OUR VIEW" Week in review: The best, worst

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CHEERS to the way in which the Mitchell City Council handled its decision on the hiring of a labor attorney to manage city government’s dealings with its employee unions. Some council members questioned whether the city needs to hire and pay a labor expert, given that the city already pays a full-time wage to a local city attorney. Other council members said labor issues can be so complex that they require a specialist’s touch. In the end, the council voted to hire the labor lawyer. We don’t know if it was the right decision, but we’re glad our council members are engaged enough to question the situation and debate it openly. In the end, that’s perhaps more important than the decision itself. As long as our council members are thinking critically and conversing openly, we’re confident they’ll make the right decisions most of the time.

CHEERS again to all those who have aided in the response to the catastrophic flooding that has stricken South Dakota of late. Mother Nature may have shown why South Dakota can be a tough place to live, but our people have shown why South Dakota can be a great place to live.

CHEERS to the Police Division of the Mitchell Department of Public Safety for its quick arrests of three people allegedly involved in the recent vandalism at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village. Vandals, because of the nature of their crimes, often go unapprehended. So it’s nice to see that justice might be served in this case and other vandals might be discouraged from committing similar crimes.

HISSES to Mother Nature. At this point, as the rains seem to come every day, we’re at a loss to say much more than that. Hopefully, we can catch a break and some extended sunshine.

CHEERS to Innovative Systems, the Mitchell telecommunications company that announced last week it will expand its building by 30,000 square feet and add 30 employees. Mitchell is lucky to have the kinds of jobs that Innovative Systems and similar companies such as CHR Solutions and Vantage Point provide. The addition of more such jobs is a good thing for Mitchell’s economy and quality of life.

HISSES to the much higher gas prices in Mitchell and elsewhere in the state in comparison to Sioux Falls. As of Friday, the average gas price in Mitchell, $3.683, was about 22 cents higher than the average price in Sioux Falls. As is typical with gas prices, the explanation for the gap is vague and makes us somewhat skeptical. Mark Madeja, spokesman for AAA, attributes the difference to Sioux Falls’ closer proximity to gasoline pipelines. It’s expensive, he said, to haul gasoline from those pipelines to places such as Mitchell. That sounds logical, but can it actually account for a 22-cent difference in prices? Can the act of trucking some gas from Sioux Falls to Mitchell, a mere hour’s drive, justify a 22-cent increase? We’re not so sure. We have no evidence or even suspicion of wrongdoing, either. We’re just tired of high gas prices.

Tags: opinion, editorial