South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls the 7th most whitest city in the nation

l3wis 11Comments

While we were in the Top Ten in 2022 we have dropped off in 2023;

Heavens to Betsy, Sioux Falls, South Dakota sure is white. And not just caucasian. I mean pale and pasty white. It’s pretty cold and dark here for a majority of the year, meaning the white population here has to find all sorts of creative ways to remain occupied for long stretches of the year. That means long hours spent indoors watching Friends reruns and playing parcheesi.

But people seem to like it here – the population of Sioux Falls has increased 22% in the last ten years.

South Dakota is home to Mt. Rushmore, which is a big mountain with four big white men on it.

If you live in Sioux Falls, odds are you drive a pick up truck, drink Budweiser and chew tobacco. Sioux Falls and the greater surrounding area isn’t all hicks and Indian Casinos, though. There’s plenty of golf courses in the area, and they have a zoo. White people like zoos. They also have a butterfly house. Do white people like butterflies? OMG YES!

Obviously you get a lot of snow in this part of the country, and Sioux Falls has lots of stuff for white folks to do – snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding are all very much white sports.

Is Sioux Falls conservative? You betcha. In fact, practically the entire state of South Dakota voted for Trump.

No surprise we came in at that number. I recently saw a news story that said 40% of people who moved to South Dakota were 55 or older and have an income of $100K+, in other words we are NOT attracting young workers and professionals, just a bunch of tax dodging retirees.

Employment Sioux Falls

UPDATE: City of Sioux Falls posting 2022 spreadsheet for salaries

l3wis 3Comments

UPDATE: The city has the correct 2023 salaries posted now. I wonder what poor sap in IT had to upload this at 8:05 AM today?

It’s that time of the year, a quick look at what kind of salary increases city directors received this year. If you go to the link and click on it, you get this;

Oops! It even says that the city posted the new spreadsheet on January 13, 2023.

This of course is NO surprise. The city really struggles with dates on public documents. Probably have to hold a staff meeting and special council meeting to remedy it.

Downtown Sioux Falls Public Utilities Public Works SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls 6th Street Bridge Project could have been broken up into smaller projects

l3wis 7Comments

Some may ask why the city even has an engineering department. Well, for starters they identify projects and determine the best way forward to tackle the project. At least they used to.

Building anything big like a bridge, a swimming pool or an Events Center, you likely would use several subcontractors. The contractor chose to do the bridge project awarded by the council last night on a 6-2 vote (Neitzert and Starr dissenting) will likely have to job out different subcontractors to complete the work that includes demolition, utility work and actually constructing the bridge. The engineering department could have easily broke this project up to make it more appealing to bidders and probably would have saved the city millions.

It wasn’t just the incompetence of the administration and the city council that approved this blindly, it was an utter failure of the Public Works department to NOT take another approach to this to save taxpayers money.

Then there are the questionable and cozy relationships certain contractors have with the city, and that was on full display last night when the council approved this 100% cost overrun with only ONE bid. (Councilors Merkouris and Barranco also changed their votes the last minute I’m assuming to save the Mayor from casting the tie-breaker, which he would have broke and approved).

The precedent set last night by this council and administration was not good and the genie is now fully out of the bottle. Infrastructure projects in Sioux Falls are going to become very, very expensive moving forward.

Alex Jensen Christine Erickson Count-cilor Alex Jensen Elections Greg Neitzert Mayor TenHaken Mike Huether SF City Council Sioux Falls Theresa Stehly

Who is running for the next mayor of Sioux Falls?

l3wis 13Comments

I know, I know, a little early, but you would be surprised how much chatter has been going on already about the next mayoral race. The below predictions are PURE speculation based on convos I have had with city government nerds;

• Mike Huether, the former mayor has been actively reaching out to potential supporters and it is highly likely he will run.

• Greg Jamison, Greg currently serves in the SD legislature, but I have a fishy feeling he would love another round with Mr. Huether.

• Christine Erickson, she is coming off a very successful campaign against the stinky folks, and she has the ego to take a stab at this.

• Alex Jensen, not sure what to think of this, but his name has been floated out there by TenHaken worshippers.

• Greg Neizert, not sure if he is interested, but it seems like the most logical next political step.

• Theresa Stehly, I doubt she will run, but I can almost guarantee if she does run she will be in the runoff.

I’m sure there will be a couple of other Zombies (SNARK!) entering the race, but I have a feeling we will see a very crowded and diverse group.

Sioux Falls South DaCola Fest

Happy 15th Anniversary DaCola!

l3wis 14Comments

Like most things in my life, I’m a little late. My first post was June 24, 2007.

While I have made very little money over these 15 years from the blog I have pushed change and open government. I have worked on many city campaigns. I have won and I have lost many battles.

Historical perspective is a good thing, and when I find myself engaged in conversation about city government the cobwebs of my mind remember the past and how this city has managed many of those things very well and has also failed. It is of no consequence.

I wish 3 things in the new year from our city leaders;

• Open and transparent government

• Hold the line on tax and fee increases and be fiscally responsible

• Make our community more safe and free to live in

“The more the people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater the need the prince has of money to distribute among his partisans and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance and enable him to plunder at pleasure.” Benjamin Franklin

It’s been fun, and I am not going anywhere.

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