Rapid City Mayor campaign might just be a long and hard fought election

The Rapid City Mayoral Race continues to heat up as this year's hot political race for the 2007 municipal and school elections. Today in the Rapid City Journal, one columnist is not terribly kind to the sitting mayor as he paints him as a chronic backstabber:
It’s a good thing Mayor Jim Shaw and the city council got benches back up at some of the Rapid Ride stops. Now, Rapid City citizens can sit comfortably while watching the mayor and some aldermen throw people under the bus.

First to wear the Shaw steel belted tread design is shrewd political confidante and Ward 1 Alderman Mike Schumacher. Schumacher told the press he had contracted with Shaw supporter Doug Hamilton to run Shaw’s campaign for a big hairy wad of money. Schumacher, who had long supported Ward 2 Alderman Sam Kooiker, was widely criticized for being a turncoat for sale to the highest bidder. Shaw’s response: Doug who? Mike who?

EnVision Design of Rapid City, designer of the embattled civic center expansion, has the best view of the underside of Shaw’s campaign bus. They have skid marks caused by civic center bids that came in millions higher than estimates.
Read it all here in an article which paints the mayor in not such a favorable light. intimating that he either knew about cost overruns and didn't tell anybody, or that his staff is running the show, keeping him in the dark.

This one is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Shaw shouldn't even run again. He stands no chance of winning. He has 10 times the problems that Dave Munson in Sioux Falls has and 1/10th the personality.
Anonymous said…
At this point it appears that Johnson, Kooiker and Hanks will come in ahead of Shaw.
Anonymous said…
I'm curious as to how one measures Dave Munson's problems & his personality. They both seem difiicult to quatify (if you can find them)- lol
Anonymous said…
How sad that Rapid City can't come up with some decent candidates to be the Mayor of SD's second largest city?

Shaw will always be haunted by the Iowa State Fair issue

Kooiker just doesn't have the vision and is just about as narrow minded as they come

Hanks probably has the best shot and isn't a bad guy, but I think he has a tendancy to be driven by personal agenda rather than what's best for the group as a whole

I don't even know the others who have talked about or entered the race - guess there's not a lot of name recognition there, which pretty much says it all for them.

Rapid's city government needs a breath of fresh air. I know there are some good people living in town who would make great candidates. I wish they would get interested in the process.

But as we all know, it's often a thankless job.
Anonymous said…
I think we should be open to the possibility of Tom Johnson as Mayor. He has the leadership qualities and, let's not forget, he was the acting Mayor during one of Rapid City's most trying times, the Ellsworth AFB Closure process. He handled things very well for the city then, and can do it for real when he is elected.
Anonymous said…
Tom Johnson,,, as Mayor? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,

Tom Has beat up and opposed every single good thing that has happened in Rapid City, He brought forward the sales tax increase (tax on food) then fought and won, to have it be a bank for developers, so our taxes went up so the city could lend money to developers, hahahahaha

yaaaaaa right,,,,,,this is gonna be a fun election for me,,,I'm gonna write about 10 letters to the editor about his garbage.

He opposed wal-mart.
he opposed restrictions on the strip bars on Rapid City.

Listen to the meetings of him "acting" as Mayor, he called people out of order that had signed up to speak about anything, on or off of the adjenda, and would not let them talk. He defended buying a building for a million dollars, the city later sold for less than 300 thousand, he is a joke as an alderman and will be a disaster as Mayor.

so anon 11:19 what exactly did Tom Johnson "handle well"
Anonymous said…
7:18 PM -- I think all of Rapid City is glad you are not on the Council, you sound very bitter. Tom Johnson was the point man during the EAFB process. He was the City's representative as they prepared Plan B. He was working with Box Elder, Pennington County, and the State. Where were you?
Anonymous said…
12:36 am

Point man ???? hahahahahaha you musta been sleepin,,,,hahahaha

Frankly, I think Rapid city deserves a looser for mayor. In fact I hope ward 5 re-elects that looser Hurlbut also. You remind me of a looser, I hope your running.

Johnson opposed letting the school district build a bus barn on its property on hwy 79, tried to kill the project, would have cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, he almost succeded. what a looser.
Anonymous said…
As a councilperson, he is better than some of the people we have had recently. Just look at what Ward 5 has had to endure: Partridge, Kriebel, Hurlbut, Bush, etc. I think Johnson will make a fine Mayor, but if you have someone you support, please, by all means, tout them.
Anonymous said…
"tommy boy" Johnson opposed putting in a crossing light at range road and soo san drive where dozens of our children cross a dangerous intersection, because it wasnt in "his ward", but, he fought for a $150,000 dollar full blown traffic light on cathedral drive so one guy in a wheel chair could cross cathedral drive. I bet all those parents are gonna vote for good ole tommy boy, after all, he did save Ellsworth.

geez, the city could have bought the guy his own van and paid somebody to drive the guy across the street for alot less money.

