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Bring Back Sidney, Sidney, NE (2026)

09/03/2026

UPDATE
So the comment I referenced in this post has been taken down. I had an amazing conversation with the person who made the comment. I understand why the comment was made, but there are other ways to go about it, and we both agreed. It was an amazing conversation. I thank this person for reaching out and explaining. Outstanding.
Original post
So, a person posted the salaries of our dedicated physicians. So disrespectful to dedicated community servants. In the post, this person said doctors should give up some of their money for EMS. In other words, they make too much. Let me, as the father who lost a very loving, dedicated son/surgeon, stand up for our doctors. Forgive me, I can't let this go. You need to know the full truth.

My son Matthew attended Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, graduating with top honors. It was expensive, very, very expensive. This was after 4 years at Pennsylvania State College. It left him with hundreds of thousands in debt. Close to 1 million. Then he went on to serve his surgical residency at St. Luke's University Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. He also worked surgical rotations from Philadelphia to Baltimore. He told me his Children's burn hospital rotation was the toughest. So much learning. He told me one time he was in grade 25. His average work week was 86 hours, which made his pay about $10 an hour. For 5 years, he did this, averaging below minimum wage, as a doctor. He learned all kinds of surgeries. Saving countless lives. For $10 an hour.

When he came to Sidney in 2015, he finally started to make some money. Residency was done! Then came more studying. Passing his surgical boards. More and more studying. Studying never ends for a doctor. New medications, surgical procedures, constant learning, updates. All that training cost money. Then the insurance and constant worry: if you make one mistake, a person could die. You are not allowed a mistake, and you can't; it is a life. Go read the outpouring of love from this community, from Sidney, for my son when he passed away. Sidney is amazing.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=196818719793181&set=pb.100083951631774.-2207520000&type=3 It was that outpouring of love that convinced me that Sidney has amazing people here. It is why I love Sidney and why I stay.

Read the 259 comments on the post I made about my son. Some are from people whose lives he saved here in Sidney. Your neighbors. The private message I received from one mother whose son he saved in surgery, and then paid the cost when she couldn't. That is the quality of doctors we have in Sidney. They give much more than you think, and our doctors here in Sidney are some of the most caring you will find anywhere. I know; they saved my life. Just like our EMS professionals. They are ALL worth much more. I wish everyone in the medical field made more; the pressure they are under to not make a mistake is enormous. Everyone expects them to be perfect, all the time. I support them. You all should as well.

Please stop trying to cause needless resentment. What is your goal? To drive our good doctors away? You have no clue what it costs, nor the sacrifices doctors and everyone in the medical field, for that matter, make to learn their trade, and no clue what they quietly give back because they love people. This also applies to EMS, nurses, and countless others in the medical field. I have seen the dedication. Yes, many doctors and professionals make a lot of money. They have worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get there. Then, they keep on giving. So did Cabela's executives. Shall we bully all of them? The CEO of the ASPCA, who takes care of forgotten animals, makes $1.2 million a year. Should we all go bullying him as well? Shall we do more bullying so no one wants to live here? This comment was outrageous. We are better than this.

09/01/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
Time for solutions.
In June, our EMS was in some financial trouble. Losing money. They came to both the city council and county commissioners asking for help. Their answers..... Start a new taxing district. More taxes.

Well, it failed. Of course it did; we said it would. We told everyone from the beginning it would. People are tired and have a huge disdain for more taxes. How did we know? We listen to you. Your comments, your messages, and your emails. We listen to you.

Eric Pool said from the beginning that we don't need a taxing district. We have the money. Told everyone where the money is in the city accounts. We know; we read the budgets almost daily. After it failed, the council voted 5 to 0 to approve the money, coming exactly from the account Eric Pool stated had the money. This was a waste of time and energy and generated a lot of needless hard feelings in our community. Friends, we almost had a new taxing district with more taxes when we didn't need one. WE DIDN'T NEED ONE. When you stay quiet, they raise your taxes because that is the only solution many here know. More taxes.

Eric is a worker. He works for the people. For the past 2 days, Eric has been in Grand Island, NE. He had a personal meeting with Mike Hilgers, our Nebraska Attorney General. Expressing the concerns of you, the residents, directly to our Attorney General and his staff. Eric gets things done, and this is why I support him. More on those meetings in future posts.

On the 11th of September, we are going to have a campaign meeting at the Sidney Fine Arts Center. This is for those who can help with Eric's campaign, and we need more people. We need your help. So much to do in this upcoming election. This is the time America shines. Elections of ideas. Eric has new ideas and will take your ideas and make them solutions. Community solutions.

On September 25th and October 9th, we will have community meetings at the Sidney Fine Art Center. Bring your questions. Let's work together for answers. Bring your dreams, thoughts, and ideas for improving our community. Time to listen and work together. Time to elect Eric so he can get it done. This is our only opportunity for 2 more years.

