John Lott on Gun Control

John Lott Jr has recently published an article on gun control:

March for Our Lives: Gun control ideas sound good, but are deeply flawed and won't save lives

America continues to mourn the 17 people killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last month. There is an understandable emotional desire to “do something” in response – but without evaluating what the “something” will actually accomplish. This is the driving force behind the March for Our Lives taking place Saturday in Washington.

The motivations of many people taking part in the Washington event and other demonstrations around the country are sincere. But before we “do something,” we need to stop and think: what is the most sensible thing we should do? What will actually save lives and make us safer?

 

It’s important to understand that the debate isn’t between those who want to end violence and those who support gun rights. Both sides want to end violence. The debate is simply over how best to keep Americans safe.

Supporting gun control is now the “in thing.” Stars such as Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus tweet their support. Time and Teen Vogue magazines run cover stories glorifying people working to put stricter controls on guns and ban some weapons. The New England Patriots used their team plane to fly students and families from Parkland, Florida, to Washington for Saturday’s gun control rally.
You would be unlikely to know it from the media coverage of the Washington demonstration, but only 47 percent of Americans between 13 and 17 believe that more gun control could reduce mass public shootings.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper asked students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for their ideas on how to end violence. The ideas sound good at first glance and are certainly well-meaning. But in reality, the policies being proposed will either have no effect or even cause harm.

Here are four of those ideas, and a look at their actual impact:

1. Ban semi-automatic weapons that fire high-velocity rounds.
Gun control advocates say semi-automatic rifles are designed to kill people, not for hunting, target practice or self-protection. They say only members of our military need these guns.
But looks can be deceiving. An AR-15 rifle shoots the same bullets as a small game-hunting rifle. Both guns fire one bullet at a time, and with the same velocity. The guns merely look different on the outside. AR-15s may resemble military weapons but they aren’t the same weapons used by soldiers.
Semi-automatic rifles don’t just take lives, they also deter criminal attacks and save lives. In 95 percent of defensive gun uses, no shots are fired. But if you do have to open fire, having a semi-automatic weapon means that you won’t have to take the time to manually reload the gun. This additional time for the victim may make the difference between life and death.
Banning all semi-automatic guns would endanger lives. So gun control advocates find it easier just to call for bans on the more scary-looking guns.

2. Require national registration of guns.
Gun control advocates have long claimed that gun registration will help solve crimes. Their reasoning is straightforward: A registered gun left at a crime scene can be used to identify the criminal.
Unfortunately, it rarely works out this way. Criminals almost never leave behind guns that are registered to them. In the few cases where guns are left at the scene, it is because the criminals were killed or injured. And these guns are virtually never registered to the person who committed the crime. Many are stolen.
During a 2013 deposition, the Washington, D.C., police chief said that she could not “recall any specific instance where registration records were used to determine who committed a crime.”
When I testified before the Hawaii State Senate in 2000, the Honolulu chief of police also stated that he couldn’t find any crimes that had been solved due to registration and licensing.
The chief also said that his officers spent about 50,000 hours each year on registering and licensing guns. This time is being taken away from traditional, time-tested law enforcement activities.
Canada and other parts of the U.S. haven't had any better luck. TV shows depict gun registration as an effective crime-fighting tool, but this isn’t how things work in real life.

3. Institute universal background checks and close gun show and secondhand sales loopholes.
These are actually different words for the same thing. Background checks on private transfers of guns is the first policy gun control advocates call for after each mass public shooting. But such background checks would not have prevented a single mass public shooting in this century.
In addition, over the years from 2000 to 2015, states that had universal background checks had twice the rate of mass public shootings as those that didn’t have that law.

4. Raise the firearm purchase age to 21.
Let's not forget about the law-abiding young citizens who arm themselves for self-defense. What about the 20-year-old woman who is being stalked by a potential rapist or killer? Research shows that having a gun is by far the most effective way for young women to defend themselves.
Of the 64 U.S. mass public shootings since 1998, 10 attacks were carried out by people under age 21 – five by people who were already too young to legally purchase their guns and five where increasing the age limit could make a difference. Even in the five cases where raising the age limit might have conceivably had an impact, it is likely that the shooters could have illegally obtained a weapon, just as many other attackers do.
Prior to 1994, while some states had an age limit, there was no federal age requirement for buying a rifle. The only peer-reviewed study on this change was conducted by Thomas Marvell in the Journal of Law and Economics.
Marvell concluded: “Where the 1994 laws seem to have an impact, the suggestion is almost always that crime increases; thus, there is no evidence that these bans had their intended effect.” In fact, Marvell found that the law was associated with a 6 percent increase in firearm homicides.

Here’s a better idea
So if the above ideas all have big problems, what can be done to more effectively protect children in school?
Having more armed law enforcement officers and security guards in schools would be useful – but only if governments came up with additional money so that no other school programs are cut.
Letting well-trained teachers and other school staff members carry concealed handguns if they wish is a much less expensive alternative. There are currently 18 states that have at least some schools where staff and teachers carry.

There have been no problems or increases in insurance premiums at the schools with armed staff members. “From what I’ve seen in Utah, (school insurance) rates have not gone up because of guns being allowed,” says Curt Oda, former president of the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents. Nor has a survey of other states shown any increase in insurance costs.
Armed school staff would be a final line of defense against school shooters. Importantly, they would also be a deterrent. They wouldn’t stop every school shooting, but they would most certainly save lives.

Here’s the bottom line: We all want to save lives, but being well-meaning isn’t enough. The media’s one-sided coverage of the gun control debate gives the false impression that  only one side cares about saving lives and that virtually everyone agrees that the solution to gun violence is the strictest gun controls possible.

Some have even called for banning all guns and eliminating people’s ability to defend their families and themselves. That would be a truly radical and extremely unwise step.
Too much is at stake for politically correct decisions that sound good but are not sound policy.
*********************************************************************************

John R. Lott, Jr. is a columnist for FoxNews.com. He is an economist and was formerly chief economist at the United States Sentencing Commission. Lott is also a leading expert on guns and op-eds on that issue are done in conjunction with the Crime Prevention Research Center. He is the author of nine books including "More Guns, Less Crime." His latest book is "The War on Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies (August 1, 2016). Follow him on Twitter @johnrlottjr.

More Proof That Lindsey Constance Is Full Of It

If one scrolls down and reads the previous posts regarding Lindsey Constance's failure to vote in local elections and her bovine scatological reasons for not doing so you will chuckle when you read this.

