South Dakota Open Primaries
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...
Approval Voting in Fargo
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....
The Problem With Sioux Falls 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....
The Artist in the South Dakota Penitentiary
Frederick Henry Morse was an artist who made a career in the late 1800s painting portraits of politicians and local notables in several Midwestern states and cities. Long after putting away his brushes, he found himself in serious legal trouble in South Dakota. Which...
Better County Government
South Dakota counties are structured and operate in accordance with state law. But it’s a one size fits all model that doesn’t fit our county well. With roughly a quarter of the state’s population, Minnehaha County would be better served by a more flexible approach....
Sioux Falls is Not a Factory Town
The recently exposed plan to bring one or more additional slaughterhouses to Sioux Falls disappointed many in the community. Apparently, our hopes and aspirations for our city are very different than the elected officials and development officers who encouraged this...
Too Many Governments in South Dakota
We like to think our state is a great example of small, conservative government at its best, with minimal wasteful spending. But I suspect we may be fooling ourselves. By historical accident, we now have too many governments in South Dakota. And they aren’t laid out...
Thoughtful Growth for Sioux Falls
Governor Noem likes to say that we are “open for business” in South Dakota. I generally like and agree with that sentiment. But recent history suggests we might also want limits. Two Big Surprises Not long ago two surprising bits of news hit Sioux Falls. A group...
Fictional Democracy in South Dakota
As a lifelong Republican and casual observer of South Dakota politics, I have had a nagging feeling for several years that something just wasn’t working right. Then I heard reports from this year’s Republican convention and it started to sink in. Our 20th century...
Effective City Government Arrives in Sioux Falls
“You can’t fight City Hall.” It’s one of those sayings that sum up recognized truths. It generally suggests that you can’t win when challenging a bureaucratic system like the government. But in the early 1990s a bunch of us in Sioux Falls did just that. We convinced...
