Pat Powers has been trying to manufacture a story out of the fact that his party’s golden boy, Republican Alex Jensen, has been raising lots of money and making online propaganda while the at-large council member he wants to replace, Theresa Stehly, hasn’t been out campaigning. This spin comes when candidates have had less than three weeks to circulate petitions and still have until February 28 to submit.
Pat will now have to manufacture a different story. Councilwoman Stehly today announced that, sure, if the voters will have her, she’ll work for them (and not for any party establishment or other special interest) for four more years:
Citizen advocate Theresa Stehly will be seeking a second term as City Councilor for the At-Large seat in the April 14, 2020 election.
Stehly stated, “I will be running a positive, grassroots campaign, continuing my emphasis on citizen advocacy and focusing on the issues of:
- Governmental transparency
- Accountability in spending
- Strengthening police force
- Supporting neighborhood safety and integrity
- Improving responsiveness to citizen concerns
- Maintaining municipal infrastructure
I look forward to serving again, working with my fellow councilors and the mayor to continue making Sioux Falls a rewarding and affordable place to live” [Theresa Stehly, campaign press release, 2020.02.19].
Building the expectation that candidates for smaller and smaller office declare their candidacies earlier and earlier only discourages more grassroots newcomers from entering local politics. Our municipalities model the way elections should run: candidates petition for a month, campaign for six weeks, and then boom! we vote. Shorter campaign seasons are better for everyone but advertisers (and remember, Jensen-flogger Powers also sells campaign paraphernalia, so he has a keen interest in convincing candidates to spend early, spend often, and spend more).
I have no dog in the Sioux Falls City Council campaign. With workers and shoppers flowing into Sioux Falls every day from every county within three border hops, you could probably elect eight cupcakes and an egg to the City Council and still see the city prosper. (Plus, an egg will give you less horsehockey.) But a guy like Jensen who raises almost $69,000 in the year before the election for a mere city council position, and much of that money from partisan political elites, is probably not the best choice for a non-partisan job, especially if you’re looking for a city councilor who won’t spend most of his time in office paying back those wealthy elites who put him there.
Mr. H, have you ever considered selling campaign paraphernalia? I only ask because it seems like a lucrative business. I don’t dog around the Sioux Falls elections either, but I’m thinking they might have more fellows out that way who would look to a fellow like you to print them some cards and posters.
Grudz, I’m profoundly bad at adopting hobbies that other people are interested in paying money for. I also have never enjoyed trying to persuade people to part with their money… because I profoundly loathe and mistrust all who try to persuade me to spend my money on something I wasn’t thinking of buying.