Who-ther?
There was a report on the news last night that Mayor Mike Huether was supposed to make an "announcement" today that might be regarding his political future after his final term as mayor is up in two years. So today, I went online to find out (a) if the announcement had happened yet and, if not, (b) when the announcement would happen, and if it would be televised live so that I could watch it.
But not only can I not find out that information, I can't even find the original report that I watched last night. AUGH, the suspense! It's like being a little kid and not knowing whether or not Santa Claus will be coming to your house; and--even if he does come--not being sure that he will bring you a present.
I don't know if I'd rather have him run for governor or for Kristi Noem's soon-to-be-vacated House seat. I said before that I want him to run the race he has the best chance of winning, but I also think I'd like him to go where he will do the most good. I think we have a greater need for him in the House, because we really need people in Congress who will be willing to stand up to Trump, and I think Mike Huether is someone who is both willing and able to do that.
As an illustrative example: the city council recently passed a smoking ordinance that prohibits smoking at youth-oriented activities or something like that. I forget exactly what it says, but the idea behind it is to protect youth from secondhand smoke. Mayor Huether refused to sign it, saying that he doesn't think it goes far enough, because secondhand smoke doesn't just affect kids, it affects everyone. Now, it's important to note that he didn't veto it, and apparently--this is something that I learned specifically from this story--the mayor doesn't have to sign a law for it to go into effect; as long as the council passes it and the mayor DOESN'T veto it, it will go into effect and become law. So by not signing it, basically what Mayor Huether was saying that he wasn't opposed to the law but thinks that the City of Sioux Falls can do better.
The issue is a personal one to him because--per his own report--his dad died of smoking-related illness. So this whole scenario tells me two things about Mike Huether: (1) He's not afraid to take a principled stance; (2) He's willing to take a stand for family members, so he might be willing to lend a sympathetic ear to someone (such as myself) who also takes a stand to defend family members. And that, I think, is precisely the sort of person that we--both as South Dakotans and the nation as a whole--need in Congress, i.e. someone with a mind of his own, someone who is guided by both his mind and his heart; not someone who's a pawn to a political party or to campaign contributors.
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to see what the day brings.
But not only can I not find out that information, I can't even find the original report that I watched last night. AUGH, the suspense! It's like being a little kid and not knowing whether or not Santa Claus will be coming to your house; and--even if he does come--not being sure that he will bring you a present.
I don't know if I'd rather have him run for governor or for Kristi Noem's soon-to-be-vacated House seat. I said before that I want him to run the race he has the best chance of winning, but I also think I'd like him to go where he will do the most good. I think we have a greater need for him in the House, because we really need people in Congress who will be willing to stand up to Trump, and I think Mike Huether is someone who is both willing and able to do that.
As an illustrative example: the city council recently passed a smoking ordinance that prohibits smoking at youth-oriented activities or something like that. I forget exactly what it says, but the idea behind it is to protect youth from secondhand smoke. Mayor Huether refused to sign it, saying that he doesn't think it goes far enough, because secondhand smoke doesn't just affect kids, it affects everyone. Now, it's important to note that he didn't veto it, and apparently--this is something that I learned specifically from this story--the mayor doesn't have to sign a law for it to go into effect; as long as the council passes it and the mayor DOESN'T veto it, it will go into effect and become law. So by not signing it, basically what Mayor Huether was saying that he wasn't opposed to the law but thinks that the City of Sioux Falls can do better.
The issue is a personal one to him because--per his own report--his dad died of smoking-related illness. So this whole scenario tells me two things about Mike Huether: (1) He's not afraid to take a principled stance; (2) He's willing to take a stand for family members, so he might be willing to lend a sympathetic ear to someone (such as myself) who also takes a stand to defend family members. And that, I think, is precisely the sort of person that we--both as South Dakotans and the nation as a whole--need in Congress, i.e. someone with a mind of his own, someone who is guided by both his mind and his heart; not someone who's a pawn to a political party or to campaign contributors.
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to see what the day brings.