South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

2018

Art Sioux Falls

Is Community Theater in Sioux Falls dead?

l3wis 4Comments

Well we have heard already that ticket sales are not supporting the entity. They had to eliminate the creative director, and they are looking to raise $100K to save the organization.

But are there other ‘outside’ forces killing community theater?

The scenario I see community theater in is the same one I saw the Sioux Empire Arts Council in a few years ago. The Pavilion infiltrated the board than killed the organization from within.

But this time I speculate SMG and the Pavilion are both involved.

SMG wants to control entertainment for the most part in Sioux Falls. They recently got the contract to do concerts and other events at Canaries Stadium and since they have been running the Orpheum they have been asking for a portion of the Entertainment tax that the Pavilion has been sucking up for themselves ever since the bonds were paid off.

The Pavilion for years has been trying to get all of the community arts programs under their roof, not for the benefit of the community, but mostly for fundraising. I think the Pavilion thinks of any community arts program as a threat to their fundraising.

I’m not sure if SMG and the Pavilion are conspiring on this. Maybe it’s City Hall? But I do know this, true community arts programs are dying in Sioux Falls, and not a slow death but a very FAST one.

A couple of the reasons are that there isn’t enough arts donation money to go around, especially in a community with basically NO middle class or a very stagnant one. We also have a very Republican (conservative) attitude towards the arts that if you can’t make money at it, or it isn’t promoting a product or service in our community, it’s not worth spending money on. SculptureWalk is often promoted as a program to help sell more beer and pizza downtown.

I often encourage people to support your local artists, musicians and promoters. Like small business they are the bread and butter of our cultural community, and once they are gone, we will feel it’s affects.

Elections SFPD Sioux Falls

‘Crime’ was actually an issue in the last mayoral campaign

l3wis 4Comments

The problem was it was Greg Jamison ONLY vs. Huether and his entire administration, including a police chief who was in denial, then the governor appoints him to the legislature, go figure;

Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel says the same things that help the city attract positive attention, and a growing population, also attract crime.

“Over that time period we’ve seen our city grow by almost 20,000 people. We just know there’s a certain number of people who are going to want to commit crimes,” Barthel said.

It actually surprises me we are talking about this again 4 years later. But with excuses like ‘population growth’ over the past 4 years, what do you expect?

And without getting to deep into the current mayor ignoring many social issues over the past 8 years, I find it a little ironic that certain candidates are talking about ‘CRIME’ now?

The first issue that must be addressed is the proliferation of drugs and the resulting violent crime in our community.

Last year, I listened to Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead address a group of businesspeople about this issue. I started taking notes because what I heard caught me off guard.

“I have never been more concerned about the safety of our community than I am today,” he said in June. “The drugs coming in can change our community. People are breaking into your homes and businesses to feed their addiction.”

A little off guard? I love Jodi’s writing and talent, and her extensive resume in journalism. But I guess I’m taken a little off guard that she has just recently become aware of the issue.

There are many candidates talking about crime in the mayor’s race. Like I said, Jamison made it his #1 issue 4 years ago and has been monitoring it since, essentially seeing it deteriorate into what it is today.

So I ask the question of the other candidates (besides Jamison and Loetscher*) what have you done over the past 4 years to help fight crime in our community and state? Run right wing internet companies? Selling motorcycles? Or is this just another campaign issue that we will be talking about in 4 years again? Or will it be too late?

*As we know, Jolene has an outstanding record of fighting domestic abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking and she did it without holding an elected position.

Democrats South Dakotans

South Dakota Democratic Party Struggling, Big Time!

l3wis 25Comments

From Drinking Liberally;

Unfortunately, in South Dakota, the Democratic Party has shown little ability to take advantage of Trump’s unpopularity. Democrats continue to lose the Voter Registration battle to Republicans. According to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s website, Democrats lost another 449 registered voters in February while Republican registration increased by 325 voters. In all the Republican advantage over Democrats increased by 774 voters in February. Overall, it now stands at 87,112 voters or, to put it another way, by an average of 2489 voters in each of South Dakota’s 35 Legislative Districts. That is a big deficit for a Candidate to overcome and a big hole the SDDP needs to climb out of.

A year ago the South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) announced a big voter registration drive. It even got a $10,000.00 grant from the DNC to conduct registration drives on Indian Reservations. The SDDP doesn’t have much to show for its effort. Since last April Democratic voter registration statewide has dropped by 11,360 voters, from 169,688 to 158,328 or 6.7%. I encourage the SDDP to rethink what they are doing. I don’t know what it is but it obviously is not working.

I think it is time for ALL NEW leadership.

Planning Commission SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls City Council Agenda (March 6-7, 2018)

l3wis 1Comments

*Note: City Finance Director Tracy Turbak will return to the March 13 informational meeting to finish answering budget questions per request of councilors Starr, Stehly and Kiley.

City Council Informational Meeting

The city council will get a review of the Open Data Initiative. They will also hear from the Health Department about noise ordinances. They will also hear about some ordinance updates.

City Council Regular Meeting

The first SIOUXPERHERO awards will be handed out.

Item#1 Contracts, we will be approving $300K to construct new exhibits at the Pavilion’s Kirby Science Center. I’m curious about this one, because I thought we had major sponsorship from Sanford?

Item#58, Resolution, Renew contract for Great Bear. There has NEVER been an RFP to change the contractor at Great Bear.

Planning Commission Meeting (2/7)

Pretty normal meeting, with no controversial items.

Item#9, Preliminary Subdivision Plan for Sanford Sports Complex

Item#14-16, Amending ordinances

Item#17, Updating Planning Commission Bylaws

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