The Mayoral Election

Jodi Schwan wrote an insightful column in Sunday's ARGUS LEADER about the economic development possibilities, or lack thereof,  in the Sports and Entertainment District surrounding the Denny Sanford Premier Center. 

This article goes to the heart of the mayoral election this Tuesday and the future of Sioux Falls. There is no doubt that Mayor Huether made good on his campaign promise to build an event center. The problem with this achievement is it's short sightedness for the economic development future. I wish I could tell you how many times various persons have told me that this mayor does not believe in long term planning. The building of an event center in a wasteland of economic development is proof of that lack of commitment to long term planning for this city. The expediency of getting his campaign promise checked off his mayoral bucket list has left us with an entertainment venue that has nothing around it. The city has to prop up a hotel at Elmwood Golf Course to make it look like something is actually going to happen out there on a new stretch of 6 lanes of roadway with no businesses to turn off on.

Rhetoric has been this mayor's strong suit these past four years. Goodness knows, we have had more news releases and news conferences than most of the last few mayoral terms. Not all of it has been bad, some of it has been newsworthy, some of it has been self serving white noise and braggadocio.

Here's what I remember about the incumbent's first term as mayor:

• Taking credit for road construction that has been the heartbeat and soul of the five year Capital Improvement Plan for decades. 
• Being dubbed the downtown revivalist when Downtown SF is probably in the worse shape it's been since former Mayors Hanson and Munson took on Downtown revitalization years ago.
• Money in the piggy bank comments when money in the reserve fund has been the norm, not the exceptional happening in the last four years.
• The bullish economic boom enjoyed in Sioux Falls that has been bullish the last twenty years, not just in the last four years.
• Taking credit for cheap airfares and the introduction of Frontier Airlines that had been in the works before the first term of this mayor even began.
• The destroying and firing of city directors employed or retained as career professionals and turned into a political patronage system with the loss of some outstanding city directors and not being transparent about why they were no longer employed in his administration. They resigned, good people, I didn't really fire them.
• The campaign talk about the wonderful city employees on his team these last few months when they were not even on his horizon or speech the first 3 years of his term. Oh, he did talk about those rich benefits city employees enjoyed when he addressed the Downtown Rotary Club his first year in office.
• Casting a dim light on ethics and an appearance of impropriety by investing in real estate that gets TIF funding from a department directly supervised by the mayor and approved by the city council.
• Petition drives galore - snow gates, indoor/outdoor pools, railroad switching lines clogging neighborhoods and traffic patterns, a Walmart on four corners of the city, development plans, spending issues, sweeping zoning ordinance changes. A restless and unhappy citizenry.
• A city charter revision commission that decided it didn't need to work transparently and publicly in front of the citizens because they were being criticized for their work.
• Choosing to not reappoint some city board members under a cloud of heavy handedness and retribution for not doing his bidding.

I could probably come up with more items but whew, this is enough to help me make a decision next Tuesday. By the way, I don't give two hoots about whether someone is a Republican or Democrat. All I care about is that the person is someone I have confidence in leading this city the next four years. And yes, the likeability factor means something to me too. So does humility, character, and honesty. A genuine, not fake demeanor, a sincerity that comes across as genuine and a commitment and respect for long term planning and a recognition and respect for the importance of city employees that is not just a convenient platitude to get someone through the next election.

I support Greg Jamison for Mayor. I encourage you to vote Jamison for Mayor on April 8th.

Is the Mayor's Job Too Tough?

Incumbent Mayor Mike Huether and challenger City Councilor Greg Jamison spoke at the Family Heritage Alliance Luncheon on March 27, 2014. I had never heard of this organization. After listening to the audio of the mayor's comments at this luncheon, I decided to go look at FHA's website to see what this organization was all about. I did so, because I found the mayor's comments and his delivery of those comments rather strange and out of the ordinary from his usual presentations.

I understand politicians who pander to their audience. Every politician does it. It's like red meat to the masses. I am one of you, really I am. Personally, I don't like it because it seems fake and dishonest to me. These kinds of actions play people for fools. There are plenty of gullible people out there who will believe anything these days. If you doubt that, look on social media and see what people post from any far leaning left and right organizations that twist information and push people into a partisan frenzy. You see it at the national level but you don't expect to see at the local level. Family Heritage Alliance (FHA) is about as far right as you are going to get in South Dakota.

The mayor seems to be quoting scripture although he doesn't reference actual scripture in his comments. At times it seemed like he was describing himself to the group.  When he said, "But do remember, that I, your very present helper, am omnipotent" I gasped because I thought he was talking about himself. No way anyone would actually call themselves omnipotent which means having complete or unlimited power; having virtually unlimited authority or influence.

