Snowgates: A campaign of mis-information?

by

Once snowgates get on the ballot I plan to post as much as possible about the benefits of these devices, and put out facts about how cities across the nation have used these devices successfully for decades with minor complications.

I’m not naive, I have no doubt in my mind that certain city directors, snow removal contractors and snowplow operators will be busy blocking the facts about snowgates with a big berm of ice junks of their own. What has surprised me is that the campaign might have already begun.

I heard a rumor today that some directors at city hall have already been holding pow-wows about snowgates with city employees at the public works garage. The rumor is that they are having ‘small sessions’ with city employees about their ineffectiveness.

I hope this isn’t true, but if it is, it is unfortunate and unfair to voters who may be undecided about snowgates.

I suggest city employees do their own research on how well these devices work and the many benefits they provide including the economic impact it will have in their paychecks.

*If any city employee that support snowgates would like to share more information about these supposed meetings with me, even anonymously, drop me a line; fb.art@sio.midco.net

Reason #27 why the Charter Revision Meetings need to be recorded

by

Well the CRC didn’t waste anytime to propose ridiculous things now that they don’t have to discuss the charter in front of a studio audience;

How easy it is to get an initiated measure or referendum on the ballot.

City Attorney David Pfeifle said that Thursday during a Charter Revision Commission working session discussion on how frequently people are getting signatures on petitions to take measures to public vote.

Board member Dick Gregerson is concerned about how often Sioux Falls citizens are doing it.

“In Florida it takes 28 minutes on the ballot to go through things, and we’re getting to that point,” he said. “There’s too many issues on the ballot.”

“South Dakota is one of the most liberal states in the whole nation,” when it comes to that, Pfeifle said.

I have often said if the city council or the state legislature would do the work we elected to do (providing public services in a prudent manner) we wouldn’t need these petition drives. Trust me, they aren’t no picnic, sit down with Ms. Stehly sometime and she will fill you in on the hundreds of hours it takes just to get something on the ballot. Rick Knobe also continues to blab about the petitions and mislead the public;

Let’s take a time out. Do we really want a costly public vote ordering the city to buy snowgates for every blade?

Costly to who? I know it is costing the petitioners time and money, but there will be barely any additional cost to voters. If both petition drives are successful, they will be on the Spring ballot with the school board election. No extra elections, No extra ballots.

Both of these petition drives, if sucessful at the polls, will drive up the cost of city services(i.e. raise taxes) with no cares about how much.

No they won’t. There will be an initial cost from the capital fund to buy snowgates, but the operation of the gates will come out of the operational penny. THAT TAX CANNOT BE RISEN! It will come down to budgeting, not higher taxes. As for the outdoor pool at Spellerberg, we actually will be saving money by building an outdoor pool there. Millions of dollars, I might add.

What are we thinking? Or are we not thinking, but feeling powerless, and we want to have some control so let’s take it out on our own city government?

You are right, we are powerless to the city government. Raising the second penny tax just a few years ago comes to mind. While citizens like myself warned of an economic downturn and that the developers will never put in their fair share (both of which happened as I predicted) the citizens who pay the tax were ignored and the cry baby developers got their way. So YES Rick, we want to control some of the things that go on in the city.

. . . both of these initiative efforts are at least premature and at worst, selfish and self serving.

Selfish? Self-serving? You mean getting a public service for the taxes we pay is SELFISH. Shut your pie hole and go back to talking about buffalos or whatever.

 

Snowgates have been used successfully for over 30 years across our nation, but Mayor Huether suggests we wait for his recommendation.

by

“These snowgaters are crampin’ my frickin’ style. What a bunch of crap!”

I will give Mike credit on one front, he supports the use of snowgates. He also supports testing them again this winter;

That’s why Huether wants to test the snow gates for a third straight season. And while he’s well aware of a petition going around town, he cautions those who are eager to see the gates become permanent.

“You want to do it because people are excited, but you want to do it in a prudent way, in a responsible way, and you want to do it right,” Huether said. “And that’s ultimately what we’ll do.”

Why? We get to see a third year of testing before we vote on it. They have been proven across the region and country that they work. What’s the hold up? Oh, that’s right, the Mayor’s ego . . .

After this third test run, Huether says he could make a recommendation to the city as early as March.

While the mayor’s recommendation and endorsement is appreciated (and I’m not even being snarky) this is probably going to a public vote, so his hands in the issue really don’t matter. The citizens will ultimately be making the decision on snowgates, not the mayor, or the city council. Councilors Jamison, Staggers and Anderson have already figured this out and accepted it, maybe it is time for the mayor to do the same.

 

3 City Councilors, 5 to go.

by

Three SF city councilors support snow gates, how about the rest of them?

Kenny Anderson Jr. and Greg Jamison signed the petition today at Carnegie Hall before the informational meeting and Staggers signed it at the press conference in September.