She did vote in Presidential and Gubernatorial elections but not local (mayor/council or school board). 

Anyway, I wanted to verify the procedures for advance and/or absentee voting.  As such I contacted JoCo Election and got two different replies.  they are listed here:

First......

Ray, advance Voting began in the Fall of 1996.  The Kansas Election Standards states that the law for “no-excuse absentee” voting was adopted in 1995 (KSA 25-1119).

 

Then this:

 

Ray, to clarify further, advance voting in our office began in August 1996.  In August 2002,  was the first time that voting machines were used to collect in-person advance votes at three early voting locations.  Advance voting by mail began in August 1996.

 

What is interesting is the term "no excuse absentee" voting.......initially a person had to usually have a medical condition to vote by absentee mail ballot.  That changed over 20 years ago and anybody could apply for an absentee ballot.  The only difference is if you don't have a disability that stops you from getting to the polls you have to apply at each election (that's how I do it).

 

Anyway, she is definitely full of it................

 

 

 

 

Heroes Pull 3/11/18

OK, there were some glitches with the web site which have since been corrected.

Now it is easier to donate for your favorite team and/or person.

all funds go to Special Olympics Kansas..............come on now.............join in the giving and join in the watching.................


Click here please

A Reader Responds to Tom Cox's Reply

One of my readers sent this in as a reply to Rep Tom Cox's reply concerning guns:

Even if insurance rates skyrocketed, which they would not, we’re talking about human lives.  What would people be willing to pay to make their children safe?  This, is one of the many reasons my children do not go to public school.  

I would have loved to have him address the gun free zones as killing fields.  Also, we are the state government, can’t we pass a law that carrying firearms can not affect insurance rates?  What kind of claims are they worried about?

 

Interesting points.

State Rep Tom Cox Responds

State Rep tom cox has responded to my email concerning guns in schools.  As I stated in my previous post, replies would be posted uncensored.

Here is his reply:

Hey Ray,

The Parkland shooting is a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided. The shooter is not someone who should have been able to so easily acquire such weapons in the first place. Had law enforcement listened to the people reporting the shooter. If the FBI logged him into the system so when he bought a rifle he would have failed the background check. 

As to the solution being arming teachers, I do not think that is the right approach to solve this problem. I am not familiar with the Texas Marshall program but will look into it. I recently found out that Kansas law already allows teachers to conceal in carry but it must be authorized by the school district. No school districts in Kansas currently have opted to allow it. Part of the reason being, if they do their insurance rates sky rocket. So, if people are wanting that as a solution they need to be prepared to allocate millions more to schools to cover their increased insurance costs. 

Tom Cox

Methinks he does need to familiarize himself with the Texas law.  If he did he might not make the comment he did about sky rocketing insurance rates.  Texas does not allow for just anybody (even concealed carry license holders) to carry in the schools. Naturally they do have to have one of those but then they undergo intense background vetting, psychological testing and an in depth training program.  And have to recertify every two years. They become certified "school marshals" and as such are a category of law enforcement with very limited specific duties and responsibilities.  Certified by the state as such it does not seem to be plausible that insurance rates would sky rocket.  Let's look at this as a possible alternative to what we have now.

Guns in Schools

The  email  below was sent to the five individuals who represent parts of Shawnee in the Kansas Legislature:  Reps Gallagher, Brim, Cox, Neighbor and Sen Pilcher-Cook.

Their responses should prove to be interesting.

Here is the email:

Mornin’

With the recent terrible event in Florida the debates are starting again about guns in schools.

First, let me say that I agree with President Trump that gun free zones are killing fields.  Thinking that designating an area a gun free zone without appropriate security back up is downright foolish and unrealistic.  People with mayhem on their mind will look for these areas since they know they will be unopposed in their quest to commit murder.  Let’s look at Sandy Hook..  How many felonies did Adam Lanza commit before he even shot one person in the school?  A bunch.  Killing his mother and stealing her guns were just two of them.  There were others.  Why did the Aurora Colorado theater shooter pick that theater?  Because it was posted as gun free, even though there were theaters closer to his home, they were not posted.

The recent action by the Kansas Legislature to continue exempt status for certain institutions without requiring them to have security (armed security and metal detectors) was, IMHO very foolish.  A miscreant enters the building, what is going to happen?  Is somebody going to tell them they have to leave because it is a gun free zone?

The State of Texas has a great system for providing armed protection in their schools.  The information can be found at the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement web site at https://www.tcole.texas.gov/content/school-marshals

Those appointed as school marshals have to take extensive training and undergo psychiatric evaluations.  The Texas law does not allow for folks just to carry without the appropriate full training.

I strongly urge the Kansas Legislature to pursue a plan similar to what is being done in Texas.

So there is no misunderstanding, a copy of this email will be posted on my blog at http://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com    Hopefully, you folks will reply and those replies, uncensored, will also be posted

Thank you
Ray

Local Bird Cage Liner Can't Handle Criticism

Either scroll down to my post of 1/29/18 concerning my letter to the Shawnee Dispatch or you can click here.

Looks like the local bird cage liner posing as a newspaper can't handle criticism.  They never did publish my letter. The main thing that got me upset was that they published two letters a week before the local election which did not allow for a rebuttal because of their publication dates.  this was an action that would not have occurred back in the old days when it was a newspaper.

But I guess that is what happens when your leadership is coming out of Lawrence KS, a bastion of the whiney, crying liberal snowflakes.

Such is life. 

Bellmont Promenade - WOW or WHOOPS

Did Legacy Development snow the City with their proposal for the Bellmont Promenade project at Maurer and SMP?

A recent article in the Shawnee Mission Post https://shawneemissionpost.com/2018/02/12/hobby-lobby-dicks-sporting-goods-proposed-anchors-bellmont-promenande-shawnee-69711 indicates that two of the proposed anchors are Hobby Lobby and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Huh?  We had a Hobby Lobby in Shawnee at Pflumm and SMP about a mile or so from the Bellmont Promenade project.  It was closed, because Hobby Lobby consolidated some of their stores into a new location near Ikea on Johnson Drive.  Is Hobby Lobby really going to come back to Shawnee?  I'd question that.  Would Dick's Sporting Goods really put a store in Shawnee with one in the Merriam Town Center across the road from the Ikea location.

Look at the list of the other proposed tenants.  Where is the WOW that the developer said we would get?  Where are the truly unique destination businesses that would draw shoppers from outside of Shawnee?

