Whitney: Will Huether's veto hurt him?

While deciding whether to issue his first veto as mayor, one that would put a $25 million city administration building back on track and run counter to the wishes of a majority of the city council, Mike Huether did some soul-searching.

He searched out the three souls who stood with him when the council voted last week to repeal the bonding ordinance by a 5-3 margin, putting the fate of the project in the mayor’s hands.

In meeting with councilors Rick Kiley, Michelle Erpenbach and Rex Rolfing, Huether determined to his satisfaction that they stood firm, ensuring that the necessary six votes to override his veto – the first by a Sioux Falls mayor since 2008 and perhaps the most significant in city history – were out of reach.

“I wanted to play it smart and make sure that they were in it as much as I am,” Huether told me following Wednesday’s press conference at City Hall. “It was certainly up to them, but I’m as confident now as I’ve ever been, and that gave me the confidence to make the decision.”

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There were tense moments as Huether battled a newly spirited city council to keep the 79,000 square-foot office building on track. He fought off claims that he and his staff recklessly surged forward on the bond ordinance without fully exploring other sites and possible county collaboration.

“You don’t sleep as much,” Huether said of his decision to spurn a council majority and avoid delays that could have pushed the project beyond his mayoral term, taking it out of his hands and also his resume. “You become a little crankier at home.”

He mentioned his wife, Cindy, bearing the brunt of his stress and holding up like a saint. He described trying to channel his energy with grueling morning runs as he prepares for a half marathon.

Huether: 'Timing is right' for new city admin building; vetoes council

But let’s be honest here: As soon as the mayor found out he had enough votes to avoid an embarrassing override, it was full steam ahead. His mind was made up.

As with earlier landmark efforts such as the events center, indoor pool and railyard acquisition, he leaned on the fact that earlier administrations had faced these issues and failed to address them, and the buck would stop here.

Dave Munson, his predecessor, spoke of a “space crunch” at City Hall as far back as 2003, when the city explored a possible partnership with the school district to meet office needs. In Munson’s second term, there was talk of acquiring downtown property, including the current First Dakota National Bank building directly east of City Hall, but no deal was struck.

“There were missed opportunities and maybe better locations,” said Huether, who downplayed space needs himself until an administration building reached the top of his priority list. “In 2007 there was already visionary thinking about this downtown government corridor. They got a parking lot built but ultimately didn’t get the building done.”

Huether points to 1,228 full-time employees in a city that expands between 3,000 to 4,000 residents a year, noting that downtown buildings City Hall, Carnegie Town Hall and the North Annex run at capacity, while the city leases the South Annex space on Dakota Avenue at an annual cost of $120,000.

“This isn’t a five-year decision; this is easily a 100-year decision,” he said, mentioning that City Hall opened in 1935. “I’m going to be dead and buried, and this investment will serve our citizens long after I’m gone.”

Critics claim more information is needed on what city government will look like decades from now and how added space can be utilized. Some see selfish motives in Huether’s desire to build a three-story edifice at Eighth Street and Dakota Avenue without more detailed analysis.

“This is typical Mike being pigheaded and doing what he wants to do,” said downtown business owner and political consultant Steve Hildebrand, an outspoken critic of the bond ordinance. “It’s another deal where he wants his name on the building to say he got things done, but they haven’t looked closely at what city government expansion will look like.”

Hildebrand, who assisted with Huether’s first mayoral campaign before going separate ways with his former South Dakota State University classmate, doesn’t see much hope for a ballot initiative on the issue and won’t be involved in such an effort.

“I have my hands full,” he said. “I’m fine with letting the mayor deal with this very unpopular issue.”

First-year city councilors Theresa Stehly and Greg Neitzert, staunch supporters of the bond ordinance repeal, attended Wednesday’s press conference and sat directly in front of Huether’s podium. During questions and answers, Stehly broached the subject of why the events center and indoor pool received some form of public vote while the administration building has not.

“In my mind, councilor, we are elected to serve,” Huether responded. “We are elected to make tough decisions and get things done. I value the citizens’ right to vote, but to me we are shirking our responsibility if every time there’s a tough decision to be made we say, ‘Let’s put this on their shoulders rather than ours.’”

That’s either a heavy-handed endorsement of representative democracy or a sloppy dismissal of grass-roots politics in a state known for petition drives. The general idea is that elected officials make important decisions and then suffer consequences the next election if they screw things up.

Huether’s critics suggest that any political aspirations he has after leaving City Hall in 2018 will be shadowed by Wednesday’s veto, adding a tax-and-spend albatross to more traditional obstacles for the Democrat and former bank executive from Sioux Falls.

The mayor got a little worked up when I mentioned that angle, as he’s known to do.

“Anyone who does this public service thing based on politics or partisanship with an eye toward the next election, shame on them,” he said. “The sad thing is that there are a number of examples of people serving with that in mind. I’m in this to do what’s right for the citizens, and I’ve been pretty consistent in that. I learn from them and then bust my butt for them and do the right thing, not the politically expedient thing. That stuff just absolutely drives me nuts.”

With no public vote on the administration building and Huether not able to run for re-election, the people of Sioux Falls are limited in their ability to choose sides in what Hildebrand calls “a big bureaucratic expansion of city government.” That’s a crafty move by the executive branch.

My guess is that those who supported Huether before will consider the chronic near-misses of previous administrations and praise him for walking the walk. Those who find him egotistical and overbearing will vent their frustration with the sinking realization that he got the better of them once again.

Argus Leader Media city columnist Stu Whitney can be reached at swhitney@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter @stuwhitney