l3wis After Maher saddles Sioux Falls with $300 million in debt and the BOR in disarray leaves for Nebraska
Nothing more disheartening then when government entities bring in hired guns and after the smoke clears they leave for greener pastures;
The South Dakota Board of Regents CEO and Director, Brian Maher, has been selected as a finalist for the next Nebraska Commissioner of Education.
Maher was with us in South Dakota for almost 8 years and in his two positions he has left quite the impact. He was rumored to have been brought in to get the school bond passed ($300 million bond debt). You remember that one with hand counting by district employees and computer tabulation input by administrators.
I hope the Nebraska board of education takes a deep dive into Maher’s history in South Dakota; saddling Sioux Falls residents with millions in debt and leaving the SDBOR in cultural disarray. Seems like some good resume builders. You also wonder what kind of pension, if any, Maher will be receiving from either the SFSD or the SDBOR (he may not be getting anything besides his salary, maybe something the media should look into).
Well at least he isn’t moving to California đ
Mayor TenHaken’s advice on Civility
In The Dakota Scout’s print addition that appeared today, Paul has a column about his goals for 2023. Most of it was wordy unreadable or confusing double-talk. But I found this item curious;
Is he calling out himself?
Only truth, honesty and transparency can unify a community. Discussions don’t become inflammatory unless you are doing something, behind the scenes, that are concerning constituents. Like a $10 million cost overrun on a bridge, changing a recommended sustainability study that took volunteers over a year to compile or rejecting a mural selection with NO explanation (or even what this supposed mural looks like).
Honestly, I have no idea who likes to have an inflammatory discussion about local government policy (I kind of do) but other then this outlier, most people just want their local leaders to be competent, trustworthy and transparent and they would rather not engage city hall. The proof is in the low turnout in our city elections.
Division in city government doesn’t start with the low man or woman plowing or patrolling our streets, it begins at the top in leadership, specifically our policy body the city council that sits around and waits for crumbs from the mayor and the mayor himself.
If you want people to stop criticizing you, it begins with YOU! You would be amazed at how positively people respond when you are honest with them.
Speaking of our policy body, they have a shingig Saturday morning at Leonardo’s Cafe at the Washington Pavilion from 9-10 AM.
While I applaud this event, I also think the location and time is perfect, ON A DIFFERENT SATURDAY! There will thousands of people downtown Saturday celebrating St. Pats, not sure they are going to be driving over the top of each other to attend this event. Either move it to a different Saturday or different location.
City Hall ends press briefings after only 2 weeks
There is one thing you can say about Sioux Falls City Government, it is predictable. After having two consecutive weeks of these supposed weekly Wednesday briefings we have radio silence. Nothing on YT, FB or the city website (there isn’t much there anyway).
I actually thought there would be at least 4 or 5 consecutive weeks before they threw in the towel. Maybe the new communications person with all of her food truck reporting experience they could setup the briefings in a parking lot where the food trucks could participate?
“We are still investigating the homicide that occurred yesterday, but no worries because the pulled pork sandwich I just got is bang’n! Oh, and have you heard, the price of bridges are going up!“
I also find it a little ironic that the new press briefing room that the taxpayers spent gazillion dollars on isn’t equip for the media to ask questions (that we can hear).
Of course, they will probably poke Detroit Lewis in the eye tomorrow with a press briefing . . . I guess I am it.
Is the City of Sioux Falls wiping their butt with Sustainability Plan?
For the record I haven’t taken a deep dive into the original plan or the new white washed one but there is one thing that is for certain;
SoDak 350 was one of those organizations that penned the letter. They were joined by Dakota Rural Action, the League of Women Voters of Sioux Falls, Citizensâ Climate Lobby – Sioux Falls, The Mindfill SD, and Common Grounds Indivisible. SoDak 350 Administrative Coordinator Arlene Brandt-Jenson said much of the language was also changed to remove phrases like âclimate changeâ and âgreenhouse gas.â
âThe plan went from having several hard goals and goals that were implementable in our city, to more âexploring the feasibilityâ and âassessingâ. The time for assessing is over.â Brandt-Jenson said.
Actually the time for assessing climate change should have ended over 50 years ago and a plan should have been acted on. Then there was hostages and that Reagan guy. Back to square one.
The (in)action by the administration should be no surprise;
Brandt-Jenson points to a 2021 community survey for the need for action and hard goals. In that survey, at least 80 percent of those that responded said that they were concerned or very concerned about sustainability and environmental issues. Over 90 percent said that it is important or very important that Sioux Falls address sustainability and environmental issues.
Brandt-Jenson also said that the changes to the draft plan throw away much of the work by the committee through 2021 and 2022, which was made up of a diverse group of members.
âAnd it really negated months of work by that full sustainability committee. A committee that had stakeholders from all across the community. Educators, business people, the gas and utilities, electric utilities,â Brandt-Jenson said. âWhy did we need this broad community that spent hours and hours, days and days working on this plan when all of that was negated in one stroke pen basically?â
Is this starting to look familar?
The Sioux Falls Arts Council in coordination with the Visual Arts Commission secured funding for a mural, set up a selection and jury process, employed 3 finalists and over a several month process picked a winner. And with one broad brush stroke, our supposed culturally conscience mayor said too much exposed brown skin and we need to stop this.
Most Republican business owners don’t believe in climate change, at least it isn’t convenient for them to believe, because sustainability takes effort and capital. It is also expensive to install solar panels or geo-thermal heating, but the dividends are provable.
This isn’t about the city gutting a plan or transparency, this is about politics. Somebody told the dictator in the corner office of 9th and Main that all this climate change crap is going to cost businesses. So instead of relying on a committee or experts city hall is relying on the tried and true method of ‘I know best.’
I know I have complained in the past about this administration re-inventing the wheel and using buzz words to name different departments, but climate change research has literally been around for decades, heck even before the mayor was born.
We already know what needs to be done. Just do it and stop playing political games.
*NOTE: I also find it interesting that after 15 years the Mayor’s executive assistant is retiring. I believe Julie was originally hired by Mayor Munson. I am starting to wonder who will be left at city hall when the new mayor is sworn in in 2024? City Hall is starting to look a lot like that building at 10th and Minnesota.