Was the city given a snow job?  I remember all of the HS students that spoke in favor of the project.  They said they wanted to have jobs closer to home (understandable) as opposed to working at  the Legends at Village West.  But seriously, what kind of jobs would HS students be qualified for?  Would they be jobs in upscale WOW type of destination retailers.

IMHO, this project is not a WOW.  It is a WHOOPS.

Council Member Lindsey Constance Responds

Well here it is. Lindsey Constance replied to my question (see my two previous posts)concerning her lack of voting in local elections. I have highlighted certain comments of hers in bold red. i urge folks to read those comments at least twice. At the bottom of this post I will post my observations concerning those highlighted comments.  No part of her email has been edited (with the exception of my highlighting certain comments of hers)

Her Email:

Hi Ray,

Thanks for reaching out via email. That’s probably the best mode of contact.
In response to your question about my past voting history, I can say that thinking back to my 20s and early 30s I was starting out in my teaching career, often working late into the evening on lesson plans, working a second job much of the time, doing graduate work, and starting a family. Since turning 18, I have made it a point to vote every two years, however did not vote regularly in municipal elections during that stage of life.
 
 
Your email yesterday got me thinking about how we might better reach young people, and so I read a recent study conducted by Portland State University that looked at mayoral elections in the 30 largest cities. The results found that residents 65 years and older were a median of "seven times more likely to vote than those ages 18-34, who frequently registered turnout rates in the single digits." Thinking back to life as a young adult, I don’t recall a phone call, post card or visit from a candidate during a municipal election year. Knowing that voter turnout is typically very low, especially with young people, I worked hard this past summer and fall to reach as many residents as possible, both regular voters, and those who hadn’t previously been involved. When the Ward 4 election results came out this past November and showed an increase in voter turnout compared with previous years, I was thrilled to see more participation.
I agree with you about the importance of reaching constituents and getting them involved in our local governance. So far my approach has been social media posts, email newsletters, and attending as many city events as possible to connect with residents. I’m always open to new ideas to better reach out to people who haven’t previously been involved and would be happy to hear your ideas on this front.

Thank you,　
Lindsey Constance
Shawnee City Councilmember, Ward 4

　
My commentary:
 
OK, here is my commentary concerning the red highlighted comments. What a bunch of BS, and she contradicts herself.    First, JoCo has one of the best systems for people to vote if they can't make it to the polls on election day to include mail in ballots. You don't even have to be disabled to use a mail in ballot. Note that she admits to voting every two years but ".....did not vote regularly in municipal elections......." Huh?  The info I posted shows she never voted in municipals. Does that make sense? No explanation for not voting in municipals, but voting in the others? My guess is her attitude was that municipal elections didn't matter as long as she voted for state and federal offices. She did say she didn't remember getting a phone call, post card  or a visit from a candidate in a municipal election year.  Huh?  My mailbox was usually overflowing.  Regardless, she had to know there was an election happening.  More BS.  With answers like the ones she provided I am happy that Cabela's has a sale on hip waders.

Special Olympics - Heroes Pull

As in the past, there will be a "Heroes Pull" immediately following the St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday 3/11/18.

Various teams will compete by pulling a piece of fire equipment and also an armored police vehicle for a specific distance.  The team with the shortest combined teams is the winner.

All funds pledged to either a team or an individual are donated to Kansas Special Olympics:

City hall staff/elected personnel are fielding a team.

Donations can be made to the team "City Hall Crusaders" https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=792117#&panel1-1

Or an individual team member.......my choice......our mayor......
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=4046755&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-1

Watch the action behind Splash Cove starting around 2:30PM.

Will Lindsey Constance Respond to Email

This should be self explanatory.  Sent via email to Council Member Lindsey Constance this morning:

*******************************************************************************
Good morning,

I have posted two items on my blog concerning your failure to vote in local elections in the past.  These would be for mayor, council and school board.

On my blog I asked that you explain yourself.  To date, I have not received an answer.  It is possible that you have not read the blog post, so I will pose the question in a direct email.  As a matter of fact I will copy|paste the last two paragraphs of the most recent post.

Please treat this as a homework assignment with a due date of Wed 2/14/18.  Failure to respond will result in a similar penalty that one of your students would receive………..it will have a negative effect on your grade as a council member.

 

Come on Lindsey, tell us why you haven't voted in the past for mayor, council and school board?

Your public wants to know what kind of an example you are setting for your students by not participating in in an activity that is the basis for our freedoms.

I'm a Ward IV resident.  Email me with your response.  I'd be happy to publish it here.

Ray

Part 2: Does Lindsey Constance Really Care About Shawnee?

On 2/2/18 (two posts below) I posted the first item about this.

What did we learn at that time?  We learned that she doesn't vote in city elections (mayor/council).  Wow, that is really exercising a right that many have fought and died for.  Does she care?  There are folks in many countries that would love to have the ability to vote for their government officials.  At all levels.  She squanders that right.

Now let's take it a step further............by not voting in the local elections what other offices is she not voting for?  Are ya ready?  How about school district board?  That's right, by not voting in the local elections she is not voting for members of the local school board. 

Wow, and she is supposed to be an award winning teacher.  When I was in school, teachers used to make sure we knew in our social studies classes what voting was all about.  How can she teach that to students if she doesn't participate?  Now, as a teacher it probably would be wrong for her to publicly endorse specific candidates for the school board, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't vote.

Come on Lindsey, tell us why you haven't voted in the past for mayor, council and school board?
Your public wants to know what kind of an example you are setting for your students by not participating in in an activity that is the basis for our freedoms.

I'm a Ward IV resident.  Email me with your response.  I'd be happy to publish it here.

My Refusal to Watch Super Bowl LII

Tomorrow is Super Bowl LII and I will NOT be watching it. 

I have not watched one football game all season.  Why?  Because of the spoiled, hypocritical, over indulged pieces of trash that disrespect our flag, our anthem and the veterans that have allowed them to pursue their chosen vocation.

The biggest offender in this situation happens to be the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell.  He has wimped out in taking a stand to put these miscreants in their place.  He is sorely lacking in the intestinal fortitude department.  His solution:  to have the league donate to these idiots' social justice causes.  By watching NFL games, whether on TV or in person folks are helping the NFL to have an income flow to make those donations.  So far, there has been a substantial reduction in TV viewership and personal attendance at these games this year.  I urge folks to keep on finding other things to do,

Goodell in his misguided approach has:

1.  Had players fined for displays of celebration after scoring because they were taunting the other team.  Aren't some of those players taunting those who have fought, and in some cases died, for their rights?
2.  A player was fined for wearing Christmas colored cleats during a game.  They were OK for the pregame warm ups but not the game.  Gee, but it's OK to take a knee during the National Anthem

3.  He refused to allow the Dallas Cowboys to place stickers on their helmets in memory of the Dallas PD officers who were ambushed and killed.  But it's OK for the spoiled trash to disrespect our flag.

