Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Moving On - I Can Only Hope!

Hopefully, I went to my last Q & A Session on the Event Center location topic. It made me want to access my grandson's Talking Tom application on my IPAD and touch his paw so his nails scratched across the screen like finger nails on a blackboard.

The format was changed so there was no interaction or follow-up allowed by participants. Questions had to be submitted in writing or by e-mail. All the questions were screened by the moderator, Jack Marsh. This was the best format for a mayor who likes to control his environment and what he says. As such, it allowed the mayor to keep the agenda on his message. I heard most of the dialogue already.

Once again we heard about his business acumen, the way he grew up and why he is the most fiscally conservative person we will ever meet. Why he must continually tell us that is beyond my comprehension. Although it is getting very old, I wish he would just find a new tag line. I don't really want to hear about his personal life, what he brings to the table, blah, blah , blah. The campaign is over. We know who he is and where he came from.

Here is what I heard last night that stuck out above the same old, same old:
  • We are building the Event Center for the 60% who live out of town.
  • We need more parking for the McCart fields even if we didn't pave the fields over.
  • There's a good chance this facility will not pay for the operating costs, so there will need to be budget subsidies.
  • The way the Event Center pays for itself is economic development, not commercial development.
  • He has a vision for the railroad tracks. When asked to be specific, he said green space, retail, restaurants and Condos.
  • He is going to run for re-election in 3 years.
  • The job is really hard and people need to stop being mean to him.
  • He will get all the information to the city council by the end of July for a vote in November.
Let's kick this thing into high gear. I know I am not the only one out there who wants to move on to the red meat - financing this thing and when and if it will go to a public vote.

Are you ready to move on?

24 comments:

  1. "The campaign is over."

    Not for him, otherwise why announce you're running at a Q&A?

    "We know who he is and where he came from."

    And we know where he wants to lead Sioux Falls: backwards. His-man is a small thinker with no vision other than his own political future.

    Now he's whining & wondering why people are turned off from a process he himself has intentionally politicized?

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  2. News, looks like there are 5 to 8 votes on the Council to proceed. Surprised me. We'll see.

    Vote of the people still looks like an Uphill Battle.

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  3. What I find very objectionable is how he is laying the groundwork to lay the full blame on BID when and if the EC project goes down with a NO vote.

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  4. The mayor's rhetoric & self praise is certainly getting old. He professes to be a "Team Player" but doesn't realize there is no "I" in "Team". One term as mayor or anything else from him will be more than enough!

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  5. Huether is all such an act. Phoney with a big capital P! Don't trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth or that of Darrin Smith either.

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  6. What amazes me that it took most of you over two years to figure out this guy was a fake. I exchanged many emails with Mr. Huether during the campaign, he was my second choice. I actually gave him advice on other candidates besides my favorite Staggers, and he took it. What bothers me the most is you all are driving him into the ground now, and seem so 'shocked' he is the way he is, but during the campaign, he was the best thing since sliced-bread. Why? Because of your deep hatred towards Staggers. It is no secret that Dr. Staggers called out Mrs. Holsen on several occasions during her tenure. She didn't like him, so she took Mike's side, now it seems it is so easy for her and her followers to bash Huether.

    You supported him and gave him money.

    Didn't you think just for once to look into is background? The Marketing executive of one of the worst CC companies in the nation. And now you are surprised he turned out the way he has? If you didn't like Kermit, fine, don't vote for him, but to turn around and support the Anti-kermit, because he wasn't Kermit seems petty and silly to me. Do you know who I voted for in the last election for US Senator? No one. You could have done the same with the mayoral election, but you chose not to. You chose Mike. You are to blame. Stop crying.

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  7. Hey South DaCola go write your usual garbage on your own wall instead of polluting this one.

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  8. I am ready to move on and it ain't certainly in any direction towards Dr No Staggers. Quit talking about Staggers, he's a has been and hopefully will stay that way! The last thing this City needs after the likes of Huether is another run at it by Staggers!

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  9. who cares about staggers except you sdcola. Using your usual vocabulary, shut the f up.

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  10. I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say those here talking down honest mike, who at the same time voted for him, would think he were still a knight in shining armor IF he advocated a DT EC.

    honest mike uses studies by AECOM that ring hollow. At the same time, BID does the same thing with it's latest and greatest Walker Study. BOTH sides are being less than straightforward.

    I say BIN. Build It Nowhere.

    Polly Amalo

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  11. He claims he's the most fiscally conservative person we'll ever meet? Then why is he trying so hard to get the city of Sioux Falls into millions of dollars of debt? Fiscally conservative? $100 million plus dollars for a completely optional project plus the lifetime of operational costs - if that is fiscal conservatism then I would hate to see what a Heuther spending spree looks like.

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  12. Oops, if the Economic Development is in the Conventions and Convention Floor Space, why don't we just build and addition on the Convention Center? Or, build another Convention Center Downtown. Why do we have to have a Sports Center?

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  13. It's clear the downtown group is going to be blamed if this project goes down because MMM has already started to lay the basis in that direction and many are jumping on board to slam this group.

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  14. To 9:25AM - I agree with you. The economic impact projections on both sides make WAY to many assumptions about people's behavior before or after an event. Or that we will somehow be magically transformed into a convention destination like San Diego or Orlando. Pure and simple, we need a new sports palace. Our is old and broken down. No matter where it is built, 95% of the "events" will be sports and people will come 5 minutes before game time, leave before the game is over, and go home - unless it is Saturday night and then they will stop and have 3 beers after the event.

