Sioux Falls and South Dakota have a big election coming up, and I don’t mean the 2024 presidential election. In 2026 we will elect new city and state leaders. While that will undoubtedly be entertaining, it may not actually change much. But before then we have...

Downtown Sioux Falls has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Once struggling to attract shoppers and visitors, it is now bustling with activity and has become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. However, as more and more people...

For several years, the South Dakota legislature has been trying to curtail an important constitutional right. But courts and the voters have repeatedly struck down their restrictions. Sadly, our legislature is still not getting the message. South Dakota has a proud...

For nearly 30 years Sioux Falls has had a mayor-council form of city government. It has generally worked well. But someday community leaders may want to consider switching to the more popular council-manager system. City Commission Had to Go In the 1980s and early...

Organizations benefit from planning. Governments too. Good strategic plans encourage people to work together toward common goals. Planning also promises to increase our chances of a better future. Unfortunately, our city council hasn’t created a long-range plan for...

The powers that be in sports do a good job of keeping their games up to date and entertaining. Professional baseball periodically tweaks the rules to improve the game. So do NFL team owners. And tennis and golf rules officials. The games are better for it....

South Dakota’s political system is messed up. We don’t let a large number of independent voters play a meaningful role in our publicly financed primary elections. Meanwhile, the Republican dominated legislature is skewed well to the right of traditional South Dakota...

Sometimes you can learn a lot by checking out what the neighbors are up to. They might have found a way to get a greener lawn. Or bigger tomatoes. Maybe they have a reliable handyman you can borrow. Or maybe they have even found a better way to run their elections....

There is a time bomb ticking in the Sioux Falls city election system that could frustrate the intent of the voters at least every eight years. We would be wise to defuse it. The 2010 Sioux Falls mayoral election demonstrated a flaw in our municipal election system....