Huether said he doesn’t see why his actions are controversial. He said he is doing a “really good job trying to be open” and wants to be the most transparent mayor Sioux Falls has had.
“That’s truly a goal of mine, and I believe that I’m on the right path,” he said.
C’mon Mike. If this is your GOAL you need to stop having private meetings on your Events Center vision.
Huether, who intended those advisory meetings to be private, won’t name those who attended, raising the question of who is advising the mayor and how much power they have, as well as how public the early planning process for a project such as the events center should be.
“I don’t think the names are important. I think the work and the stewardship that these people did is,” Huether said.
The group meetings included city directors Gene Rowenhorst, Mark Cotter, Mike Cooper and Darrin Smith, along with councilors Jim Entenman and Sue Aguilar and community leaders Kevin Lampe, Dave Knudson, Michael Bender and Rob Oliver, according to some people who were there. Most are not willing to talk.
So a prominent realtor and the president of a private college have a seat at the mayor’s table, but citizens don’t? Are they paying for your ‘Vision’? No, but they sure will benefit from it. I also see you met with the Downtown group;
Steven C. Hildebrand Reposting: We met with Mayor Huether for nearly an hour. We presented the mayor and city officials with some initial information and shared that our downtown supporters have now exceeded 1,000. He made it clear that his vision includes building the events center at the arena site. We pressed our case that only a downtown location will spur the kind of growth, job creation and expansion that is necessary when taxpayers are asked to invest $100 million in an events center.
We have no doubt that the mayor heard us. But now we need to convince him of all the merits of a downtown site. The mayor needs to hear from you.
The ballot question should be simple. Should we fund it with bonding and should we build it at the Arena, Downtown or neither site? Enough farting around with private meetings, put it on the ballot already. Rip that bandaid off in one quick tug.
But Councilor Greg Jamison, who was not at the meetings, said he’s hearing from residents that when an issue involves public money, it needs to be public.
“It’s not always clean and neat or nice when you do it that way, but that’s part of the process,” he said.
It’s all about Mike controlling the message, and if he doesn’t it isn’t clean and neat or nice like his well sculpted haircut. But it gets better, Munson tells the biggest white lie of the day;
Former Mayor Dave Munson said he can’t remember employing a similar strategy of organizing such meetings.
So does that mean Dave is going to release the video, audio and transcript of his private meeting(s) with the Cherapa Place’s lead developer? Trust me Dave, you have no room to talk when it comes to transparency and the countless private horse trading meetings you had with past councilors.
Huether said his meetings are not comparable to a task force. Instead, he sought attendees’ advice on how to effectively communicate with the council, present his events center ideas and sell them on the need for a study.
In other words he wanted advice on how to sucker the public and the council (he already succeeded in suckering 5 councilors). Nothing good comes from keeping the public in the dark, only distrust.
Once again the question the mainstream media and even bloggers seem to be asking is, Where do we put the damn thing? Total disregard for, Do we even need the damn thing? There is one person in the blogosphere asking the right questions ans serving up some meaningful dialogue.
Thank you Scott Hudson.
Trust me Poly I agree, we don’t need it. But you realize that if the public says they are willing to pay for it through bonding, you have to listen to the will of the people. Personally, I think if the vote was held today, it would fail by at least 60%. I still agree with Staggers’ approach, find another way to fund it.
I support a DT location if the public approves, but when it comes the time to vote on it, I will vote no.
I hope there is no vote and they put it downtown.
That would certainly be leadership.
Huether still seems to be stuck on ramming it through and getting it built just so he can claim he did something with his first term.
I think they should build it downtown, but lets not put this up to a vote.
I think the broader point is that the Mayor, the Council, and all those folks they are meeting with all know the downtown site is a far superior option for ROI.
They just fear another off year election with 13% turnout that will torpedo them altogether. Which might just come to fruition if they keep ignoring the obvious.
