South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

Denny Sanford

Denny Sanford Downtown Sioux Falls Riverline District Sioux Falls

Will Denny Sanford Donate to the new convention center?

l3wis 4Comments

The rumor has been swirling for awhile and the other day councilor Thomason said in the council presser that they could take in private donations. It is also no secret that for years Denny has been estate planning for when he bites the big one and there are a lot of folks at the grifting and feeding trough. The zoo could get up to $35 Million from him, for example (just no money for the dusty monkeys).

If Denny did donate $100 million and another $100 million came in private investment, the city could borrow the money on our current tax base, the problem is that would be a $20 million dollar bond payment for a very, very, very long time taking out of our 2nd penny.

I’m am still opposed to a taxpayer funded convention center or even an indoor rec center. Let a private company come in and provide the space. As I have said before private indoor rec centers are doing great and they are building more! I see the same in the convention business. Hotels and event centers are booked out for months. There is absolutely no reason the taxpayers of this city need to subsidize these things.

Denny Sanford Sanford Sports Complex SF City Council Sioux Falls

UPDATE: Sanford Sports Complex upgrades include a baseball stadium and housing

l3wis 13Comments

UPDATE: The city council accepted a withdrawal of renewal alcohol licensing for Lucky Lady Casino tonight. I will have to commend the city council and administration for keeping the pressure on and thank the business owner for having the courage to withdraw instead of fighting this. The council may take more licenses away in the coming weeks at that strip mall.

There was a private meeting with the mayor and some city councilors (only 4 can attend due to quorum) with the property owner recently, but I never heard at the meeting tonight what happened at this closed door meeting. Once again some on the council and the mayor think the best way to negotiate these very PUBLIC problems are in DARKNESS.

This reminds me of when the city council bailed on implementing stronger noise ordinances DTSF and enforcement because a group of DTSF business owners took upon themselves to try to solve the problem through closed meetings between themselves. The council failed to act. Nothing will get solved when you try to fix PUBLIC problems in the DARK.

Just another reason we don’t need a stadium in DTSF. This of course has been NO secret. The Sanford folks have floated an indoor pool and a baseball stadium in the past.

I wonder what the Riverline District folks think of the proposal? Would have loved to see the hand wringing . . .

HERITAGE PARK GETS A CLEANUP?

A concerned citizen pointed out to me today that suddenly Heritage Park (on 6th and Weber) is suddenly void of transients. This all seemed to fall in line with the opening of a new consolidated ad agency next to the park.

Things that make you go hmmmmm?

WILL THE CITY COUNCIL GROW A . . .

At Tuesday night’s meeting the city council will be re-visiting the Lucky Lady alcohol license. As I understand it the vote may be split and there has been some back door wrangling going on. What I find ironic is that the administration and the council have had three years since they were denied a purchase agreement to fix up this area and have done NOTHING!

This isn’t a time to hold hands and say grace, this is a time to get out the pink slips and send these folks packing!

Denny Sanford

Argus Leader tells the full story about Sanford

l3wis 3Comments

If you didn’t read this story, you would think that Sanford has been completely cleared of charges, not quite;

The conclusion of the DCI’s investigation will not result in charges being filed in South Dakota. It remains unclear if similar investigations into Sanford in other jurisdictions remain open.

Since most cases like this involve multiple states and jurisdictions it is likely the Feds could be still investigating. All the SD DCI is saying is they found nothing prosecutable in South Dakota.

Of course there is also this twist in the story;

“Per our previous hearings, I would expect that the affidavits in support of search warrants to be unsealed at some point on Tuesday,” Power said. 

Minutes later, attorney Stacey Hegge, one of the Sanford’s representatives, made a motion to delay the unsealing of those documents.

In other words, there may be something else in those affidavits that talks about a Federal investigation. It ain’t over until the fat billionaire sings.

Denny Sanford Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls

Can I borrow Mayor TenHaken’s Crystal Ball?

l3wis 3Comments

Even though the State Legislature, at this point, has shot down funding the DSU Cyber project in Sioux Falls, it hasn’t stopped Poops from putting it on the Council’s Tuesday’s agenda for first reading (Item #43)

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS, SD, PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL
APPROPRIATIONS TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE
DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY APPLIED CYBER RESEARCH LAB LOCATED IN THE
SIOUX FALLS CYBER INNOVATION PARK IN THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS, SD:

1. That the Mayor has certified that there are available for appropriation unassigned fund
balances carried forward from prior years or revenues in excess of those estimated in the
budget to provide funding to supplement the 2022 budget.

Oh, so he has ‘certified’ that the money is there . . . even though the council has yet to see a 2021 financial report, kind of like the $2.5 million laying around for employee bonus vote bribes.

Also notice there is NOTHING in the ordinance that says this funding shall dissolve if the state doesn’t pony up. No worries, Fortune Teller Fart Smeller Poops looks into his crystal ball and in an email to council said this;

The funding allocations are nearly complete in Pierre and, despite a small road bump this week
with House Appropriations, I am confident both funding bills in the legislature will be passed.

So now Paul somehow knows that the legislators will revisit this before the end of the session and approve the $30 million? Hey, he may be right, but if I was a betting man . . .

I still recommend that someone on the council amends the funding before the 2nd reading and inserts a clause about dissolving the funding if the state funding doesn’t materialize. And if that happens, let Denny and his banksters pay 100% for something that only really impacts their wealth and investments to begin with.

Denny Sanford Donita Trump Noem Kristi Noem Mayor TenHaken Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls DSU Cybersecurity fails to get state funding . . . for now

l3wis 2Comments

As I have said ten thousand times before, when you do things in the open you have more buy in from the public. Denny Sanford, Mayor TenHaken and Governor Noem decided to cook up a deal behind closed doors and it has bit them in the butt.

Denny said he would give $50 million as long as the state ($30 million) and the city pitched in ($10 million). That didn’t happen today.

Senate Bill 54 to appropriate funds for the Dakota State University Cyber Program Expansion. House Appropriations cut the funding to $1 on a motion by Tina Mulally.  After that, they begrudgingly passed it 8-1, with Taffy Howard the lone vote no.

I have heard rumors that Mayor Poops still plans on bringing the $10 million funding forward to the council next week. The hope is if the council passes it that will get the legislature to bring back the funding at the end of session.

MAYBE.

I have suggested that the council attach an amendment to the funding that they will only pitch in the $10 million IF the state changes their mind and decides to pitch in the $30 million. If the legislature fails to pass the funding before the end of session, the commitment would dissolve automatically.

Do I think this is a good project for Sioux Falls? YES. I just don’t see why we need to fund a private facility that will benefit Denny and his business partners. I also don’t believe the absolute BS that this will create 500, $100K a year jobs permanently in Sioux Falls. It may over a decade create that many jobs, but they will all not be in Sioux Falls.

I believe councilors must submit amendments by tomorrow before the agenda posts, I think they can also do it before 2nd reading. Hopefully at least 2 of them grow a brain and offer the amendment, or better yet, kill it all together.

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