Emotionally long pregnant pauses. Strange commentary. Playing to a captive conservative leaning audience. That's politics, even at the local level these days. I guess it works but I have to wonder who is really behind the curtain. I wish politicians would just wear the same clothes all the time. Pretending must be exhausting.  He  feels persecuted, the job is so tough.  Let's relieve him of his anguish and his tears and vote for Jamison.

Cherry Picking How to Educate the Public?

The Mayor spoke at the March 14, 2014 Democratic Forum at the VFW. Bruce Danielson, Chairman for Citizen's for Integrity, was at the forum and during the Q&A session and asked the Mayor why the 3 Charter Revision Commission ballot measures were not part of the city's educational forums.

For those of you who don't know who or what the Citizen's for Integrity is, it is a group of Sioux Falls residents who started a petition drive on February 8th because they believe the city has stepped over the grey line of "education" into "advocacy" and says the Supreme Court has ruled advocacy with the use of tax dollars is unconstitutional. Danielson has become very visible, attending council meetings and the city's educational forums.

The city's news release dated February 27, 2014 announced they would host 8 public meetings regarding 4 ballot questions to be decided during the April 8th municipal election. For those of you who don't know, the four ballot issues the news release is talking about are: Spellerberg Aquatic Center, Snow Gates, Commercial Zoning at 85th and Minnesota Avenue (Walmart), and the Shape Places Zoning Ordinance. It said the public meetings would include video presentations and time for Q&A.  The news release went on to say the videos have been approved by the City Attorney's office to be strictly education so that the voters can be more informed when they go the pools - an obvious reference to Citizens for Integrity.

Danielson caught the VFW exchange on video and posted it on YouTube, here for you to review. In summary, the Mayor responded to Danielson that you have to find common ground, some compromise and some common sense and the ones that got the most attention by the people of Sioux Falls, the ones they wanted and brought to the ballot process, are ones that get the benefit of the education process. When Danielson pursued a follow-up, the Mayor tried to call on someone else telling him he might not have liked his response but he answered his question. Danielson pursued again and the Mayor responded, "Where do you stop?"

Where do you stop? The question should have been, Where do you begin? The Mayor has got it wrong on this issue and it has only given fodder to the Citizen's for Integrity group who is challenging the city on their "advocacy" versus "education" campaign and rightly so. The news release works so hard to convince the public that it's strictly education and yet doesn't include all the ballot measures/issues that the voters are going to facing in the ballot box on April 8th. Instead, the mayor cherry picked the issues the public challenged their official action and collected enough signatures to refer their official decisions to a vote of citizens.

Education and advocacy is a fine line and the city has always struggled with what to do on referred ballot issues. It is certainly a legal issue and one that the City Attorney's office has weighed in on over the years. Where was the City Attorney on this one? Clearly, if you want to be believable on the "education" aspect of your actions, you should be including ALL the ballot measures being brought before the citizens for the vote on April 8th. At least your "education" position would be more believable and sincere.

For the Mayor to say he had to find common ground, compromise and common sense is a head scratcher. What the heck does that mean? There is no compromise or common ground to be had on this issue. Common sense would dictate that you "educate the public on ALL issues, not just the ones you are being challenged on. It makes it look like you are using the "education" process to advocate for your position on those issues where your official decisions are being challenged by the public.

Then some woman told him that government is not business and was never meant to run like a business. The Mayor responded by saying - guess what? I never said it was, you weren't listening strong enough. That was followed by a very large groaning sound from the audience.

This administration is it's own worse enemy.  Cherry picking how or what to educate the public on is not a good idea and the Mayor got caught on this issue in a very public way.

A Dim Light on Ethics

The City Council has decided to postpone any discussions on investors involved in city supported development driven projects. Let's be clear. They are postponing the discussion because it is connected to the mayor's wife and the mayor is running for re-election. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that, no matter how hard some of the councilors protest that it just ain't so. It's all about appearances and once again councilors fall short of the public trust.

The ARGUS LEADER, in yesterday's edition, published an article on the city council's latest action on this subject: "Councilor Greg Jamison wants to shine a light on who is investing in projects that receive a boost from tax increment financing, or TIF. He is running for mayor against incumbent Mike Huether and raised the issue after learning Huether's wife had invested in the Bancroft Place Apartments. That project was approved for $475,000 worth of TIF funding (from the city coffers) in May 2011.

This latest action to postpone any action, lead by Councilor Karsky, until after the election is disappointing. The Ethics Board reviewed Cindy Huether's involvement in the City financed TIF and decided she did nothing wrong. That is technically true, because the conflict of ordinance language only speaks to elected officials and city employees. It does not address an elected official's spouse or family member.

However, let's be clear about our expectations of elected officials. We expect them to be above reproach. We expect them to be able to demonstrate that they are ethical people, capable of knowing when something violates the letter of law and yes, even when it might give the appearance of unethical behavior. When you serve the public, splitting hairs on the letter of the law indicates a lack of understanding and real commitment to the public trust. Why is it so hard to say I will not only act within the literal meaning of ethics and conflict of interest ordinances but also will not act in a manner that gives the appearance of impropriety?