The video below has been on this blog in the past.  Please watch it again.  It shows a football game, a Super Bowl, with the proper respect for our country. Previous posts of this here were just of the National Anthem portion. This one is just a couple of minutes longer and shows some of the pre Anthem introductions.

Does Lindsey Constance Really Care About Shawnee?

Good question, IMHO.  There have been some recent letters in the Shawnee Dispatch about how much Lindsey Constance (newly elected Ward IV council member) cares about Shawnee.

I say that is Liberal bovine scatology. Why do I say that?  Because she has never voted in a local election (mayor/council).  That's right, she is part of that 85% of the city that sits on their butts and doesn't even get out to vote in local elections.  Well, maybe she voted this time because she was running for office.  How do I know?  Easy.  JoCo election records.  It is public information on whether folks voted in an election.  Naturally how they voted is not a matter of record.

So, here we go........note the term "state general" also includes any federal offices that were on the ballot that year (congress, senate, president etc).

Her voting record:

State General 2006
State General 2008
State General 2010
State General 2012
State General 2014
State General 2016
Mail Ballot 0108 Mail Ballot 512
State Primary 2012
State Primary 2014
State Primary 2016

We don't see any "local primary" or "local general" with an odd numbered year.

So, let's hear some more liberal clap trap about how she cares about Shawnee.  Would love to have her explain why she didn't vote in any local elections for mayor/council.  Would it be one of those typical apathetic answers?  You know the one that would indicate that the person doesn't think the local elections are important.  Something like "I voted for president.......mayor/council that doesn't matter". 

Yeah, she really cares..................NOT.   Probably more interested in advancing a national Liberal agenda.

My Letter Today to the Shawnee Dispatch

Will it get published?  Who knows what that rag will do?

There have been some recent letters concerning partisanship in the recent city elections.

That all started with two letters published the Wednesday before the city elections. Ironically, in the :old days" when the dispatch was a real newspaper and not a bird cage liner, those two leters would not have been published when they were. Why? Because any rebuttal to them would have shown up the day after the election (Dispatch comes out on Wednesday). In the "old days" they would have had to have been published a week earlier than they were, to allow for a rebuttal.

Just goes to show how inept JoCo's favorite bird cage liner has become. Or maybe partisanship on its part?

BTW one of the original letters was written by a former Democratic candidate (failed) for the Kansas legislature.

CORRECTION - Council Member Meyer is on a National Committee

Reference my post below about the NLC conference coming up.  One of my readers just corrected me and informed me that Council Member Stephanie Meyer also sits on one of the committees for the NLC.

As such, it does make sense for her to go.  Mea culpa.........my apologies for the error

What does that mean:  Jim Neighbor and Lindsey Constance stay home and don't waste city (taxpayer) money.

Council Members & Staff to National League of Cities - Too Many Going

The National League of Cities (NLC) has two conferences a year.  One in March in DC and one in the fall in a rotating city.

For years we used to send 6 or more individuals (combination of elected and staff) to these conferences.  And, for years I ranted and raved about it.  Always thought that the maximum should be four people (Mayor, City Manager and two council members).  At one point, a former council member even suggested that with a reduced number going, that those who attended could submit a report/review of the conference for those not attending and for the public.  that was voted on and approved.  Only happened once, and by just one attendee.

Now we have the 2018 DC conference coming up.  We have six individuals, according to info from the City Clerk who are scheduled to go.  Outrageous............two need to stay home, IMHO.  The average cost is in the neighborhood of $2000 per person and a long time ago I overheard one of the council members (who is still on the council) suggest to another that they sign up for it since it's like a "paid vacation".

Who is going?  (With side comments from me. Those in blue probably should be going ):

Stephanie Meyer

Mickey Sandifer - Sits on one of the NLC's committees this go around, so guess he has to go.  Never misses one of these.  Also, to make sure he gets "full benefit" arrives the day before the conference starts, and stays through the last event and comes back the day after.  Two extra nights, two extra per diems (verified by various copies of expense reports)

Matt Zimmerman - As Council President he can substitute for the mayor, IMHO

Jim Neighbor

Lindsey Constance

Nolan Sunderman - As Assistant City Manager since we have an interim in that position he can fill that spot IMHO

 

So, IMHO two of the remaining three (red) need to stay home and the four going need to file reports of what took place and make them available to the remaining members of the governing body and the public.

 

BTW, anyone who wants can do a KORA request and find out how few go from the surrounding cities in JoCo.

 

I plan on obtaining copies of the expense reports (if more than 4 go) for this trip under KORA and publishing the info on this blog.

Council Member Responds

If you scroll down to my post of 1/14/18 you will see that I commented on the fact that one of the three new council members did not respond (negative or positive) to an email of mine.

I am happy to report that that council member has responded.  That is courtesy.  Maybe we do not have a new arrogant member on the council.  Hopefully not.

In all fairness I felt an update was appropriate.

Shawnee Searches For A New City Manager

Shawnee is in the process of looking for a new city manager.  This can be a real learning experience, for many reasons.

Our former city manager held that position for about thirteen years and prior to that her predecessor held it for about 28 years.  She had served as his deputy and then upon his retirement moved into the top spot.

This time Shawnee is doing things a little differently, and justifiably so.  One thing I have heard many times over at the Mayor's Third Thursdays is that folks like the fact that Shawnee is a city with a small town feel but with many of the advantages of a big city.  Guess that comes from being a major suburb in a large metro area.

Because of Shawnee's growth, and many changes and advancements over the years it is imperative that the city casts a wide net to find the best qualified person for that position.  The process has started with the city asking for proposals from executive search companies.  Many "small" cities used to select their leadership based on either the next one in line or a favorite of the good old boy network.

Shawnee has, IMHO grown past that.  If anybody falls into those two categories and is desirous of serving in that position they need to apply, just like anybody else.  Anybody who attempts to hijack the process by pushing for a "good old boy" needs to be resoundingly cut down.

