An Interesting Evening

The council meeting was really interesting this evening.  And, as Jeff Vaught said, I’d probably be blogging about it.

First, he questioned the KSRA (Kansas State Rifle Assoc.) endorsements of certain challengers for city office.  He wanted to know what did that have to do with Shawnee?  Suffice it to say over the years there have been various items that have come up before council about the use of firearms.  And most recently about hunting within the city limits.  Also, a couple of years ago his ward mate attempted to introduce an ordinance that would allow for the confiscation of weapons if the mayor declared a state of emergency.  If my memory serves me, that got shot down (no pun intended) because it violated state law.

He also ranted and raved about Mike Egan, quoting from comments that Egan made at a 2009 council meeting.  Ironically, he wouldn’t be able to do that now, since we no longer have detailed minutes (he voted against them).  That is, unless we want to listen to the audio CD and then play transcriber ourselves.

He alleges that Egan was running a slate against the incumbents, and that Egan owned the KSRA and the KFL (Kansans for Life).  If that is the case, how come the KFL endorsed Sandifer?  

Then he proceeded to rant about me.  He said that I do not have a stake in Shawnee because I don’t have a tax receipt.  He admitted that the taxes were part of my rent but because I didn’t have a tax statement that made a difference.  That is the height of arrogant snobbishness.  History lesson Mr. Vaught…….there was a time when only white, male, landowners could vote in this country, but that got changed, over a period of time.  Would Vaught have us go backwards?  When property taxes go up, rents go up.  When franchise fees, sales taxes, etc. are levied, we pay them too.

Now, what stake does he have in this country?  Did he ever serve in the military?  Even in peace time?  Even in the guard or reserve, ready to go if necessary?  I personally did four years, including a year in Nam.  But let’s bring it to his generation.  He is 2 years/4 months older than my oldest son.  Now my oldest did his four years from ’88 to ’92, including Desert Storm (1/34^th Armor, 1^st Inf Division – The Big Red One).  Did Vaught serve, or was he one of those who let other people’s sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, serve in his stead?  Maybe we should make that a requirement to be able to vote?

If you have time, read the info below:

When the Constitution was written, only white male property owners (about 10 to 16 percent of the nation's population) had the vote. Over the past two centuries, though, the term "government by the people" has become a reality. During the early 1800s, states gradually dropped property requirements for voting. Later, groups that had been excluded previously gained the right to vote. Other reforms made the process fairer and easier.

1790

1790 Only white male adult property-owners have the right to vote.

1800

1810

1810 Last religious prerequisite for voting is eliminated.

1820

1840

1850 Property ownership and tax requirements eliminated by 1850. Almost all adult white males could vote.

1855 Connecticut adopts the nation's first literacy test for voting. Massachusetts follows suit in 1857. The tests were implemented to discriminate against Irish-Catholic immigrants.

1860

1870 The 15th Amendment is passed. It gives former slaves the right to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race.

1880

1889 Florida adopts a poll tax. Ten other southern states will implement poll taxes.

1890 Mississippi adopts a literacy test to keep African Americans from voting. Numerous other states—not just in the south—also establish literacy tests. However, the tests also exclude many whites from voting. To get around this, states add grandfather clauses that allow those who could vote before 1870, or their descendants, to vote regardless of literacy or tax qualifications.

1900

1910

1913 The 17th Amendment calls for members of the U.S. Senate to be elected directly by the people instead of State Legislatures.

1915 Oklahoma was the last state to append a grandfather clause to its literacy requirement (1910). In Guinn v. United States the Supreme Court rules that the clause is in conflict with the 15th Amendment, thereby outlawing literacy tests for federal elections.

1920

1920 The 19th Amendment guarantees women's suffrage.

1924 Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections.

1930

1940

1944 The Supreme Court outlaws "white primaries" in Smith v. Allwright (Texas). In Texas, and other states, primaries were conducted by private associations, which, by definion, could exclude whomever they chose. The Court declares the nomination process to be a public process bound by the terms of 15th Amendment.

1950

1957 The first law to implement the 15th amendment, the Civil Rights Act, is passed. The Act set up the Civil Rights Commission—among its duties is to investigate voter discrimination.

1960

1960 In Gomillion v. Lightfoot (Alabama) the Court outlaws "gerrymandering."

1961 The 23rd Amendment allows voters of the District of Columbia to participate in presidential elections.

1964 The 24th Amendment bans the poll tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections.

1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mounts a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, to draw national attention to African-American voting rights.

1965 The Voting Rights Act protects the rights of minority voters and eliminates voting barriers such as the literacy test. The Act is expanded and renewed in 1970, 1975, and 1982.

1966 The Supreme Court, in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, eliminates the poll tax as a qualification for voting in any election. A poll tax was still in use in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.

1966 The Court upholds the Voting Rights Act in South Carolina v. Katzenbach.

1970

1970 Literacy requirements are banned for five years by the 1970 renewal of the Voting Rights Act. At the time, eighteen states still have a literacy requirement in place. In Oregon v. Mitchell, the Court upholds the ban on literacy tests, which is made permanent in 1975. Judge Hugo Black, writing the court's opinion, cited the "long history of the discriminatory use of literacy tests to disenfranchise voters on account of their race" as the reason for their decision.

1971 The 26th amendment sets the minimum voting age at 18.

1972 In Dunn v. Blumstein, the Supreme Court declares that lengthy residence requirements for voting in state and local elections is unconstitutional and suggests that 30 days is an ample period.

1980

1990

1995 The Federal "Motor Voter Law" takes effect, making it easier to register to vote.

2000

2003 Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act requires states to streamline registration, voting, and other election procedures.

Ward IV Election....McAfee is a Breath of Fresh Air

Yep, Dylan McAfee is young.  He hasn't learned how to snow folks like the incumbent, Mickey Sandifer.

Anyway, without going into total detail today, I'll refer you to three recent posts in this blog.  Just scroll down to read them, and you'll see why Dylan McAfee would be a breath of fresh air for Ward IV on the Shawnee City Council.

"Sandifer Should Be Ashamed" 3/14/12



"Sandifer Gets an "F" in Understanding Property Taxes" 3/10/12


"Did Sandifer Stick His Foot in His Mouth?" 3/8/12

Who is Jim Neighbor Kidding?

Gee Jim, do you really think you can tap dance around and fool people?

In his ad that appeared in the hard copy of the Shawnee Dispatch 3/21/12 on page 7 he makes some statements in his bid to get votes:

"Jim Neighbor retired as a Captain with United Airlines after 34 years of flying.  He prepares for Council meetings with the same attention to detail as he did planning each flight."

How do we know that you are well prepared?  Because you say so?  Because a member of the community said that a few weeks ago (see my post Macheers Makes Sense, below).? We don't know how well prepared you are because you hardly ever say anything.  We very seldom know why you vote the way you do, because you do not express your opinions.  You function more like a wind up doll, casting a vote based on possibly what you've been told to do.  By the way, civility at council meetings does not mean keeping your mouth shut. 

Jim Neighbor has never missed a budget planning session or a council meeting vote on the budget or when tax dollars are spent.

It's nice to know that you get a perfect attendance award.  But it is obvious that you do not wish to publicize your voting record.  Why do you emphasize your attendance record rather than your voting record?  Is it because your voting record would be considered not to be in Shawnee's best interests?  Like voting for the CID at 10 Quivira Plaza?  Like voting to eliminate detailed meeting minutes?

Tell us, how do you feel about the way you were appointed to the council, rather than an election being called?  What about Cheryl Scott's delayed resignation?  What do you think about that?  And then, when there was no election scheduled, that it would appear you were not the best qualified to be appointed? 

Folks in Ward 1, please strongly consider Charles Macheers over Jim Neighbor on election day, April 3, 2012.

Is Dawn Kuhn Really Dawn Kuhn?

Why is the City of Shawnee paying councilmember Dawn Kuhn as Dawn White?

