South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

SF City Council

Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls

Small city mayors are hard workers, when they show up

l3wis 14Comments

I would have to agree with Mayor Selfie on several aspects of what he commented about Joe Biden’s TV ad about Mayor Pete;

This tone deaf ad reeks of elitism and mocks the expansive work we as mayors do to keep our cities running.  

America’s biggest problems AND solutions live in our cities. To my fellow mayors out at 5Ks, ribbon cuttings, grocery store sidebars, and more today — keep grinding.

First of all, this is simply out of Donny T’s playbook, attacking Democrats (who are attacking Democrats) and attacking Joe Biden. But I kind of find it ironic, and more proof it is amateur hour over at city hall when PTH thinks his duties as mayor are to run road races and drink coffee at the HyVee deli. Yes, that is part of the job, but showing up once in awhile to do the job set out in the charter, managing the day to day operations of the city and it’s directors and employees, is the most important part. PTH has instead just signed an executive order to have a couple of overpaid lackeys do the job for him, and they are not very good at it (but get $10,000.00 a year raises). There have been many people asking me ‘Where is Paul?’ I cannot answer that question.

So while he wants to defend the ‘hardworking’ mayors of the country, maybe he needs to follow a few of them around sometime and find out what ‘real’ work is, you know, the kind that leaves a sweat stain in the rim of your trucker hat.

Also, in the video below, PTH addresses HIS supplemental appropriation ideas, towards the end of the video he stretches the truth a bit and says he worked with city council. As I understand it from talking to 4 of them, he only worked with two councilors behind closed doors and the rest were left in the dark. Selberg and Neitzert were mentioned as the two. It is the council’s job to appropriate surpluses, that means they get to decide where that money goes, NOT the mayor. He keeps confusing himself with a King.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BHJuOrsFng
SF City Council Sioux Falls

UPDATE: Sioux Falls City Council Agenda, Feb 11, 2020

l3wis 10Comments

City Council Informational • 4 PM

Presentations on;

• 2019 Sales Tax Update, 2020 Capital Projects and Bond Funding Update by Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance; Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation; Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works; and Brad Goodroad, Fire Chief

• Washington Pavilion Parapet and Cornice Condition Assessment and Study by Liz Squyer, Principal Architect, Architecture Incorporated.

While there is NO supporting documents yet online, the rumor is the project will cost around $6 million. This is for removal of the badly deteriorating pieces now, repairing the roof and replacing them with fiberglass replicas. And here’s the kicker, only one company can make them. Any councilors willing to support this extravagant expenditure should be taken to the wood shed. The pieces should have been removed at the time of the remodel over 20 years ago and never replaced. Also, they are NOT a part of the original building, they were added in the 1930’s, and NOBODY will notice they are gone. The council should budget for removal and repair (which I’m sure will be expensive also) but not for replacement. I’m sure he Pavilion will be just fine without Parapets and Cornice. If they really want to replace them, they can take on a private fundraiser.

Regular Meeting • 7 PM

Item #7, Approval of Contracts, Sub Item #5, $35K to the Sioux Falls Arts Council. While I think this amount should be more, like a cool million, I think this item should NOT be hidden in this document.

Sub Item #11, Ice rink joint replacement at the EC, $178K

Item #13, 2nd Reading, Ordinance, $300K for coppers running parades. I support this despite my sarcasm. The rumor going around city hall is that councilor Erickson is in the doghouse with Mayor Selfie over this, and he has left her out of the ‘special lunches’ lately. Oh Christine, you know it was only a matter of time before a woman in leadership was going to be tossed aside by the Dutch Mafia. Notice it is not called the ‘Dutch FEMALE’ Mafia’.

Item #14, 2nd Reading, paying more for parks. As a foot soldier pointed out to me yesterday, what is up with the Levitt fees? While I understand these costs have to be covered, taxpayers built this joint, maintain this joint (parks grounds) so why the crazy rental fees? Also, not sure why they are based on attendance. Whether 3 people show up or 4,000, the sound system works the same.

Item #15, another $300K plus in supplemental appropriations to the Pavilion. We really should rename this place ‘The Money Pit’.

Item #16, this is the one where Mayor Selfie has decided he is going to tell the city council, the legislative branch how to spend money. If I was a city councilor, I would make an amendment to file an ethics violation against the mayor for his abuse of power.

Developers Development SF City Council Sioux Falls TIFs

There is nothing ‘Gutzy’ about approving TIFs

l3wis 4Comments

Similar to Donny T’s touchdown victory dance this past week, the receivers of an unneeded TIF downtown for the Sioux Steel Development couldn’t resist their own little victory lap, via the paid media (I’m not sure if this piece is paid for or not, because it looks like Jodi’s weekly column);

It takes guts to decide to forego certain property tax revenue for 20 years. And to approve the largest incentive of its kind in the city’s history. And to tackle another parking ramp project – even though it’s significantly different – while many are probably still stinging from the last one.

