Last night a foot soldier told me he saw one of these pull into the gas station. It was a brand new Denali. Who stepped out? A newly appointed department director. The list price on these can run anywhere between $68-$82K. If you are making payments/insurance you are looking at about $1,400 a month.
This person asked me if the city is paying for the ride? I could not answer that for sure since this director doesn’t run a pencil pusher department and could possibly need a city funded vehicle.
Either way, that’s quite the ride. I have seen other directors in similar positions drive vehicles like this that had city plates (I wish they would have checked).
But let’s assume for a moment that it was their private vehicle. I have argued for a long time that city director’s pay is over the top, they are paid like banking executives. I think this person probably checks in at around $138K a year plus benefits (they were promoted from within their department).
See the latest 2022 salaries HERE. Our highest paid city employee only got a $6,400 raise this year. Poor thing ($262,579). Hope they can afford the mortgage payment on their newly constructed McKennan Park mansion? Maybe we need to start a Go Fund me page?
There are around 45 city employees that make $90K+ and 92 that make $100K+.
Do they have white ones, too? The city, that is. Most likely they do. #SilverstarWillBeMakingBank
Back in the day, our Mayor Crusinberry used to drive his own personal Rolls Royce around town, but it wasn’t city owned. I guess times have changed. No wonder my tax assessment went up 28%. It looks like we are still “Crusin” though, but now at taxpayers’ expense.
What is it called when stereotypes are for real? Are we then being judgmental? At times racists? Narrow- minded? Or, merely at times honest with our surroundings? Can we deny the truth without being liars even if it’s the easy way out? #ATaleOf2Cities #FuelHerUp #Five$AGallon #YugoOrYukon?
Come on Scott! You don’t know what the financial background is with this person. They could be in debt up to their eyeballs like so many keeping up with the Jonses one emergency away from their house of cards collapsing like some do. They could of had jobs that enabled them to invest and be frugal resulting in treating themselves. They could have some under the table tax free income side gig dealing drugs or whatever. Enjoy and embrace Capitalism! This message was brought to you by Brain Drain from S. Dakota.
LOL. I guess the thing that made me laugh, since I know who this person is, is why would you buy something right after you got promoted? If you were a realtor or car salesperson who recently had a good month, I would get it, but as a public servant, why would you buy something so luxurious? Especially since you run a department that serves the underbelly. I am amazed by how tone deaf the directors Poops appoints are.
It used to be fairly common for city officers to receive a monthly car allowance. It was justified as necessary to view city owned property-like driving to potential zoning change property or in-person meetings with other employees, and a flat rate was less of an accounting “burden” than reimbursement for actual miles.
“No wonder my tax assessment went up 28%”
No, the assessment increased by 28% because the economic value of your real property increased.
Has nothing to do with a GMC Denali parked at a fuel station.
Has nothing to do with a single budget line item (if, indeed, this vehicle was a City-owned vehicle).
Can anyone in this town distinguish the difference between an assessed valuation, a mill rate and the final total amount on a real estate tax bill?
And only a Democrat would twist this blog post in order to insert race.
Nothing wrong with driving a nice vehicle. Especially if you can afford it. If it’s used for city business then reimbursement for mileage. However, if it’s a city plate then not for personal use.
I agree that high level city employees are paid to much. There’s no refunds. A mayor who is not criminally aligned with local oligarchs could freeze raises and allow inflation to catch up. Not gonna happen but wishful thinking.
By your definition, a municipal employee, by virtue of their employment, should conscript their life and lifestyle to one resembling Mother Theresa.
I can certainly agree with you that we have some bloated compensation arrangements in City government. Nonetheless, whatever the level of compensation an employee might earn, err, be paid, I believe they should be able to spend it as they wish. When they wish.
As is often stated about the compensation level of the MN Vikings QB, “it’s not Kirk Cousins fault the contract under which he is working.”
In the event that a humble municipal employee might agree with you, what are they to do? Neither Chevrolet, nor Ford produce sedans anymore. And don’t get me started on the limitation presented by the selection currently available on, or slated for delivery to any dealer lot.