The Kansas Policy Institute has a web site http://www.kansasopengov.org and on the site they publish information about various Kansas government entities.  For selected cities payroll information is published showing the employee’s name, position title and pay for the year designated.

For the years 2009 & 2010 (the only years showing for Shawnee) the site does not show Dawn Kuhn as a councilmember, but does show Dawn White.  All other councilmember names were correct.  When they were queried as to the possibility of a mistake, the response was that they used information as provided by the city under a KORA (Kansas Open Records Act) request.

Without going into an item by item breakdown of what occurred next (I do have the backup documents) the city confirmed that the information that was on the web site was the information they (the city) had provided.  Additionally, the city confirmed that if I asked for the same information, that I would be given the same listing.  Therefore, that means that White is who is showing up on city payroll records.

Let’s look at facts:  Dawn Kuhn filed to run for public office as Dawn Kuhn.  She is a registered voter under that name.  She has taken the oath of office (verbally and in writing) as Dawn Kuhn.  Her name is on the tax rolls for her property as such.  She votes on the council on city issues under that name.  She makes motions and seconds motions under that name. Most likely (since she is a registered voter) her driver’s license is probably Kuhn also.

Now, let’s look at what Kuhn does for a living in her non-governmental working environment.  She is a Vice President/Banking Center Manager for Bank Midwest. And that shows on both the bio information she has submitted, and on her business card.  Common sense is that in that capacity she has to from time to time sign various documents as an officer of the bank.  So now the questions beg to be answered: Would a bank pay an officer under one name but let that person identify themselves under another name?  Would a bank pay a person under one name and allow that person to sign on behalf of the bank under another name?  Unlike government agencies, banks are not subject to KORA so there is no way I can ask them.  But somebody needs to.  If she is getting paid by the bank as Kuhn (which would make sense) then that brings up other questions.

Is this deception?  Is it fraud?  Or is it OK?  I don’t know, but I think this situation needs to be reviewed by both the JoCo Election Office and the JoCo DA’s office.

Sidebar:  As of today the 2011 information is now on that web site and it still shows Dawn M White.

The Real Voting Record

Recently, the Shawnee Dispatch had an article about “voting records”.  The article at  http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/mar/21/how-do-candidates-voting-histories-stack/ referred to the voting habits of incumbent and challenger candidates for the city’s upcoming election for council and mayor.  Basically which elections did they vote in. 

Any reader of this blog knows that I feel very strongly about citizen participation in the electoral process. 

By the same token, there is another voting record history that could possibly be just as, if not more important.  That history is how the incumbents voted on various items that came before them.  So, let’s look at some of those issues  (ward numbers are in parentheses):

5/14/07 Voted to spend $3.5 million for the Monticello Rd fiasco which is going nowhere, and in which some citizens lost their homes:

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Sawyer (2)

4/26/10 Voted to spend $67,500 to build a 115 foot temporary connection from 57^th St to Oak Valley West Shopping Center:

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Jeff Meyers, as mayor, voted for it to break a tie

 7/24/06 Voted to raise property taxes 17%, the most in Shawnee history:

                Sandifer (4)

                Sawyer (2)

                Kuhn (3)

                Jeff Meyers, as mayor, voted for it to break a tie

8/24/09  Voted to charge residents a 5% fee on their utilities

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Sawyer (2)

                Jeff Meyers, as mayor, voted for it to break a tie (actually four ties, four separate ordinances)

8/8/11  Voted to institute a ½% sales tax for shopping at the Ten Quivira Plaza Shopping Center

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Neighbor (1)

2/14/11  Voted to eliminate detailed written minutes of council meetings

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Sawyer (2)

                Neighbor (1)

1/25/10  Voted for the new trash laws

                Sandifer (4)

                Kuhn (3)

                Sawyer (2)

Macheers Makes Sense

Charles Macheers makes alot of sense and should be elected as the new councuil member in Ward 1 to replace Jim Neighbor.

Want to know what he stands for?  Just go here http://macheers.com/index.html

Funny thing happened prior to a council meeting a few weeks ago.  Another member of the community came up to me and said regardless of how he got into office (Neighbor was the beneficiary of the Cheryl Scott debacle), that Neighbor was the most prepared of all the council people prior to each meeting.  This person then added, that he felt that way, even though Neighbor hardly ever opened his mouth to explain his position or why he was in favor or against any item.  He just usually keeps his mouth shut and then votes.  So, how did this individual come to the conclusion that he was the "best prepared"?

Anyway, Charles Macheers would be a heck of an improvement.  Especially when one considers that Neighbor voted for the 5% CID at 10 Quivira and voted to eliminate the detailed council meeting minutes.  Naughty, naughty, Neighbor

What's Up Doc?

As we get closer to the election I feel it is necessary to comment again on the Ward 2 council race between Dr. Mike Kemmling and Neal Sawyer.

On Feb 8th this year I posted my primary reasons for supporting Mike Kemmling.  To those reasons I feel it is important to add that Neal Sawyer voted for the 5% franchise fee.

Different items mean different things to people.  Neal's vote for Jim Neighbor, was, to me, an insult to the folks in Ward 1, and to the democratic process itself.  He, like some of his colleagues were basically turning a blind eye to the machinations that were occurring.  And, his stand on the detail minutes elimination was also IMHO a swipe at the rights of the people.

So, again, I must say that I hope the voters of Ward 2 go with Mike Kemmling.

If you don't want to scroll down to my 2/8 posting I'll copy it below:


Mike Kemmling is challenging Neal Sawyer in the Ward 2 council race.


In an earlier post I indicated that I preferred Mike Kemmling over Neal Sawyer. 


This was the toughest of the five positions for me to take sides.  I like Neal.  He always has acted like a gentleman on the council.  So why would I choose Mike Kemmling for the council seat.


There have been many issues where Neal has said, what I feel to be the right things, but then has voted the opposite.  On verious occasions before his vote he explains this.


Two items that he voted for stand out to me.  He voted for the appointment of Jim Neighbor to the vacant Ward 1 seat caused by the Cheryl Scott debacle.  He voted to eliminate full minutes of council poceedings.


These two items bother me as they, IMHO, take away certain rights of the citizens of the community.  One right is to select their representative, the other being full transparency of what the governing body does.


I think it's time for a change in Ward 2 and feel that Mike Kemmling will bring a new perspective to the council.

Sandifer Should Be Ashamed

Recently incumbent 4^th Ward  councilmember Mickey Sandifer sent out a mailer, and among other things, has said regarding his opponent Dylan McAfee:

My supporters tell me he has been spinning some fanciful tales about my record as your City Councilman.  Unanswered, such tales can be damaging to a campaign.  Please contact me with any questions you have regarding my bid for re-election.  You can reach me at 913-268-5348.

Why does Mickey want folks to call him?  Simple, so he can hand them a line of nonsense and not be held accountable.  If he put his comments in writing then he could be held accountable.

Dylan McAfee has been basically saying the same things he has in his brochure.  Here is a small sampling of them:

1.        “Since April 2004 my opponent has taken numerous non-essential trips and spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on travel during tough economic times and publicly stated during the September 14, 2009 City Council Meeting that his travel is nobody’s business.”

(I personally have detailed many of Sandifer’s trips on this blog, and heard first hand the comment he made at a council meeting, Dylan’s comment is accurate)

2.       “July 24, 2006 my opponent voted to raise property tax 17% - The most in Shawnee History.”

(check the minutes….he did)

3.       “On February 14, 2011 my opponent voted to remove the transparency of city council business by voting to remove detailed written minutes.” (check the minutes…he did)

4.       “On April 25, 2010 my opponent voted to spend $67,500 to build a 115-foot temporary connection from 57th Street to Oak Valley West shopping center. “(he did…it’s in the minutes)

5.       “On August 24, 2009 my opponent voted to charge residents a 5% fee on their utilities.” (he did…it’s in the minutes.)