I can trade punches over tommy boy johnson all nite dude, oops u r tom arent you?? are you allowed to play on the computer at safeway ??
Anonymous said…
psssst anon 1:07

you forgot to mention, dreyer, meisner, cornella, catron, chapman
Anonymous said…
Wouldn't the unmentioned names be handled by the "etc."?
Anonymous said…
just seemed unfair to not mentionem all,,,like todays front page of the rapid city journal,,,8 running for mayor and only 5 pictures,,,
Anonymous said…
Having a picture for an article shouldn't be solely up to the newspaper, the candidate has to bear some responsibility for getting their name (and face) in front of the people.
Anonymous said…
anon 12:36

How can facts be bitter ?

If you know any of the statements are not true, I would be glad to see the evidence.
Anonymous said…
No, no, please don't misunderstand. Your warped spin on facts could all be discerned as true, but so could a lot of things that come up in campaigns. Just because someone can squint and wiggle their way to the truth, doesn't mean its accurate, nor relevant. I remember that there was some debate as to attendance in a campaign a few years ago and both sides claimed that they were right. Were they? Maybe. Was it fair, no.
Anonymous said…
anon 2:35 pm

You are trying to defend a current candidate with the records of people long gone, Partridge, Kriebel, Bush. I guess it was nice of you to include Hurlbut in that group, hahaha. Maybe he will be gone like the first 3.

Lets get back on track, What did Johnson "handle well"?
Anonymous said…
anon 2:05 pm is schumacher, truth is relative to him, just like friendships.
Anonymous said…
Who is this hahahahahahahahaha guy? Personally, I don't find any of this funny. Sounds like someone with a vendetta. Sad. Very sad.
Anonymous said…
Good job 12:59!
Anonymous said…
hahaha, lets get back on track, anon 11:19 am said,

"He handled things very well for the city then"

What things did Tom Johnson handle well?

was the public treated well?, no
were the meetings shorter?, no
has he voted to raise taxes?, yes
did he oppose the majority in Rapid city with his stance on wal-mart?, yes (facts)

All you anon wimps must have attended Schumachers campaign school, never answer any questions directly with facts, always give a twisted phsyco philosophical babelized answer. But I guess when the facts are not on your side that is your only option, hahahahahahahahahahaha

Johnson is a terrible councilman and will be worse as mayor.(opinion)
Anonymous said…
Facts are stubborn things. Were the meetings shorter? Yes. (fact) The average meeting with TJ at the helm ended at 11:07. Two of the three meeting immediately following lasted until after midnight. Were the people treated well? Yes. (No matter what you say, this is an opinion, your's and mine) Remember, it isn't just the one person who is trying to dominate a meeting by speaking on every issue, you also have to consider the people in the audience waiting to be heard. Did he oppose the majority with his stance on Wal-Mart? No. (fact) He was consistent when he said his opposition was to the LOCATION, not the store. Was he at every meeting, serving the people of Rapid City diligently? Yes. Was he a voice for the people during the Ellsworth Closure process? Yes. (fact) Did he work to create a revolving loan fund, rather than a giveaway? Yes. (fact) Looks like a few facts in there. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,,,
Anonymous said…
Johnson brought forward a tax increase on young families, with both parents working, kids in daycare, so the city could make loans to millionaire developers, and that is not a give away to you. You and I can laugh in here but Johnson will not be laughing on election day !!
hahahahaha
Anonymous said…
listen to the august 15 city clowncil meeting, set the player to 1 hr 21 minutes into the meeting and listen to Tom Johnson stop a citizen from speaking that had signed up to speak about anything, on or off the adjenda. At the beginning (5MIN 30SEC )of the meeting Johnson did not let these folks speak. He moved them without consent, then denied Mr Brendan the opportunity to talk about his issue.

FACT !!!! NOT MY OPINION
Anonymous said…
FACT #2 The location was on the ballot!!!

I say again Johnson opposed the majority in Rapid city by opposing wal-mart, at this location.

You must be one dumb lawyer Bob.
Anonymous said…
Sam Kooiker,,,as Mayor?
hahahahahahahahahahahahah,
Anonymous said…
well, its been fun. I guess your going to let this post slip into the archives without telling the world what Tom Johnson "handled well"

Take care folks, happy Easter.
Anonymous said…
Good night Lucy. Good night Ricky!

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