Was glad to hear Jo talk about this today;
“Public input at council meetings is one of the most important tools that make sure your voice is heard.”
She proposes NO changes to public input.
Her speech at McGovern Dinner
Some of the Biggest Banksters and developers in Sioux Falls have thrown thousand$ at Paul and Curt.
PTH: TENHAKEN-Donor
CS: SOEHL-Donor
I always find it ironic when I hear certain candidates tell us what they will do for ‘US’ than read their donor list that tell us a different story.
The other night in the final mayoral debate, TenHaken made the comment that he felt we haven’t used TIF’s enough. I just about fell out of my chair. With 5 years of record building permits, why is it that we continue to handout corporate welfare to the developers? They are NOT hurting, just look at the money they threw at these two candidates.
We need to focus on bringing customer service back to ALL the citizens in Sioux Falls, not just the super wealthy. Council Candidate Zach DeBoer has proposed numerous initiatives that would lift up neighborhoods and support more affordable housing in Sioux Falls. Paul and Curt have proposed we stay the course with corporate welfare and TIF’s.
Some say the decision on Tuesday is a hard one. Just look at these donor lists, it will make your decision a lot easier.
This letter writer lays out why Jolene has more integrity than Paul;
First, he takes a $1,000 donation from each family member of the DocuTap founder Eric McDonald and his five children. He claims this does not violate any campaign rules in this race and was found to be ethical. Nevertheless, it violates moral integrity of a candidate for mayor. He went on to claim that the children in the McDonald family independently supported him as a candidate for mayor. I for one find it hard to believe that a 6-year-old child can even comprehend the concept of the campaign for mayor.
The irony of this is that McDonald could have created a PAC to funnel as much money as we wanted to Paul instead of using his children as a political pawns. But McDonald’s actions aside, Paul should not have accepted the donation, and several people have told him so. It lacks ethical behavior. He has raised close to $200k, did he really need to take money from toddlers?
Second, for a man who claims he will have transparency in his office, how can he be trusted to work on the business of the City of Sioux Falls or will he be too busy digging up dirt on every citizen of Sioux Falls?
Paul’s past is worrisome, trolling his employees on FB, trying to chase down political operatives using college students, and moving data around to cover a state employee’s ass. Imagine how he will treat the citizens of Sioux Falls? How many instances have we heard of Jolene doing these things. ZERO.
Paul TenHaken lacks the moral integrity to be mayor. He fits the mold of Mayor Mike Huether and eight years of that administration is enough. Join me in voting for Jolene Loetscher.
I have compared Paul to Mike on several occasions. Let’s face it. I told people about Mike before he was elected. He marketed one of the most predatory credit cards in the nation. The Feds changed the laws because of it. I told people, his actions as a professional will not change when he becomes a public official, and I was right. I feel the same about Paul. You can’t just flip a switch and become a person with integrity because you put your hand on a bible and took an oath. While I believe Paul and Jolene have similar experience in business and lack that similar experience in governing, the one thing that separates them is honesty, integrity and ethics. I think Loetscher has it, and I’m willing to live with her missteps starting out if I know she will do things in the open. We don’t need another corporate welfare lackey in City Hall, we don’t need another Huether.
Besides the fact that they have received no evidence;
The Attorney General’s statement does say investigators on this case are waiting on records from other social media entities.
The timing of this press release is questionable.
Remember when Marty’s buddy Rounds was running for Senate and they couldn’t comment on an ‘ongoing’ investigation into EB-5 during a campaign? But it seems for some reason it is OK for the AG to say they have essentially ‘found nothing’ because, well they have ‘nothing’ a couple days before an election who just happens to have a Republican VS a Democrat.
Gee, that’s not questionable at all. Marty Jackley wouldn’t do anything underhanded like that? Would he? That would be like saying a guy killed himself using a 5-Foot branch, but we won’t let you see the autopsy, just trust us.