6.       “On August 8, 2011 my opponent voted to charge residents an extra 1/2% sales tax for shopping in the Ten Quivira Plaza shopping center to pay for the developers improvements.” (He did…it’s in the minutes)

So again, why does Sandifer want folks to call him?  Because he can’t refute these statements in writing.  Many of Sandifer’s actions have a negative effect on senior citizens.  A group he says he cares about.  He’s just upset that a “grandson” is more concerned about what happens to “grandma and grandpa” than he is.

Oh, if you go to Dylan’s web site he has links to the various city council minutes so you can see for yourself  http://electdylanmcafee.blogspot.com

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Election campaigns.  Wow, can they get interesting.

Now we have individuals claiming that the challengers for council and mayor are spreading lies.  Believe Jeff Vaught is one of those making those claims.

For Vaught's sake, let's keep it real simple.  When a challenger claims that an opponent is for or against something, and then can cite the opponent's vote on the issue, including the date, how can that be a lie?

What is a lie?  Is a lie when Vaught failed to be totally forthcoming during the CID hearings.  You remember, when he tried to show that Liberty, MO had 2 CIDs and that both had grocery stores.  He failed to advise folks that in Missouri consumers pay less taxes on food than on non-food items in grocery stores.  Was that a failure of him to do his research properly?  Or did somebody feed him the information?  Or, was he lying by omission?  Whatever, he wasn't totally straightforward.

Oh, I know, it's only fibbing when his wardmate, Motormouth Kuhn can't even be honest with an elderly citizen. Remember, when an elderly gentleman asked for the volume to be turned up at a council meeting and Kuhn said the mikes weren't part of the PA system.  And they are.............but that wasn't lying, that was just misinforming or something like that...............right?  Couldn't have been lying as Vaught never said anything, and the poor elderly gentleman was left struggling to hear what was going on.

Oh well, am sure there are other times when Vaught let things slide.............at least for those who he supports, or who tell him what to say.  But he can accuse the challengers of lying, when they are telling the truth.  Golly gee, he is a confused person, at least in my opinion.

Sandifer Gets an "F" in Understanding Property Taxes

This quote is from Mickey Sandifer's recent on line questionnaire with the Shawnee Dispatch which can be read at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/mar/07/candidate-questionnaire-mickey-sandifer-ward-iv/

I am a homeowner familiar with all the tax obligations associated with owning property in Shawnee.


He went on to indicate that since his opponent lived in an apartment that he (Sandifer) was the better candidate.


I guess that Sandifer does not comprehend how property taxes affect folks who rent apartments.  So, for his benefit, should he read this, I will try and keep it simple, since I'd hate to overtax (no pun intended) Sandifer's brain.

The apartment complex that Dylan McAfee (Sandifer's opponent in the 4th Ward council race) lives in pays over $235,000 a year in property taxes.  That is almost 1/4 of a million dollars.  Now when you divide that by the number of units in the complex, that works out to approximately $550 per unit/per year.  That is, unless you think the ownership is going to give the renters a free pass.  Of course not, they include that in the rent.

Now when you realize how much living space each person has in an apartment, then proportionately it is possible that some renters may actually pay more than some home owners.  The only difference is that the renters don't get a separate bill.  Additionally, apartment renters in Shawnee also pay the 5% franchise fee on utilities.  And, all other utility fees, taxes, etc.  Oh my gosh.  Renters are affected by property taxes and franchise fees (another form of taxation).

It's time for the folks in Ward 4 to realize they have been snowed by Sandifer.  Dylan McAfee would bring youth and a vision of the future to the ward and the city.  And yes, for those who don't know me, I am very comfortable with his youthfulness even though I have grandchildren older than Dylan.

Shawnee Mission Times Endorsements

The Shawnee Mission Times has come up with their endorsements for the City of Shawnee races:

View it here http://www.shawneemissiontimes.com/030812art6.html

You will see that the endorsements are:

Eric Jenkins for Mayor -- http://jenkinsformayor.net/ -- over Jeff Meyers
Charles Macheers - Ward 1 Councilmember -- http://macheers.com/index.html -- over Jim Neighbor
Mike Kemmling- Ward 2 Councilmember -- http://mikekemmling.blogspot.com/ over Neal Sawyer
Jim Ferris - Ward 3 Councilmember -- http://www.imwithjim.com/ -- over Dawn Kuhn
Dylan McAfee - Ward 4 Councilmember -- http://electdylanmcafee.blogspot.com/ over Mickey Sandiver

Did Sandifer Stick His Foot in His Mouth?

Not too long ago (1/24/12) I posted an item here questioning who some of the folks were that were listed as registered to vote at Mickey Sandifer's house.  You can view that at http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2012/01/sandifers-personal-voting-precinct.html

Now, let's look at Sandifer's answers in the Shawnee Dispatch's candidate's questionnaire at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/mar/07/candidate-questionnaire-mickey-sandifer-ward-iv/

 where he says in part.............." On a personal note, I would love to see my own children be able to move back to their “hometown” community"  That was in response to a question on affordable housing.


Hmmmmm, are the extra folks regisstered at his house his children who don't live there and he wishes they could move back to their "hometown"?


This is another good reason to vote for Dylan McAfee for city council to replace Sandifer.  Yes, Dylan is young.  Yes, he is not experienced..............especially in what appears to be deception.


Sidebar:  Jeff "BigMouth" Vaught has been ranting lately about what he perceives to be lies by challengers.  Wonder what his comment will be about this.  I am sure he and/or Sandifer will have some kind of Tijuana Two Step answer

Fires in Shawnee

First, let me commend the Shawnee Fire Department and the other cities' units that were involved in battling the three recent apartment house fires.  We also has some individual residence fires at the same time.

Most fires are started because of carelessness.  The Shawnee Dispatch's question this week for its Point of View Panel (which I am on for this year) drew some interesting responses.  That can be viewed at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/onthestreet/2012/mar/07/what-precautions-do-you-take-keep-your-household-s/

If a fire occurs, timely notification (smoke alarms) can save lives, reduce injuries and property damage.

I can personally relate to this item.  Twelve years ago the apartment complex I live in was struck three weeks in a row by an arsonist.  The building I lived in at the time was the second target.  Those types of fire are tough to prevent, but reduced injuries and property damage were seen by functioning notification systems.

Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming

Let's go back in time.  On July 7, 2010 Kevin Straub had a letter published in the Shawnee Dispatch.  Part of his letter took exception with Dawn Kuhn's travel (Ward III council member).  The letter can be read by going here:  http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2010/jul/07/letter-budget-matters/

Then on July 14th, 2010 another member of the community, an Anthony Vincent wrote in basically  to defend Kuhn.  His letter can be read here:  http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2010/jul/14/letter-shopping-center-expert/

What happens next?  I chime in with my own comments, and those can be read here:  http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2010/jul/21/vegas-contingent/

Now, if you read that letter of mine, and then scroll down, you can see where Mr. Vincent posted an on line comment to my letter.  His comment was:  (emphasis is mine)


In regard to Mr Erlichman's letter above...
If we need 5 people to go to the conference then we should send 5 people, if we need 3 we should send 3, if we need 10 we should send 10, the point is that I trust our elected representatives to come to the proper decision on who should go or not go
I do not want to put the city's interests into the hands of private developers as the conflict of interest is obvious.
As to why a Ms Kuhn stayed two days over I really don't see that as an issue. As long as she didn't use city resources for personal gain then I have no problem with it. A second thought could be that she saved the city money by flying out on a later date with a less expensive ticket.
Picking apart an expense report is not the issue, the REAL issue will be the results of the trip and getting our retail sector back on it's feet. If they succeed then vote them back in and if not vote for someone else but you have to give them latitude to do their jobs.
Anthony Vincent


I think it's time to vote for someone else.


Sidebar:  Kuhn has taken multiple trips to Vegas and each time stayed extra days.  Granted, no extra charges to the city, but by doing that, she didn't have to pay for her travel.

