South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

Sioux Falls

SFPD Sioux Falls

Does the SFPD have a morale issue?

l3wis 19Comments

As we know the police department has been shafted on the past two union negotiations. Also take into account they have an enormous lack of leadership and the rising drug problem in Sioux Falls and you are setting the department up for a perfect storm of low morale.

It’s difficult to blame it entirely on Chief Burns or the mayor, they are just continuing the trend. Disrespect for the SFPD goes back decades and mostly because of the city administrator.

Mayor Bowlcut & Bucktooth & Chief Barthel totally ignored our rising drug crime problem blaming it on ‘population growth’. While population growth does contribute, why is the crime rate rising faster then the population?

I believe a new concentration on public safety needs to be a high priority for the TenHaken administration (he is ultimately responsible for managing the department, not the city council, they only authorize funding).

The first thing that needs to happen is getting rid of some of the top officials that keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Secondly, extensive training in civil rights, diversity, sensitivity and criminal justice needs to occur with the officers, and like the SFFD they need to get on a fitness program.

Look at any successful police department around the world, and you will see the same thing, competent leadership. It’s time our SFPD is compensated fairly for their work and have new leadership.

Emerald Ash Bore Sioux Falls

When is the city going to grind boulevard stumps?

l3wis 2Comments

It has been a couple months since the city had a contractor cut down my ash tree in the boulevard. On my block about 6-8 trees were cut down. All of them now have seedlings growing from them (in which I have to cut weekly).

For some reason the city decided to hire a different contractor to grind the stump (instead of using the same one who cut down the tree).

Ironically, when they cut down Ash trees on city property (like parks) the stumps are ground right away.

It would be nice of the stump could be at least ground down before the Fall so grass can be planted before winter.

Mayor TenHaken Sioux Falls State Theater

Mayor TenHaken brags about giving taxpayer money away to private non-profit

l3wis 17Comments

As I said last week, I had no doubt this would pass, but I am baffled that a public official would brag about spending our taxdollars this way, especially after the county and school district just had opt-outs and we have a 38% reserve in the city, and we are planning to bond $30 million for a fire/police training center (that we selfishly won’t allow other communities and law enforcement entities help us with because we want ‘control’). Something is out of whack folks.

Arc of Dreams Art Sioux Falls

Was the Arc of Dreams misplaced?

l3wis 4Comments

I will admit, I have looked at the Arc of Dreams several times at different angles from far away and up close. Depending on how you look at it you find something unique each time. It is quite the structure and engineering feat. But one of the things you will notice is that the only place you can really get a good view of the entire structure is from the North standing on the 6th street bridge or river greenway. You would also miss it if driving in a car over the bridge unless you happen to look over at it.

Some have questioned it’s location. First off, since it was privately funded they had to situate it on private property yet putting it in a public space. While the structure is mounted on private property, it crosses a public waterway.

As you can see below, most large sculptures, like the FLAMINGO in Chicago is placed in a large courtyard area so it can be viewed from 4 directions. I actually think a great place for the Arc would have been on North Minnesota Avenue coming into town from the airport, or others have suggested over the Levitt yard. Obviously the limitation was placing this on private property, but I think an easement could have been figured out.

It will be interesting to read reviews of it’s placement over the next couple of years.

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