I don't know what to make of polls. Some are scientific with a margin of error of plus or minus and others are just simple opinion polls. I look at the opinion polls in the newspaper and polls on some of the TV websites to see the way the public sway is going that day. What I have a hard time understanding is these so called scientific pools where a small number of people are surveyed and it becomes the mantra for whoever won the poll.
This latest poll regarding the event center is an example. 400 people were surveyed. 57% of the 400 surveyed support the Event Center and said they wanted it at the Arena. On the surface that sounds good. A hoorah probably went up in the Mayor's office. He now feels vindicated and feels his position has been validated by the poll. But is 57% of 400 really a mandate to build it at the Arena? That's just over 200 people.
As of 5-27-10 there were 103,764 registered voters in the City of Sioux Falls. There are 1,727 people just on the Build It Downtown Facebook page alone who support Downtown not the Arena site for an Event Center. The numbers just don't add up for me.
I tell you what, it's the financing plan to build this the Event Center that is the target everyone should be discussing right now. Money wasn't a question in the this poll. There are no facts on the table. The financing plan, if not carefully put together and explained, is what will decide if the public truly wants an Event Center or not.
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