Low Voter Turnout, Again

According to the Shawnee Dispatch, here are the results for the voter turnout in last week's mayoral primary:


"Of 40,272 registered voters in Shawnee, only 3,437 cast ballots in the Feb. 28 primary, according to the Johnson County Election Office’s precinct report. That’s a turnout of 8.5 percent.


Broken down, turnout in Ward I was 10.8 percent, Ward II was 9.3 percent, Ward III was 5.7 percent and Ward IV was 8 percent."


Interesting, that, as usual, Ward III has the worst turnout in the city.  Ahhhhhh, yes, the Ward that gives the city Kuhn and Vaught on the council..............

On to the General Election

The primary held earlier this week is over, and Eric Jenkins (challenger) and Jeff Meyers (incumbent) move on to the mayoral race.  John Segale with a very poor third place finish is out of the running.

The general election is just a tad over four weeks away, April 3, 2012. 

Time for the citizens of Shawnee to elect four members of the council and the mayor.

It's no secret, I feel that the challengers (listed below)for each office should prevail.

Eric Jenkins for Mayor  http://jenkinsformayor.net/  over Jeff Meyers

Charles Macheers  Ward 1 Councilmember http://macheers.com/index.html over Jim Neighbor

Mike Kemmling     Ward 2 Councilmember http://mikekemmling.blogspot.com/ over Neal Sawyer

Jim Ferris               Ward 3  Councilmember http://www.imwithjim.com/ over Dawn Kuhn

Dylan McAfee        Ward 4 Councilmember http://electdylanmcafee.blogspot.com/ over Mickey Sandiver

Their web info is shown above so if you'd like you can make a contribution.  It does not need to be large.  Also, a reminder. If you are not happy with the actions of a councilmember who is not in your ward, eventhough you can't vote against them, you can still contribute to their challenger.  That councilmember is a COW (councilmember from other ward).

Shawnee Mission Times

Our post below about Vaught campaigning at the council got picked up by the Shawnee Mission Times
http://www.shawneemissiontimes.com/

I had to chuckle.  The more I thought about what Vaught said, the funnier it got.  He basically couldn't understand why Eric Jenkins even brought up the subject of right to life, since that is an issue that is not acted on by city governments.

Believe it has something to do with folks wanting to know how an individual stands on a variety of issues, to see if they (the voter) can relate to the candidate.

Guess Vaught just doesn't get it.  So, what else is new?

Vaught Gets the Judge Judy Award

In the past I've mentioned Judge Judy's first book, "Don't Pee On My Leg And Tell Me It's Raining".

Well, Monday night Vaught left a bunch of moisture in the council chambers.  In his comments about certain statements being made during this election cycle he seemed to take exception with the fact that the Cheryl Scott affair keeps getting brought up and that nobody on the council could have done anything about it.  That it was totally up to Scott.  That nobody else was involved.

Well a person would have to be either blind or stupid  not to see what had transpired.

Try these two previous posts of mine, which provide a wealth of background information:

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/04/scotts-resignation-it-gets-deeper.html

That one was from back when it was happening, and then this one, is more recent with lots of other links:

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2012/01/cheryl-scott-debacle-and-its-relevance.html

When reading those posts, and any of the others linked from them keep in mind that Scott had sent her letter of resignation to the city manager.  Wrong..............that letter needed to go to the mayor.  A council member does NOT work for the city manager.  The mayor is "next up" in the chain of command.............if you read those links you will see why that is relevant, particularly with what did/did not transpire at a council meeting.

Also, in case you don't read all of the items linked off of the two posts above, remember that when Scott bought her Arizona house, it was the former city clerk that signed as witness to her signature on various documents.

Vaught Campaigns From Council Seat

Jeff Vaught, Ward III's bombastic self absorbed council rep did a little campaigning/electioneering for Jeff Meyers, from his council seat.

Vaught apparently took exception to emails sent out by a member of the community and a state representative.  The email from the member of the community stated that mayoral candidate Eric Jenkins was the only real right to life candidate.  Vaught then proceeded to "question" Mayor Meyers on his stands and affiliations.  Wow, if that's not campaigning from the council chambers then what is?  Needless to say the mayor responded with comments that were designed to show him in a better light.

Question:  How come KFL (Kansans for Life) has endorsed Jenkins over Meyers?

Gee, can I address the council and campaign for a candidate?

More on this tomorrow.

Additional Thoughts, 10 Quivira CID

OK, these are additional thoughts based on my post from yesterday.

First, let me say that some folks will probably think I'm being paranoid, and others will probably think I'm being very logical.

1.  Both last August's CID presentation and the one the previous year went directly to the council without going to a committee first.

2.  Why???

3.  With regards to last August, would it be possible that certain individuals in the city knew about the pending sale?  Then if it went to a committee, by the time it got to the full council the sale would have been finalized and the process would have had to start over?

4.  That's another reason to terminate the current CID and let the new ownership reapply.

5.  If they have the ability to arrange financing for $2.8 million why not arrange the entire $4.2 million and not put it on the residents of the city?  Especially when the primary merchant is a grocery store and the area is not exactly the highest per capita income area of the city.

6.  Urge your council member not to approve an extension of the CID time frame but to terminate it as not complying with the original provisions.

7.  Was there complete transparency on this issue?  I don't think so.

10 Quivira Palza CID Update

Looks like the 110 Quivira Plaza CID is about to rear its ugly head again.

This is what is scheduled for the City Council meeting, this Monday, Feb 27, 2012 (starts at 7:30PM):

F. PUBLIC ITEMS


1. CONSIDER REQUEST TO DELAY COLLECTION OF COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT SALES TAX FOR TEN QUIVIRA PLAZA.
DISCUSSION: On August 8, 2011, the Governing Body passed an Ordinance and
approved a Development Agreement authorizing the creation of Ten Quivira
Plaza Community Improvement District (CID). Ten Quivira representatives
have requested that the collection of sales tax be delayed until January 1,
2013. A memo and supporting documents are included for review.
PAGES 33 - 44
ACTION: Pass an ordinance delaying the collection of the CID sales tax to be
collected within the Ten Quivira Plaza Community Improvement District. If
approved, an Ordinance Number will be assigned.


But why is there consideration to delay the collection of this tax?


Aha, now we must look at this, from the packet:

BACKGROUND
On August 8, 2011 the Governing Body passed an Ordinance authorizing the creation of the Ten
Quivira Plaza Community Improvement District and authorizing the imposition of a sales tax to
be collected within such district; and, approved and authorized the Mayor to sign a Development
Agreement with the Developer/Owner.


The ordinance established the District and levied the tax with an effective date of July 1, 2012. In
order to initiate the collection of that tax, the City must notify the State 90 days prior to the beginning
of a quarter. The Development Agreement included language that if the City does not receive
confirmation of approval and commencement of the private financing by March 1, 2012, the City
would take steps to delay the implementation of the sales tax and the agreement would be terminated.


DISCUSSION
Since August, Ten Quivira representatives have kept staff informed of their change in ownership,
ZCOF TL Ten Quivira LLC (ZCOF), and their progress in working with Bank of America regarding
the restructuring of their portfolio. ZCOF cannot begin any work on the Center without Bank of
America’s final approval. Bank of America has required additional due diligence prior to construction
of the improvements including completed plans and final bids for the work. ZCOF has requested that
the collection of the sales tax be delayed until January 1, 2013. A letter from Hugh Robinson
explaining the request in more detail is attached. Delaying the collection of the sales tax can be
accomplished by passing a new ordinance.


Because of the ownership changes and the work with Bank of America, Tri-Land has not yet signed
the Development Agreement. If the ordinance passes delaying the collection of the sales tax, a revised
Development Agreement will be brought to the Governing Body at a future meeting with updated
language on the deadlines and the ownership. Once the Development Agreement is complete, ZCOF
will be ready immediately to begin construction. Construction of improvements that are not funded
by the CID may begin sooner.


Now, let's look at Tri-Land's letter:

"As we have explained, a portfolio of 6 shopping centers that includes Ten Quivira Plaza was sold to a new group, ZCOF TL Ten Quivira LLC ("ZCOF TL"), on September 29, 2011.  Tri_land has an ownership interest in the new entity that owns the shopping centers and we continue to be responsible to lease and manage the 6-center portfolio."


