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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, April 20, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 280 ~ 14 of 43
or an opportunity for opponents to criticize the plan in a public forum likely to garner considerable media attention?
The two-hour event on May 1 is being organized by South Dakota Citizens for Liberty, the same group that circulated petitions to put the issue on the ballot after the city council approved plans to build a new civic center arena to replace the 40-year-old Barnett Arena.
Tonchi Weaver is spearheading the forum as was the case with the petition drive. In a story that ap- peared in Wednesday’s Journal, she said the goal is to present “a balanced picture for the public.” In an interview Wednesday morning, she said, “I want it to be fair.”
It also is fair to say, however, that Weaver and Citizens for Liberty are at least perceived as opponents of a new 12,000- to 13,000-seat arena that according to the city will cost $130 million with another $50 million in financing costs.
In March, Weaver and others distributed information at the Black Hills Home Builders Association Home Show that claimed the city was misleading the public and the actual cost of a new arena was closer to $250 million.
Allender said at the time this was a misinformation campaign to encourage residents to sign petitions. “They’re handing out inaccurate propaganda that shows that they want to kill the project,” he told the Journal.
When pressed to name who did the analysis on the arena’s costs, Weaver declined to disclose that per- son’s identity. Allender, meanwhile, has done more than 40 public presentations on the project and the city has posted a power-point presentation on its website about it.
Weaver said she has attended three of the mayor’s presentations and compares them to a grand jury proceeding where only prosecutors lay out their case. The forum, she said, will better serve the public.
Brian Fisher, formerly of KIMM Radio and described as “fair-minded” by Weaver, will moderate the forum. The format calls for opening and closing statements and allows members of the public to ask questions that are to last no longer than 90 seconds, a time limit Weaver said will be enforced.
The first question, Weaver said, will be posed by Mike Mueller, the president of Citizens for Liberty. It is a question that will likely set the tone for the forum.
Mayor Allender deserves credit for accepting the invitation to participate as there is little doubt that a number of arena opponents will show up at the forum.
It will be up to Citizens for Liberty, the moderator and the four ex-mayors — Alan Hanks, Jim Shaw, Ed McLaughlin and Keith Carlyle — to hold a forum that is fair, even-handed and most of all civil.
The city’s plan to build a new arena has become an emotional issue in the community with some oppo- nents going so far has to launch personal attacks on the mayor and suggest this is a legacy project for him. That, of course, is not the case. Many people in the community believe it is essential for the city build a modern arena rather than spend $25-30 million to upgrade an old one. The mayor is simply fulfilling his duties by presenting a plan that will not raise anyone’s taxes nor divert money from other funds to build it. If the forum meets the goals outlined by Weaver, it can be a fair fight. If it turns into an assault on the
mayor’s proposal and character, it becomes a cage fight and no one wins if that’s the case.
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Capital Journal, Pierre, April 3
The wind is blowing, let’s try not to get swept away
Wind power is a growing enterprise around the world and by many accounts, this “gold rush” might be coming soon to a county near you.
Actually, we know there’s at least one company working to establish a large wind farm on the east end of Hughes County. The promises are great. There will be hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxable property added to the county tax base. Farmers and ranchers will get many thousands of dollars’ worth of stable lease payments all for the low, low cost of signing an easement for the use of an acre or two of land for up to 30 years. Tax dollars and cash payments, we’re told, will flow like milk and honey.
That’s a bit of hyperbole but, generally, the folks behind wind power projects do tend to promise quite a