The city council could have taken the Ethics Board ruling and stood tall by acknowledging that the mayor's wife did not violate the letter of the law in this case but that they stand firmly behind the city's code of conduct by adopting a common sense approach and commitment that an appearance of impropriety is just as bad as actual ethical behavioral misconduct.

When you look for any way to justify your position, it shows a lack of trustworthiness, transparency and an understanding of the public trust. Elected official should bend over backwards and go above and beyond the norm to prove their behavior is above reproach. It should always pass the smell test.

The ethics board was asked to rule on whether Cindy Huether violated city conflict of interest/ethics ordinances. They said no and they were right. City Councilors used that ruling to hide behind in their public proselytising that it's not political and has nothing to do with the mayor's race for reelection. I think they doth protest too much. Doing the right thing acting above reproach means you never have twist the facts or meanings to support your position. Here again, it's the appearance factor.

Elected officials need to be and act squeaky clean, not just give it lip service. The mayor knew his wife was investing in a development driven project that received TIF support funds from a city department that he directly supervises. If he didn't know it, then he is not as on top of city business as he says he is.

The appearance of impropriety is just as important to recognize as the literal letter of law. When elected officials can't or don't recognize that, you have to wonder just where their moral compass actually lies. In this case, I'd say their moral compass is off kilter.

Dim the light on ethics at Carnegie Town Hall and the Mayor's office. Acting above reproach without a hint of impropriety is the right thing to do when you are elected official. It's the true meaning of public trust. City Councilors have failed the test and so has the mayor.

Character

My father had a great influence on my life. He was the high school principal and that meant we, his children, lived in a fishbowl, kind of like those kids whose fathers were the preachers in town. We were always told to act like everyone was watching our every move. And frankly, they probably were, especially the teachers at the school who worked for my Dad.

Dad talked to us about reputation and character, and honesty. He talked to us about hard work and self confidence and the meaning of keeping our word. He talked to us about hard times and enduring when things got tough in life. He talked to us about our words and how our words define who we are as persons.

I came across a quote about character and have kept it as a life reference. I don't know where I got it or who to attribute it to but it is too good not to pass on. It seems especially appropriate after reading Jonathon Ellis's article today in the ARGUS LEADER: "Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

What does it say about a person who is boastful and prideful? What does it say about their character? What does it say about a person who takes the accomplishments of others and makes it their own without giving credit where credit is due? Take a look around you. We all know people or know of people who become so enamored with themselves that they seem to lose sight of common traits of humanity. They are in business, they are in church, they are certainly in politics.

Character is our destiny and it does not come cheap. Words, actions, habits, they define character.

A Love Affair With One's Self

Once again I am struck by the behavior of the leader of the largest city in South Dakota. Two separate but distinct actions/behavior occurred this week that are too unbelieveable to ignore. The first was a quote in the March 12th Walmart article in the ARGUS LEADER.

Huether said residents told him they needed more retail when he campaigned for office three years ago.

“I was committed to seeing what I could do. Thank goodness I was elected mayor,” he said. “North side, we’re getting a grocery store. North side, we’re getting retail.”

Least we forget the fact that "Walmart considered building in 2007 in northwestern Sioux Falls but then abandoned almost all new stores nationwide when the economy faltered." Our current mayor was elected in 2010. Are we really to believe that he is the driving force for Walmart building a new store in the north end of Sioux Falls when it has been on the drawing board of Walmart's planning since 2007? They just needed to find the right location and the right economic climate. The timing is right, the SF Development Foundation owns the property. Just what did the mayor do regarding this latest Walmart plan that we should be thankful we elected him mayor to make this happen?

The second incidence of self love occurred during the final game of Summit League Championship between SDSU and NDSU. If you watched the ESPN2 coverage of the game until the very end, you were privy to an interesting shot of our mayor who was sitting directly behind the sports commentators who were speaking on live TV. There was no ignoring the antics of this person behind the commentators in the shot who was jestering and waving like a giddy college student. Oh, it's not an SDSU student who just discovered he was on TV, it was the mayor of the good city of Sioux Falls.

I suppose on the face of it, the calling out of these two latest incidents could be considered petty. That might well be except for the fact that these two incidents once again demonstrate the continued self-adulation and love affair of one's self. If only there were two of him.

My father taught me, time and again, that behavior mattered and that behavior validated character.

I don't doubt that this mayor wants to leave a legacy. I don't doubt this mayor's energy and conviction in trying to get things done in Sioux Falls. The thing is, though, he is not a one man show. Things are not happening in this community just because of him alone. He continues to demonstrate a theme of "me", instead of "we" by word and deed.  Isaac Newton has a great quote about leadership - If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants. The only giant here is the mayor himself.

