I’m going to request the media in Sioux Falls ask one simple question of all newly announced council candidates;
‘Were you recruited to run, and if so, by whom?‘
The friends and family line just doesn’t cut it for me.
While us local political nerds know full well who is recruiting candidates, the public does not.
While I have ZERO issues with the mayor and current city councilors helping candidates with advice I think it is completely unethical for a sitting mayor (that has 2 years left on his term) or councilor to be recruiting, raising money for, publicly endorsing and consulting on a campaign.
Today I got an interesting observation texted to me by another city political nerd about the blatant disengagement of the new city councilors and the current ones with their foot out the door which I of course nicknamed ‘cruise control government’.
When our city council turns into patsies for the administration all vestiges of open government will be lost.
Joe Kirby said it best, “The mayor’s office has become authoritative.”
No secret here. If councilors were not mayor/developer choice, authoritarian charter would have been replaced long ago. No doubt there’s consideration (favor, money) when a councilor recruit votes for insider budget skim in the form of bid rigging and insider TIF’s.
It isn’t just coincidence that our local city council and SF Rubber Stamp are located so closely together.
( and Woodstock adds: “Wow!….. I can’t wait until a member of the Downtown Rotary Club represents the NE side of Sioux Falls”…. “Something (‘someday’?) like that hasn’t been seen since the time Winthrop Rockefeller was governor of Arkansas”…. )
Why don’t people name their kids “Winthrop” anymore?