I guess Mayor Huether was serious about getting entertained at council meetings
l3wis 
2017
The tiresome complaints about Public Input and this messy thing called a democracy
I still scratch my head a little bit when I still hear people talk about a NFL player kneeling at a game to bring awareness to police brutality.
To be honest with you, I think most of the professional athletes in this country are overpaid brats that bilk public tax dollars for their stadiums of gold and glitz. But no matter who they are, they have a right to their 1st Amendment Rights.
City ordinance allows 5 minutes for public input as long as it isn’t inflammatory or threatening. Following Roberts Rules of Order the mayor or chair of the meeting has the right to cut off the public input if it violates these rules.
I’m not going to give you another lesson in the 1st Amendment, but I do have something to say about public input and the constant complaints from some people in the public and some in the media about how ‘certain’ people shouldn’t be able to speak.
First off, some of the same people, like myself do speak each week, but I think we bring a different topic forward each week, some don’t, oh well.
Some would say we are negative. Baloney. Petitioning your government has to do with improving government. The whole point of the 1st Amendment is allowing the public to tell it’s government how it can do things better. Government officials don’t always agree, but to call it negative is far-fetched. People are uncomfortable with criticism, but if you are an elected official that is part of the job, if you don’t like it, please resign. Government doesn’t have time for thin skinned cry babies.
But most importantly, especially here in Sioux Falls, the public only gets that five minutes once a week at the city council meeting. We are there on our own accord and are not getting paid to be there, unlike our elected officials. The mayor even asked a well known public inputer who was ‘putting him up to it’ to speak out. As if they were getting money on the side to criticize the administration, because who would dare just do it on their own?
The mayor on the other hand who absolutely detests public input spends several hours each week, on the clock, in front of a camera giving his opinion on various parts of city business, mostly propaganda, and sadly that propaganda probably costs us taxpayers several thousand dollars each week. I would be willing to bet that over the past 7-1/2 years our mayor has spent well over a $1 million using city media to push his agenda while each of us have 5 minutes that doesn’t cost the city a dime.
A great example of this was the numerous town hall meetings in which the mayor and city staff sold us on an indoor pool and the propaganda didn’t stop after the pool was built, in fact it threw a party celebrating the pool’s attendance over the first year. But did you know over the past 2 months since the 1st year anniversary attendance was way down from last year? Did you also know on January 1st the pool rates will go up significantly? You won’t hear that from talking heads in city hall.
This is why our ‘5 minutes’ each week is important whether you like it or not or if the mayor hates it, it’s important to a democracy.
Did Hultgren Construction ever pay city back for rescue and security services?
It’s around the 1st anniversary of the Copper Lounge building collapse. Is it just me, or do I faintly remember the city talking about the rescue and cleanup efforts and who was going to pay for them.
Obviously, the construction company would have to cleanup their own demolished mess. But I do remember someone from the city saying that Hultgren would be billed for the extra effort in rescue and security from the city’s first responders.
Just curious if that bill was ever sent? How much it was? And if it was ever paid by the now defunct Hultgren Construction.
Oh the irony and hypocrisy of Mr. Hultgren signing as a guarantor for the Downtown Parking Ramp Village project corporate welfare handout if he never paid the city for the hundreds of hours of rescue and security efforts. And who can forget the 24/7 CityLink film crew.
It will be interesting to see how Mr. Turbak explains this one to us.
TenHaken wants your vote, even if he struggles to find a municipal polling place himself
Vote for me! Just don’t ask directions to a polling place.
Cameraman Bruce authored this post and researched the data;
Paul is not a very involved voter. It is interesting he preaches to be active and engaged but doesn’t follow the example he sets. He may be a great Republican but only in the November General Elections. He has not voted in a Primary Election since he registered to vote in Sioux Falls in 2004.
Now let’s look at his civic involvement. He wants to be our mayor but he does not show much interest in caring about municipal elections. He is a resident of Sioux Falls School district but he rarely votes in any of the school board elections only odd year elections. He apparently had a point of view on the school start date issue in 2015.
He wants to replace our mayor of all he thinks, the guy we have tolerated for so long who will be leaving office in less than 6 months. You would think he would be an active voter wouldn’t you? Our data shows he has voted in 2 city elections since 2004, including the Events Center advisory vote (non legally binding) to give cover for our current mayor to spend $180,000,000.00 on wrinkled tin foil.
We’ll have more data soon on the other candidates (we must share the love). We don’t expect to see many changes.
The Voting Record of a True Civic Leader
11/7/2006 – General Election
11/4/2008 – General Election
11/2/2010 – General Election
11/8/2011 – Events Center
11/6/2012 – General Election
4/10/2012 – City-Municipal / School shared election
11/4/2014 – General Election
4/14/2015 – School Start Date
If I were to compromise on the Downtown Parking Ramp
Let’s face it, the Downtown Parking Ramp probably has the 4 votes (plus mayor) to pass. But let’s pretend for a moment you or I were on the council. What would it take to change our minds?
I’m totally against the project personally, but let’s say I was sitting on the council and my fellow peers asked me what it would take to get my vote. Here is a list of things I think needs to change in the agreement before I would consider supporting it.
#1) Cut the parking ramp construction costs by $1 million. I think there is plenty of room to tweak the current plan. For instance, why does a bare concrete structure need a sprinkler system?
#2) Share the $6 million in soft costs with developer. I think the developer should have to pay $3 million of those costs which include upgraded utilities and a reinforced foundation.
#3) Change the lease to a 5 year lease with an opportunity for automatic renewal in 5 years. Base that lease on actual appraisals of similar leases. Right now the lease comes to $1,000 a month. That is highway robbery by the developers. It is ridiculous to sign a 80 year, one time payment lease with the developer.
#4) Take Aaron Hultgren’s name OFF of the contract guarantors and off the investor list. Legal counsel should know better signing a contract with a construction company owner who has been fined thousands of dollars for safety violations by OSHA for a building collapse just feet away from the new development. Until Mr. Hultgren clears his name (he is contesting the fines) NO city money should benefit him. If anything he probably owes us for all the issues he has caused for our city’s first responders and private downtown business owners. He is the LAST person that should be involved.
Like I said, personally I am against the project, but if I was on the council I would propose these amendments.