Reminds me of when TenHaken was helping his buddy Pity Pat out move servers around the country to hide his campaign store and when we questioned the obvious conflict of interest Jackley says, “They didn’t steal anything. Investigation closed.”
Jackley has made a mockery of the AG office.
During the debate tonight, TenHaken said a major endorsement is coming. Wonder if that is from Jackley? I would think he would be smarter than that while running for Governor, but who knows, the Silver Fox wiggles his way out of all kinds of things.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting with mayoral candidates Jolene Loetscher and Paul TenHaken about some of the issues of the day. I am very excited about a new era of transparency, citizen representation and governmental accountability that will be ushered into Sioux Falls with this election. It is a hopeful time for our Sioux Falls citizens. Â I am also grateful to have a respectful relationship with Paul and Jolene.
PUBLIC INPUT:
Jolene: She stated that she has no plans to change it as it now exists. She wants to work for expansion of public access. She referenced being at the Benson’s Flea Market and having beautiful conversations with the working folks who passed through.
Paul: He stated a desire to return to decorum and professionalism. He wants to find ways to communicate with mutual respect, both from the elected officials and the citizens testifying.
Me: I am a staunch advocate of allowing the citizens to speak at the beginning of the meeting. I believe that with a new mayor, many of the contentious outbursts will dissipate.
DEALING WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS:
Paul: He desires 12 good people to lead. He will assess the performance of the current directors after he is in office. He believes that the Mayor sets the tone for citizen advocacy and proper communication from the department heads. He wants respectful, responsive discourse.
Jolene: The department heads will need to be as committed to open and transparent government as she will be. They need to have a commitment to the citizens.
Me: I feel that there needs to be more accountability and oversight in the spending of each department. Also, we need to find ways to help the department heads connect and listen more to the citizens. We need more emphasis on customer service for the citizens.
SNOW GATES:
Jolene: She has heard good things from the community about them.
Paul: He STRONGLY supports their continued use.
Me: I think we should implement a snow gate hotline. We should mark all motor graders with a big number. The citizens can then call in with compliments and concerns about the quality of the service.
MEDIA:
Paul: He will appoint a Deputy Chief of Staff who will be empowered to speak to the media. He also wants to implement a media roundtable. He wants to hear from the media: “how can we best communicate with you?†He has been transparent with the media during the campaign. .
Jolene: She believes it is crucial to embrace the media. She stated “Close out the media, close out the people.†The media’s role is to cover city news and hold the city accountable for what is coming out of city hall.
Me: Of course, when the media shows up…everyone behaves better. The coverage from the Media in the last year is the biggest reason we have Transparency at the top of the list for citizen concerns. Friend and former councilor Greg Jamison once told me “Theresa, if the media doesn’t show up, it didn’t happen.†He was right.
CODE ENFORCEMENT:
Jolene: Respect for due process, No harassment of citizens, Implement compassionate enforcement. Lead and help people to grow without a hostile environment. Do more with citywide cleanup. She would like to implement more help from volunteers like senior citizens.
Paul: Make it more proactive…. “Strict and aggressive†while still not infringing on the rights of property owners. He believes that well-kept areas will be a deterrent to crime. He likes project NICE and is open to using inmates and temp labor to assist in helping with trimming trees and other labor needs in the city.
Me: Encourage neighbors to help one another, instead of turning them into the city for violations. Encourage city employees to help citizens more. We want to find ways to help neighbors care for one another and make this a community where we show love and kindness to one another. There is a growing spirit of hostility happening from one area of town to another. We need to bring people together. Many things can be remedied with some kindness and considerate conversation.
Miscellaneous
Paul and Jolene are both eager to have regular input sessions from all the council members and to inform the council about upcoming projects and budgetary items. They both said they are committed to transparency in governmental affairs.
Jolene and Paul are both willing to look at using inmates or senior citizens to fill in the gaps for city services.
We also touched briefly upon transportation, RFP secrecy, Park board district representation, project TRIM and city Debt. I didn’t discuss all of these with each candidate, so you can ask them yourselves for their perspectives.
l3wis