In his letter Mr. Robinson also states that he has kept the city informed about the progress of the ownership transfer/sale since August.  Why wasn't the public informed about the pending sale at the public hearings?


This entire project needs to be terminated and if the new ownership wants the CID let them start the process over.  Or is this going to be another case of "we already started, so let's continue"?


Transparency on this issue was and is greatly lacking.

It's Almost Here

What is almost here?  The mayoral primary election, will be held Tuesday, Feb 28, 2012.

There are three individuals running:

Eric Jenkins - Challenger
Jeff Meyers - Incumbent Mayor
John Segale - Challenger

For those who have read my previous blog posts on this subject then you know I feel that Mr Jenkins should be Shawnee's next mayor.  My reasons have been stated.

Let's get a decent turn out for this election, and then another good turnout for the general election on Apr 3, 2012.

This Looks Interesting :-) :-) :-)

Yepper, this does look interesting:

http://www.shawneedispatch.com/weblogs/between-shawnee-lines/2012/feb/10/election-season-takes-shawnee/

Will Shawnee Gain Any New Residents From This?

What is "this"?  This is a company called Zumiez opening an order filling center in Edwardsville.  Zumiez is a national company with hundreds of stores across the country and a heavy on line presence.

The company is planning on having 100 employees at this location, but the question I pose is based on the fact that they have offered to transfer 35 employees from Everett, Washington.  Now, when a company offers to transfer employees, with all the concurrent expenses, you know that these are not minimumm wage jobs. 

So, it would be nice to know if any effort is being made to reach out to them to get some of those folks to relocate to Shawnee.  I realize that we are so far away from Edwardsville (says this blogger sarcastically).

For more information on this item please go to the KC Star article at http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/15/3430858/edwardsville-to-get-100-jobs-with.html

Shawnee Dispatch Mayoral Questionnaires Are On Line

The Shawnee Dispatch has placed the questionnaires that the three candidates for mayor have answered.  Remember, since three individuals are running there will be a primary 2/28/12 with the top 2 going on to the general election 4/3/12

You can go to http://www.shawneedispatch.com/ and scroll down to the story or you can click on the links below for each one:

Eric Jenkins  http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/feb/13/candidate-questionnaire-eric-jenkins-mayoral-prima/

Jeff Meyers http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/feb/13/candidate-questionnaire-jeff-meyers-mayor/

John Segale http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2012/feb/13/candidate-questionnaire-john-segale-mayoral-primar/

Can't figure out (and not sure I even want to know) what Segale's strategy was in waiting to the last minute to file, thereby creating a primary election.  He did have the right to do that.  Oh well.

As mentioned in other posts, I'll be pulling for Eric Jenkins.  Firmly believe that because he is retired he can devote more time to helping Shawnee move forward.  His military and FEMA background would indicate an individual who can get the job done.  His service on Shawnee's Planning Commission gives him strong insights into what the city needs.

The "Cheryl Scott Debacle" was a slap in the face to the people of Shawnee (and Ward 1 specifically).  The franchise fee, the CID for 10 Quivira Plaza are two more reasons why I feel that Jeff Meyers needs to be replaced.  And in my opinion, Jenkins is the one for that.

One Pretty Sharp HS Editor

Sarah Darby, editor-in-chief  of Mill Valley's "Jagwire" really hit some nails on the head.

Go here  http://www.mvnews.org/blogs/citytalk/2012/02/09/city-council-candidates-for-ward-three-talk-about-upcoming-elections/  and then scroll down and read two stories

All you ever wanted to know about local elections and more    and  My first city council meeting (sort of)

Kemmling v. Sawyer

Mike Kemmling is challenging Neal Sawyer in the Ward 2 council race.

In an earlier post I indicated that I preferred Mike Kemmling over Neal Sawyer. 

This was the toughest of the five positions for me to take sides.  I like Neal.  He always has acted like a gentleman on the council.  So why would I choose Mike Kemmling for the council seat.

There have been many issues where Neal has said, what I feel to be the right things, but then has voted the opposite.  On verious occasions before his vote he explains this.

Two items that he voted for stand out to me.  He voted for the appointment of Jim Neighbor to the vacant Ward 1 seat caused by the Cheryl Scott debacle.  He voted to eliminate full minutes of council poceedings.

These two items bother me as they, IMHO, take away certain rights of the citizens of the community.  One right is to select their representative, the other being full transparency of what the governing body does.

I think it's time for a change in Ward 2 and feel that Mike Kemmling will bring a new perspective to the council.

Washington DC, Be Prepared

And what does Washington DC need to be preapred for?  Well, the annual National League of Cities convention.

It looks like only 4 individuals are scheduled to represent Shawnee............(that's down from the 5 scheduled last year).  Maybe my rants and raves here have had an effect?

OK, so who is going?

Mayor Jeff Meyers
Councilmember Mickey Sandifer (that's no surprise......he never saw a trip that he didn't want to go on)
Councilmember Jeff Vaught
City Manager Carol Gonzales

Could this list have been pared down?  Possibly.  How about if it was just the mayor, one councilmember and the city manager?

With his seat up for reelection on April 3rd Mickey Sandifer must feel that the citizens of Ward 4 are blind to all of the money he spends on travel, and feels like he will be returned to office.  Add to that his voting for the CID, the franchise fee, and the insult to the voters in Ward 1 by voting for the appointment of Neighbor instead of pushing for an election.

If nothing else, it would be nice if this was the last trip Sandifer took that was  paid for by the citizens of Shawnee.  Let's not give him the opportunity to take any more.

Not Very Neighborly

What are we referring to?  The action that placed Jim Neighbor on the city council representing Ward 1.

For the "long" story scroll down to my post "The 'Cheryl Scott' Debacle And Its Relevance Today" posted below on 1/28/12.

The short version is that Cheryl Scott could have resigned early enough for her seat to be placed on the ballot for the spring 2010 election.  Instead, she did not resign until after the election.  That left two options for the council.  To select her replacement or call for a special election, since the fall election was outside the parameters of the time element for filling the position.  Naturally, enough individuals on the council chose to "save" the city money by not having the special election.  But what happened to the fact that anybody with common sense could read between the lines to see what was happening?

Then when one looks at the resumés of those who applied, Mr. Neighbor included, it raises even more questions.  One of the individuals who applied had been a retired USAF colonel (running military hospitals)and also retired as CEO/President of two major hospitals in the KC area.  His background in budgets, personnel staffing etc put him, IMHO and the opinion of others head and shoulders over Mr. Neighbor.  Of the five resumés submitted I'd have to rank Mr. Neighbor's as 3 or 4.  But certain individuals on the council apparently had a plan and nobody was going to stop it.

Sandifer made the motion to appoint Neighbor and that was seconded by Kuhn.  Then Morris, Vaught and Sawyer voted with them.

This travesty fostered on the voters of  Ward 1 needs to be corrected. 

Charles Macheers needs to be elected over Neighbor in Ward 1.

Kuhn (Ward 3), Sandifer (Ward 4)  and Sawyer (Ward 2) need to be replaced by Ferris, McAfee and Kemmling accordingly for their complicity in this action.

I also find it hard to believe that Mayor Meyers couldn't see what was going on.  Time to replace him with Eric Jenkins.

Two Items To Make You Think

Ahhhh, things do happen in Shawnee.  OK, let's start with 4/26/10 when Dawn Kuhn made a motion to have a temporary street of 115 feet built in Ward 3 because of the K-7 construction project.  A temporary street (like for about 90 days), that was going to cost $67,500.  Folks all over town have to live with construction inconveniences, unless you live in her neighborhood.  The motion was seconded by Mickey "Loves to Travel" Sandifer, and approved when Mayor Jeff Meyers broke a 3-3 tie (Kuhn, Sandifer and Vaught voting for the project).  Actually, with her narcissistic attitude I'm surprised she didn't make a motion to name it Kuhn Terrace or something like that.

