Search Results: Staggers

UPDATE: Greg Jamison, the voice of reason?

According to the city council informational meeting and city councilor Bob Litz and task force member, the task force is going to start meeting again. The Gargoyle Leader did a fairly good story about the meeting, but I encourage everyone to listen. I was surprised by Greg Jamison’s 180 on the issue, and it seems maybe some councilors are starting to come around, finally.

Councilor Greg Jamison encouraged the task force to retool and keep fighting.

“We’ve got way too much momentum moving on this project to let it fail and just let it die out,” he said.

Actually, if you listen to what Greggo says from the beginning is what is surprising. He pretty much tells the task force that let’s find another way to fund this and get it done. I agree. We shouldn’t throw 2 years of meetings and hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees in the toilet because De Knudson and King Dave didn’t get their way.

There is going to have to be philanthropic funding, but the city would “have to have our house in order,” Councilor Bob Litz said.

I disagree partially with Bob on this. I have often said that the funding source should be secured with voters first then a plan is laid out. When you are out looking for a new car what do you think about first? How are you going to pay for it and what is your budget, why should the city do things differently then people do personally? Get a tenant, get a public funding source and get a private funding source, then start talking about the fun stuff. I have a friend who has lived in Lincoln, NE as long as I have lived in Sioux Falls, and he said they are going through the same process now, and it is just as messy.

And of course, an informational meeting couldn’t be complete without the babblings of Quen Be De Knudson;

Knudson said that statements that other options weren’t looked at is “really hogwash.”

“That’s rather insulting for those people who have spent two years of their time only going to meetings, after meetings, after meetings on an events center,” she said.

Well, De, start washing the hogs. According to Cheryl Rath, “very little time” was spent on exploring other funding options. And unlike yourself, De, Cheryl attending almost every single meeting and took extensive notes. Did you do that De? You are not fooling anyone, this was the funding source that was pursued because some people in SF leadership want that 3rd penny, not just for the EC but for future projects. You know damn well there is other ways to pay for this facility, but they don’t include getting a PERMANENT 3rd penny. Rounds said it himself, the 3rd penny would never go away once the EC is built, the city will just find other things to spend it on.

On an unrelated note, I was approached by someone I know last night that asked if I would sign Bill Peterson’s petition for mayor. I said NO. But not because it was Bill Peterson. I will sign any candidate’s petition if that candidate asks me to sign it. It seems a lot of mayoral candidates and council candidates are having other people do their dirty work for them. Which I find odd on many levels. Asking someone to sign your petition is not any different then campaigning. It gives you the opportunity to sell yourself to a petition signer. Candidates who don’t ‘Have the time’ to talk to the public with something as simple as asking them to sign a petition, obviously don’t have the time for citizens if they take that office. Mayoral candidates are required to have 200 valid signatures and district candidates are required to have 50 signatures. I know for a fact that Staggers and Stehly both turned in their petitions this week already (they have until the end of the month) and most of those signatures they got themselves. In fact Theresa told me she got 280 herself but is wanting to get at least 500 by the end of the month. Dedication and hardwork is what I want in a candidate not someone who is afraid to get their hands dirty talking to the lowly voters.

I heard yesterday that the Events Center task force is meeting again. Stormland TV News is going to do a story about it tonight. I guess they are worried that Pat Costello might not get elected mayor (well, he is not, but I do give him 4th place). Let me put it to you simply; nobody gives a f’ck about a new events center. People want to drive on roads without dodging potholes, they want a job that pays a fair wage and they want to be happy, that’s it. I see the Gargoyle Leader printed a correction today in their dead tree version, 70% are against bonding a new Events Center. In other words, if you want it, pool your money and build it yourself because taxpayers are sick of paying for this shit.

I have often used the analogy, if something is needed, it will pay for itself. If an Events Center or even a indoor pool is needed, it will pay for itself. How do private entertainment facilities and private fitness centers with pools make it in Sioux Falls? Why is it that when the city builds one of these facilities it loses money hand over fist?

I can’t wait until April 13th.

I don’t agree with Rounds 99.9% of the time, but he is right about this;

“I personally think that an events center in Sioux Falls would be a very positive move. The problem is, the bill in its existing form would have allowed the municipalities to have literally an open access to the next penny of sales tax. I disagree with the way the bill was written. We think there’s a better way to do it. It’s going to be challenging to write it correctly.”

Why? Sioux Falls already has 2 pennies to play with, and if they can find money for monkey crappers and subsidizing the feds for our levees that we don’t need, they can find money for an Events Center.

“Pretty soon it would have been buried, and people would have wondered where that one penny was going because it would have been buried in one project after another across the state,” he said.

Exactly, as I have said all along, a Sunset provision is laughable, at best. But what I find even more laughable is that these supposed ‘Leaders’ running for mayor have not offered other options or ideas in the hopper;

“I don’t see any way, with the existing revenue streams that we have today, that we can fund this in another manner,” he (Costello) said.

Councilor Vernon Brown said the city doesn’t have the revenue to pay off bonds for the entire project without crippling basic infrastructure, . . .

Costello appears to be closed minded about any other funding sources. Nice knowing yah. And Brown says we can’t take out bonds. Gee Vernon, I wonder why? Because we have borrowed money for projects that we don’t need and now the city can’t borrow anymore for major projects. And guess who voted for all this spending? YOU! You both look like complete morons that are talking out of both sides of your mouths. Your arrogant confidence in this flawed funding source will hand you both your crippling defeats in the mayoral race.

Fortunately Huethers and Staggers have open minds;

Mike Huether wants to focus on replacing the Arena, which he said can be done without a sales tax. He’d do it with user fees, naming rights, some borrowing and an increased bed, board and beverage tax. “That’s how other cities do it, and we can do the same,” he said.

Councilor Kermit Staggers, who voted against the plan, said the task force took an easy out in recommending a sales tax. Instead, he suggested pursuing user fees, naming rights and private investment and stashing some money away before borrowing what else is needed. He also wants to reduce the size of the events center proposal.

I can’t wait to inaugurate one of these guys!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sETQvtGStbQ[/youtube]