement.
“The underlying issue here is this is a public building, and the public has to pay for this building for the next 19 years, and we do not know anything about the financing, the construction, the change orders or where the money went to. We know nothing,” he said. “The first step in any audit of any situation like this is breaking the seal of secrecy.”
Something we have been asking of this administration and city council now for several years. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take several more years to unveil the truth. Let’s face it, this isn’t about poorly constructed siding, this is about secrecy, what is the city trying to hide? I have a feeling once that skin is pulled back, we are going to find much more then a dead cat.