Move up City Elections

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From time to time I agree with Councilor Knudson, but too often not for the same reasons.

At the Charter Revision Meeting yesterday, (scroll down to the October 28, meeting, De speaks at the beginning) De suggested we move our city elections to June to save the city money and have a bigger voter turnout. I couldn’t agree more, because it would line up with the state primary elections.

De says she couldn’t understand why voter turnout was so low in the last city election compared to 2006.

Knudson cited preliminary statistics on voter turnout for city and special elections. In April 2006, 37.1 percent of voters cast ballots in the joint city/school election, compared to 14.1 percent for the city election last April.

Two words; Super Precincts.

The change to Super Precincts hurt voter turnout big time. Some people who intended to vote showed up to their old precinct and never voted. Others were so confused by it, they said the Hell with it. I can’t understand why some councilors are in such a state of denial about the super precincts debacle. Admit the mistake and move on already. Seriously.

Councilor Jamison was opposed to the move saying the council candidates would get lost in the shuffle. Bologna. I could see that if the election was during a presidential/national election but not a primary.

There was also mention that the city elections were bi-partisan. That one made me laugh. While there is members of both political parties and one independent (that I know of) sitting on the council, I can assure you that the councilors are very involved in their political parties.

Sales Tax increase; Pretty Ridiculous

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I found this letter to the Editor of the Argus Leader right on;

Representatives of developers, construction companies and other groups such as the Chamber of Commerce took more than two hours to argue the need for such development in promoting the growth of the city.

This was ridiculous. Nobody was opposing the development of these arterial roads or seeking to stall the city’s growth.

I found if complete BS that the mayor let the proponents (developers) speak first. I also found it ironic that not a single individual citizen (not representing a group or business) came forth for this tax increase, and equally ironic that not a single individual came forth (representing a business) to oppose this tax increase. This really was about special interests vs. citizens. And 4 councilors (who are knee deep in special interests) and the mayor voted against the citizens.

The opposition to the tax increase might well have orchestrated another two hours of testimony from representatives of agencies and organizations that know only too well the struggles of a sizeable segment of the city’s population:

Yes, but by the time we got to take the podium it was 10:30 at night (3 1/2 hours after the meeting started, and we got to listen to councilor Knudson whine about being tired (maybe she was tired of reading closed captioning for that long).

I will be interviewed late this afternoon for Jon Micheals Sunday talk show that airs on KELO radio talking about the petition drive.

Argus columnist KINDA endorses a sales tax decrease?

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Matt Okerlund wrote a great column on Sunday about term limits, but he started his column off with I believe to be a veiled endorsement of our goal to get sales tax decreased;

Earlier this month when told a group of residents launched a petition drive to counter his and the City Council’s decision to increase the city sales tax from 1.92 percent to 2 percent on Jan. 1 to raise more money for road construction, Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson sounded dumbfounded.

“I’m trying to build a city, and build a city for the future, so that our kids and grandchildren don’t have to go to Minneapolis or Omaha or Kansas City for opportunities. They can stay here,” huffed Munson at the news that Citizens for a Responsible Sales Tax hoped to gather enough signatures to ask voters to cut the city sales tax to 1.9 percent - the pending .08 percent increase plus a bit more – because it is convinced a looming U.S. recession and banks from Iceland to Islamabad making like the Hindenburg is a strange time for city government to be hitting up taxpayers for more money.

“What do they want to take away?” grumbled Munson. He noted the city budget next year includes $615,800 for upgrades to McKennan Park. “Do we want to just drop those programs we want to do for McKennan Park? It’s a possibility.”

If that was a veiled threat, it lacked the veil.

He finishes the column up beautifully

In nine days the other people who inhabit this state will once again tell me just how wrong I am. When that happens, I’ll mutter. I’ll curse. I’ll look to the heavens and shake my head. I might even wonder – if for only a fleeting moment – if somehow, by some fluke of nature, by some crazy twist of fate, I have it backward.

Maybe the misguided one isn’t them.

Maybe it’s me.

And maybe someone should remind the mayor of this city and four-fifths of the Legislature how a democracy works. It seems they have forgotten.

