Stu Whitney earns his pay for the week with his lengthy profile of alpha barista and payday-lender fighter Steve Hildebrand.
Whitney reports that the intense fight for a 36% cap on interest rates to rein in predatory payday lending is just one component of Hildebrand’s crusade to fight the exploitation of the poor in South Dakota. After shutting down payday lenders, he plans to take democracy to the casinos next door and attack video lottery:
This is merely one step for Hildebrand, who is determined to address the issue of poverty in an ostensibly thriving Upper Midwest city that doesn’t like to discuss such things. He led an effort to get South Dakota’s minimum wage increased to $8.50 last November and plans to take on video lottery with his next citizen-led campaign.
“A community as well-off as Sioux Falls should not have nearly 50 percent of school-age kids qualify for government assistance,” says Hildebrand, alluding to the 43 percent of public school students who were eligible for free or reduced lunch in 2014-15.
“That’s an embarrassment, and there’s not an official in this state working to change that. If we can’t do it with the state legislature or governor or chambers of commerce or mayors – who care about everything but helping these people – we’re going to do it at the ballot. That’s where citizens can still make a difference” [Stu Whitney, “Hildebrand’s Toughest Political Fight,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2015.09.19].
In the undercard, Hildebrand tells us that one of those apathetic mayors, his SDSU contemporary Mike Huether of Sioux Falls, has been angling to run for Governor for most of his life:
“Mike has wanted to be governor of South Dakota since he was a kid,” says Hildebrand. “It was never about being the mayor of Sioux Falls, it was always about being governor. He came back from San Antonio (where he worked for Citibank) with a big fat file that said, Huether for Governor” [Whitney, 2015.09.19].
But the man relying on citizen participation to fight poverty and exploitation says the mayor’s anti-democratic style will hobble his gubernatorial aspirations:
“If Mike were to change his ability to let citizens participate, to let longtime friends participate, to let neighborhood organizations participate, he might gather a lot of support, but he has been very much an individual leader who doesn’t really involve anyone else in his decision-making,” said Hildebrand. “He’ll have a hard time getting support from anybody if that’s the kind of person he continues to be” [Whitney, 2015.09.19].
Democrats, when Steve Hildebrand says Mike Huether would have a hard time winning, you should think very seriously about finding someone else to run for Governor in 2018. You should look instead for someone who can synergize with the populist, poverty-fighting ballot measures that Steve Hildebrand is putting in the hands of South Dakota voters.
In 2018 it will have been 40 years since the last Democratic governor left office. No state has gone longer without a party change in the governor’s office. I can’t think of anyone better positioned for a run right now than Mike Huether. But the fact is, any Democrat will have a difficult time winning that race unless the next 3 years are spent party building, or the SDGOP has a big scandal.
R – The SDGOP had a major scandal last year with the Rounds Racketeering Scam, and it looks like another one is under way involving its slimy operatives milking the 18 percent cap scam and Arends’ fake vets group. Of course if the press or the legal system won’t hold the crooks accountable, then that pretty much leaves party building as the thing anyone can change to win an election.
If it is any consolation,you are not alone in thinking gubmint is corrupt- http://www.gallup.com/poll/185759/widespread-government-corruption.aspx and as an added bonus- http://juanitajean.com/and-even-republicans-are-acting-surprised/
Rohr, is Huether engaged in any part-building?
Huether ran on going to include new people with new ideas. If you think rather than rubber stamping his ideas you will not get a phone call or email or any response at all if you apply for any of these openings. He is not party building, he is Huether building. He can say he got being in government off of his bucket list.
Mike Huether is currently holding a non-partisan office, and he owes his success to people across the political spectrum. He has not sought to be the face of the Democratic Party while mayor, but had he waved his party registration around he probably would be far less successful as mayor. One thing he is good at is building coalitions. He has brought people into the process who might never have voted otherwise – immigrants especially. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone somewhere in town and unexpectedly seen the mayor there talking to people. And these people are not the rich and the powerful. He has skills that will serve him well in a governor’s race and a deep reservoir of goodwill. He has good political instincts too. There are detractors, and we’ll probably hear from them on this thread. But he gets things done for the city of Sioux Falls. And if elected governor he will get things done for South Dakota, and the majority of people will like what he does.