Sorry folks, it takes zero courage to approve a 20 year tax rebate. ZERO. I have seen this travesty across the nation, developer welfare run amuck. Courage would have either been denying this all together, or as I have suggested, at least amending it so we gift them the greenway and limit the TIF to $10 million.

Leadership is Courageous, going along to get along is NOT leadership, it’s a mamby pamby pitty party at most.

“The City Council took it very seriously to sit down with us and talk through it,” said Jake Quasney, executive vice president for project development at Lloyd Cos.

Of course they did, everytime this company has asked for a TIF, the city council has rolled over like old dogs and gave it. Heck, the city even held onto to property for over a decade, tax free for the last Lloyd project and gave a TIF to boot. When this company asks, they receive, 100% of the time.

But these two votes really mattered, and it was reassuring to see the fairness and logic that all council members used in approaching them.

Let’s not kid ourselves, there was ZERO fairness and logic going on. 1.) Everytime this developer asks for a TIF they get it 2) There has been no hard evidence that ANY of the TIFs given to them have had significant economic impact, and no studies to this day to prove it. Sorry, but ‘logic’ is based on ‘Facts’ and ‘Fairness’ is based on making decisions based on those ‘Facts’. The only FACT here is that this developer has a perfect batting average when it comes to TIFs.

It’s another to stand up, vote on what could be a politically sensitive issue and thank the business for investing in the community.

There was NOTHING politically sensitive about this issue, this was just another walk in the park for the city council. They always approve this stuff, the public knows or cares little about it, the ink dries on the rubberstamps, and the developers smile all the way to the bank.

There are other developers and other businesses looking at investing in Sioux Falls.

Investing or bilking? Isn’t that the question here? When I think of the FREE enterprise system and investment, that investment is coming from them privately, and they get to reap and keep the rewards. In the TIF system we have set up, we require the taxpayers to pay more to invest in these schemes and get nothing back but higher taxes and mediocre jobs. If you make a great investment, and you do it all by your lonesome, you deserve the booty. If the taxpayers have to supplement you, and you make money, you should share. And that is the tragedy of a TIF, they never do.

They say all politics is local. In this case, some higher-ups could take a cue from Carnegie Town Hall last week.

I think I’m going to be ill.

David ZoKaites Elections Mayor TenHaken SF City Council

Mayor TenHaken Shows How Little He Understands Governance

l3wis 2Comments

Guest Post and Video by Bruce Danielson

Triple Check the Charter has just found a new voice for the separation of power clauses of the Sioux Falls Home Rule Charter. Mayor Paul TenHaken shutdown David Z’s Public Input comments with statements he made violating not only the 1st Amendment but the very essence of our Home Rule Charter, the Separation of Powers. The Mayor of Sioux Falls has very limited powers of moderating the activity of City council meetings.

The mayor has no power over the policies of the chamber, 

NO MAYOR CAN ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER CONTROLLING THE CITY COUNCIL OR ITS CHAMBER.

Got that? An executive order is a policy order signed by the mayor to only allow or direct city employees do something. In many instances it might be a CYA or get out of jail free card issued by the mayor to cover a potential wrong doing. An executive order cannot control the independent policy making body of the town, the City Council. Simply said, The mayor was wrong in his abusive statements during the Monday meeting.

The PTH administration has no understanding of the role required by a mayor in governing. He thinks he can update a longstanding Executive Order limiting the use of Sioux Falls governmental resources under his control and take over the City Council? 

The issue being discussed was whether an officeholder in the city of Sioux Falls guberment can setup a secret stash of money by squeezing money out of someone wanting a favor from the politician. The mayor has a secret stash of leftover campaign money in operation as a PAC (political action committee). Its secret because he announced recently his donations of money to two of his favorite candidates for the City Council. His golden boys, Selberg and Neitzert, gladly accepted the gold and were anointed his chosen ones. Kind of Biblical isn’t it? Reminds me of the Golden Calf. What was the Golden Calf? The sin of the golden calf is widely regarded as one of the most disgraceful moments in Jewish history and we don’t even have to go to Egypt.

Is this is our Golden Calf moment?

« Previous Page — Next Page »

You Missed

Downtown Sioux Falls Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls

Update: More ‘Ramming down our throats’ at 4 PM

Uncategorized

UPDATE: Glad I could be of assistance

Art Sioux Falls

The City of Sioux Falls lacks transparency? Get out!

Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

UPDATE: Mayor ‘Kick the Can’ does it again