Jodi’s Journal: Dear future mayor

Dear future mayor,

When I started this message to you a couple of weeks ago, I thought we were coming up on a year from when you’d be on a city ballot.

Now, I’m not even sure when that might be.

Thanks to a change in state law, municipalities must hold their elections going forward at the same time as a statewide primary in June or general election in November.

And that makes my first point to you even more idealistic.

Among the many reasons Sioux Falls has succeeded, our ability to set traditional politics aside in city government is near the top of the list, I think. We’ve been fortunate that while our past mayors have had their own political affiliations, they haven’t led with them. They haven’t campaigned, at least overtly, on party platforms or ideology.

Once in office, they haven’t appointed staff based on party loyalty or used the mayor’s chair as a stepping stone for higher office.

It has been that way for more than 30 years since the city’s newest form of government was implemented, and I think plenty of people would join me in saying we’d prefer to keep politics out of at least one government entity as much as possible.

Interestingly, I happened to have a conversation on the topic in the past few weeks that seems fitting to share with you. It was with Derek Okubo with the National Civic League, who was the facilitator for the recent Sioux Falls Tomorrow collaborative planning process. He actually has worked with our community three times — including in 1994 as the form of government was changing — and told me “I’ve always been impressed by Sioux Falls, and this third time was actually a joy for me.”

Why was that? Because “the spirit of collaboration was still there, which had always impressed me,” he continued. “I was actually very pleased that a lot of that same collaborative spirit that made Sioux Falls special is still there. A lot of times, that erodes in other communities as they grow and evolve, but that wasn’t the case in Sioux Falls.”

Keep in mind, this is someone who has worked with communities nationwide for decades.

We talked about many elements of the city that stood out for him — more on that and the broader Sioux Falls Tomorrow plan soon — but as our conversation wound down, I asked him what challenges he noted in other cities nationwide that should be on Sioux Falls’ radar.

He described it as a change in the political environment.

“A lot of the national polarization is trickling down to the local community, which has raised challenges locally,” he said.

So, future mayor, it would help a lot if you started there — if you started with the spirit of collaboration and the unity that has set Sioux Falls apart and is necessary to insulate it from this trend.

Because it’s going to take that unified approach to tackle all the other things you’ll find on your plate as our next mayor. I believe with each term, the job gets harder because this community becomes more complex and the issues facing it more multifaceted.

We are going to feel, more acutely than ever, the financial pressures of growth in all directions while trying to maintain a stable core of the city. You, as our next mayor, must serve not just as a city leader but a regional one, helping find solutions that lead to a collaborative metro area and not a fragmented one.

You’ll have to address everything from homelessness to housing affordability, from crime fueled by narcotics to planning for our future water supply. You’ll be attempting to cultivate a city where a place to live is still accessible enough and the quality of life is still strong enough that people aren’t inclined to move out to get more house for their money. You’ll be the one to bring a plan forward to replace a convention center that is becoming less competitive in its industry by the day — and then have to sell the public on it. And that’s just a snapshot of what awaits you.

The good news is it doesn’t have to just be you. This community always has succeeded because those outside of government have stood with those inside of government to make things happen, from committed business leaders to engaged citizens.

It has never mattered which party is tied to our voter registrations, or if any party is. The good of the city has somehow risen above all of it. And we’ve seen government as a partner in our shared progress.

But for how long? I think you, future mayor, could have a lot of say in whether that tone continues, and it starts with how you choose to seek the office.

I believe, hopefully accurately, that voters will reward a candidate who reflects the qualities that have made this city what it is while showing a forward-looking vision for the future. Here’s hoping you’re out there, whenever we end up electing you.

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