In the upcoming release of the documentary, The World According to Dick Cheney, Cheney is quoted as saying if you want to be loved, go be a movie star. Feeding the monster of self aggrandizement must be exhausting. But then, if one surrounds one's self with people who gild the ego, the love affair can go on forever or at least until the next election.

Ugly Streets

 After a weekend of a mixture of rain and ice and a little amount of snow, we were faced with iced over streets and sidewalks throughout the city.

Most of us who do not live on an emergency snow route or secondary snow route are faced with some pretty ugly street conditions. Ice inches thick and ruts seem to be our plight until Mother Nature brings us sun and some warmer weather. I read with interest the article in today's Argus Leader titled "Ice Relief, Unevenly Applied."

The city applied "hot stuff" on the emergency snow routes and secondary snow routes and did no plowing this go around.  If you are lucky enough to live on secondary snow route, then you are not facing what the majority of Sioux Falls residents are facing regarding extremely icy conditions and uneven, treacherous road conditions. Lucky for the mayor that he lives on a secondary snow route as evidenced by the comment in the article in the paper.

Secondary snow routes mainly are residential streets that allow neighborhoods to connect to emergency routes. Mayor Mike Huether’s street in southeastern Sioux Falls, for example, is designated a secondary snow route because there is only one way in and out to the homes there, said Galynn Huber, street fleet manager for the city of Sioux Falls.

I thought it was interesting that the mayor's street is in one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods tucked into the rolling hills in southeastern Sioux Falls. It is a little neighborhood of very large lots and not densely populated. Nor is it a neighborhood that has a lot of traffic other than the traffic of the elite leaving their homes during the day. It is not what I remembered as meeting the definition of a secondary snow route. 

So I looked up the map of emergency snow routes and secondary snow routes. Sure enough, the street directly servicing the mayor's house is designated a secondary snow route. Not the entire loop just the part of the loop that his house is located on.

When I looked at the map, I could see a consistency in designated secondary snow routes throughout the city. These were streets that were thoroughfares, not on the scale of Minnesota Ave or Western Ave or Cliff Ave, but are streets that spill into an emergency snow route. The mayor's home is in an exclusive neighborhood where the road is built to service the big lots and homes built there. There is no major thoroughfare in the mayor's little neighborhood. The only reason to drive on those streets in his immediate neighborhood is to get to one of those big houses. His little residential street spills into another secondary route, not an emergency snow route.

Unevenly applied? I think so.  I hope his neighbors thank him for the nice streets during the winter. As for me, I will just travel very slowly and carefully bouncing along the icy ruts, hoping Mother Nature shows pity on me and my neighbors and takes care of my street the old natural way - a slow melt.

Transparency Only When I Feel Like It

Transparency in City Hall has a new meaning under this city hall administration. I suppose one could say the mayor is clever to hide behind the construction manager at risk designation for the Event Center.

The administration is not following the normal bid process because they are using the construction manager at risk process. The normal process is for the city to publicize the bids for projects. There is a deadline for submission of sealed bids. There is a bid opening and the bids are opened and publicized at the deadline.

The city can deflect the transparency issue and even state bidding laws with a straight face by stating that Mortenson Construction is awarding the bids, not the city. Deflecting who is in charge is pure doublespeak and does a disservice to the voting public. It's all about controlling the message and the information.

“The city is involved, in the room, throughout the process, but clearly they’re Mortenson’s subcontractors,” said Mark Cotter, the city’s director of public works.

It is pure rubish to say that the city is the subcontractor in the construction of the Event Center. That is like saying Morstenson Construction is the final decision maker which is as far from the truth as you can get. Can the public be that naive to swallow this line of bull?

It begs the question why this administration is so against publicizing detail information about the Event Center construction project. Oh yes, there are massive press releases coming out of the mayor's office all the time, but it is clear that it is only the information that this mayor wants to release. It is only information that makes this mayor look good. There is never any information that could be viewed as negative. It's all about controlling the news. Have you ever noticed that if a question is asked that might require the mayor to state something other than the "good news" he deflects to Cotter or Turbak?

I am not a star gazed follower of Councilor Staggers, but in this case, I have to agree with him. Why does City Hall use stonewalling tactics when asked for information? I can live with not releasing the information while the process is going on, but once it is complete, it should be public.

If the administration can't support and justify the result of their process, then the process and selection looks stinky even when it may not be stinky. The point is, who knows? The people who are paying for the Event Center have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. That's why transparency in government is paramount.

Transparency only when you feel like it is a dictatorship. It is controlling the message. It is not open government. And it is not what the mayor promised when he was elected. When one controls the message, it usually means there is something to hide. Is there?