Don't wait and watch Sidney decline for another 2 years. Join us. Help us. Don't worry about bullies and defamatory statements. That is all going to end. Together, let's move our community forward and fix our taxes. Please like and share this message. Help all of Sidney hear it.

08/31/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
Let's talk about blocking. I am a Christian. I do not allow profanity on Bring Back Sidney. Facebook gives all pages a “profanity filter.” We have it turned on. We have a spam filter turned on. We do not allow anonymous posters. We do not allow defamatory personal attacks. This is a Meta/ Facebook policy for having a public page. Here they are. We follow it.

https://transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/bullying-harassment/

https://transparency.meta.com/policies/ad-standards/objectionable-content/profanity/

Public figures and their policies are open to criticism and discussion as allowed by Federal Law and Facebook rules. That is criticism, not vile personal attacks, which is defamation. Huge legal difference. You can see the difference here. https://changecheyenne.com/images/PDF/Legal_Criticism_v_Defamation.jpg

In the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court held that the public can criticize public officeholders at a higher level than private citizens and not be held for defamation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._Sullivan

Entering public office is a choice. Count on watchdog and media pages posting information that some elected officials do not want the public to see. We track your tax dollars. We show you. Residents have a right to know where their tax dollars are going. It is Federal Law.

Blocking
We have almost 900 posts. I have blocked 42 people in 4 years. Mostly for vile, personal, defamatory attacks against BBS commentators. I have not blocked ½ of Sidney, as claimed by other pages that never post facts or the law, nor follow social media rules about defamatory attacks. If we had blocked ½ of Sidney, that would be over 3,000 people. Absurd, untrue, and defamatory comment.

If, as a community, you are concerned with blocking, visit the City of Sidney page. That is a public page, your page, yet they don't allow ANY comments. How about the Sidney Police Department? They don't allow ANY comments on our public page either. As government pages, they are subject to the 1st Amendment. So if someone makes a comment, BY LAW, they can not delete it or block anyone unless they incite violence, harass, etc. So they turn off ALL comments so as not to deal with disrespectful commentators. Why is BBS different? If you are truly concerned with being blocked, go argue with the city pages. They block everyone, all the time. We understand blocking some here in Sidney. Just read the vile comments and personal attacks. Is that the Sidney anyone one of us wants?

The city blocks all. The PD blocks all. Go look at the city pages. You will see this... “City of Sidney Nebraska - Local Government limited who can comment on this post. “
https://www.facebook.com/sidneypolice
https://www.facebook.com/CityOfSidney
We block only those who violate META/ Facebook rules, and it is not half of Sidney. Ridiculous.

Tomorrow we are going back to post more numbers, have more discussions, and hopefully show more residents what is happening with their money, so they can make informed decisions about their future. Pages that don't follow rules will try to intimidate and will post attacks. Welcome to Sidney. Just the way it is...for now. Have a great day, everyone.

08/29/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
Wednesday, my granddaughter came into our home and said, “Papa, can you make this for the Farmers Market?” Of course....LOL. She wanted a shelf unit to hold more of her baked goodies. Growing her business. Out to the woodshop I went. I did it the next day. She excitedly told me how she and another vendor are going up to the Scottsbluff show as well.

That is our Farmers Market here in Hickory Square. Business startups, friends, and families, selling some homemade treasures to those in our community. Truly a community event.

If you have some time this morning, go visit them. Have a chat while munching on some homemade baked goodies. Last week we scored some amazing produce as well. We also scored a sourdough, parmesan, basil bread from another vendor that is divine when toasted with fresh butter. Going to try to score some more this morning.

This week my granddaughter said she is trying some new items. Learning how to bake for her customers. She is learning and building her Sidney business. That is our Farmers Market. Go visit your neighbors, have a chat, score some goodness, and try the Peach Smoothie from Beans and Stems as you leave. I recommend that for sure. Have a great weekend, everyone.

08/28/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
We hope you all enjoyed the eclipse last night. What a beautiful night for it.

We have made 890 posts. Numbers, statistics, and thousands of hours of research, talking to state and local officials. We need to come together as a community and debate the issues without anonymous accounts using threats and vile language to shut conversation down. Your U.S. Constitutional rights are important to us. They need to be protected.

September 11th at 6 pm. We are going to have a campaign meeting at the Sidney Fine Arts Center to talk about helping get Eric Pool elected to the Sidney City Council in November. We need your help. We need your support. We need your voice. We need change.

September 25th and October 9th, we will hold community meetings at the Sidney Fine Arts Center where you can meet Eric Pool, ask any questions, and share your concerns. Let's bring leadership and residents closer together with communication. Work with Eric and other members of our community for common-ground answers. Please join us. If we need more meetings, we will schedule them.