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  15. Poly Amalo...I still wouldn't like Huether even if he did pick the downtown site. Just because you may have voted for the guy doesn't mean you can't change your mind about him.

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  16. @ Poly: How exactly could BID influence Walker? It's a citizen's group with no internal data nor do they hold out promises for or threats to cease giving future business.

    If the Walker Study had come back supporting the Design team's (read Mayor's) numbers or came back showing a worse situation for downtown, BID's only move would've been to simply not release it.

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  17. Also, everyone knew how Kermit would be as Mayor as they had seen for years how he was as a Commissioner. Not saying good or bad, but we knew what we would get and Kermit made ZERO effort to move in any direction that would've brought him Costello, Peterson's or Brown's supporters.

    On the other hand, no one was sure what kind of Mayor Huether would be and after a year at least half of the people who supported him last year have become disenchanted. Probably to the point where they won't come back.

    I remember one debate where a question was asked and Huether went into one of his platitude-laden rah-rah diatribes about what great people were running and was patting Kermit on the back and shaking his hand. Kermit made a saracastic comment out of frustration (paraphrasing) "Yes, I guess this is all we need to do is keep shaking hands and smiling" but that was as close to his gloves coming off as it ever got.

    Now that Huether has announced he's running (is this a record of how early this has happened?) he's exposed himself as nothing more than a campaigner trying to govern. Whoever is thinking about running against him might as well jump in and unlike last time people better make sure not to crowd the field and canabalize the opposition with virtually indistinguishable choices, as this is how we ended up with Huether vs. Staggers in the first place.

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  18. "Just because you may have voted for the guy doesn't mean you can't change your mind about him."

    I agree entirely. But I think it was blatantly obvious what kind of Mayor Mike was going to be. He marketed the worst CC in the nation, and was proud of his business achievements. And you are right, there would have been huge differences between Kermit and Mike. That's why I think the choice was easy. First off, if Kermit were mayor, he would have let the EC debate continue in the private sector, where it belongs. Our property taxes and water rates would not go up. He would deregulate more in the older neighborhoods so they could truly refurbish. We would have snowgates plowing EVERY street in SF and we would have good roads and sewer systems. Believe it or not, this is the job of a GOOD mayor, watching out for taxpayer's money while providing actual services. I would like you to point to the section in the US or State constitution where it says government must entertain us. Good Luck.

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  19. What about his comment that he's building the EC at the arena site for the 60% who don't live in Sioux Falls?

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  20. I'm not sure how this comment line got so heavily infused with Staggers but here goes.....just because Staggers is a good government professor, a politician he does not make. A good politician is a consensus builder and we all know that wasn't his strong suit. Tell me one thing he accomplished in his term on the council or when he got a majority to follow his positions. He was the lone no vote on most everything. If he hadn't developed such a contrarian position on everything maybe he would have been successful. You forget a mayor needs council approval for most everything. He's never gotten support for any of his positions while on the council so how would it be any different if he ever got elected mayor. Probably the biggest reason he lost the election.

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  21. Poly: How exactly could BID influence Walker?

    ~~~

    I can think of 18,000 reasons. I've read the Walker Parking Study of 2007, and the one you guys paid Walker to work with. We can go thru your report line by line if you'd like. Suggesting to Walker that ALL the railroad property will be used for flat parking is just a little over the top. IF there is to be a DT EC butted up to Cherapa, there is no way that city owned railroad land will be used for flat land parking spaces. It will be sold to the highest bidder for a nice, tidy profit.

    Parking? The city knows adding that much parking will be a loser, as those spots will sit empty 330 days a year. They can barely keep their heads above water now with a 6o% city owned occupancy rate DT. They can't even do proper maintenance on the parking spots they have now because of low occupancy rates. Adding the number of spots YOUR study shows at the railroad site is going to improve that HOW?

    Polly Amalo

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  22. So you are saying a city's legislative body should be yes men to the mayor? Seems odd. There is a reason why our state ranks last in almost every category, 30 years of Republican Governor and legislative rule. How's that for progress and consensus.

    A legislative body is supposed to be a check and balance against the pres/mayor/gov.

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  23. Our state is full of yes men. From the Governor's office to the Mayor's office.

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  24. @...unlike last time people better make sure not to crowd the field and canabalize the opposition with virtually indistinguishable choices, as this is how we ended up with Huether vs. Staggers in the first place...

    honest mike is with us today as mayor thanks to city employees. They are the single most highly motivated group to get out and vote, simply because they are vested partners in much that the mayors power yields in terms of future salary negotiations. honest mike, being the marketing whiz he is, knew that and garnered the support of the city's unions and management. 1100 city employees don't seem like much, but throw in their spouses and friends and relatives they can motivate to reach the polling places and it turned into enough to swing honest mike into a runoff with Kermit. This was a 4 horse race between honest mike, Kermit, Brown, and Costello. Kermit and honest mike each got about 7,000 votes apiece nosing out the other two. If city employees had thrown their support to either of the other two, then Brown or Costello would be mayor today.

    If if and buts were candy and nuts and an election were held today between a field of candidates like the last field, honest mike would lose. City employees now realize what readers of the South Dacola blog have known for a long, long time. The guy is not a man of his word, only a snake oil salesman.

    I suspect this blog is read by mostly by friends of Jennifer and city employees, past and present. Be it known. YOU put him where he is.

    Jennifer...ever thought about running? Get a polluted field of candidates, and you could swing it with city employee support. God knows honest mike will NEVER get city employee support again.

    Polly Amalo

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