I have long felt that half of our city council and mayor have no clue how a democracy works. The proof is in the pudding. They have been wrong about the Rec Center and Drake Springs Pool, and once again he is wrong about raising taxes on food and utilities to build roads for new development (that may never happen) during a National economic crisis.

Please sign our petition.

Temper, Temper Now Dave

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I did not have a chance to look at the agenda before Monday night’s Sioux Falls city council meeting, so when this came up in the video, I had to rewind and watch again. Apparently the mayor added an appropriation after the council already approved it (which some councilors viewed as ILLEGAL). Kermit thanks the clerk’s office for catching it, then Kermit catches Hell from the Mayor. And of course the Mayor’s attorney, ah, I mean, the city attorney backs him up and takes the blame for it (one more reason why I have serious concerns about Dave’s political appointees). Attorney Amundson says that Dave did not direct him to do it (you’ll have to turn up the volume in this part of the video). Yeahhhhh Right Robert.

One of the reasons that Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents was because he didn’t appoint his friends to his cabinet. You would think a good Republican(?) like Munson would know better.

Hardy, Harr, Harr.

Here’s the video;

INTRODUCTION AND ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES
A motion was made by Council Member Costello and seconded by Council Member Beninga to amend Ordinance 117-08 by adding:  “Section 3: In the event that any condition or provision contained in this ordinance is found to be invalid, unenforceable, or unauthorized, in whole or in part, for any reason, then the remaining provisions of this ordinance shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect to the maximum extent permitted by law”.  
 
Vote to amend: Roll Call: Yeses, Jamison, Knudson, Litz, Staggers, Anderson Jr., Beninga, Brown, Costello, 8. Noes, 0.   Motion Passed.

What does L & C water system have to do w/Sales Tax? NOTHING!

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Mayor Munson seems to be up in arms over the sales tax decrease initiative (Argus Leader), which is no surprise, well it kinda is. It will have NO EFFECT on his budget and will have to be dealt with by the next mayor and council. By the time this takes effect, there will be at least 3 to 5 new councilors and a new mayor. Secondly Munson seems to be spinning the story,

Munson bristled at accusations that he hasn’t overseen responsible growth during his time at the helm, pointing to major street construction projects on 57th and 26th streets as recent examples.

“We planned Lewis & Clark for growth,” he said, referring to the water project. “Maybe under their scenario we don’t need Lewis & Clark. I think that’s crazy.”

First off, this decrease won’t take ANY money away from street construction (I’ll get to that later) and secondly Lewis & Clark is being paid by a loan the city took out that is being paid off from increased water rates, not sales tax. We also may receive money from the Federal Government (don’t hold your breath though, it seems neither presidential candidate is too interested in that). Like Rudy Guilliani and 9/11 everytime someone wants to cut the budget, Dave brings up Lewis & Clark. Cut the bull Dave.

As for street construction money being taken away, this is also a myth;

Officials warn that Sioux Falls will continue to lag on new road construction if the tax doesn’t go to a full cent. That, in turn, would hurt economic growth at a time when the national economy already is in precarious shape.Officials warn that Sioux Falls will continue to lag on new road construction if the tax doesn’t go to a full cent. That, in turn, would hurt economic growth at a time when the national economy already is in precarious shape.

It is merely $5 million dollars that will have to be cut from the Capital Improvement Budget (Basically a slush fund that pays for all the goodies (wants) in our city). In fact Munson mentions a great cut in the article.

Munson pointed out that McKennan Park next year is budgeted to receive $615,800 for upgrades.

Huh?! They just received upgrades this year already. Another example of wasteful spending.

And it seems councilor Costello went over to the dark side,

“They are fully within their rights to do what they are doing,” Costello added. “I personally would not sign that petition.”

Why wouldn’t you sign it Pat? I sign petitions all the time with stuff I don’t agree with. I signed the Initiative 11 petition, I signed Nader’s and Bob Barr’s petition to be on the ballot in South Dakota. I think it’s good to let the citizens decide. This is what a democracy is about. Do we want to let citizens decide on what they want to spend $5 million dollars on, or do we want 4 councilors, developers, special interests and a mayor decide?

I think we know the answer to that question.