Well, he didn’t quite say that, but in response to Belfrage about the great volunteerism he basically does say that;
“If the city would have launched an effort right away, that the city is going to take care of this, people would have sat on their porches and waited for us.”
Give me a Freaking Break! People were immediately cleaning up the next morning, with or without your blessing. Just like the ice storm, people were cleaning up their own yards. I don’t think ANYONE wanted or expected the city to clean up their private property, that was NOT what people wanted, they just wanted a truck to come by and pick up the rubbish, and the city SHOULD do that for people who don’t have the resources like what was done during the ice storm.
And guess what, the city did ultimately end up doing that (notice that was left out of the interview).
To say the people of Sioux Falls would have just put their feet up and waited for city employees to clean up the mess is ridiculous and insulting.
Then Paul flat out lies saying that councilors Stehly and Starr did NOT reach out to him and he tried to reach out to them. I’ve seen the correspondence folks, that is NOT how it happened. I can’t speak for Starr, but I do know that Stehly was constantly trying to get information from the mayor on what citizens were supposed to do with their tree waste and he ignored her.
It is amazing to watch how this is being spun into the ‘great’ volunteer effort of the century. I have lived in the Midwest 95% of my lifetime. I have lived in city’s, towns, and on farms. I have also lived in Sioux Falls since 1991. I have never known neighbors not to help each other! Ever! Whether it was an ice storm, wind storm, or even a major snow storm. It is in our blood to help each other. The State of South Dakota actually ranks 15th in the nation in volunteerism. The mayor should be ashamed of himself to even think that Sioux Falls residents would simply just wait on the porch for help.