The guy who runs Dakota Wuss College thinks he knows who is running for mayor. He basically lifted my predictions that I have had since this summer. You are welcome. But Pitty brings up 3 new names that made me laugh so hard I just about passed out. While we know Erickson, Beck, and Huether will probably run, Pitty says that Councilors Jensen, Merkouris and Selberg are also considering. Pitty says they will have trouble raising money, but it’s NOT money they need to worry about, it is their reputations;
• While Alex was city councilor he gutted the internal audit department to one auditor that basically sends emails to an outside firm. This all came about because he couldn’t properly discipline a city council employee for poor attendance and she ran off to the finance department escaping punishment and got a raise from the mayor to boot. If this guy can’t manage ONE employee, he certainly can’t manage a city. If he announces I will probably piss my pants laughing.
• Oh Marshall. This guy ILLEGALLY lived out of his district for a year (verified by one of his friends) and lied on campaign finance forms. He doesn’t belong in the Mayor’s office, he belongs in a jail cell.
• Rich Merkouris has a pretty clean record, but if you dig, just a little, into his past, you will see he isn’t really respected in the clergy community because of past grifting of a church. It’s a long complicated story that happened several years ago, but the wounds are still fresh, and if you ask the right people, you will get the story.
While I think none of these people are dumb enough to run for mayor, they might. And trust me, I have years and years of proof and data on ALL of the candidates and none of it is good. I think Erickson will rise to the top quickly and will be in the runoff, but who is the darkhorse? Huether may run on the great Trump comeback. Which I find funny, he got the same number of votes in 2020 and 2016.
Greg Jamison told me this summer he would likely not run, and it’s not for the reasons you may think. Greg told me he just wants to spend more time with his family and grandkids, and who can blame him?
I told someone recently that I hope a well intentioned rich person runs for mayor with a good record of community engagement and charity and they will run away with the mayorship. Populism is where it is at these days and no one is interested in electing old (corrupt) hats.
I have a feeling our next mayor will be someone no one has heard of.
Like I’ve hinted before, my first choice is that guy in flip flops (Even in early March.) who likes to play the air guitar at 41st and Louise. Although, I haven’t seen him in a while…. But then again, maybe he got into an altercation with that Trumpster who, near there, would sell “Fxck Trudeau” flags, I don’t know….. Or, maybe Trump could pardon him (But would he?)……
Say, I see there’s a novel out about Janklow. Now, a novel is supposed to be a fictional work, but Janklow was no fictional piece of work. He was real. He was intimidating, and ironically, only simple Jim Abdnor ever sent him packing. Now, I wonder how that novel handles that intersection south of Flandreau, perhaps, with an affirmative defense about diabetes? Now, that’s some fiction. AND, I know he was wild and he got things done, and most of us didn’t know about Tourette’s until he created a disciplinary school/prison, but let’s not forget he was also friends with Lee Harvey while in the Marines, but we won’t talk about that, and why he went to the Marines, either, because that wouldn’t be fiction and could possibly ruin the narrative, I guess. But, then again,perhaps, I should just shut up and let him rest in peace at that cemetery near Sturgis with all of its bikers.
Scott. I should run for mayor, and if I Win, I would get rid of the Chief of Staff position, create the Public Infrastructure, Street, and Parking Coordinator, and appoint you to that position in the Mayor Office. our collective focus would turn from fancy toys, to promoting the advancement of our City’s Natural Wildlife, Nature, History, while administrating the development of repairing our streets in the neighborhoods ouside of Downtown, recreating the West Sioux Business District by first rebuilding the Madison Street/Brookings connection to Downtown. I would urge landowners/developers to create a TIF District in the old Industrial Park, Event Complex, Terrace Park to rebrand this area to become a Grand Showcase Entrance to Sioux Falls from the northwest. My other focus would be rebuilding the Sioux Falls Arena to become the “Family & Youth Recreation Center” to be modeled after Sioux City’s Long Lines Family and Youth Center, while adding a new Parking Structure across W. Russell Street with a Skywalk across Russell St. thus connecting to the Event Complex. I envision West Russell Street to become a newly created Commercial Hub of the City, whereas W. Madison Street from I-29 to Terrace Park to become the Historical Roadway for that area of town much like Phillips Ave is to Downtown. We could and should, with your help, make that W. Madison Street from the Town of Ellis a major roadway, connecting to W. Brookings Street as it connects to Main Avenue thus connecting to Downtown SFS.
Further connecting to E. 6th Street and finally E. Madison Street as a vibrant pathway conjoining the Town of Ellis to Sioux Falls, to Brandon-SD to the Minnesota border…It would then connect I-29 to Veteran Parkway a well.
What do you say, Scott?