I guess if only a handful of people are complaining, we don’t need to worry about it;

Our investigative team spoke with a California man who was hired by the Sioux Falls PR firm Tallgrass. He said the Mayor didn’t understand how many units Tzadik owned in the city, and the Mayor is now less concerned, knowing those raising complaints are a small percentage of renters.

If only ONE tenant complains, that’s enough to start an investigation, it shouldn’t take multiple complaints, from multiple properties and tenants. Heck, last week one tenant showed up to the council’s meeting with a jar of cockroaches and a jar of nails he pulled out of his drain. I guess after the meeting the gentleman had to to removed from the chambers because he threatened the mayor and called him a naughty word.

“Reach out to the city first. That should be your first step. We can then do an inspection. We can go we can start a ticket, we can start a case and we can try and hold bad actors accountable,” Mayor TenHaken explained.

Oh, how you jest. I think the mayor sums up how concerned he is about the issue;

“The Mayor very much understands how many units they own. But Beth, I’ll tell you this. When you buy a portfolio of properties that are low-income properties, you need to know you need to be prepared to live in that space and work in that space. Okay. And if you can’t effectively manage low-income properties and workforce housing, then you shouldn’t be in that space,” Mayor TenHaken emphasized.

Okay, so what are you doing about it? NOTHING!

As you know I have been battling a crap property by my house for almost 20 years, and I started submitting complaints directly to the code enforcement manager about 10 years ago with no result. In fact, several councilors have asked the administration what is going on with that property and the administration had nothing to report.

The other night I was conversing with a person about the next mayoral election, I told this person that we need a mayor who will do their job according to charter. The mayor’s main duty is administrative, he manages the city departments and employees. He has great power when it comes to code enforcement and compliance. The mayor doesn’t take orders from the council, but he has to follow the ordinances that they pass. A REAL city manager would have taken the bull by the horns after the 1st complaint.

I feel sorry for these folks, because I have had bad landlords in the past also, and if you’re poor or have a felony record, good luck getting safe affordable housing in this town or getting any relief from your complaints.

The mayor, our city manager, has the power to fix this, if he would just do his job.

IS THE SIOUX FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT EVEN INVESTIGATING PETTY CRIMES?

Speaking of Poops doing his job, he is also the manager of the police department, and I would imagine that public safety would be the most important part of his job, but he doesn’t seem to have the leadership skills to make the SFPD effectively do their job;

In harsh weather and bad road conditions, car accidents are more likely to happen. Some drivers are claiming to have never gotten an accident report from Sioux Falls police.

Hillside Body in Sioux Falls said that in the last year, they have seen that trend.

Customers have come in with no police report and insurance companies consider this a no-fault accident. It can lead to a tough and costly situation for every driver involved.

Accident reports filed by the police do not determine who’s at fault but are used by insurance companies to help prove fault. No-fault accidents get expensive quickly.

“Your insurance can go double, can go triple. There’s really no ceiling with that. That’s a drastic effect on somebody’s life when something as simple as being accountable to your action, receiving the ticket that you should receive and moving forward could’ve bypassed all that,” said Hillside Body owner Doug Washburn.

The state requires a report to be filed any time there’s a fatality, injury, $1,000 or more in property damage or $2,000 total per accident.

If you read the rest of the story you can hear all the excuses the SFPD has for NOT filing the reports in a timely manner.* As the gentleman pointed out, even petty crimes like car accidents, porch pirates and car thieves can cost you a pretty penny and the SFPD should be doing everything in their power to prosecute these crimes. I have heard for several years that if you are a victim of a petty crime the SFPD basically puts the stat into a data base and that is where the investigation ends.

*(Why not hire some temps to get caught up and STAY caught up! It chaps my hide when government employees use that excuse. Why are you telling the news reporter? Maybe you need to tell the council and mayor you need additional staff.)

I look at this as an economic issue also. Why isn’t our SFPD willing to investigate costly crimes? They seem to forget who pays their wages. Maybe they think their salaries come from an unlocked car?

Hopefully the city charter will be revoked by the voters before the next mayoral election so we can get people in city government that actually want to help the community and keep it safe instead of worrying about dead animals, naked Indian murals and jumping jacks.

