2019

Alex Jensen’s campaign guru merging with the Zeal Center

I found this to be an interesting merger, hopefully Mr. Paulson will comment on why he decided to do this;

The Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship is assuming operations of Startup Sioux Falls in the coming months.

By January, Zeal, the community entrepreneurship center founded by Forward Sioux Falls in 2004, will run Startup Sioux Falls, which was launched by MarketBeat founder Matt Paulson earlier this year.

“Zeal and Startup Sioux Falls are now a single organization, with two distinct brands, focused on the single mission of helping startup founders and small-business owners start and grow their businesses for the betterment of themselves, their families and their communities,” Zeal executive director Brienne Maner said.

I have been watching this kind of activity go on in our city quite recently and across the country. My opinion (and it is JUST mine) is that salespeople will sell anything they can to make a buck. My philosophy is that if you have a good idea and business plan, what you are selling will sell itself. If you need ‘help’ in selling something, you might as well just remain a working stiff, because you are doing a disservice to honest consumers.

More Problems with a certain developer?

I was put on alert of this investigation by Angela Kennecke since March of this year by some unnamed sources. I also know who the city officials are that tipped Angela off on these problems, and a certain Cajun transplant. I figured I would let it ‘run it’s course’ and happy to see she finally is reporting her findings.

It will be interesting to see what ‘developer’ Kennecke says owns these apartments, because there seems to be a dispute over LLCs. Imagine that!

I know, it isn’t a hard one to figure out.

I heard they are going to rename the garages turned apartments into the Village Copper Boomerang Estates 🙁

More twists and turns with the Bunker Ramp

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Bunker Ramp is the evil step child that keeps giving;

The letter also says that the completion guarantee allows them to complete the project “and the Parties hereby give notice of their intent to do so.”

They say the City’s termination of the agreement was based on “. . . acts and/or omissions by the City in reckless and negligent disregard of the rights of the Parties after termination of the Development Agreement, give rise to claims, hereby noticed, for wrongful, willful, malicious, fraudulent and/or oppressive breach of contract, civil conspiracy in doing so,”

Under state law, plaintiffs have to give notice to a government like the City of Sioux Falls before they can file a lawsuit.

In other words, the project’s guarantors want to finish the project, and they are going to sue the city to do so.

As we know (or maybe we don’t) the city dumped them because they wanted to reduce the size of the project. I still think it was a bad idea to go into business with peeps who are going to probably receive a $500K fine for the Copper Lounge building collapse (excluding Lamont, who is represented by a separate attorney in this dispute).

Either way, I suspect the city wanted an out for two reasons, and NOT because of the reduction in size;

• I believe they didn’t want to go into business with the Four Horseman who are embroiled in Federal charges.

• I also believe they have someone waiting in the wings to snatch this project up, I have my guesses, but I will keep them to myself for now. I can hear the grand arguments already “Developer ‘X’ has came in to save this project and make it even better! Not only will we roll out the red carpet for being our savior, but we will throw a TIF in to boot.”

This is all speculation of course . . .

Isn’t it crazy how our city government doesn’t even bother to hide from being corrupt anymore? The last mayor made it look so easy.

This project will go down in history as one of the WORST decisions our elected officials have ever made, and that is a hard competition to win when you are competing with Phillips to the Falls, The Denty, City Admin building, RR Redevelopment project and the Midco.

Sometimes Rumors and Gossip turns out to be true

Sometimes as a blogger, I walk a delicate tight rope. I have different standards when it comes to sources. I will use anonymous sources if I know they are reliable, sometimes that fails me.

I heard a lot of things surrounding what happened with State’s Attorney Aaron McGowan. I did a little digging around on my own to. Much of what I read in the AG’s report turned out to be what I heard, so I wasn’t surprised. Some of the gossip I heard was absolutely untrue. This is why I struggled with saying anything until there was more ‘public’ information. I have also known McGowan for almost 20 years. I wouldn’t consider him a ‘friend’ but he has always been cordial with me, so I didn’t feel a need to dig up a bunch of crap about him before a public investigation was released.

Alcohol abuse is NOT a laughing matter, and I hope he gets help, it’s just unfortunate it had to go this far.

I think when public officials are faced with personal difficulties in their lives, it’s best to be transparent and honest with constituents about it, ASAP. I guess it goes back to my feelings about open government. A lot of issues can be resolved much quicker if you just own up to them, apologize and move on.

Now if we can just pass that sentiment to our president.