A Good Thing Going in Sioux Falls

The city just celebrated the completion of the first phase of the river greenway improvement between 6th and 8th Streets. It is beautiful down there and if you haven't had the chance to walk along the river front downtown, you must do so. The downtown area to Falls Park is a unique area that will only continue to revitalize our city and showcase Sioux Falls.

We didn't just get to this stage yesterday, however. At the dedication yesterday, our mayor was quoted as saying:

“Two years ago … I don’t remember anyone talking about expansion or growth (downtown),” Mayor Mike Huether said to the hundreds who came out for the ribbon-cutting. “That’s not the case today.”

Really? No one was talking about expansion or growth downtown before he got elected mayor? The river greenway improvements didn't just happen within the last two years. Nor did this mayor have the vision to make this latest expansion or growth downtown happen so shame on him for taking credit for it.

The Big Sioux River Greenway Plan was first adopted in 1975. The second Big Sioux River Greenway Plan was adopted in April, 1987. The Greenway & Riverfront Master Plan was adopted in 2004 and identified 4 Zones for development. Zone 1 was the Downtown Riverfront which encompassed approximately 2.5 miles from North Falls Park to 14th Street.


This expansion and river greenway improvement took years of planning by people who had the vision to see the potential of a river which meandered around and through Sioux Falls and a spectacular falls and park area that could become a focal point of interest for citizens of the city and visitors. People with vision have been planning the downtown revitalization development for years and have been talking about it long before this mayor took office.

Whether it's taking credit for putting up new directional signs for Falls Park because he says, “I’m a marketing guy, development guy and growth guy … or this latest completion of Phase 1 of the downtown greenway between 6th and 8th Streets, this mayor thinks he is a one man band for all that happens lately in Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls' has had a good thing going for a long time and it has taken the collective efforts of multiple organizations, and people who had the foresight and dedication to see the what ifs, the potential in remaking and revitalizing the city's most important assets.

Downtown is the heart of this city and people recognized it and have planned it. This mayor just happens to be in office when Phase I was completed. Thank you, mayor, for not taking the money away from this project, but please don't take credit for a vision that was planned and nurtured and started long before you ever took over the mayor office.

Partisan Politics in City Hall

Back in the “old” days, i.e. commission form of government, you could say without winking that local government was non-partisan. People did not walk around talking whether they were Republican or Democrat. You may have known someone was of one political persuasion or another, but it just wasn’t part of the commentary.

Democratic Chair Ben Nesselhuf was trying to build the Democratic Party in South Dakota, starting at the local level. So he met with the mayor of the biggest city in South Dakota to get his blessing. I guess winning the mayor’s race in Sioux Falls can make you the kingpin of the Democratic Party. It shows just how weak the Democratic Party is in this state. Like we didn’t already know that considering the fact that Republican newbie Kristi Noem took out seasoned Democrat Stephanie Herseth. Party affiliation trumps competence and experience.

The mayor said he didn’t have time to get involved in the elections. However, one could deduce from the meeting that he surely indicated what his preferences were to Nesselhuf based upon further actions and statements by Nesselhuf and the Huether.

“The one person I probably would have enjoyed working with was De Knudson,” Huether said.

Nesselhuf helped gather signatures to get Knudson, a Republican, on theballot. Nesselhuf served in the state Senate with Knudson’s husband, formerMajority Leader Dave Knudson, and is a family friend. There was no Democrat inthe race, and Nesselhuf said, “I didn’t have any problem helping her out.”

Three other candidates were approached and all three declined offers of support and help. One was specifically told that the intent was to get Councilor Jamison out of office. Only in South Dakota will you find the Chair of the Democratic Party helping get a Republican elected to office.

At least the local county officials have their heads screwed on right.

Tony Post, the Republican Party executive director, considered getting involved, too, but local officials in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties discouraged that.

“I asked around and they said, ‘No, you guys keep your nosesout of it,’ ” Post said. “We deferred to the locals.”That wasn’t the message Nesselhuf received when he met withHuether and Smith.

If you believe this meeting was about tea and crumpets and not about singing the Democratic kumbya song, then I have some land out by the Arena/Convention Center to sell you. You don’t have to read between the lines to figure out what the Democratic duo down at City Hall were doing. They can protest and spin it all the way to Pierre.

You know, I can accept the mayor being involved in this meeting because he wears the political designation like a second skin. But bringing Darrin Smith, the city’s director of community development and public parking along to the meeting is very telling.

City Directors used to be recognized and respected appointed career professionals. When you elect a partisan mayor like Huether you get a “political appointee” like Darrin Smith. A partisan appointment like Smith’s should have been more appropriately placed in the mayor’s office so as not to bastardize the director level of government.