12 Thoughts on “Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken talks big on code enforcement, but does little

  1. D@ily Spin on January 26, 2024 at 9:49 am said:

    The mayor uses code enforcement and police for his ‘Bag of Tricks’ when he wants to attack citizens for their criticism. It happened to me and I’ve witnessed it used on others. The city citations and hearings process are the unconstitutional method for prolonged (years) of unjustified punishment. Police are deployed for ‘make believe complaints’. They regularly stop you or come to your home. Neighbors notice and brand you when there’s no reason. Perhaps the city dictator has not realized the real function for code enforcement and police.

    FYI, when police follow you, turn into the VA hospital. They’re not allowed on federal property. I can’t wait for the day when Governor Davy Crockett of Texas sends immigrant buses here. There’s freedom and democracy once they can vote and make a ‘MAKE A RED STATE BLUE’.

  2. The Guy From Guernsey on January 26, 2024 at 10:05 am said:

    “And if you can’t effectively manage low-income properties and workforce housing, then you shouldn’t be in that space,” Mayor TenHaken emphasized.”

    FIFY –
    “And if you can’t effectively lead a City divisions of which are charged by City charter and code to deal with owners and tenants of low-income properties and workforce housing, then you shouldn’t be in that space (as Mayor of Sioux Falls).”

    This guy is the figurehead Mayor of VSG’s Taupeville, simply biding time in a political office until a spot opens on the bench of federal officeholders.

  3. The Guy From Guernsey on January 26, 2024 at 10:23 am said:

    … and do you notice in the circles of the Sioux Falls and South Dakota political elite the way in which “workforce” is used in a pejorative manner, as in “ugh, those people”?

  4. Mike Lee Zitterich on January 26, 2024 at 12:37 pm said:

    Has anyone stopped asked the real question here: Is the Mayor and City Council really the problem here? Look deeper into the issue, and one finds a very bloated Inner Bureaucracya system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation of which becomes an administrative policymaking group that becomes a government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority making up of Public Officers, Managers, Agents, alongside our appointed or installed board members, commissions, and all of the committees of which work to manage our policies.

    There have been many city councilors, both past and present, that have complained that it is hard to get anything passed, and done in the city cause of this Bureaucracy of Public Officers, Agents, Managers, and Employees that has become so large, and poerful, that not even the Mayor and Council can control them today.

    Lets keep in mind, it is the H.R DIrector that brought the policy to push out the city council, making them go to the mayor to speak to them, and lets keep in mind, that some of our Directors have been in their seats for more than 10 years.

    This is the reason I opposed a city manager position, at least the Mayor has the administrative means to fire, lay off all these people, if they get to corrupted.

  5. Fear & Loathing in Sioux Falls on January 26, 2024 at 2:58 pm said:

    “workforce housing”: That has a proletariat quality about it. Is this all for the Motherland? #MotherRussia #SovietHousingPlan

  6. "Woodstock" on January 26, 2024 at 3:05 pm said:

    “‘Mayor of VSG’s Taupeville’?”…. “That sounds like a mystery novel”…. “It could involve a new prison, no camping at the Walmart, Limitless, Orange Theory, Scarlett’s South, Let It Fly, the Subaru guy, selfie addictions, and a who done it sort of thing”….

  7. Paranoid, but educated on January 26, 2024 at 3:07 pm said:

    I heard of Tocqueville’s America, but I’ve never heard of “VSG’s Taupeville”.

  8. “Bureaucracya”: I believe that’s how the Italians spell it. It invokes some sinister Machiavellian principles or realities.

  9. PD is more worried about Mullets, beards, ponytails and blood drives as opposed to fighting crime. WTF happened to our PD? As for the Mayor? Good guy I think, but he was obviously pissed that media reported this story. Lets be be real, Code Enforcement does nothing. Same neighbor that never shovels….still don’t shovel….even after reporting on city site several times. So when he says report issues to city its like why bother. Apartment issues? Reality is no one cares.

  10. anominous on January 26, 2024 at 11:42 pm said:

    https://therealdeal.com/miami/2023/11/20/developer-says-arbor-realty-affiliate-put-it-on-fannie-mae-blacklist/

    A Miami-based developer alleges that lender Arbor Realty Trust affiliate got it blacklisted from using Fannie Mae in an act of “malicious” vengeance.