Let the process play out.  The city and its citizens deserve that.  It will be very interesting to see the qualifications of those who do apply.

Does the Council Have a New "Arrogant One"? LOL

Are we starting the year off with a new "Arrogant One" on the city council?

This is really funny.

About a week before the new council came on board I emailed the three newbies and asked if they wanted to be put on the email list for notification of new postings to this blog.  Now, in fact nobody has to be on the mailing list.  This blog is not a "closed group".  Anybody can access it.  And they usually do.  Sometimes, they have relatives access it for them, LOL.  And then report back.

What happened?  Two of the newbies replied that yes, they wanted to be on the notification list.  The third one?  Well, that individual apparently thought it appropriate not to even respond,  No yes, no no.  Just a rude, arrogant failure to respond.

Even though councilmembers are elected by ward, when they sit on that dais they represent the entire city.  Ergo, everybody is their constituent.  My gut instinct tells me that this will not be the last display of arrogance by this newbie.

This is going to be fun. 

Some Unsolicited Advice For Our New Councilmembers

Well, they haven't been on the job a week yet, and already they're getting advice from me, albeit unsolicited.

First, at the swearing-in each of you took the oath of office and even signed a hard copy.  It is an oath required by K.S.A. 54-106, and it says:

"I do solemnly swear [or affirm, as the case may be] that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Kansas, and faithfully discharge the duties of ______. So help me God."

 

 Now, with regards to the US Constitution, most are familiar with that part of the First Amendment pertaining to free speech.  But  possibly they may not be as familiar with another part of it, the part that goes:

 

"the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"

Now let's talk about Section 3 of the Bill of Rights of the Kansas Constitution (which by the way comes before the main body of the constitution):

§ 3. Right of peaceable assembly; petition. The people have the right to assemble, in a peaceable manner, to consult for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to petition the government, or any department thereof, for the redress of grievances.

What does all that mean?  It means you need to listen to the people.  In the past, some, not all, members of the council thought they were above listening to the people.  Not good. 

And the final bit of advice is to go on line to the city's web site.  Click on the monthly reports link https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/4242?expanded=4243&preview=4565 and then pick any monthly report.  Look at the organization chart.  Never forget who is listed at the top of the chart.

Are We Due for a New Knock Down Drag Out KOMA Investigation?

OK, I wasn't at the city council meeting 1/8/18 but am aware of some of the things that transpired.

Question: How does a brand new council member, Matt Zimmerman, with less than two hours of experience as a council member get elected as President of the Council? This is an important question that needs to be answered since that position has two responsibilities. One, it is as presiding officer for Council Committee meetings, but more importantly, that is the person who becomes mayor if for any reason the mayor is unable to complete their term.

There was a rumor going around that prior to last night's meeting one of the sitting council members (we'll call him "A") had entertained the three newbies over a meal and pushed to have his name placed into nomination for that position and for the newbies, and one other existing council member (call him "B") to vote for him.

Then today according to another council member (let's see, that would be "C", a ward mate of one of the newbies), informed me that council member "B" notified the mayor of "the plan" and according to "C" the mayor did the right thing and notified the city attorney. It appears that the city attorney may have told these people that they could be in deep trouble if after they were sworn in they went through with their plan. So, what happened? Somehow the plan didn't go through as had been supposedly previously discussed. What is the final outcome? A different one of the five becomes Council President. Was this also discussed or was this a "spontaneous change" in preference?

After the meeting, council member "C" contacted me and suggested I go ahead and file a KOMA complaint.

I am not a lawyer, but something stinks here, and it is not as far away as the landfill. The previous KOMA investigation started with a citizen complaint (not me). I will exercise my rights as a citizen and request that the JoCo DA look into this matter. Let's not pussyfoot around because it would make Shawnee look bad. If these shenanigans are proven, and nothing is done, that would be worse. If there is no basis for concern, let the appropriate authority make that decision. An official determination needs to be made, IMHO.

Would love to have the DA discuss this with the three newbies and Messrs. A & B.

Attacking Police K9s

A few weeks ago a police K9 on the Missouri side of the state line was stabbed by a criminal.  The local news outlets indicated that the maximum penalty for stabbing a police K9 is 15 days.  Fifteen days for stabbing an animal that works closely with LEOs to protect the people.

I thought the penalty upon conviction was ridiculously low, and was curious as to what the penalty would be here in Kansas.  So, I contacted the JoCo DA's office and this is the info I got back:

Kansas law can be found at K.S.A. 21-6416 .  It is a non-person felony.  Penalties require at least 30 days in jail and up to 1 year in jail.

So, here in Kansas a criminal who stabs a police K9 could get up to one year in jail and it would be classified as a felony.  IMHO, that is not enough.  Attacking, stabbing, shooting a police K9 is, IMHO the same as performing those heinous acts upon a sworn law enforcement officer.

OK, it's crusade time.  Which one of the four state reps, and one state senator who have portions of Shawnee in their districts is going to take the lead on doing something to change the law and increase the penalty?

State Reps:
Linda Gallagher
Tom Cox
Shelee Brim
Cindy Neighbor

State Senator:
Mary Pilcher-Cook

Please contact them and voice your opinions on this matter.

Thank you

Changing Faces

This coming Monday at the City Council meeting three new council members will be sworn in and one sitting council member will be taking the oath for his second term.

Matt Zimmerman (Ward I), Justin Adrian (Ward III) and Lindsey Constance (Ward IV) will be the new faces of the council and Dr. Mike Kemmling (Ward II) will be sworn back in for his second term.  Jim Neighbor (Ward I) Eric Jenkins (Ward II) Stephanie Meyer (Ward III) and Mickey Sandifer (Ward IV) will be returning to finish the second two years of their current term. 

When a legislative body changes personnel it is always interesting to see what happens as the newbies get their feet wet and learn their jobs.  There is a learning curve and I will have to watch and see what happens during that period of time.  They should have their feet wet within the first 72 hours or so.  Only kidding.  Wanted to see if my readers were paying attention.  :-)  :-)

One bit of advice for the newbies, and it really is not from me, but has been told to me over the years by many others who were in their position (new on some sort of legislative body).  Actually doing the job is almost 180º opposite of what they thought it would be like. 

This should be fun.  The elections are over, the campaigning has ended.  Let's see how it plays out.

Sidebar:  At the meeting Meyer and Neighbor will be sitting in different seats as the senior council member for their ward.

Going Going Gone

Five more days and Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught will be gone from the city council.

Halleleujah!!!!!!!!!!!!