Every mayor prior to this politically charged mayor, have recognized the importance of having directors who are educated, trained and have valuable relevant experience in their department field. The arrogance of Smith’s justification for being at the “political” meeting is offensive. Darrin Smith is a political opportunist and gained his current job as a “political payback gift” not because he was the “best qualified.”

Local elected officials need to work with everyone irrespective of one’s political leanings. You need to work with the SD congressional delegation which means tucking your political shirttail in and doing what is best for Sioux Falls, not your party affiliation.

This form of government promotes partisan politics. And we have a mayor and a city director to prove it. When you have to justify what you have done or previously said, you have either done something stupid or you have been politically motivated.

Mayor's Top Ten Accomplishments

I like it when city government tells the good folks of Sioux Falls what they accomplished each year. Setting goals and objectives, which assists a management team to work towards achieving an end result is good "business acumen." If you read the city departments top 5 accomplishments, you can readily identify their accomplishments. You get to an accomplishment  by identifying your goals and objectives.

Can you say the same thing when you read the mayor's top 10 accomplishments? The answer is no. These top ten statements are not statements of accomplishments.  They are statements of hyperbole. Making a feel good statement about something is not a stated accomplishment.

Each department outlined their top 5 accomplishments for 2011. Why wouldn't the mayor look at those department accomplishments and pick what he believed to be the top 10 accomplishments for 2011 from their list of accomplishments?

A statement of accomplishment usually spells out the completion of something, a successful performance of something specific, a fulfillment of an objective, the attainment of a goal. It is a specific statement of achievement of a goal/objective. All that business acumen and you get a top ten list of grandiose, feel good statements. What we got from the Mayor's Top Ten Accomplishments was a generic list of feel good statements.

Here is but one example of the hyperbole in the mayor's press conference - Our city’s heartbeat is pumping stronger. Downtown Sioux Falls is on the move. What was done to make the city's heartbeat pump stronger? What has been achieved to prove the statement, Downtown Sioux Falls is on the move? What the heck does this statement mean? It sure isn't a statement of a specific performance based action.

Broad statements with no specific performance achievements are not accomplishments. A statement that "our people care" is not an accomplishment. Our foundation is rock solid is not a performance based statement of fact. Good grief, where is all that business acumen that is supposed to be self evident.

Each city department has made significant accomplishments towards their goals and objectives. Congratulations to them for their hard work and their performance. They are the ones who accomplished much as is evidenced by their statements of achievement. The directors, at least, have the business acumen and understanding of how to quantify an accomplishment.

I did not see one statement on the Mayor's list that he can list as his top accomplishment as mayor.  This list is stupid and not worthy from the office of a mayor.  A lot of fluff and no substance behind the verbose speech and big smile.

Pleading Ignorance and Unawareness

Pleading ignorance about the goings on of the Charter Revision Commission.

Unaware of who contributed to his campaign until a reporter told him.

Unaware of what language related to city ordinance is drafted by his city attorney.

Pleading ignorance from a person who said he has a google alert on his own name.

Pleading ignorance when actually recruiting people to serve on city boards and commissions.

Pleading ignorance about what the Charter Revision Commission is doing when he stated on the December ASK THE MAYOR program the Charter Revision Commission should look at the roles of the mayor and the executive branch and the city council and the legislative branch.

Pleading ignorance and being unaware is hard believe from a person who is so totally engaged and immersed in the job of mayor of this great city. Not being aware of what is being drafted out of the city attorney's office is not being engaged in the legal affairs of the city.

Pleading ignorance and being unaware are two phrases that are not descriptive of this mayor. So why plead ignorance or say one is unaware? When you don't want to be accountable for one's actions.

I Have My Eyes on You!

A little mischief out at the airport terminal it seems. This picture was on the ArgusPoliblog as well as floating around on Facebook.

You have to admit that it is funny.  I am sure the mayor is not too happy about it. The thing is that when you put yourself way out there, day in and day out like the mayor does, this kind of thing is bound to happen. The mayor is everywhere. Hence, the big googly eyes? It is kind of amazing that the airport personnel didn't catch this "defacing" of our fearless leader as they walked about the halls of the terminal.

I heard he got up at the diversity seminar the other day and talked about his difficult upbringing again, growing up with an alcoholic father and that he cried. He has obviously overcome adversity growing up as he is a successful businessman and mayor of the largest city in South Dakota. But really, how many times do we have to hear this story with tears?  The story was OK when you wanted everyone to know who you were and where you came from when you were running for office. I say move on, Mayor. You accomplished your biggest campaign promise - to get the event center built. It's the future, not the past that is going to impress people.

We all have our googly eyes on you!

Reinforcing "Woe is Me" and Calling it Spite

Mr. Beck wrote an interesting commentary in the Sunday Argus Leader. He uses the issue of neighbors reporting neighbors who violate city ordinances by parking their boats and RVs in front of their house as a comparison to the event center debate.

