Former Sioux Falls Mayor Knobe backs Batcheller to lead city
There are five candidates to be Sioux Falls’ next mayor. I have talked with all of them.
Eliminated two. After what is fondly called “careful consideration,” I have settled on one: Joe Batcheller.
Here is why. He has a degree in urban planning. We are the largest city in four contiguous states. Nearly a quarter of a million people call this home. Thousands more are here every day.
During my term as mayor, we spent huge amounts of time and energy working on development issues. I won’t bore you with details, but urban planning is both an art and science. It’s complicated.
Every acre of rural land turned into homes, malls, etc, costs you. Potholes to fill. Snow to plow. Drainage systems to create and maintain. Water and Sewer lines to design and maintain. Fire stations, engines, staff. More police officers.
Sprawl affects all of us. It needs to be well-thought-out.
Joe Batcheller understands it. His comments about “filling in the gaps” of our city, make sense. It also makes sense to encourage going up. Not skyscrapers, but in some areas, taller structures. Creating and maintaining more green space is critical.
One of the candidates has said in ads having developers in more control is good. Less government interference. However, allowing that can create unnecessary and costly sprawl.
Batcheller was head of the downtown association for 10 years.
There are numerous special interests to balance with that job. Retail, office, entertainment, residential and some industry, to name a few. Over 4,000 people live in downtown. There are over 300 members of the downtown group. A city within the city. People I have talked with said he did a good job of balancing and moving downtown forward.
Like being a mayor.
I get asked daily who I like for the job.
I am not trying to tell you who to vote for. I am telling you my choice and why. Do with it what you wish.
The independent Rick Knobe is a former Sioux Falls mayor and a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.
Photo: from Batcheller’s Facebook page
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