On 12/20/17 I posted an item about the Westbrooke Green project.  During my comments I exceeded the time limit allowed for citizen input.  Procedure is that a council member may make a motion to extend the speaking time and if seconded it is voted on and if approved the speaker gets some more time.  This has happened to me (and others) in the past.  Usually it is close to a pro forma action.  On this particular night two of the councilmembers voted no........Vaught and Neighbor.  On 12/20 I said I would post some commentary in the future about that.  The future is here and now.

Over the years Vaught has pontificated that he was in favor of transparency in government, in meetings etc.  Ironically, any long time reader of this blog knows that his actions contradicted his verbalizations.  Hypocrite extraordinaire.  Fortunately the city will no longer have to put up with his arrogance, his bullying (of fellow council members and the public) and his long winded diatribes (akin to putting the listening public through the pain of over verbosity similar to former council member Dawn "Motormouth" Kuhn).

As for Neighbor's "no" vote on this matter, what can I say?  Now that his puppet master is no longer involved with the city he is probably at a loss at to what to do.

Merry Christmas 2017

Fifty years ago I spent Christmas Day (1967) in the amphitheater at Long Binh Vietnam where one of the greatest supporters of our troops came with his friends to entertain us.

This short clip brings back some of the more pleasant memories of that time in my life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. 

Westbrooke Green - Shawnee Takes It In the Shorts

Well it happened Monday night.  The Westbrooke Green development is going forward.  The plan for a mixed use apartment complex, retail type of development seems like a good idea.

So, why do I say that Shawnee takes it in the shorts?  The financing plan stinks.  A 100% TIF for 20 years stinks.  The developer getting the 1% sales tax stinks.  The 1.5% CID stinks.  The odor coming off the finance plan is akin to one that emanates from a garbage dump.

The costs of city services will not stay stagnant for 20 years.  They are constantly going up.  A development like this needs to contribute to the costs of the city.  I am not in favor of TIFs, but feel that it might have been a necessary evil in this case, but not 100%.  I suggested at the council meeting that it be renegotiated to 75%.  I felt that we did not negotiate properly in this matter and just caved to whatever the developer wanted.  When councilmember Jenkins voiced the same thoughts Jeff "the Arrogant One" Vaught claimed it was negotiated.  Heck, when I see that a developer gets a 100% of this and that I question that.

My suggestion was that the plan goes back to renegotiate to bring the TIF down to 75% and not give up the 1% sales tax.  That would also allow the matter to come back to the council after Jan 8, 2018.  That is important because three of the current councilmembers will not be returning.  I felt that this matter was too important for a council with 37.5% of its members not coming back to be voted on at this time.  Every council person who voted on it would need to be able to be held accountable to the citizens of Shawnee.  This is not possible now.

Ironically at a previous meeting about this when councilmember Dr. Mike Kemmling suggested waiting for the new council he was told that that would delay the vote too many months down the road.  Too many months?  As of this past Monday the delay would have only been three weeks.  It had also been previously argued that the developer wanted to get started shortly after the first of the year.  That turned out to be BS.  The developer now plans to start in Oct 2018.  Also, what was supposed to be a three year project has now been changed to a six year plan.  Add to that what is going to be determined as "substantially completed" during the various phases appears to be overly favorable to the developer.  Those are the markers so that the developer is not penalized.

I specifically called out the five councilmembers who would be returning to do the right things.  Send the item back to renegotiate and insure that a full, accountable council would be acting on it.  The five were Eric Jenkins, Mike Kemmling, Jim Neighbor, Stephanie Meyer and Mickey Sandifer.  Of that group only Jenkins and Kemmling voted that way.  So, when a future council has to raise sales and/or property taxes to cover shortfalls because the city is not getting any part of the increased property taxes and giving up the sales tax I will cheerfully scream "I told you so".  And then I will be able to hold the feet of the three who went with it as it stood, to the fire.

Again, project idea good, finance terms bad.

Some sidebars: 

When my speaking time had expired I asked for a motion to allow for an extension (this has happened in the past, and not just for me).  Well 6 of the 8 voted to give me the extra time (in the past it was usually 8 of 8).  Who voted against the extra time?  Jim Neighbor and Jeff Vaught.  My thoughts on this will be in a future post.

Had to chuckle at the woman that got up and said that this project would bring in restaurants and shopping that would make it a destination place.........so, she thinks she is going to get class establishments in that development?  When the plans call for five (5) drive thru restaurants.  The establishments may be nice but destination?  And will there be a "major" sit down full service restaurant that will attract folks from all over JoCo?

Important for Public to Consider Citizen Interest Groups for Westbrooke Green

Westbrooke Green is a contentious project.  There are a bunch of competing viewpoints concerning this project, be it the actual type of project, the tax incentives, and a variety of other items.

In the past, when citizens spoke about projects like this at council meetings there would be many disjointed individual comments.  To make the process more easier, and to give the average citizen a chance to have their comments presented in a more fluid manner. Council Member Eric Jenkins (Ward II) championed a change to Policy Statement-7.  To read his comments about this click here for a link to his FB page

The change allows for 12 citizens to form a Citizens Interest Group and then have one person give a 30 minute presentation (with the possibility of a 30 minute extension).  This allows for a better, stronger, presentation of ideas as opposed to multiple 5 minute individual commentaries.  Also, the presenter does not have to be a member of the 12 person group.  They can be an outside individual or even a professional (lawyer, accountant, architect, engineer, etc)

Additionally, there is no limit as to how many of these groups can be formed or what side of the issue they have to be on.  They can be pro or con.  If 36 different folks want they can form 3 different groups.

For more information on this please visit the city's web site by clicking here.

The public hearing for this matter is scheduled for Monday 12/18/17.

Is Prairie Village Mayor Turning Into Jack Booted Thug?

Whoa, this article in the Shawnee Mission Post really got my dander up.  It can be viewed at this link
Apparently the mayor of Prairie Village, Laura Wassmer, wants to put restrictions on council members posting on line or speaking to the press.