Now, let's fast forward to 2/14/11.  The illustrious Ms. Kuhn makes a motion (seconded by Mr. Frequent Miles Sandifer) to eliminate complete written minutes of council meetings.  Audio minutes with summaries are not the same as being able to review minutes for specific actions.  But then some members of the council did not want verbatim minutes because "they'll only use them against us".  OK, who voted for this veil of secrecy?  We already know about Kuhn and Sandifer, now you can also add Vaught, Neighbor, Morris and Sawyer.  And what was one of the primary reasons given for doing away with full minutes?  Money.

So you see, there is money to make Kuhn's life easier in her neighborhood but not enough to keep the citizens fully informed of what happens at city council meetings.

Keeping this in mind, I must now say that all incumbents running for reelection need to be voted out of office and  new council members put in place.

That means.............

For mayor............no to Meyers...............yes to Jenkins
Ward 1.................no to Neighbor.............yes to Macheers
Ward 2.................no to Sawyer................yes to Kemmling
Ward 3.................no to Kuhn...................yes to Ferris
Ward 4.................no to Sandifer..............yes to McAfee

Remember, if you want to support a challenger, vote for them.  It they are in another ward, but you disagree with the actions of the incumbent, you can contribute to that challenger.  The mayor's race is city wide and there is a primary for that office on 2/28/12.  Then the general election will be 4/3/12.

Sidebar:  Wonder how many other motions with negative impacts for the citizens were made by Kuhn and seconded by Sandifer?  Good little lapdog, Mickey, good doggie.

Is Kuhn Being Honest With Her Constituents?

OK...........follow closely. On 10/26/11 her husband filed for divorce and she filed an entry of appearance the following day.


Now when the divorce gets finalized, what happens to the house? Does he get it? Does she get it? Or does it get sold and they both leave the residence? Now if the latter happens, where does she move to? To another residence within Ward 3? I doubt it.

I smell another "Cheryl Scott Debacle" coming up. I think Kuhn thinks she can win in Ward 3. Then relocate from her residence and resign her seat. Counting on enough of the incumbents to be reelected to push for an appointed replacement rather than an elected one. As a matter of fact during that debacle I said on this blog that Jim Neighbor was going to be appointed to fill Scott's seat. The night that he was appointed Kuhn said that comments the selection was predetermined were wrong. Yeah, right. I'm not related to Sister Cleo but sure did call that one.

Anyway, I don't think she is prepared to commit to the three years to remain in Ward 3 if she was reelected. And I don't think the citizens of Ward 3 should have to put up with that. That is a good reason to vote for Jim Ferris in Ward 3. And also to contribute to his campaign.

Oh, and if you feel that Jim Ferris would be the one to represent Ward 3 but you don't live there, you can still contribute to his campaign. Just like I will. That's because Kuhn is a COW (councilmember from other ward, see the earlier post about COWs below dated 1/19/12).

This would also be a good time to remind folks about voting for Charles Macheers over Jim Neighbor in Ward 1.

Sister Cleo sidebar: Crystal ball says that when Kuhn leaves Ward 3 she moves to Ward 4.  Maybe even has a place already picked out?  ;-)  ;-)  ;-)

Eric Jenkins For Mayor

Here is a link to his web site:  http://jenkinsformayor.net/

In the past I had supported Jeff Meyers when he ran for reelection.

Why the change?

Jeff Meyers stand on the Franchise Fee, the CID for Ten Quivira Plaza and his actions or lack of in the Cheryl Scott debacle.

That last item was a severe insult to members of the community to select their elected officials.  When the city manager admitted that she had a copy of Scott's resignation on a Friday prior to a Monday meeting and did nothing to notify the mayor and council. When asked at the meeting she basically lied by omission.  Don't believe me..........ask a lawyer.  The mayor needed to be firm about this.  See the blog post immediately preceding this one.

Eric Jenkins' biography would indicate a person of a strong background in having to deal with many aspects of governmental operations.  His retired status would indicate that he could also devote more time to being mayor.

I urge you to vote in the primary, 2/28/12 for Eric Jenkins.

Do you need to register to vote?  Go here  http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/VoterRegistration.htm

Want information on advance voting if you can't get to your polling place on the day of the election?  Go here 
http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/AdvanceVoting.htm

The "Cheryl Scott" Debacle and Its Relevance Today

The Cheryl Scott debacle is and will have an effect on this year's city elections. For a review of what happened please read the posts listed below. They are listed in chronological order, oldest first, and may take awhile to read but many might find these posts informative. Keep in mind, when you read these posts that a council member's resignation should go to the mayor, not to the city manager. Council members do not work for the city manager, even though some apparently think they do.


http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/03/scott-is-going-bye-bye-gee-what-non.html

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/03/scotts-resignation-additional-comments.html

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/03/scott-insults-voters-of-ward-1.html

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/03/who-is-playing-games-now_29.html

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/03/scotts-letter-of-resignation-still.html

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2010/04/scotts-resignation-it-gets-deeper.html


More info as to why I feel Jim Neighbor was not the best qualified to fill the position, and why he got it, to be posted in the near future

This also has a bearing on why it is felt he needs to be replaced on the council, and his challenger, Charles Macheers elected (ward 1).

Also, one of the reasons (there are others) why other incumbents running need to be replaced for their actions in this debacle. Why Sandifer, Kuhn, Meyers and Sawyer need to be replaced.

Why, Jenkins (mayor), Ferris (ward 3) McAfee (ward 4) Kemmling (ward 2) need to be elected.

Mayoral Primary 2/28/12

OK, we already know that there will be a primary election on 2/28/12 for mayor of Shawnee.  Three individuals have filed to run.  The top two in the primary will move on to the general election on 4/3/12.  Because of this, it is very important for folks to get out and vote in the primary.

My choice and the individual that I will be voting for is Eric Jenkins.  I believe that Eric will bring a fresh face to the office of mayor here in Shawnee.  More on why I like him for this position in a future post.

If you are not registered to vote, please do so. Information on registering is available at http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/VoterRegistration.htm


Also, you can participate in advance voting without going to your polling place on election day. Info is available at
http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/AdvanceVoting.htm#2

Issues For This Election

Again, I wonder what issues will be brought up during this city election.  Will any of them mirror what has been posted in this blog?

Example:  There have been rants and raves on this blog about council member travel.  In less than two months there will be another one of those annual National League of Cities events in Washington DC (3/10-3/14). 

Maybe the rants and raves have been productive?  Not sure how many members of the city council will attend this year but we will be monitoring the participant list.  As of this past Monday one councilmember has signed up to go.  Guess who?  Shawnee's own "King of Travel at the Taxpayer's Expense" Mickey Sandifer.

One more reason not to reelect him.  As a matter of fact if Mickey is your COW (councilmember from other ward - see post below Thur Jan 19, "Dealing with COWs") and you are getting tired of paying for his travel, contribute to his opponent, Dylan McAfee.  And if you live in ward IV and are also tired of his travel, definitely vote for Dylan (and contribute if you can).

Sandifer's Personal Voting Precinct

Must be nice to have your own "precinct" of voters in your district..............  :-)  :-)

Looking at the voter list for Ward IV it appears that there are 6 voters registered at the Sandifer home address.  Wow, and all this time I thought Mickey and his wife were empty nesters.  Guess I thought wrong.  Looks like they might be adult children and their spouses........possibly?  Isn't one of these a KCMO cop who resides in KCMO?

Oh well, gotta help daddy anyway ya can.

Challenger Files in Ward III

James Ferris has filed to challenge Dawn Kuhn for city council in Ward III.

All incumbents now have challengers.

Primary 2/28/12 for Mayor

With the filing yesterday of a third candidate for mayor, Shawnee will have a primary for that office on Feb 28, 2012, with the top two moving on to the general election April 3, 2012.

