One of the few things I miss about not being in politics anymore is the “I told you so” moments. One of my favorites, from my legislative days, was the bonding of the tobacco settlement payments from a class action suit against the tobacco companies. South Dakota was supposed to get something like $700 million and Governor Janklow sold our stake to the bonding companies for something like $250 million. (It’s been thirty years or more, so my numbers are approximate not Gospel.)
The tobacco money settlement is the same concept that the single winner of the $1.34 billion Mega Millions winner has to face. Does the winner take $780 million now, minus federal and Illinois State income taxes or get the full amount over 29 years with a potentially lower tax liability, more interest and investment income – not to mention $520 million more dollars?
I opposed the cashing in of the tobacco settlement arguing that the State would get much more money, actual cash and interest, by taking it via the long haul over thirty years rather than by settling for just a fraction right away. I lost to Governor Janklow and the Republican controlled Legislature and ultimately, so did the State of South Dakota.
Whenever I would see the Governor, later Congressman, later private citizen Bill Janklow I would say, “They’re still in business!” To which he would reply, “Not for much longer!” I was right, he was wrong, the State and its People lost out. I told you so.
Another “I told you so” moment for me is happening right now with Lake Mitchell, which was a major issue in the mayoral race in 2018. When I was running for Mayor of Mitchell in 2018 four main issues lost that election for me. In no particular order they were:
Me, I’ve run in thirteen elections over five different decades and was in public office for more than twenty years. I “retired” from politics for “health reasons” – the people were sick of me and wanted change.
Sidewalks, people hated putting in sidewalks on their property. They hated the expense, the public walking nearer to their homes, the potential destruction of shrubbery and other landscaping etc. The fact that the federal government under the American Disabilities Act mandates sidewalks, punishes municipalities that don’t comply and also has the power to force a city to install sidewalks everywhere almost immediately in response to a municipality’s continual noncompliance didn’t cut any ice with irate citizens.
Bob Everson, he was a quality, qualified candidate with previous municipal and political experience (School Board and the Planning Commission) who ran a spirited campaign strategically short on specifics.
Lake Mitchell was a major stumbling block for me with the voters in that mayoral election. When Lake Mitchell was our water supply back in the nineties (old timers will remember the “Summer of Fish”) the public would do anything and spare no expense to “fix” the lake. Once we had that summer of water smelling and tasting of fish coming out of our faucets then the push for the Missouri River project was on full force. Since the Missouri River is now our water source and Lake Mitchell no longer is, its problems are now viewed as a “neighborhood” issue just like traffic and noise around Joe Quintal Field or the outdoor aquatic center at Hitchcock Park. No one was interested any longer in spending public money for what they essentially viewed as a “rich person’s problem”, other than those who lived around the lake and who were directly effected by its scum and smell.
My wife taught Environmental Science at Mitchell High School and had her classes test the water of Lake Mitchell and found high levels of phosphate. Her suggestion to the Mitchell City Council at that time, later corroborated by studies by Dakota Wesleyan, was that a wetland be set up. That wetland would filter sediment, be a nursery for fish (perhaps lessening the need for stocking) and provide habitat for waterfowl. The plants would use the nutrients thereby, in layman’s terms, “cleaning” the lake. A proper wetland slows down upstream animal waste, allowing it to breakdown and be filtered before entering the lake.
On the campaign trail, I suggested all that as well as reintroducing native grasses to help the filtration process. I also advocated for dredging and draining the lake in order to get ride of a hundred years of sentiment and whatever else might be at the bottom of the lake. Draining and dredging would allow for the gabions to be repaired and refitted along with any other necessary shoreline repairs.
When I suggested all this at the doorstep as I campaigned, I was met with stony stares and comments along the line of “The Lake is impossible to access and unhealthy to use. It’s a playground for the rich and snooty of Mitchell. Let those around the lake, who use it as their private playground, clean it up and bear the expense.” Many citizens told me after the election my stance on the lake was why they voted for someone else.
Lake Mitchell is a public lake. Recently a former City Councilman who lives in the Lake Mitchell neighborhood suggested charging the public $5 to access the lake. That is akin to charging people to use Hitchcock Park. If such a fee for the public were to be introduced then substantially higher yearly fees for those who actually live around the lake would also be appropriate. My sense is the lake is public amenity and a public responsibility. What must be done to clean it up simply must be done and done in such a way that it stays done for a significant period of time. It will be time consuming, inconvenient, a temporary eyesore, expensive and to do it right it must be done along the lines that I suggested in 2018. The City Council and the Mayor have taken and are taking steps to implement much of my agenda and the solutions that I first laid out back in 2018.
I told you so.