Here is part of the article:

Wassmer sent the following message to members of the city council Monday after councilwoman Jori Nelson posted a message about the Village Square community input sessions on the website NextDoor, and councilwoman Sheila Myers asked the Shawnee Mission Post to publish a similar statement:

Council, please remember that you collectively represent a governing body of twelve members. While you are entitled to your own opinion, it is important that communication involving City related events, projects, etc. come from the CITY, and not from individual council members. While you are welcome to post information on your own FB pages that are obviously your own opinions, please refrain from discussing your views individually with the media or posting on neighborhood chat forums/online neighborhood websites. All media requests for information should be forwarded to either myself or [City Administrator] Wes [Jordan] in the future. Thank you for your cooperation. Laura

That message struck at least four members of the council as crossing an important line. As elected officials, one said, they should have the ability to express their opinions on any issue without fear of reprisal, and it was not appropriate for Wassmer to ask them to yield their ability to communicate with constituents.

If I lived in PV I'd be starting a recall petition for the mayor.  She took an oath of office to support and defend both the state constitution and the federal constitution.  Council members do NOT give up their right to free speech by virtue of their position.  Also, a council member's opinion of city projects is important to the citizens. They want to know what the council member thinks.

Mayor Wassmer, it is my opinion you owe your council a big apology.

New Faces to the Shawnee City Council

This past Tuesday Shawnee voters went to the polls and in January there will be three new faces on the city council.

Ward 1:  Matt Zimmerman defeated incumbent Dan Pflumm.  Not completely sure where Zimmerman stands on some items so will be waiting and watching to see what happens here.

Ward 2:  Mike Kemmling ran unopposed and as such will serve another term on the council.

Ward 3:  Candidate Justin Adrian defeated Candidate Dave Myres (the incumbent Jeff Vaught was tossed out by the voters in the primary).  This one really concerns me as I find it abhorrent to have an individual who went to the Democratic convention as a Hillary Clinton delegate sitting on our city council.  He may not represent the ward I live in, but when he takes actions he is taking them for the whole city.  I seriously question the sincerity of his comments in support of veterans after he supported the Witch (sp) of Benghazi.  My microscope is ready to look at every action/move he makes on the council.  At least I'm up front about it.

Ward 4:  Candidate Lindsey Constance defeated Candidate Tony Noble (the incumbent Brandon Kenig, like Jeff Vaught, got tossed by the voters in the primary).  Her kumbayah approach makes me really wonder about where she stands on various issues.  Since this is the ward that I live in, that microscope will be at high power to monitor her actions and moves on the council.

Since two of these folks received strong Democratic Party support maybe taking a page out of the Democrat's play book might not be a bad idea.  You know the page, the one where the day after Trump won the Presidency the Dems were already talking impeachment.  Maybe I should start talking recall election.  Why not?  According to Kansas statutes the process can begin anytime after six months of their taking office.  Something to think about.

Justin Adrian Lies to the Voters

When discussing what his opponent said, Justin Adrian told a heck of a whopper concerning the Deffenbaugh impact fee.

Here is a question that was posed to Dave Myres:

How should Shawnee be using the proceeds from the impact fee paid to the city by Deffenbaugh for use of the landfill space?

Here was Dave Myres answer:  The impact fee is intended to repair the damage to our roads caused by the Deffenbaugh trucks.  However, about half of that fee has been diverted to "economic development"  This is wrong and I will vote to stop it.

Justin Adrian then makes this statement:  The money is not being diverted.  The agreement was setup with Deffenbaugh specifically to allow 50% to go to street maintenance and 50% for economic development to compensate for the loss of development ready land due to the landfill.

Justin Adrian is flat out lying.  I was at the council meetings when that came up.    There was absolutely NO agreement with Deffenbaugh as to how the fee was to be allocated.  That decision is/was not theirs to make. The only agreement with Deffenbaugh was the amount of the fee and for how many years it would be in effect. It was at a budget meeting and some council members wanted the entire fee to go to economic development.  Others wanted the entire fee to go to street maintenance.  A compromise was reached and the fee was split 50/50.  Now here is the kicker.  The allocation was never placed in an ordinance, a policy statement or any other document.  As such it is considered an action as the "will of the council".  As such it can be changed at any time with a simple majority vote of the council.

Basically, Adrian's statement is full of horse manure and it is a total lie.  Ergo he is a liar.

If Mr. Adrian is a history teacher I really hope he gets his facts straight on what he teaches the children in his classes.  Or does he twist the facts to suit his view of history.

An Open Letter to Marlys Shulda, Failed Candidate for the Kansas House

Dear Ms. Shulda,

I read your letter to the editor of the Shawnee Dispatch that appeared on line.

Let's see you excoriated Dave Myres for calling Justin Adrian out on his (Adrian's) political party affiliation.  Tsk, tsk, tsk.  One liberal democrat trying to shore up another liberal democrat.

Let's see now, in most cases one's political affiliations are usually good indications of how that person will act if they are elected to office.  True, the city council race is non-partisan, but that doesn't mean that once elected the individual's partisanship would not show through. 

Now, let's look at Mr. Adrian's background.  The thing that really causes me the most concern  is that he himself has stated that he was very proud to go to the Democratic National Convention as a Hillary Clinton delegate.  That was on his crowd funding page to get money to go to the convention. That's horrible.  I may not live in Ward 3, but when the council conducts business they conduct it for the entire city not just their ward.  Or do you need a refresher course in civics 101?  As a Vietnam vet there is no way that I would want a person who supported the Witch of Benghazi (pardon the misspelling) to sit on the city council.  We won't even talk at this time about the Uranium One deal or her many other anti-American actions.  And you want folks to support Adrian? Well, that is your right.  But don't expect his support of Clinton to go unreported.  Especially when his opponent (Dave Myres) is a decorated former army captain.

Oh, one other thing.  You seem to think that Dave Myres only sends out mailers.  Surprise, surprise.  He has walked the ward, extensively. 

A Marine's Letter to the NFL

This needs no further comment from me....................

Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission Replies Concerning Kenig Contributions

Reference is made to my previous post about Council member Brandon Kenig receiving $1000 in campaign contributions from lawyers associated with the firm and the firm itself representing the developers of the Westbrooke Green project.

I inquired of the State Governmental Ethics Commission as to the legality of this situation.

Here is their reply:

Dear Mr. Erlichman,

In reply to your letter inquiry, dated October 16, the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, regarding local governmental ethics laws, has no enforcement authority but may issue ethics opinions to local government officials and employees upon request to ensure that their conduct complies with the local ethics laws (K.S.A. 75-4303a).

Local government ethics laws (K.S.A. 75-4301a, et seq.) deal largely with requirements of local officials or employees to file statements of substantial interest. Pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4304, a local officer or employee may not participate in the making of a contract with the person or business in which the official or employee has a substantial interest. By omission, campaign contributions are not attributable to whether a “substantial interest” exits, as that term is defined (K.S.A 75-4301a). Technically, campaign contributions to a candidate are not a source of income, rather, campaign contributions are to the campaign, and reportable by the Kansas campaign finance act.

