2018
l3wis Legacy was being deceptive about connections to Hultgren Construction
The good folks over at the Argus Leader got the paperwork proving Legacy had over a 50% ownership in Hultgren Construction. Good Job.
I figured all along that was the case. I mean really, the writing was on the wall. 1) Aaron could not have financed this business by himself 2) A development company having it’s own construction company it could manipulate and break rules for them is a smart business move, unethical, but smart.
The public warned the city council before approving the Downtown parking ramp that this was likely the case, but they had this O’Shucks attitude that Norm Drake from Legacy was just stuck in a bad business situation while moving LLC’s around like it was a Chinese checkers board. Give me a break!
The sad part is there is probably little the city council can do now after signing the paperwork and breaking ground, they are stuck with their very, very, very, bad decision. To say they have mud on their faces is an understatement. They are chin deep in the hoopla, and it’s going to be entertaining to watch them spin this.
This was a bad deal for the taxpayers and it’s too bad we can’t pool our money and get a big city attorney to sue the city for misappropriation of bonds. Sadly, it would only cost us even more.
It’s hard to pinpoint if this is just government corruption or worse – blatant ignorance but when I watch our city council do things like this, I wonder why I even bother making a stink about it. It’s almost like we enjoy bad local government.
Sioux Falls School Board ‘Brags’ about transparency but didn’t answer a single one of my questions
I used to tell Former Mayor Bucktooth & Bowlcut that just saying something is transparent doesn’t automatically make it transparent. It seems our school board suffers from the same affliction. After I grilled them about the unknowns and the lack of transparency they bragged about how transparent the process has been without answering my questions, and they were pretty simple;
• What is the final cost of this 30 year bond? The Finance Director fumbled around this question only saying the last bond was paid off early.
• Are we using super precincts and E-Poll books? No answer.
• Will the county be handling tabulation and absentee voting? No answer.
• What is the compounding affect of the tax. Super Maher said, “You will pay $2 per $185K valuation.” No answer.
• How will you fund staffing/maintenance of the schools? No answer.
• Another lady asked how many homes will be destroyed building a new Whittier? No answer except that they haven’t picked locations yet. How do you have a dollar amount of new construction when you don’t know what land you are going to purchase?
• Why was the survey sent to non-voters? They said this was for ‘educating’ purposes. Just because some has the information doesn’t mean they will vote. The survey doesn’t mean a hill of beans.
Like I said, there was a lot of back patting about how they took 18 months to get here, but little answers to the important questions.
A question I have often pondered is, “If you don’t tell someone the information to begin with, is it lying?” No. But it is incredibly deceptive.
Sioux Falls School Board really doesn’t want you at the meeting tomorrow night
On Friday when the School Board agenda is supposed to come out, it didn’t, missing at least the Friday night news cycle. So by state law the agenda must come out 24 hours in advance.
So I guess someone went down to the IPC Sunday morning and decided to put up the agenda. (notice it was posted today)
Besides the fact that they waited until the last possible minute, they put the bond election last on the agenda hoping no one would stick around.
They really don’t want anyone talking about this. They don’t even mention the true cost of the bonds which will hover at $300,000,000.00;
1. Declaration of Necessity. It is hereby found, determined and declared that it is necessary and expedient for this School District to borrow money by issuing its general obligation school bonds in an amount not exceeding $190,000,000 payable from 1 and not to exceed 30 years from date of issuance, bearing interest payable at such times and at such rate or rates as may be determined by the School Board, to fund a new high school, a new middle school, a new elementary school, additions and expansions to existing school facilities, land purchases, other school district improvements, furnishing and equipping same and financing costs of issuance, if so approved by the voters.
So I found this paragraph interesting when it comes to who will handle the election, how many precincts, etc.;
3. Polling places and Judges. Polling places and judges and clerks for said election shall be selected according to South Dakota Law.
Okay, so what does that mean?
I encourage anyone who stands for open and transparent government to go to the school board meeting Monday night at 5:30 PM at the IPC and sign up to speak about the clear lack of transparency on this issue. While I support new schools, I don’t support bullsh*tting the public about the true cost and how the election will be ran. Not only is it bad government it is a terrible civic lesson for our young minds.
Tragedy at Falls Park
As some may or may not know there is a wrongful death suit playing out against the city after the the recent tragedy at Falls Park. Some in the legal world are watching this closely. Why?
Well, see, a few years back a guy jumped in a South Dakota public lake and suffered a spinal cord injury. He sued. He won (around $11 million). Next legislative session state law was changed so if you do something like that in a public park in South Dakota you can’t sue the state.
Fast forward to 2018. It will be curious what angle will be taken in this new case. How will the victim’s attorney (I hear it is Brendan Johnson) prove the city was liable for not warning visitors about the dangers of foam at Falls Park? How will personable responsibility play out in this case?
Some have argued that no amount of safety measures can protect people from their own ignorance at Falls Park. Maybe they are right?
There have been some good suggestions like memorial ‘Why Die’ signs. Others have suggested the signs warning of the dangerous waters were larger. Some have said fencing and special platforms. I have been suggesting for several years we have signs warning of the extreme toxicity of the water. It’s one thing to warn people about water turbulence, it’s whole other thing to warn people that the water is actually poisonous. I guess the EPA and the state DENR suggested this also to the former mayor and he refused to put up the signs because he didn’t want to ‘scare’ tourists. Isn’t that the point?
This case will be one to watch.
The Public Assurance Alliance will be funding the legal defense, and if they lose will have to pay out the claim. I suspect this may go all the way to the SD Supreme Court.