2019

This place would have made a great apartment complex for nuns

A few weeks ago when Avera came to the city council for permission to bulldoze a block of affordable housing to build a retirement apartment for nuns, I thought to myself ‘Why doesn’t Avera just rehab the house across the street for apartments?” Remember when Avera said the house was in to bad of shape to rehab?

I walked by today to see that was NOT the case. It seems a private builder is working on the house to convert it into a 4 or 5 plex (by looking at the electrical box). A parking lot has also been already poured.

Wouldn’t this have made a great place for retired nuns volunteering their time at the Hospital?

Sioux Falls City Council Agenda, April 22-23, 2019

Audit Committee Meeting, 4 PM (4/22)

External Audit Reports; This is where an external auditing firm (the same one we have been using for years and years) looks at our financial statements from the previous year. This is NOT a thorough independent, forensic audit.

Public Assurance Alliance does a presentation on Trends and Risks. New director, David Fiddle-Faddle returns to the Chambers to enlighten us with his immense wisdom. Make sure the security cameras are turned off or scrubbed later.

Audit report of the Zoo. Still one of the tightest ships ran in the city. I still think the Director of the Zoo should run for Mayor.

Fill-In, and Previous Internal Auditor, Oksol is going to tell us how to measure performance out of an internal audit staff. First step; make sure you have a staff to measure.

They finish with giving Oksol a gold star for helping to fill in while looking for a new internal auditor manager. He must have been volunteering his time? Who knew?

City Council Informational, 4 PM (4/23)

March Financial Update

Overview of Spring Flood Recovery

Use of unobligated capital funds

City Council SPECIAL Meeting, 5:30 PM (4/23)

I noticed that the special council meeting is missing Public Input at the beginning. I’m not sure they can skirt public input at the beginning just because it is a special meeting. I think the new changes in state law say they must provide public input at all public meetings.

Item#3, Approval of Contracts,

Seems we are buying two new Harley’s for the SFPD. I find this interesting since the last couple of bikes we bought were NOT Harley’s (I think they were Triumphs).

Items #4-5, supplemental appropriations for the Rose/Lotta neighborhood homes. I think this will pass with full support of the council, besides some bickering about where the money is coming from.

Item #6, Motion, Appointing Shana Nelson as the new Internal Auditor Manager. As I suspected they are plucking Shana from the Finance Department where she works as a business analyst creating a conflict of interest between the administration and city council. Shana’s husband, Matt Nelson is the Director of the Parking Department. So how does she audit that department fairly? Further more, with some pending issues with the DT parking ramp, will we ever get a fair audit of the department?

Events Center Campus Book Club Meeting, 8:30 AM, Wed 4/24, Convention Center (we will see if it is filmed this time and if they have any chairs for the public)

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Drinking Liberally sums up Trump and the Mueller Report

The Mueller report is finally out and, despite Attorney General Barr’s assurances to the contrary, it confirms the worst about Donald Trump. At times it is difficult to describe the abhorrence I feel as Trump daily tramples on the customs and traditions which bind us together as a Country. But, having watched the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris burn almost to the ground this week, I would compare Trump’s presidency to that event. In his series on Civilization, Kenneth Clark famously said, as the camera panned out to show the magnificence of Notre Dame, that he couldn’t describe what Civilization is but he knows it when he sees it. That symbol of Western Civilization now lies partially destroyed for all to see, saved from total destruction only by the firemen and women of Paris. It will hopefully be rebuilt by the people of France.

Much as fire consumed Notre Dame, Trump daily attacks our institutions, the rule of law, and our international network of alliances which together provide the foundation of our Country’s prosperity and strength. Trump perceives these same institutions as a threat to the culture of White Male privilege which has nurtured him and his followers. He believe they impede his desires. He wants to pull them down and pull us back to a darker time. Whether he will succeed is still an open question but the slow burn he started is threatening to become a conflagration. We are the firemen and women of our country. We are the only ones who can extinguish the fire Trump has begun and determine what kind of country we want to be. Do we want a Country hopeful, tolerant, prosperous and open to new possibilities, or a Country of Trump, selfish, intolerant, poor and afraid of what is different? The next election will tell the story. Can we count on you?