However, Lincoln, NE just had a vote and 56% came out to support the downtown Haymarket Arena. They had a grass roots movement there that was saying “Hell no” and they fought a good fight, but in the end high turnout actually won they day, like I think it would here as well.
http://journalstar.com/article_f21bfb6e-5d7b-11df-bd23-001cc4c002e0.html
I see pros and cons on both sides.
Check it out:
http://www.builditdowntown.com
Hey l3wis. Could you do a cartoon showing our soon to be (by 2014) DT Events Center with the entire side of Cherapa Place draped over by a Sanford Heart billboard? Maybe throw in the Avera Blimp? And of course throw in the announcer for the Stampede reminding the crowd of 1400 to stop by Monks on the trek to their vehicles for a special on their $18 beers for $17.75?
Poly rules.
Poly, I love your input on the site, but I have to say your wrong about Monks. As a beer nerd, Monks has given me the opportunity to taste a bunch of beers that I could not get in state without them. The prices are good, and they have beers that I would have to trade for, or travel to get which would cost me more money. I took my brother there who is also a beer nerd from Jersey and he couldn’t believe what you could get, and how cheap it was.
If you don’t like it, stop your bitching, and don’t go there.
If you don’t go there, just stop your bitching.
Poly, I don’t go there, because I refuse to give one penny to the owner.
Whoa. Johhny. Whoa. Actually I have said this about the place. Truth be told, had a good time. Just sayin’
And Monks? Was there earlier this year with some friends. Asked the waitress to bring a couple of bottles of beer that were popular in the place. Tasted good. Ordered another bottle because I liked it. So three bottles of beer and I get my bill. $54. $18 a beer. Good beer, but WTF. Will I ever go back? Prolly.
l3wis. You won’t spend a penny there because????
Sioux Falls, why not take over the old Oaks place,build a buildingto compliment the already built areana, make an underground tunnel between the two and have one for less monies? isn’t the city saying that the owner owes the city big time, well there is the perfect chance. I am sure some local enigerering company can comeup with blue prints, and get it under way by next year. A politician that believes in Santa Clause bringing big toys is a dangerous boy! The buid it and they will come does not always work.Why can’t it be a private venue that builds the castle and lets the peons enter to watch the goings on?Best to realize that todays youth 20 years from now are not going to be into gathering for basketball,no none will be palying, it will all be cybersport. Schools have to search the US for team members the way it is, please think before you leap. Concerts? I don’t even know any bandsof today, but amsure they fill the venue, as always. meetings? with business hanging on for dear life, I think the day of big conventions,paid for gatherings will end and never see the light of day again. Think of this, when is the last time business pick up health insurance for employees,when is the last time they gave great Christmas bonsus’s? Times change, things change, in ten years will the money the city invests initself by building a building benifit it more than new sewer lines, update all streets, update water lines, electricity need, garbage needs? I truly think the Sioux Falls council need to put the castle on hold and do what is really important for longevity of the city itself, if you do not keep up tyhe infrastructure the whole thing will fall in the whole you dig!
OK. I just got done tuning into KWSN to listen to the sports guys break down what the hell happened to the STEELERS this weekend. Instead I had to put up with mayor hubris, his whipping boy Cotter, and of course Mike Cooper. First off, I’ll ask what a LOT of city employees want to know. What the hell does the director of public works have to do with a McArena?
Second. I heard Mike Cooper go and on about different options for the Arena location. One was buying private property to fullfill the good mayors “vision”. Option A was buying about 30 private properties to the west of Western Avenue. The other is doing away with six of McCarts fields. One question Mr. Cooper. Where the hell are you going to put your 12,000 seat McArena IF Howard Wood stays intact? You will have to buy those same 30 properties you just said were cost prohibitive.
What I like the most about whats happening is those who want it DT and those who want it at the Howard Wood will NEVER come to a workable solution amongst themselves. Both sites, DT and Howard Wood suck. Just spend a 20 million. Fix up what we have, and call it good.