That’s market value by the way…. And haven’t you heard of sarcasm? Race? You mean like a fast car, or SUV? 😉 As far as assess, mil, and bill, we haven’t seen the bill yet, have we? Why aren’t the politicians comfortable talking about this though? They have been totally silent.
“They probably have been ‘silent’ because they don’t understand the difference between assessment, mil, and bill”…
But what about those Iowa and Wisconsin “sedans” in front of the Mayors campaign headquarters? Well, one was a mini van from, was it Eau Claire?
Scott, once again proving he pulls facts out of his hind end. How would you have any idea what they’re paying a month? What did they trade in? How much equity did they have in that trade? How much did they put down in addition to that trade? What interest rate? How long is the loan for? You don’t know the answer to any of theseqidstions. It’s comical how obvious you are when you completely make things up.
Yes, a complete fabrication. You got me.
“Personally, I think these slab homes with no basements in a town that had three tornadoes in one night are the true fabrication”…. #TrailParkCity #TrailerParkBoys
The newest Yukons are two inches taller. Do they fit through a Silverstar? #Crisis #WriteYourCongressman
It does not bother me what public officers, officials, employees drive for private vehicle’s. This is essentually a private owned vehicle by a South Dakota “resident” who earns a ‘privileged income’ from public taxes.
Whether or not Scott’s claims have any legal grounds to attack another citizen’s dream of owning a nice vehicle is another story. His claim is this ‘person’ recently purchased a GMC Denali thanks to his recent appointed role as a director of a City Department. Could this claim be validated in a court room? No.
All this proves, is Public Employee’s are very well compensated, and thanks to earning a “privileged income” stemming from Public Tax Dollars, they have the ability to buy “nice cars”. It proves nothing more.
The public servant did nothing wrong, other than used his own ‘income’ to buy a nice vehicle. Lots of people reward themselves upon getting a new job with a fancy new car.
The biggest question is this – Should ‘we’ allow Government to pay it’s officials, officers, employees large salaries, wages, compensation, thus competing with the “Private Sector” for jobs?
2 more inches is wishful thinking for city officials. There’s gonna be a lot more Yukons after the Dr. Pepper (Ten Four 2 terms) election. I moved to a suburb and can’t vote. I’ll be using my Yukon to pick up vagrants, give them a bottle of 3 buck chuck, and drop them off at polling places. Should make it scary for TenTwice voters. Is my alcohol and mileage cost a deductible political contribution?
yeah, I just don’ t see it.
https://slate.com/business/2022/02/suvs-pickups-heavy-huge-deadly-dont-buy-em.html
At first, I thought you were going to use your Yukon to pick up Viagra. I could use new glasses, I guess, but who cares if you are eventually going to go blind?
Dr. Pepper was Palin’s first choice of beverage. (Or, was it Mr. Pibb?) #WhatsTheDifference? You would think it would be Pepsi Free, however, or how about Coke Zero?
“What about Tab?”…. “I always liked Tab, but I always found it hard to order”…. “And don’t get me going about Pepsi Free”….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJb-czNC_ls
“Say, I think Marty McFly grew up to live in Taupeville”…. “Check out that sleeveless down vest”……
anominous’s article has the following sentence:
“…You ever nail someone with one of those, hoo boy! They’ll need to pry ’em off the road with a crowbar…”
Well, then, maybe the Dutch Mafia could help….
Drive thru a school staff parking lot and take inventory$
Well when you work 9 months out of the year you can afford a nice vehicle with your summer side hustle job
the article front pic is of a Sierra, & they pointed out that it is mis-identified as a yukon denali.
Here’s the difference. A Sierra is a truck, well, after it has had a few years and miles on it, and it might be rusty, too, that owners drive around with Trump ’24 and ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flags attached to its pick-up bed. While a Denial is owned and driven by one who voted for Trump/Putin, but then claims to now be supportive and sympathetic to the Ukrainian people and their current plight.
“And those Trump Sierra owners also don’t know their Uranus from their Ukraine either”…..
“….While a Denial is owned and driven by one who voted for Trump/Putin, but then claims to now be supportive and sympathetic to the Ukrainian people and their current plight….”
That’s actually a classic example of Denali “Denial”.