Mike Huether is Denny Sanford’s errand boy. He could have run against Dennis Daugaard but Sanford had annointed Daugaard. I strongly suspect that Huether thinks he’s next in line to be Governor. After all, his number one ambition as a young man was to be Governor of South Dakota. But that’s not the way the power brokers in Pierre work. It’s nobody’s turn until they say it’s your turn. Mike could switch parties (I’m sure it’s crossed his mind many times), but he’ll always be nothing more than T. Denny’s errand boy. Yes, he has that rags to riches back story, but T. Denny doesn’t care about that.
I would be supportive of regulation of video lottery. One of the better parts of living in Fargo is the lack of run down video lottery establishments on every corner. The only gaming present is charitable blackjack and pull-tabs in bars.
Whenever I bring my girlfriend to Sioux Falls, she is always points out how trashy the video lottery establishments are. It is a scab on South Dakota, if they want to have video lottery, at least regulate it enough that it isn’t in every rundown former Taco Bell.
Mr. Hildebrandt wants to outlaw every stupid thing people might do. He is a libbie to the hilt. People need to take a little personal responsibility and stop going to loan sharks, stop throwing their money away in machines that will beat you with math, and spend their time out working another job or finding a better job. I hear there are jobs out there.
No excuses. If we outlaw all stupid things people might do, isn’t buying porn and Funions probably next on Mr. Hildebrandt’s list?
I know very little about Huether, but I’ll bet Southdacola does. I hope he’s reading and will comment.
Rorschach, how does Mike’s Kool-Aid taste. Wow! I almost teared up reading your raving endorsement. Mike cares about Mike. He talks to immigrants because he wants people to see him talking to immigrants, he talks about Jesus because he wants people to see him talk about Jesus, he gets things done in Sioux Falls, because he wants people to see him get things done. Mike Huether does everything for Mike Huether, and hey, if it helps a few colored poor people in the process, that’s okay with Mike, if not, he will put on his fake cry baby face and fool the old ladies. He’s a fake, through and through, a glorified used car salesman that has driven our city further into debt building play things.
Scott Ehrisman stands for nothing but where his next meal comes from.
Go find a pie and inhale it, Ehrisman.
So you like porn and funions, grudznick? More power to you I say.
Well Larry, I can always lose weight, unfortunately for you, you can’t fix ugly.
Sure you can. May i by the gasoline for your self-immolation?
Sure, but you better save some so you can burn your face off so we don’t have to look at it anymore.
Announce a run for mayor, Scott: we’ll see how much respect you get from Jamison and PP.
Thanks for the input SDaC. I thought you followed SF politics closely. I’ve heard rumors that Huether is not the nicest guy. I’ve also heard that his deals for a sports arena and a few odds and ends seemed a little shady. Wasn’t there something about railroad tracks?
Like Bill Janklow got elected to statewide office because he was cuddly.
MD describes video lottery as a scab on South Dakota. That’s a strong image for a campaign.
rohr-would that be the same non-partisan post chief allender just secured in rapid city? Huether could distinguish himself as Aspen Colo. just did, becoming 100% energy renewable, and then he could attend the Paris climate meetings in December.
the goals for SD and the world to keep temperatures from rising two degrees, are to stabilize CO2 emissions by 2020, phasing out of fossil fuels so 2/3s of the world is on renewables by 2030, and fossil fuels are gone by 2050. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: see thinkprogress.org 9.21.15 Better get busy make and steve.
p.s. are not rounds, noem and thune in it strictly for themselves?
“make” huether-new campaign slogan?
this is more than stephanie has done lately, although bringing debbie wasserman schultz to sx falls recently, where brendan johnson had the opportunity to do something about EB5. He missed that opportunity. he followed up in rapid city later in the summer doing NOTHING about EB5.
huether could consider doing something about important, difficult issues, and lead.