Mr. Beck publicly insults and demeans a private citizen in the very column where he talks about spite. Such doublespeak. To say spite is the driving force behind not supporting the mayor's event center plan is ridiculous.

It disregards those in the community, both ordinary citizens and credible business leaders, who care about this community and have opinions that differ from the mayor and who are vocal in addressing those differences.

All Mr. Beck did in his opinion column was reinforce the mayor's feelings of persecution that he himself voiced on Stu Whitney's Live Sports Blog. The mayor thinks those who vote no are voting no because they don't like him. Sorry, it's not about spite or dislike or personal feelings.

Politics is a tough business. If you are constantly talking about getting your feelings hurt or people are out to get you because they don't like you then one should stay in the private sector.

The event center vote on November 8th is not a popularity contest, Mr. Beck and Mr. Mayor. Both of you need to get over yourselves.

And by the way, when do citizens get to pick and choose which city ordinance or law they want to follow and which one they want to break? Mr. Beck's logic is not logical.

The New Public Relations Standard at City Hall

If you look on the city's website, you see multiple press announcements, press releases and announcements of upcoming press conferences. It seems the new standard is to announce that you are going to announce something. Then when you announce it, release another announcement saying what you announced. I like being informed. But do you have to announce that you are going to announce something and then announce what you announced?

I could list many examples but  the latest announcement to announce they are going to announce something is the Airport Authority Board. We all know that the mayor now interviews the candidates for board positions personally to decide who should get anointed by him.

In the case of the Airport Authority, he is not reappointing two incumbent board members. The noise out there is he is going to appoint his cronies to this board and that one of them just might be Dave Nelson, former Minnehaha States Attorney. Who knows. The announcement that the mayor will make an announcement will tell us who got the nod from the mayor.

The city's website is cluttered with the announcements of board appointments. I like that the city tells the public who is serving on the multitude of citizen boards. But do we need to have announcements to announce our announcements? Why can't the mayor just put out one simple press release telling the public the names of persons being appointed to the various boards? The city council has to formally act on his appointments at a city council meeting so the appointment(s) are public record.

Such public relations overkill but then again, if your agenda is to keep your name out front and visible, then bombard the public with announcements to announce what you are going to announce.

Date:	9/21/2011
From:	Mayor
Title:	Mayor Huether to Announce New Airport Authority Board Appointments
Mayor Mike Huether will hold a press conference Thursday, September 22, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Room to announce two new board appointments to the Airport Authority Board. “The Sioux Falls airport has made progress on a number of fronts and the Airport Authority has a major hand in making that happen. These two new leaders will diligently work to take that success to an even higher level,” said Mayor Huether.

Whose Parade and Picnic Is It?

The sixth annual Mayor’s Fourth of July Family Parade and Picnic at Falls Park was held last week-end. It's a nice event for the community started by former Mayor Dave Munson to celebrate the birth of our nation with the citizens of Sioux Falls. People are treated to free food and entertainment. This year's annual national birthday event was billed as Mayor Huether's 4th of July Parade and Picnic.

This artwork was on the T-shirts worn by volunteers at this year's 4th of July Parade and Picnic.

I wouldn't necessarily have commented on this but people have mentioned it to me and asked why he would name the parade and picnic specifically after himself.  The moniker "mayor" is the name of the office, not a person. I suppose there are people out there who don't know who the mayor of Sioux Falls is so he needed to let people know that it was "his" parade and "his" picnic.

Poll Numbers Declining

Steve Hildebrand has confided in me that he personally commissioned the poll regarding the event center and the mayor's approval ratings. Although he would not share specific details and results of the poll, he did tell me that the mayor's approval rating has dropped 6% since last September (when he commissioned a similar survey).

Corporate America Trained

The mayor was the luncheon speaker at the Sioux Falls Business Conference - Innovation - A Changing Market Place a week ago and he gave the conferees a "business" lesson. He said he was the "business guy" and he was going to share what he learned over 25 years in business.

He said he was Corporate America trained; he managed hundreds, motivated thousands, spent millions and millions of dollars and generated billions of dollars.  He went on for the next 45 minutes outlining what he believes are the basics in business.