    Adam Hendry’s Tzadik Management alleges in a lawsuit that the Arbor affiliate spread lies about Tzadik going out of business to a Fannie Mae employee who was a former Arbor employee. As a result, Tzadik claims, it was placed on the government-sponsored agency’s “do not use” list. The agency is a major purchaser of commercial real estate loans, making it an essential element in many deals.

    Arbor’s attorney denied the allegations in a filing in New York state court, claiming Tzadik failed to provide any details about the alleged lies.

    Tzadik’s allegations come to light as Fannie Mae’s brother organization, Freddie Mac, halted its dealings with Meridian Capital Group stemming from an investigation into the brokerage. The news sent shockwaves throughout the industry, as Meridian is one of the country’s largest commercial mortgage brokerages and Freddie Mac is a huge source of loans for the multifamily industry.

    Meridian had a close financing relationship with Arbor Realty along with Capital One and Greystone, according to Commercial Mortgage Alert.

    Arbor is facing a number of challenges, including being the subject of a short seller report last week by Viceroy Research that helped push down its stock price.

    Tzadik and Arbor’s relationship began around 2019 when Arbor provided two bridge loans for Tzadik’s multifamily acquisitions in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Arbor’s crowdfunding platform, ArborCrowd, also invested equity in the Sioux Falls deal, but exited in 2020.

    Tzadik alleges things went south around 2020, when Tzadik turned to Arbor’s competitor Greystone to finance a deal for a Houston portfolio. Tzadik says it had provided Arbor a chance to match the loan, but Arbor turned it down and “warned that Tzadik would regret using Greystone for this deal,” according to the suit.

    At that point, “Arbor began a campaign to sabotage Tzadik’s investments in any manner that it could,” Tzadik alleges in its filings.

    Tzadik alleges that Arbor refused to credit the developer for its $1.5 million held in escrow in time to close on a refinancing of the Sioux Falls portfolios. The lawsuit says Arbor failed to refinance its Sioux City portfolio and would not allow Tzadik to assume the loan on a Rapid City, South Dakota portfolio.

    The suit also alleges that Arbor defamed Tzadik, informing employees of Tzadik entities that Adam Hendry was not creditworthy. The alleged defamation campaign, Tzadik argues, led to its being placed on Fannie Mae’s blacklist.

    Arbor has denied the allegations in its filings. It alleges that Hendry defaulted and owes Arbor for costs and expenses it incurred defending the litigation.

    Arbor’s motion to dismiss Tzadik’s amended complaint was denied. Arbor is appealing the ruling.

    Neither Arbor nor its attorney immediately responded to a request for comment.

  11. “VSG’s Taupeville”, oh yes. In VSG’s Taupeville, land reform would run supreme with the help of a Supreme Court decision from some twenty years ago thanks to the judicial activism of a conservative majority, which allows eminent domain to be used by the private sector – via local governmental entities – to seize land at an appropriate market price for the sake of economic development; an economic development that would replace executive homes, which would be torn down as if they were in McKennan Park, and replaced with two or three middle class homes on that same property so as to lessen the middle class housing crisis in this town and stifle the corresponding problems of rising property taxes and home insurance.

    In VSG’s Taupeville, our transit system would effectively penetrate south of 57th Street. AND, the Walmart down there would allow camping, else, no camping at any of the Walmarts in town.

    In VSG’s Taupeville, Taupeville would have it’s own legislative districts so as to not bleed their political influence upon the more working class neighborhoods to the north as well.

    In VSG’s Taupeville, homes could still be taupe, but the covenants would be gone and homes of a more joyous color scheme would be encouraged and would benefit from a tax break.

    Yes, VSG’s Taupeville would reverse the last forty years of dismantling the American middle class and would give a rebirth to the American dream for all. It would not be a taupe-ish time, but rather a time of brilliance that would radiate the land with renewed hope and possibilities.

    ( and Woodstock adds: “‘land reform’?”….. “What is he, a commie?”…. (….. “Although, I do have to admit he suggests it in a very corporatist/communist way”… ))

  12. Further Fear & Loathing on January 27, 2024 at 12:58 am said:

    I thought the Mayor looked really good for this piece. AND, I’m sure some are disappointed that he likes to go camping. AND, also, when I first saw this piece, I said to myself: “Why is a soap opera on at 10 o’clock at night?” #CleanCutCorporateSpokesman #TallTaupe&Handsome #(DarkShadows?)

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