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SF Mayoral Candidates Clash On Investments

A candidate for Sioux Falls mayor takes issue with investments his competition made while in office. Greg Jamison says Mayor Mike Huether shouldn’t invest in projects while he’s acting mayor. Huether says he’s done nothing wrong.

Sioux Falls Mayoral candidate and current city council member Greg Jamison has an issue with the top city leader making personal investments while in office. He’s signed a pledge that, if he’s elected, he and his spouse won’t make investments that require approval from the city council or city employees. Jamison says that’s the best decision for Sioux Falls citizens.

"They need to know up front that they can and should trust their elected officials. This pledge puts it on paper that I’m willing to put my name on it that I will not be doing some of the things that the current mayor has been doing," Jamison says. "And any elected official shouldn’t be involved in these kinds of decisions when they have direct control over employees of the city."

Jamison says he isn’t accusing current Mayor Mike Huether of any impropriety. He says it just looks bad for the mayor to make business or real estate investments when he’s holding public office.

Huether balks at that claim. The mayor says he’s following the law. In December, he says he asked the city’s board of ethics – which is made up of members who are not city employees – to review recent investments. He says the board found no conflict of interest in his family’s financial decisions. Huether says he supports any leader making investments legally.

"They have every right to invest in a mutual fund, invest in a lake property or invest in anything they want. Now if they’re doing something illegally? Absolutely, they shouldn’t be allowed to do that," Huether says. "Just because you’re in public office doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have the same rights and responsibilities of everyone else in South Dakota."

Huether says the investment pledge is a distraction from real issues of the election that make a difference to people in Sioux Falls. Candidate Greg Jamison says it’s an attempt to preserve integrity in the mayor’s office.

Kealey Bultena grew up in South Dakota, where her grandparents took advantage of the state’s agriculture at nap time, tricking her into car rides to “go see cows.” Rarely did she stay awake long enough to see the livestock, but now she writes stories about the animals – and the legislature and education and much more. Kealey worked in television for four years while attending the University of South Dakota. She started interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting in September 2010 and accepted a position with television in 2011. Now Kealey is the radio news producer stationed in Sioux Falls. As a multi-media journalist, Kealey prides herself on the diversity of the stories she tells and the impact her work has on people across the state. Kealey is always searching for new ideas. Let her know of a great story! Find her on Facebook and twitter (@KealeySDPB).