The candidates are:

Eric Jenkins
Jeff Meyers
John Segale

It is very important for all of Shawnee to get out and vote in this primary as it is for the mayor's position.

If you are not registered to vote, please do so.  Information on registering is available at http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/VoterRegistration.htm

Also, you can participate in advance voting without going to your polling place on election day. Info is available at http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/AdvanceVoting.htm#2

Dealing with COWs

As the city elections approach I again get asked one question from folks that I meet. And that is: “What can I do about a council member who has voted for items that I don’t agree with or have hurt me but they are from another ward?”


OK, the answer is really very easy. Council members are elected by the voters in specific wards. When they sit on the council at meetings they are actually acting for the entire city and as such can be held accountable by ANY citizen. Let’s call these folks COWs (councilmembers from other wards).

Now if a COW votes for something that you don’t approve of or a variety of such items, what you can do is make contributions to their opponents the next time they run for office. You don’t have to live in that ward to contribute to the opponent of a councilmember. You can even live in Los Angeles. The only thing you need to do is to keep the contribution amounts within the limits set by law.

So if you are unhappy with how a COW voted, just look up who their opponent is and contribute to that person’s campaign.

Thingies

Sitting here, reviewing some of the blog posts and seeing what is happening for the upcoming city election it feels like folks may be getting a tad bit upset with what some of the current council members and mayor have been doing.


Maybe they’re fed up with the CID thingy……………the franchise fee thingy………………the way the resignation of Cheryl Scott was handled thingy……………..which included lying by omission…………..the excessive trip taking by some council members thingy.

Lots of other “thingies”

Maybe, just maybe, this blog has awakened some folks as to what is going on. Got a funny feeling it may have.

Mayoral Challenger Files

Eric Jenkins has filed to run for mayor.

Three Challengers Filed

Three individuals have filed to challenge incumbents in the upcoming city election:

Charles Macheers................Ward I
Mike Kemmling...................Ward II
Dylan McAfee.....................Ward IV

Info at http://www.cityofshawnee.org/WEB/ShawneeCMS.nsf/b62f116aa62dde94862575680053ac82/010c2571510ba7998625767f006761c9?OpenDocument

Good Ideas? Bad Ideas?

Last Tuesday 1/3/12 at the Council Committee meeting it was brought out that the city sometimes finds it difficult to fill openings/vacancies on various city boards and commissions.  Part of this is probably because of citizen apathy and part probably because folks may not know of the vacancies.

So, I sent an email on 1/4 to the entire city council with copies to the mayor and city manager.  Would you believe, only two councilmembers even responded?  They were Pflumm and Distler.  Oh well.  The contents of the email are listed below.
Listening to last night’s discussion I was tempted to ask to speak but decided against it for two reasons:

a. Was not feeling the greatest
b. Meeting was running late
Various comments were made about trouble filling vacancies on various boards and commissions. Let’s try these suggestions:
1. I do not ever remember seeing these vacancies posted on the FRONT page of the city’s website, along with other announcements
2. I do not ever remember receiving an email from the listserv system announcing these vacancies
3. I do not remember ever seeing a press release/news item in the Dispatch announcing these vacancies:
a. “Mayor Meyers has announced an opening for xxxxx board. For information on how to submit an application to serve on this board please contact “abc” or go to the city’s web site at yada yada yada
b. “Councilmember Neighbor has announced a vacancy on the yyyy board that has an opening allocated to his ward, Ward 1. For information on how to apply to serve (same as above)
Anyway, maybe these alternate avenues other than word of mouth have been used………………..but I do not remember seeing them.
Side note: There was a comment made that Ward 3 was under represented on the planning commission. That would actually be expected since Ward 3 has traditionally had the worst turn out for city elections of all the four wards. So why does it surprise anyone that they have the lowest representation (read that as lack of interest in serving the city on a volunteer basis) on the planning commission?

Happy Holidays

As we get closer to the holidays let me wish all of the folks who read this blog a Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

Let's make the coming year the year that Shawnee citizens show true involvement in their city and show up to vote in the city elections.  Also, keep in mind, we have many voting options to include early voting and mail voting. 

Go here to find out about advance voting:   http://www.jocoelection.org/voters/AdvanceVoting.htm

Final Incumbent Files

Dawn Kuhn, Ward3 has finally filed for reelection.

Mayor Files for Reelection

Mayor Jeff Meyers has filed to run for reelection. 

Of the five incumbents, that brings to four those who have filed (besides the mayor, council members Sawyer, Sandifer and Neighbor have filed).

Council member Kuhn hasn't as yet filed for reelection, even though she has sent out letters seeking donations for her campaign.

So far, no challengers have filed.

Mayor's Christmas Tree

Went to city hall last night to  observe the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas Tree.

Wonderful time.............the groups that participated were lovely.  Listening to the Christmas Carols and other holiday songs was an enjoyable experience.

The monies collected for charity were uplifting.

The activities at Shawnee Town 1929 seemed to be well thought out.

Kudos to city staff and all who worked to make it an enjoyable evening.

Three Filed Today

OK, three of the council incumbents have filed to run for reelection:

Neighbor  Ward 1
Sawyer     Ward 2
Sandifer    Ward 4

It Starts Today

What starts today?  Today is the first day that a person can file to be a candidate in Shawnee's April 3rd municipal election.  Which could also involve a Feb 28th primary if more than two individuals file to run for the same office.

OK Shawnee, let's make this the year that folks in this town finally get involved in their local government.

Let's get some good candidates to run for local office.  I don't know how many, if any, of the five incumbents are going to run.

Those incumbents are:

Jeff Meyers, Mayor
Jim Neighbor, Ward 1 Councilperson
Neal Sawyer, Ward 2  Councilperson
Dawn Kuhn, Ward 3   Councilperson
Mickey Sandifer, Ward 4  Councilperson

Let's look for a minute at two of the above..............Kuhn and Sandifer.  IMHO, if these two choose to run for reelection we definitely need to see some fresh blood in their places.  These two definitely need to become "former councilpersons", and every attempt must be made to see that they are not reelected, should they choose to run again.  As a matter of fact neither of these two should, again IMHO, ever be elected to any governmental office whatsoever.

Jim Neighbor is also not high on my list for being returned to office.

More to come as the time draws closer.  Meanwhile, let's see who files to run for what.

Council & Planning Commission Workshop

Last Monday, 11/21/11 the City Council and the City Planning Commission held a workshop primarily focused on economic development.

It was a somewhat interesting evening.

One of the few intelligent comments of the evening came from Commissioner Tom Beckenbaugh when he said that Shawnee needed a magnet to draw people to it.  Hmmmmmm, I liked that, and as any reader of this blog would know, that is something I've been saying.

Much time was devoted to the proposed business/industrial park at 43d and K-7.  But, will a business/industrial park be a magnet?  It can bring tax paying businesses to Shawnee, but is it a magent that brings tourism and strong economic injections to the city?  Is it a magnet that will draw folks down from the Village West complex after their races, concerts and other mass public gatherings.

Granted, when those events occur the 200 or so hotel rooms fill up and some restaurants see a slight uptick in business.  But we don't get the heavy influx that a magnet attraction would bring...........from those events and year round.

Most of the discussions were monopolized by council reps Jeff  (I'm in commercial real estate) Vaught and Dawn (motormouth) Kuhn..  Vaught never misses the opportunity to tell us what he does for a living, and usually multiple times in the same evening.  Ironically, if one goes back they will see that for a commercial development real estate person his knowledge of the International Building Code was very limited (as to what it covers).  And Kuhn was sounding more like a candidate on the stump than a council person.

Curiously Vaught seemed to be pushing, among other things, redevelopment.  This was ironic since at a committee meeting I could swear I heard him tell another council rep that redevelopment was not economic development.

There was an exciting moment when council member Sandifer took offense (quite angrily too) at a comment by Vaught that seemed to be a nasty reference to how/where Sandifer was raised.  Funny also, because Vaught was critical in the past of former council member Straub's actions/comments at council meetings.

