Last updated on 2012.02.27
The Madison City Commission has a four-man race for two seats!* Whoo-hoo! Incumbent Commissioner Karen Lembcke is not running again, but incumbent Commissioner Nick Abraham is, and that's all right with me. Lembcke has been a faithful facilitator of the good old boys network that runs Madison, while Abraham has at least tried to speak up against the elites who contribute to Madison's stagnation by treating it as their personal fiefdom.
Also running are three newcomers to local government: Pat Mullen, Jeremiah Corbin, and Scott Knisley.
Amend that: Knisley isn't completely new to government. He's a 27-year veteran of the Highway Patrol. I'd like to think his experience in law enforcement would make him a no-nonsense commissioner.
Corbin works for the South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems as a source water protection specialist. He thus understands a bit about utilities and the environment, knowledge we could use on the city commission.
Mullen will retire this spring from directing alternative education at the Marty Indian School. Working in Native education suggests Mullen may be more attentive to the needs of folks who aren't at the center of power.
It will be interesting to hear these four men engage in public debate on the issues facing Madison.
So far, the Madison Central School Board race offers much less interest. Steve Nelson wants to continue doing the bidding of the powers that be, as does Camelyn Sims, who works for Bulldog Media, one of the main loci of the good old boys network in town, and who is one of the early indoctrinees in the Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Madison program.
Petitions are due tomorrow at 5 p.m.. Madisonians, if you want more choices, go get those signatures and file!
*Update 2012.02.27 07:15 MST: Make that five: Mike Waldner filed petitions for commission Friday morning.
Corey,
Now that my wife has decided to step down and make room for a new voice,I feel I can respond to your continuing criticism of her.
Karen has spent nine years serving on this board and even I would say that is enough.
If anyone thinks serving on this board is only one hour per week they are wrong. She spent countless hours serving on many different committees and hardly missed one of them. I can say I was very proud of her and feel she helped make positive progress for the city of Madison.
On the other hand,it was tough for me to here the negative comments that came from your blog. I say me because she never read your blog. Karen considered you way too radical. I was reassured though because many people would stop her on the street and tell her she was doing a good job.
In closing,I would like to leave you with a suggestion. Instead of continuing to bash the city of Madison and if the Spearfish school will retain you( that is a big if!!!) you may be better off in that town. It seems like a good fit.
My Regards,
Dan Lembcke
So, Dan is there any truth to the rumor that they had to shift the duties of the city commissioners after Lembcke had some nepotism in effect and hired her sister or sister-in-law for a city job over other candidates in 2011. The job I believe had to do with the street department which she was overseeing at the time?
Thanks,
P.S. is it a coincidence? that during her nine years there Madison's debt has increased largely and is at the verge of completely maxing out their borrowing capacity?
Matthew,
If you are referring to Karen's sister, Barb Fitzgerald, she worked for the city of Madison for over 20 years. She was hired back temporarily to train the new person filling her old position. I believe that was the only reason behind her being hired back.
In reference to other comment, a lot of that money was spent on upgrades to our sewer system, electrical system, and other things in the city. To me this is called progress.
Dan, I apologize I was very miss informed on the nepotism comment. Please accept my apology.
Sincerely,
Matthew M. Siedschlaw
Dan: the fact that Karen's stepping down has helped you find the courage to join our public conversation is one more reason to be glad she's done with city government. Welcome to the show!
Now... radical?
Radical is thinking you can determine who deserves to live in a community and who doesn't. Review the record if you like, but I don't think I've ever resorted to distracting from a policy argument by telling someone who disagrees with me to get out of town. I've certainly never said such a thing about Karen. Even in the face of your insult, I will not presume the moral authority to say such a thing to you.
Radical is thinking you can hand out tax dollars to subsidize a private, out-of-town country club.
Radical is bending tax law to hand out a tax refund to promote job expansion that was bound to happen anyway.
Radical is handing out over a million dollars in five years to the LAIC and never demanding public accountability for how those dollars were spent.
I understand it is easier for Karen to close her eyes to opposing viewpoints by branding them as "radical." But an honest assessment of the policies (not the personalities) in question makes a pretty strong argument that my positions are fiscally conservative and the City Commission's embrace a rather radical closed crony capitalism.
(By the way, Dan, while your mention of my teaching is a complete red herring, I will deign to mention that you've never been in my classroom. Come watch me teach. Come read my administrators' evaluations of my work. Then offer an informed assessment of my teaching ability.)
I welcome your further comments, Dan. I'll also be home at Lake Herman this summer, so we can get together and carry on this conversation as neighbors, face to face.
Corey:
There is no way I could ever get into a pissing match with you. After all, you are the great debater. I would love to have you back in Madison. It is time for you to step up to the plate and run for public office again. I know you have tried many times but please try again. If you could only be a little bit more positive about our great city and a little less destructive, maybe the next leaders of this town would take your words to heart. Anytime you want to debate with me in a civil manner please be in contact with me. You have my email.
Seems to be a civil tone here. Why not debate in the public view?
Mike,
Last name please. You know Corey.
Quinlivan sir. And I have never met the man. Spoken over the interwebs on this site. Thats it.
PS- What are you going to do with my last name? See if I am a pervert or something? Convicted Felon? I am 30, have a home in Sioux Falls, a wife, a daughter, don't drink (well, I drink way to much pepsi for my own good), graduating from USD MPA program in May, also expecting a son in May. Oh, and all my murder victims are buried......Oops! almost slipped up there.
Oh, Dan, let's keep it in the open. It's not so much that I'm a great debater as that you happen to be flailing about trying to defend really hard-to-defend policies.
Now let's answer the question: in what way are my positions on local politics more radical than the positions I outlined above that Commissioner Lembcke has backed?
And as you add adjectives, please explain for our readers how my positions and activities are "destructive". What exactly am I destroying, and how?
Corey,
If you think the commission was going to hand out 250,000 to the country club you really are crazy. This is your way of twisting a comment my wife made about the club. If you revisit those comments she said I think your project is a good one. She promised nothing. She did say if there was money there ,maybe they could help in some way. There is no money PERIOD! end of story. You take every thing that could possibly be positive and make it negative. To me that is destructive!
Sorry, Dan, but you're misusing words. You don't show how my words were "destructive". What specific harm did I do to the community by criticizing the city commission and the proposal of a taxpayer subsidy for the Country Club?
Commissioner Lembcke actually said this:
“I think it’s a wonderful project,†Commissioner Karen Lembcke said. “It does need some updating. I think it definitely falls under economic development. Hopefully we can mull it over and give you some help†[Elisa Sand, "Country Club Asks for City Loan," Madison Daily Leader, 2011.11.22].
I'm not twisting words. She said the project was good. She called it economic development. She said she hoped the commission could provide "help." The help under discussion was a taxpayer-subsidized loan. Commissioner Lembcke then urged the Country Club to get the County Commission to adopt a similar bad policy. She didn't say, "There is no money." She didn't say, "It is bad policy for the City to do this."
If you can't stand criticism, don't express support for bad ideas.