Before the debate starts, moderators Brian Allen and Trevor Mitchell have a hot mic conversation on how they will do the debate. I found this exchange interesting and thought I would document it if it gets edited from video;
UPDATE II: During the KELO TV debate they addressed Paul as Mr. TenHaken, the correct protocol.
UPDATE: They did edit it out of the DakotaNews and Argus FB videos, so luckily I caught it;
Brian Allen, “I’ve done this a time or two, I know where the quicksand is.”
Mitchell asks Allen, “How do you plan on addressing them? First name?”
Allen then asks who I assume is his producer, and there is a quiet conversation and it is decided to call him Mayor TenHaken.
Allen, “So we are giving him the power of the incumbency during the debate? That makes sense, so it will be Mr. Zokaites, Ms. Islam and Mayor TenHaken.”
Actually, they all should have been addressed the same way, as this handy little guidance points out.
Also during the debate Allen made sure he thanked Paul for his response every time, “Thank You Mayor TenHaken.” That did not happen with the other candidates as often.
Trevor and Allen also had a discussion about the candidates in attendance before debate, and Trevor said, “I see Brekke and Pam Cole.” and Allen perks up and says, “Is Sarah Cole here?” Not sure what that meant?
I will give props to David (who I voted for and have been endorsing) I think he gave common sense answers to big issues. I think Islam has a lot of passion when it comes to the vulnerable and she is well studied on the issues and she took Poops to task several times. TenHaken was on the defense most of the night, and seemed frustrated at the beginning and a little agitated. That is because he is NOT cut out for the job and never has been.
I guess Stormland TV is having another debate tomorrow night at 8 PM, hopefully the council meeting will be done by then.
Downtown Rotary hosted a forum with the At-Large A Candidates today;
“Wow!”…. “The Mayor once gave Trump a ‘B+’, but he only gave his own on-demand bus service a ‘C-‘”…. “Which means on-demand must really suck if even Trump got a ‘B+'”….. #GradeInflation
I found humor in the Mayor’s comment about David’s tie. The Mayor was sporting a tie, however, too. Denny must have been in attendance, huh?
There’s an overall cockiness about our Mayor as well. He’s the type who would throw a Lombardi Trophy from one launched boat to another. His real nickname should be BradyHaken.
So, let me get this right. A land, which has intentionally painted itself taupe, is complaining that there is not enough green in its domain?… Is that right?
Okay, so let’s talk about this debate.
Although, I am big David and Taneeza fans. David sounds too much like Socrates in his answers. He’s like a pilot in a holding pattern who seldom lands, but he’s good at answering a question he does not know much about with a philosophical touch, however. While, Taneeza is right to note that 63,000 Sioux Fallsians live in a food desert and 4,500 are without proper housing, but does she really give us answers to these problems? Well, I guess she wants to build up, but that’s what I call a Soviet answer (apartments). And, she often expresses herself with a whining quality which destroys her good message. But these are all constructive criticisms in a world where a chicken sandwich will soon get 73% of the vote, so my criticisms are meant to improve David and Taneeza for future ambitions.
Now, let’s talk about the Mayor. The Mayor comes into this debate with an attitude. He has that swashbuckler behavior that I believe some Iowa health service executives once used to describe Sanford executives who tried to merge with them. The Mayor answers, or tries to explain away criticisms of his administration not with the qualities of a teacher who is trying to educate, but rather with an attitude that I can’t believe I have to talk about this.
So, let’s talk about the Mayor’s answers. First of all, I was glad to see the Mayor has dropped the “civil unrest” line and has replaced it with a “social justice change”. That’s an improvement.
Secondly, he’s obviously dropped “accessible” and returned to “affordable when it comes to housing in this town, which is sensible, but he tries to blame the entire housing crisis in this town on current realities like inflation and current demand, but actually the housing crisis in this town has been going on for years and long before covid and Ukraine. So, the real question to ask the Mayor is: “What have you done about addressing housing in this town besides your 9th inning interest in it before this election?” Plus, housing in Sioux Falls has also become a greater problem during his tenure as it has expanded beyond the poor and the working poor to even the middle class due to availability and affordability, but once again, what has he really done about it beyond his 9th inning relief pitcher approach to it with a new task force to address it?
Thirdly, the Mayor claims crime is down. But why and what can we do to continue this decline? Is it luck or strategy? And if its strategy, then what strategies have been successfully deployed? Was it our new “precincts”? 😉
Fourthly, the Mayor talks about how 500 new six figure jobs are coming to Sioux Falls, which is good for the aggregate economy, but that also means it will place a greater demand on executive home building in this town at the expense of poor, working poor, and middle class construction. Plus, most of those new 500 employees will not be current Sioux Fallsians, but rather a whole new influx of citizens into our town, while those already here will continue to struggle with their wages and inflation.
Fifthly, when it comes to medical marijuana dispensaries in this town and us only having five of them while Rapid plans to have 15, I got a kick out of how the Mayor claimed there will only be two in Iowa and seven in North Dakota. So, I guess we are still applying Iowa law in Sioux Falls, huh?
But let me close with the most ironic moment of this entire debate, which was that I loved the discussion about people in the Southern part of the city wanting more green spaces. Well, if they didn’t all paint their houses taupe, then maybe things would naturally be more green down there. But on a more serious note, the reason there are not more green spaces in the southern part of our city is because that area, better known as Taupeville, has been a developers nirvana more than a citizens nirvana. It’s a place where executive homes and stature have superseded practicality, community, and neighborhoods. And as long as developers have that attitude, control, and empowerment, then that certain part of our city will continue to have a gated quality about it, an aloofness, and an unacceptance to both visitors and many new occupiers of it. Especially, when some of the newest residents to that part of town are being asked to live in taupe (Sometimes gray) Soviet style housing. A housing style I might add, that many in the executive homes down there, often try to prevent from being built. … I guess so much for community down there, huh? #MaybeGreenPeaceCouldHelp(?). 😉
( and Woodstock adds: “‘Swashbuckler’?”…. “Yep, that explains why Brady went to Tampa, doesn’t it?”… #BradyHaken )
David and Taneeza are unfit to run anything, let alone mayor. David cannot “land the plane’ on any subject and just circles and circles. Taneeza tried to use the scare tactics by stating things like 63k people live in a Food desert. This is so outlandish and false I am not sure where to start. I am NOT saying the current Mayor is doing any better as I am not the biggest fan but, I love how some on here criticize him for using terms they don’t like to describe things. Yet no-one will roast Taneeza for the Term Food Desert, they simple don’t exist in Sioux Falls, period let alone nearly 36% of the population. There is not a place in Sioux Falls that you cannot get to a grocery story for 75 cents (bus ride) or walk.
did b.a. ask poops if any new buffets would be coming to town if he wins?
I would be very impressed, if BradyHaken and Raquel could bring back Bonanza Steakhouse. I can still smell its parking lot aroma…. Oh yes…. 😉
On another note, isn’t it time to proclaim the continual Chick-fil-A drive-thru traffic jams a mental health crisis? It’s worse than the opioid crisis, IMO, and you don’t really get high either…. Just a chicken sandwich….