He gave his comical presentation ‘Top Ten Wins’ again this year;
- Sioux Falls City government lived within its financial means by making tough choices. (actually, he went ape crazy on raising fees)
- A new city administration building, a first since 1936, will serve citizens and employees for decades to come. (Dozens of administration and operational buildings have been built since 1936)
- Economy flourishes with America’s lowest unemployment rate, four straight years of record development, and largest growth of new citizens in Sioux Falls history. (yet with such enormous growth, revenue growth is down, low and stagnant wages remain and housing is too expensive)
- Midco® Aquatic Center is completed on time and under budget and opens to rave reviews. (yet low attendance and a high operational cost will plague our city budget for years)
- Downtown Sioux Falls is the place to be and invest with $50 million in construction, the Washington Square project, Main Avenue Road Diet, and more. (while true, this has been going on for almost 15 years)
- A $12 million hotel/conference center is the latest development near the PREMIER Center, strengthening our ability to compete for Division 1 NCAA events. (initiated by taxpayer subsidies)
- The honeymoon continues for the 88th busiest Events Center in the world with $2.1 million in net revenue, and our good news is spreading throughout the industry. (Yet we have no idea if the taxpayers are benefitting from this success financially?)
- Monster infrastructure improvements in sanitary sewer, the 12th Street Bridge, and roads, roads, and more roads. (something government is supposed to do with our taxdollars. Normal course of business)
- Bevy of software implementations increases employee productivity, improves service delivery, and maximizes taxpayer dollars. (Can we see the numbers?)
- Pension reform continues protecting retirees while fulfilling City government pension obligations. (while screwing over the unions. I actually think this administration wants to break the city unions)
Simply amazing how bad news gets reported good and good news gets reported unbelievable. City government is good fiction. To bad it’s troubling and not entertaining.
Another arrogant list from an arrogant man. Nothing but fake financial this and false financial that. This man is not a leader. If finances are so tough why are they spending 25 (++++) million on a new admin building? What a joke.
“Downtown Sioux Falls is the place to be and invest with $50 million in construction, the Washington Square project, Main Avenue Road Diet, and more. (while true, this has been going on for almost 15 years)”
Didn’t we hear on the street the Washington Square development piss the mayor off because it took away financing from his cherished parking ramp project?
I disagree with downtown investment. There’s no direct access off the interstates. Locals go there but they tire fast. Try giving visitors directions to there or the Falls. Lots of crumbling buildings. Downtown cycles up and down. Now is a good cycle. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a mall and box stores at Exit 1 in Minnesota. It’s only 10 miles east. Amazon now charges state tax. A tax free zone barely in Minnesota could be a success. Nobody thought Grand Falls Casino would succeed. Anything new and different with a modern twist works. Sioux Falls developers build parking ramps when most of us will soon only use Uber and driverless transportation. If it’s never parked, you don’t need another parking garage.
Correct, Bruce. Washington Square almost didn’t happen because of MMM’s ego and hubris. Plus half that $50m is the new admin building.