Late last night, Eric sent me this candidate statement. I would like to share this with everyone this morning.

Eric Pool
I’m running for City Council because our community deserves a government that puts people first. I believe lowering spending to reduce property taxes is essential to keeping Sidney affordable for families, homeowners, and local businesses. Fiscal responsibility isn’t just a talking point — it’s a commitment to protecting taxpayers and ensuring our city lives within its means.

Transparency and accountability are equally important. Citizens should always know how decisions are made, where money is spent, and who is responsible. Government should never drown out the voices of the people it serves.

With 35 years of business management experience, along with the education and training that shaped my career, I know how to streamline operations, eliminate waste, and improve efficiency. I’ve spent decades solving problems, managing budgets, and leading teams — skills I’m ready to apply to local government.

My goal is simple: a city government that listens, responds, and respects the people of Sidney. Your voice matters, and I’m committed to making sure it’s heard. Thank you.

Come meet Eric. Help get Eric elected. Open back room doors, and share your thoughts without fear. This is our only chance for the next 2 years. Do you want to wait another 2 years? It will take all of us. Let's get it done. BBS will continue to post the numbers, truth, and transparency, but we have only 1 vote. We need your help. Have a great weekend!

08/26/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
It is a good morning. Last night at the Sidney City Council meeting, Jason Petik, Director of Sidney Regional Medical Center presented the EMS problem to the council. It had to be solved. Everyone in Cheyenne County needs EMS Ambulance Service, especially SRMC, which provides Advanced Life Support. Everyone should watch the questions and answers; it begins at 5 minutes into the meeting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17j_NlKa4FA&t=590s

No raise in taxes. No hospital taxing district! The money was there in the city budget, as we said in previous posts. It was there! The great thing is we all came together and found solutions. A very special thank you to Jason Petik and Shannon Odiet for presenting their thoughtful and professional solutions to the EMS problem we all face.

Could we do better? Yes, as Jason says in the meeting, we all need to keep working to find the best and fairest solutions for everyone, no matter where you live within Cheyenne County. Sidney EMS responds to 100% of the calls anywhere in the county. 80% of the time, they transport back to SRMC, so other EMS can stay in their community. That is EMS working together.

Last night, one councilman said, “so they want to use the service but not pay for it” when referring to county residents. That is not true. Everyone in the county is paying for the service now, and has been for the last few years. We also understand outside areas of the county that have their own EMS not wanting to pay more.

So what is fair?
You know us.....LOL. We like numbers. So let's look at the numbers.
Under this plan, which the County Commissioners still have to approve, the funds will be divided like this.

$300,000 from Sidney Regional
$300,000 from City of Sidney
$300,000 from Cheyenne County

What everyone needs to remember is that residents of Sidney also pay Cheyenne County taxes. No matter where you live, we all pay Cheyenne County taxes. So the actual breakdown is this.

Population
Cheyenne County- 9,518
Sidney- 6,432

68% of Cheyenne County lives in Sidney, and 68% of Cheyenne County taxes are paid by Sidney residents. This is also why we have said for 4 years that everyone needs to pay attention to Commissioner elections.

So, of the $600,000 that will come from the combined City of Sidney and Cheyenne County payments. Residents of Sidney will actually be paying $300,000 from the city and then 68% of the $300,000 from the County, for a total of $504,000. Residents living outside Sidney will be paying $96,000. 84% of SRMC EMS will come from Sidney residents, and 16% will come from other communities. The important point is that this money will come from the current budget. There is no hospital taxing district or tax increase under this plan, and we will all have EMS.

This still has to be approved by the Commissioners. The money was there. We didn't need a Hospital Taxing District. Too often, as a community, we run to tax increases to solve problems. There are other solutions, and this time, hopefully, we have found one. Have a great day, and thank you for sharing and liking our posts. Helping Cheyenne County hear other solutions.

08/25/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
In 2020, the City of Sidney paid for a 64-page report, which I have referenced multiple times on this page over the years. Link below. On page 21, this report shows a projected annual growth rate in Sidney of 0.15%. This was the lowest of 3 scenarios. It stated that the household population of Sidney should be 6,783 by 2025. Today our population is 6,432. Well below the lowest growth prediction. We have grown by maybe 29 residents in 6 years, even after COVID, which brought more people here from larger cities.

Our growth rate since 2020 is actually 0.11%. 27% lower than predicted in the 2020 lowest scenario. The report said on page 30 that between 2020 and 2030 we need to build at least 60 new homes to stay even in the economy. That is 6 new homes a year. According to the report, today we should have 36 new homes. We built almost 7 in the last 6 years. Bryan Slone came here in 2023 and said we need 200 new homes, remember? Link below.

