The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources has thrown a wrench into an ongoing recall effort against the mayor of Baltic, a city of just over 1,000 residents that sits 10 miles north of Sioux Falls.
On April 21, the state agency handed down an initial ruling that found Grant Park Capital, LLC, the company behind two housing developments in Baltic, had run astray of state laws on stormwater runoff and erosion prevention at its Phillips Crossing Addition development on the east side of town.
“Our client has deep roots in Baltic,” said Lee Schoenbeck, whose law firm, Schoenbeck and Erickson, PC, represents Grant Park Capital. “They don’t want to do anything harmful to any waterway in Baltic, and this is going to get fixed quickly.”
Grant Park Capital, a development company backed by seed magnate Brian Hefty and headed by Mike Wendland, a former Baltic mayor, is not involved in the recall effort.
However, many of the complaints brought by South Dakotans for Transparent Government, the political action committee leading the recall signature drive, center around one question: Was the suspension of new building permits in the development in July 2022 by the Baltic Planning and Zoning Commission a reasonable step to reign in poor erosion control or part of a personal vendetta by Mayor Deborah McIsaac that’s hurting the growth of Baltic?
The recall petition specifically hits McIsaac for “failing to present public information in a true and correct manner to members of the public” on issues related to Grant Park Capital.
But, according to a DANR document obtained by Forum News Service, the concerns of McIsaac and the planning and zoning commission appear to have some grounding.
“I guess the word was finally,” McIsaac said of her reaction to the initial ruling by the department. “Until then, they could say we were just being bullies, we were picking on them. But this legitimized our concerns, which we appreciate as leadership.”
DANR letter comes at critical point in recall
While South Dakotans for Transparent Government references other alleged misconduct, much of the evidence thus far made public — compiled on a website dedicated to the recall — is related to the fallout from a legal back-and-forth between the city and Grant Park Capital.
For example, the recall petition and website partially blame McIsaac’s supposed mistreatment of Grant Park Capital for the 13% increase in property valuations in Baltic, which fell short of a 15% expected increase.
McIsaac finds the accusations misguided, noting she has no power that goes unchecked by her city council. She created an opposing website to “debunk” the claims in the petition.
The dispute traces back to a July 27, 2022 decision by the Baltic Planning and Zoning Commission to suspend the issuance of new building permits in the development over a lack of compliance with soil, erosion and stormwater flow mitigation measures. Members of the commission are appointed by McIsaac with the consent of the Baltic City Council.
Source: mitchellrepublic.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-zms
Categories: South Dakota, Sustainable Agriculture