Most of the "basics" are common tips that you hear consultants present in training classes. A few of his comments regarding some of the basics stand out to me:

•  Working smartest and harder than anyone else will not get you noticed. You have to market yourself.  He said there were the smartest and strongest people working at Citibank and Premier and nobody knew who they were.  I find that an interesting comment. I was corporate trained for 15 years in the Bell System before coming to work for the city and working hard and working smart is exactly what got people noticed and what got them promoted. Marketing yourself is not equal to working hard and working smart. You may talk a good game, but if it is just smoke and screens eventually you will fall flat on your face because you are just a talking marketing cardboard cutout.
• When you make a mistake, notify your boss. You should be thanked for it.  That is not what I hear is going on at the city. Three words - culture of fear. He said in city government there is a strong feeling of not making a mistake for fear of the press and the people. I submit there is a fear of him and his reaction.
• If you don't like it here, leave. When you leave, you will be replaced in an instant.  The mayor went on to say when he left Citibank, he was the "golden boy."  I agree with this philosophy to a point. No one is irreplaceable or indispensable. However, there are varying degrees and reasons  why people are unhappy. Some are just complainers and don't value what they have in their job. For others, their dislike for their job or their unhappiness could be because of a new management style or an intolerant boss mentality.  It could be because of something we as leaders do to make the environment difficult. This "just leave" philosophy is dangerous in the workplace and disenfranchises people without further investigation. It's how you lose good people. A "my way or the highway" philosophy is not an admirable "business acumen" trait.  

He talked about giving the city council a book about how to become a millionaire and how controversial it was and that the city councilors missed the point. He gave it to them because he said it was about sacrifice, hard work and discipline. He said, "folks, you are not what you drive." I doubt they missed the point. He believes this book is an example of who he is. Easy for him to say as he lives in the most exclusive residential section of the city and as he builds his new "vacation home."

Yes, his luncheon speech was good for those in the audience who may just be entering the business world. I would venture most of the seasoned "business" people have heard the "basics" before. He always seems to mar the message by his grandiose reflections of himself, however. He has to constantly tell us he is working hard and working smart. He is constantly "marketing" himself.

Another thing he hammers over and over again is his constant reflection on his corporate business experience. It is a major put down to the hundreds of professionals in the city who may have never been corporate trained but have dedicated their entire professional life, education and training to public sector work and are excellent leaders and managers in the city.  It's as if working in the public sector does not count, that somehow it is mediocre.  He comes across that if you are not "corporate trained" you have no credible "business acumen."

Business is business whether it's public sector or private sector. Do you bring value to the public sector when you are Corporate America trained. Yes, you do. Does it make you better than everyone else there? No. You may have come from Corporate America but you don't know jack s...... about government and how it operates. It's a whole new learning curve.

Maybe, just maybe, the mayor should quit beating everyone over the head with the Corporate America trained and business acumen mantra and his personal marketing agenda and move on by listening and try to learn and understand something new. Oh, and maybe listen to the public sector experts once in a while.

His "basics in business" are common sense basics that don't just apply to or come out of Corporate America. Contrary to what he thinks, city government is a business too. After a year in office, he still thinks Corporate America is the only real business place that counts for anything.

I suggest he take a class offered by the city called Situational Leadership Training, taught by T. J. Reardon.  Maybe just maybe, he will learn something new and useful about leading a new "business" called city government.

Just Can't Pull the Trigger on the Truth

The mayor was interviewed live online by the ARGUS LEADER Editorial Board on Wednesday, May 4th regarding his first year in office. When given the opportunity to come clean with the public regarding the firing of Sally Felix, the mayor, once again, could not pull the trigger and come clean.

The mayor was asked to give an update on the hiring of a new library director. He stated that he would be meeting with one of the top candidates on Friday or within the next two weeks.  Randell Beck followed up by asking, "Did you fire the previous library director or did she resign or retire?"

The mayor stumbled with his response and said he was not going to answer that and that he was surprised he (Beck) even asked it in that way. What other way could it be asked? It was a straight forward question that deserved a straight forward answer. The mayor said, "Sally Felix retired from her role."

Here is a mayor who held press conferences and issued press releases when he fired several appointed officials within weeks of taking office. Yet, he still cannot come clean on his firing of Sally Felix.
To continue to say she retired, is doublespeak.

What does that say about someone who cannot come clean with his own action regarding Felix? We don't need doublespeak from our mayor. We need public officials who have the conviction and character to take responsibility for their actions, criticism not withstanding.

To say Sally Felix retired is double speak, pure and simple. Everyone knows he fired her. She chose the option to retire because she was out of a job because he fired her. He knows he fired her. Yet, he still cannot take responsibility for his action and has to doublespeak it. If he could just admit it, this would not continue to be a story. Maybe that's one of the reasons he can't sleep at night.

No Business Acumen Please - I am trying to build an Event Center

The mayor made it clear that his decision (regarding the event center) in large part will be based on what he thinks will fly with voters. It can't be, he said, based simply on the best business decision - in other words, the best return on investment.

"You can't just do it strictly based on business. You can't. The process doesn't work that way, and the public wouldn't allow it," he said.

This was said in a meeting with members of the Build It Downtown group last week. This is the mayor who says he is bringing business acumen to city government. Didn't this mayor also say that he was concerned about the people coming to Sioux Falls from places other than the city?

So now we have a mayor who uses business acumen or doesn't use business acumen depending on how it fits into his vision and one who is more worried about people living outside his great city.