With no population growth, every new business competes for the same customers as the older, established businesses because we have no population growth and no new customers. As one business comes, one goes out of business, which is what we have seen happen here for the last 6 years in our downtown. They compete for the same small pool of customers. Adding more businesses has not worked to save Sidney. Current economic conditions do not support adding more businesses.

Normal growth of a U.S. City is 1%-3% per year. We are at 0.11%. Far below normal. Some population growth is needed to bring in more residents paying taxes to counter inflation. We don't have that, so the city and county raise our taxes to counter inflation, which removes money from the local residents, which in turn takes away sales from local businesses. Businesses suffer, and our sales tax revenue declines. That is happening in Sidney right now, and no one is fixing it.

Solutions....
So this leaves us with 2 choices.
1. Try to grow our population back to what it was in 1960, when Sidney and Cheyenne County were thriving. I showed this in a post on January 6th. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=911052701703109&set=pb.100083951631774.-2207520000&type=3
Sidney's population in 1960 was 8,004
Cheyenne County's total population in 1960 was 14,828

2. Reduce the size and cost of government to meet our lower population today. Government is too large for our current population; we spend more today at a lower population than we did in prior years. We spend too much money. Cuts need to be made to bring tax relief to residents; if not, more will leave.

For 4 years, this page has been showing numbers from our city, county, and state. Showing the problems, providing solutions other than grants. Grants don't solve large economic problems which we face in Sidney. Our goal is to BRING BACK SIDNEY closer to where we were in 1960, fixing our taxes, and growing a little to pay for services. Easing burdens on residents and making Sidney a place people want to move to, not from. So, yes, we talk about taxes. You should be as well. That is the solution. More coming.

City Report
https://changecheyenne.com/images/PDF/Sidney%20Downtown%20Master%20Plan_1.pdf

Bryan Slone
https://panhandle.newschannelnebraska.com/story/49046523/discussing-economic-challenges-and-answers?fbclid=IwY2xjawT5HbpwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMXNESFhkdU9ORm10cXo5NXNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEejuCVYlpohHEVn8palk9iTmcnHTNvA53_hQWBdQJT3tq0-4K1FposzS7Y4e4_aem_fhg5X3nrH4rAZVG_hFxrXg

08/21/2026

Good Morning Sidney and Cheyenne County,
This week I posted a graph about sales tax revenue declines and commented my opinion on the University of Nebraska coming to Sidney. That pushed some buttons around Sidney because on another page they proceeded to personally attack me. Vile, hate-filled attacks, “liked” by other community people. Bullies of the worst kind; some work for the city, sad that is even allowed.

What this anonymous person did was to follow a type of attack called “Argumentum ad hominem”. I will put a link below so you can see exactly how this type of argument is used today by internet thugs to shut down community conversations. Google it. Learn about it. It is very destructive to the fabric of a community, and it rages here in Sidney. It rages. The goal is to be as vile as possible and scare off good people from commenting. Shut down all conversation on a subject.
https://changecheyenne.com/images/PDF/ScreenArgumentum.jpg

After reading that link, you will see exactly what the person was doing. Attacking me instead of the post and numbers I presented. They can't attack the numbers because it is from the city and state of Nebraska. So let's look at what they did say.

First, my correct name is JANSEN. Please write it down. Second, I have never called the police on anyone who spoke before, after, during, or about anything to do with our community. Very easy to check. Police records are public records. Just go to the police department and ask if David Jansen has ever called the police on anyone. Easy to find out. Truthful investigation, but that is not how “ad hominem” works. Truth is not important.

Third, there is the continuing false statement that I don't pay taxes in the city. Everyone, please go to Gwork https://cheyenne.gworks.com/ Type in David Jansen to see that I pay full taxes every year since 2017 on the Art Center and continue to do so. Easy to check. Another lie used in an “ad hominem” attack. Just go learn the truth.

How about I used my building illegally for my nonprofit. More lies. I own 2 companies. One does for-profit work and one does charity work. Because some wonderful people in Sidney absolutely hate us, we have been thoroughly investigated and completely cleared by the State of Nebraska. Everything we do is legal. But they don't want that narrative out there; they want to continue the lie because that is how “ad hominem” works....lies.

The entire post was to be as vile and hate-filled as possible. That is how it works. So vile as to shut down and scare off people from asking questions and saying what they think. They don't want it to happen to them. There is a concern, though. Our children learn these types of attacks. Sadly, they then bully others in schools and in our community. There have been many very sad events in Sidney because of bullies with our children. It is time to stop. It is time for everyone to learn how to debate with actual facts and remember we are one community and everyone has a right to an opinion. We are neighbors.

Next week we are going to look further into our local economy. With actual numbers and facts and we hope everyone joins us in the debate. Truthful debate and no hate. Don't let bullies shut down your voice. I never do. Have a great weekend.

Bring Back Sidney

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