Letters

To the Editor,

I would like to thank Vaughn Beck for pointing out that SDCL 9-9-8 is not applicable for the form of municipal government that Ipswich has. It is somewhat comforting to know that the applicable State law governing the process for appointing a mayor was followed. While there might be a point of contention that the Council was not duly sworn in at the time of the appointment, per the Council’s disregard for City Ordinance 1-1-4, that, in practical application, is a moot point. The Council has the right, in the absence of an ordinance to cause a special election, to appoint anyone they choose; and Mike Steen is the Mayor of Ipswich for the time being. I apologize for any confusion and hard feelings that my incomplete Google search results caused. I should have been more thorough in my investigation and again, I apologize for that. But I am still advocating for a ballot initiative ordinance to call for a special election in the event that an elected position becomes vacant in the future.

With that said, the city apparently has a busy agenda going forward. In addition to arranging financing and planning the next multi-million-dollar phase of the storm sewer project, there is talk about abandoning the softball park and turning it over to the Development Corporation so they can sell it to a developer(s) to build “affordable” housing options. There is a push by some in the council to build a water park. Something that will be expensive to build and expensive to operate and maintain. And there is continued discussion about building a bar/convention center at the golf course. Since the Ipswich Golf Club reported $145,720 in net income last year (line 19 of tax form 990 for tax year 2023) and has net assets of $511,939 (line 22 of form 990), I would think that they could finance an event center on their own.

That is a lot of “improvement” for a mayor that was appointed, not elected, to shepherd to fruition. I would hope that there would be some consideration for the opinions of the electorate as well as improved transparency in an effort to build trust and a mutual respect. But given that the meeting recordings since before the city election are not yet posted, that is likely wishful thinking.

Meanwhile, the nearly $3 million 5 ½ block, out of 51 ½ blocks in ward 1, storm sewer project is moving along. We now have 46 mature trees marked for destruction but for some reason not everyone is happy about that. I don’t get it. You plant and nurture a tree for 20 or more years and finally get a benefit from it and its beauty, then when someone cuts it down to install a curb and gutter you didn’t get to vote on, then attaches a special assessment tax on your house while telling you that your property that never flooded is no longer going to flood, and you’re not happy? But to be fair, there are probably some people within the project scope that are, despite the cost, appreciative of some benefit that they might derive. I just have not heard from them yet.

- Ed Bierman, Ipswich