Pictures From Shawnee Veterans Day Ceremony

A few weeks ago I told a good friend of mine, Bill Nichols (a retired professional photographer) about the Shawnee Veterans Day ceremony.

He came by and took some pictures, created a slide show of them and that is available for viewing below.  He will also be posting individual still shots if anybody wants to download those.  Thanks Bill.

Veteran's Day 2011

In 2002 I wrote and placed the below poem (or at least I consider it a poem, many English teachers would probably disagree) on another web site.  I'd like to repost it here:

The GI in the foxhole
The sailor out to sea
The leatherneck standing guard
The pilot flying free

These are the brave men
And yes the women too
Standing guard to protect us
'Neath the old red, white and blue

They haven't asked for much
To them it's not a chore
Staying ready in peacetime
Just in case they go to war

Proudly they do serve
Like thousands gone before
Duty, honor and country
Be it peace or be it war

Our sons and our daughters
It is them that we do love
And proudly do they serve us
With guidance from above

At that time, I dedicated it as follows:

Dedicated to two special veterans......to me.....Abraham Erlichman, USAAF, WWII and the grandson he never knew Ashly Clayton Erlichman, 1/34 Armor, 1st Inf Div, SW Asia


If you can spare about 3-1/2 minutes, watch and listen to the video below.  Thank you.

Info for Veterans

With Veteran's Day coming up I'd like to post about a change in the law concerning rendering honors to the flag and during the playing of the National Anthem.

The Defense Authorization Acts of 2008 and 2009 had some interesting changes.

Veterans, and active duty military in civilian clothing now have the option of rendering the military style hand salute instead of the civilian hand over the chest salute.  This applies to the raising, lowering or passing of the colors as well as during the playing of the National Anthem.

Those individuals who are wearing cover (hats/caps for the uninformed civilians) may keep the cover on while rendering the hand salute.  If they choose to perform the civilian hand over the chest then they should remove their cover, and hold it over their chest.

Riding With the PD

Last April, and again last month I spent some time in a ride along with a member of the Shawnee PD.  The April ride was the evening shift, and the October ride was the midnight shift (and I made it all night until 6AM)

Both times I saw various things that both impressed me and made me feel good about our PD.

First, it is obvious that the police officer of today is better educated than in years past.  Even more important, I was able to witness various actions which showed that the officers also used alot of common sense.  That is a trait that is becoming scarce in many other professions.  And part of that probably has to do with their job related training.

One thing that became obvious on a couple of the calls is that we are definitely, IMHO, short handed.  There were calls that required two officers (primary and back up) for the safety of the officer and the public.  When this happens, based on the number of officers on duty there are holes in the coverage.  As an example, one of the calls was a complaint about a party at an apartment clubhouse, and we know liquor was involved.  There could have been problems if only one officer responded. Another call was a commercial burglar alarm at a restaurant.  It's after midnight, closer to 1AM........you don't know what you are walking into.  Again, two officers have to respond.  Fortunately, neither incident resulted in a negative situation.  But until the officers got there, and investigated, they didn't know what they could be getting themselves into.

Anyway, as stated above, I personally think we have some really good people on the PD.

I would like to see the number of officers on the street increased...........and that can only happen if the department is expanded.  And that requires action by the council and the city manager.

BTW, if anybody else is interested in doing a ride along, there are forms available at the PD that you have to fill out, submit and get approved.  It can be a learning experience.

Dan Pflumm Invests in Downtown Shawnee

After sitting vacant since Commerce Bank left, the building at the corner of Johnson Drive and Nieman is now owned by a Pflumm again. Dan Pflumm, owner and president of DanCo Systems, Inc., a company he established in Shawnee in 1995, recently purchased the building.


The building on Johnson Drive and Nieman once housed Shawnee State Bank, and more recently Commerce Bank. Shawnee State Savings Bank, which occupied that corner since 1908, was owned by the Pflumm family. The building’s ownership changed when they sold their interests in Shawnee State Bank to Commerce Bank in the mid 1990s.

Dan plans to renovate the hundred plus year old, 10,000 sq ft. building. The future layout will consist of a suite of offices for lease, as well as become the new headquarters for DanCo Systems.

Dan who is also a Shawnee councilman, has been involved in projects to revitalize the downtown area. The updating of this corner lot will bring more commerce to the area. Current renovation plans include exposing the original interior limestone walls of the historic building.

His company, DanCo Systems, specializes in instrumentation and control systems for the process control industry, as well as sales, support, engineering and consulting. In addition to their Shawnee location, DanCo also has an office in St Louis.

Has It Finally Happened?

Well, has it?  Has the City Council wised up?

OK, for the long term readers of this blog (and anybody that wants to research previous posts) I have been on the council's case for a long time regarding trips to various conferences.

My comments have always been that these conferences can be helpful, we just did not need to send 4, 5 or 6 people to them.  One or two would suffice and they in turn can brief the others upon their return.

Well, the National League of Cities is having a conference Nov 9 - 12.  That is next week in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to the information I received today only one person is going to represent Shawnee at the conference.  That is great, and that individual can then report what they saw and heard to all the others.

And guess who that person is that is going?  Yes, the one and only. Mr Trip Taker himself: Mickey Sandifer.

Maybe, just maybe, my constant harping on this issue has had the desired effect.  Nahhhhh, the council (certain members anyway) will probably say they did it on their own to save money.  Yeah, right.

More Indicators of Apathy in Shawnee

Just did a little quick research.  This is another example how apathy about local government is rampant in Shawnee.  What I refer to as the "intelligent idiots" of Shawnee.  Those folks who do nothing about our local government but make sure they get involved with national politics. 

Below is a listing from  August 3 until last Wed, October 26 indicatiing what kind of letters have been submitted to the Shawnee Dispatch:

In 13 issues of the Dispatch there were a total of 4 letters commenting on local governmental items.  Seven issues of the Dispatch had no letters of any kind and three issues had letters that were not on topic about local issues.

10/26/11 Illinois school seeking local items
10/19/11  NOTHING
10/12/11  NOTHING
10/5/11  Self serving letter from the Kansas Press Association
9/28/11  NOTHING
9/21/11  NOTHING
9/14/11  Thank you for return of lost item
9/7/11  Local commentary/opinion
8/31/11  NOTHING
8/24/11  Local commentary/opinion
8/17/11  NOTHING
8/10/11  NOTHING
8/3/11  (1) Local commentary/opinion
            (2) Local commentary/opinion

C'mon folks...............get involved with your local government.  Don't be one of the folks that complain after the fact when something happens.

Hoopla Is Directed The Wrong Way

The political season is heating up.  Eyes are on the Republican debates.  Battles over the dates of the Presidential primaries have begun.

And Shawnee is just a little over five motnhs away from a municipal election.  Whooops.........how did that sneak in there?

That's right, on April 3, 2012 Shawnee voters (well at least 10% of them) will go to the polls and make decisions concerning 4 council seats and the mayor.  And 90% of them will sit on their butts and do nothing.

But watch what happens in the Presidential election.  Almost 80% of Shawnee's voters will vote.

I'm not saying don't vote in the Presidential election.  I'm saying get out there and vote for your local government.  The President does not control your property taxes, sales taxes, street repairs, emergency services (police and fire), parks etc.  When was the last time a President plowed snow?  Or filled a chuck hole?  Or got out in the parks to keep them functional?  Never. 

Citizen participation in local governement in Shawnee sucks.  And the local government has more of an effect on your daily lives than any other government level.

Anyway, back to the upcomig elections on April 3, 2012.  Mark your calendars, as that is just a little over 5 months away.

The five people up for reelection are:

Jeff Meyers, Mayor
Jim Neighbor, Ward 1 council (election for him, he was appointed to fill an unexpired term)
Neal Sawyer, Ward 2 council
Dawn Kuhn, Ward 3 council
Mickey Sandifer, Ward 4 council

Right now I can think of 3 of the above who definitely should not be returned to office, and I have mixed emotions on the other two.  More on that later.