The SD GOP problem lands in Mitchell

No this is not about Pat Powers, the Judas of South Dakota conservatism, attacking me in my hometown paper.

The South Dakota Republicans exposed their displeasure with transparency as an essential element of self-government by Governor Rounds and the Republican leadership of the state Senate refusing to allow taxpayers a searchable database accessible from the Internet. Now former Republican state Representative and current May or of Mitchell Lou Sebert is very upset about the Mitchell Daily Republic making public knowledge the details of a public-private partnership under the guise of economic development:

In the aftermath of a tense Mitchell City Council meeting, some are mending fences and moving on while others are assigning blame for a potentially failed economic development deal.

The Daily Republic has gathered comments since Monday’s meeting from council members, Park and Recreation Board members, the mayor and the development corporation director about the controversy that led a company to withdraw its request for free land from the city. The land that was sought by the company is undeveloped but designated for park use, and two members of the Park and Rec Board spoke out against the deal.

Here is Mayor Sebert’s take:

Mayor Lou Sebert, meanwhile, blamed The Daily Republic and two outspoken members of the Park and Rec Board for jeopardizing the company’s expansion to Mitchell.

"They are to blame," he said, referring to Park and Rec Board members Kay Rubendall and Bob Everson. "I blame them and the paper, no question about it."

Sebert said the newspaper’s coverage of the comments by Rubendall and Everson may cause the company to choose a different city, and he accused the newspaper of wanting that to happen.

"Just keep on pushing so they go somewhere else," he said, referencing the newspaper. "Get your job done. Get it done so you’re comfortable. When you read they’re in Aberdeen or somewhere else, then you’ll be happy."

Sebert went has far to tell Park Board members to keep the deal quiet until after it was a done deal:

Park and Rec Board Chairman Brian Johnson said this week that, during the March 11 announcement of the land deal to the board, he passed along an instruction from Mayor Sebert to board members. They were asked to withhold their opinions, Johnson said, until after the announcement of the deal to the City Council the following Monday.

On March 12, the day after the Park and Rec Board meeting, The Daily Republic interviewed two board members — Rubendall and Everson — for a story that published March 13 and spread to other media outlets via The Associated Press. The story included the two board members’ critical comments about the land deal but also included comments from Mayor Sebert.

The story generated conversation among Mitchell residents attending the state Class AA boys’ basketball tournament that weekend in Rapid City and caused many people to call Hisel’s office, he later said. At Monday’s City Council meeting, he announced that the company had withdrawn its land request because it did not want to be introduced to Mitchell under a cloud of controversy.

And Sebert says that the board members are not citizens:

Mayor Sebert was more pointed in his criticisms of Rubendall, Everson and the newspaper.

"I think it’s cheap. I think it’s awfully cheap. It just can’t get any cheaper," Sebert said. When asked what he was referring to, he said "the way it was handled by you (the newspaper) and those two board members."

Wenzel, editor of The Daily Republic, responded to that accusation in his written statement. He noted that prior to the Monday meeting, the newspaper ran only a single story about the issue and did not take an editorial stance, although the newspaper learned of the proposal five days before the council meeting.

"We’re not out to get anybody, but only are trying to inform the people of the issues, in this case an issue involving park land owned by about 14,000 people," Wenzel wrote. "We’re doing our job and the park board members who spoke out certainly were doing their job."

Sebert also held that the Park and Rec Board members acted "inappropriately" by stating their individual opinions to the newspaper. It was his understanding, he said, that the board reached a "consensus" that was opposed only by Rubendall and Everson.

"They may be opposed, but they’re part of a committee," Sebert said. "When you’re in a committee like that, you’re a committee. You’re not a citizen."

Wow, political leaders were working out a sweet heart deal behind closed doors, and the expectation was that Park board members are not citizens looking out for the public good, so they were to keep their mouths shut about taxpayer’s property going to a private business. This does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about Mitchell’s city government.

Just how much taxpayers money is going into these public-private partnerships without getting public scrutiny? Why should the government give one business free land, but others have to buy their own property? Does these economic development deals fit the limited government principles and the platform of the Republican Party. And without clear transparency, we do not know how much of this is going on at all levels of government, including the state government of South Dakota. We need to pass the Clean and Open Government ballot initiative in November.