 For the above reasons, allegations in your letter do not suggest a violation of the local governmental ethics laws. However, the commission cannot provide a ruling (ethics opinion), which may be issued only to the local official or employee as noted.

Sincerely,

Mark Skoglund

Executive Director
Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission

So, it would appear that the contributions are technically OK.  IMHO, I still think they look real bad and will always wonder if those contributions consciously or subconsciously influences how Lame Duck Kenig conducts himself in the votes on the project.

Tony Noble's Recent Letter is Aggravating

I'm not going to beat around the bush.  Going to get right to what is bothering me, since I have, up to this point supported Tony Noble.

Tony Noble, candidate for the Ward 4 council seat out a letter recently.  I have read it and am not happy as there appear to be several misleading statements.  For brevity's sake I will not go item by item at this point in time.

But, there is one item that I will address now.  In his letter he says:  "Even the mayor decided her column in the city's taxpayer-funded newsletter was the place to make political statements."

Wow, is this political neophyte off base.  Who is he relying on for his input?  You can read the mayor's letter for yourself by following this link and then scrolling to page 2.  The mayor, like any good elected official prior to an election is:
1.  Suggesting folks do research on the candidates and not rely on just postcards
2.  She even suggests calling the candidates to discuss issues
3.  She points out how important it is to vote.

That is not political.  She made no comments as to the viability of any candidate. Basically, it was a generic "please do your civic duty and vote" column.  Something which I myself have advocated many times on this blog.

For Tony Noble to claim that that column was "making political statements" just shows that he does not understand that terminology.  Maybe his commentary would have been different if she had endorsed him.  Sour grapes?  Heck, she hasn't endorsed any candidates in this election.

Anyway, even though I have voiced a preference for Tony Noble in this election I must now change my position.  For various reasons I cannot support his opponent either.  Have never been in this position in a local race before.  I will probably end up writing in a candidate.  Heck, might even write myself in.........

Most importantly, I must apologize to those who have shown support for Noble based on my recommendations.  Even so, if you are one of those individuals, you may still find that he is your candidate of choice.  If so, that is the American way.  I just find his amateurish attempt to besmirch the mayor is reprehensible.  She has done more for this city than he can ever hope to do.

Kenig Gets Donations from Developer's Attorney/Law Firm

Brandon Kenig, the lame duck city council rep from Ward IV has been making various public comments that are favorable concerning the Westbrooke Green project at 75th and Quivira.

Well, we are not going to say whether we agree or disagree with his comments.  What we are going to say is that he has received various contributions to his campaign account from lawyers who work at the law firm that is representing the developer, to include a contribution from the firm itself.

First, let's look at this from the packet at the meeting of 10/9:

The project team for MP Westbrooke North, LLC consists of:

Principals: Joint venture of Mission Peak Capital and Extell Development Company –

primary contact is Patrick J. Ventola of Mission Peak Capital
Legal counsel: John Petersen, Polsinelli
Engineer: Brad Sonner, Olsson Associates
Architect: Clint Evans and Tim Homburg, NSPJ Architects

Now, let's look at these contributions which Kenig listed on his financial filings:

4/25/17  Polsinelli PC                                                  $250
5/1/17    Curt Peterson  Attorney at Polsinelli PC       $250
5/1/17    John Peterson  Attorney at Polsinelli PC       $250
7/20/17  John Petersen  Attorney at Polsinelli PC       $250

Considering that Kenig reported $6,225 in contributions that $1,000 is a pretty substantial amount, like about 16%.

Even though he is a lame duck council representative he will still be on the council for any actions on this project at the 11/13 and possibly 12/8 meetings.

All I can say is that I have a hard time with these donations, especially the ones from the firm itself and the attorney who is counsel for the developer.

Lindsey Constance - All Puff No Substance - Bad for Shawnee

Just received a mailer from Lindsey Constance who is running for city council in Ward 4 in Shawnee.
A copy of it is posted below.  Click on it to see a larger view.

Ms. Constance is all puff and absolutely no substance.  Read the piece for yourself.  Typical kumbayah sound bites.  Nowhere does she mention her position(s) on any recent or current actions before the council.

She just comes up with the usual liberal democratic socialist talking points.  This individual would be bad for Shawnee.  Actually, she'd be terrible for Shawnee.  We do know that she has received funding from the JoCo Democratic party machine.  Is she another Hillary Clinton disciple like Justin Adrian?

Remember the name and face below.If you like keeping your money in your wallet do not vote for her.

Aztec Theater - Social Media Run Amok

Wow, talk about a firestorm. 

At the last council session the plans for the reopening/financing of the Aztec theater came up.

Prior to that discussion Mayor Distler read a statement.  Apparently there was a video on line concerning this matter.  The video had in excess of 11,000 views.  But, there were some statements that were not factually correct.

One of the statements in the video was that the money the ownership was requesting from the city was a loan.  Simply put............not true.  It was a "give" from the economic development fund.  There were some claw back provisions (good for only five years).  One of the provisions, which were not part of the original plan involved what would happen if the new ownership sold the property within the first five years and how the city could/would recover funds.  Some of the other clawbacks were in case the entity shut down for a period of 6 months, but the city's recoupment was at a prorated basis.  The fact is, the money was not a loan.

One of the other items in the video was that the money for the theater was coming from the Nieman Now! project. Simply put, wrong.

There were other items that the mayor addressed.

One would think that folks would be happy that items that were misstatements of facts were corrected.  Instead social media has blown up to include among other things that the mayor was corrupt.  Allegations that the mayor shifted funds between accounts were really outrageous.  In our city the mayor cannot shift funds among accounts. 

Corrupt for stating the truth.  What a unique concept.

Council Candidate Matt Zimmerman - Naughty, Naughty

Having a "Meet and Greet" for a candidate is something that happens many, many times during election season.  They are great events for folks to visit and talk with a candidate.  Nothing wrong there.

Advertising for these events is important so folks can know about them.  Except when a notice about the event is taped to an NBU (Neighborhood Box Unit - that's a mail box).  If one checks with the USPS I believe they will find that it is a violation of Federal law to do this.  Now, granted, nobody was harmed, mail delivery wasn't interrupted, it's just an "in your face" type of thing.

See the image below, and click on it for a larger version.