I have often said that this race is not about Jensen being a better candidate than Stehly, he is simply a pawn in this game. This is about the monied establishment getting rid of Stehly. If they could have legally ran a monkey or a dog against her, they would have. As commenter and supporter of Jensen said on that ‘other’ blog; ‘a ‘dead’ person could beat Stehly.’ They probably wish they could run a dead person against her.
Here are some reasons why I think this group of mucky mucks want Stehly gone (this is strictly my opinion and I have not consulted with Theresa or anybody else before scribing this post).
• Misogyny & Sexism. I call it more of a light hearted, passive aggressive version of it. Not only does it exist with those outside of government, it is within also. ‘Certain’ men in power don’t like being told they are wrong by a woman, especially a middle-aged woman who has never been married or ran a major corporation or small business. Let’s face it, Theresa has a big mouth, but I don’t think this has anything to do with wanting to be the loudest person in the room or embarrassing her male counterparts, I think it has to do with the next point.
• Transparency. Theresa likes to get information out to her constituents. She often does this during public meetings that are live and video recorded and broadcasted to constituents, sometimes asking strange questions that befuddle her colleagues, but it is an unique way to get the answers on record out of city employees. This inflames the establishment and those within city government who like doing things thru the ‘Good Old Boys’ network system of closed door meetings, private phone and email conversations, and back door handshake agreements. She sheds a light on this practice, and they want to silence her.
• Money & Greed. Many business people in this city have been the recipients of millions of dollars in corporate welfare handouts like contracts, TIFs and tax breaks. While Theresa does support some of these programs, her questioning of the practice drives them crazy because they don’t like getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar. I think if Theresa wins a 2nd term you will see her go after this more intensely, and that scares the bejeebers out of them, because she does not need a majority of the council to question it.
• Responds to constituents. While there are others on the council that do respond to constituents, Stehly spends a great deal of more time on it. That is one reason she has such strong grassroots support behind her, she often is the only one to look into a city issue while the rest of them hope they just run into you at the grocery story. The establishment doesn’t like someone in city government standing up for the little guy. The little guy in Sioux Falls is supposed to go to his crappy paying job, pay high rent for his crappy apartment, shut up and don’t complain. Theresa is their voice, and she often encourages them to come to public input and share their story.
• Spends her own income on informing the public. I think this alone perplexes the establishment, because they would never in a million years do something like this if they were elected to office. I know Theresa and a little about her finances, and I can vouch 100% she has no secret donors paying for these informational mailings, it all comes from her bank account. In fact, she has had to cut back a little on teaching when she became a councilor and has lost some revenue from that, because she treats it like a 24/7 job. Yes, Stehly does receive a paycheck of a little over $19K a year from the city, but that isn’t any different than a city employee receiving pay for the work they do for the public, and Stehly is free to spend that income on whatever she wants to. Councilors also don’t receive a pension or healthcare benefits.
• Challenges the special interests play palaces. Theresa has fought hard to oppose ridiculous projects like the Bunker Ramp and City Administration building. She is often in the minority, but has never faltered and has been 100% spot on in her criticism. Special interests don’t like that she questions these unneeded projects, and they want to return to the super majority, rubber stamp council of the last administration. It also doesn’t help that she often very accurately predicts the outcome of these disastrous projects.
• Treats everyone with respect when she is treated with respect. Some have accused Theresa of being mean and a bully, but Theresa applies the Golden Rule, if you smack her down, she smacks back. If you help her, she will hold out a hand. It goes back to my first point about sexism. When men do it, they are considered courageous and brave, when women fight back they are bitches and mean. Theresa stands up for her beliefs, even if she is wrong sometimes. “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
I know it is going to be a rough 5 weeks until the election, and big money just might buy this seat for a monkey rubber stamping vampire, but make no mistake, certain special interests and special people in this town want her gone, and you will soon see more of the vitriol that already started today. Trust me, I know Theresa has learned from how Jolene was treated in the mayoral election, and she certainly isn’t going to let that kind crap happen to her.