Planning Commission Debacle Continues

 Let's continue the discussion from my last post, just prior to this one.  The comments made by certain planning commissioners, were, IMHO totally out of line.

Let's look at what that fine body did with the proposed apartment complex at 5700 King Street.  They were willing to go along with a five (5) story unit that contained 189 apartments.  Now, here's the kicker, they gave a variance for 68% of the units.  Huh???  Seems that Shawnee has a requirement that a residential unit have a minimum of 800 sq ft.  Well, 129 of the 189 units were well under that.............some were in the mid 600s and some were even as small as 460 sq ft.  Wanna know what 460 sq ft looks like?  Go outside and look at a striped parking lot.  Depending on the striping you will be looking at 2, maybe 2-1/2 spots.  Teeny tiny huh?  Naturally those are studio apartment units, but still, when you take away kitchen areas, bath areas, washer/dryer set ups etc etc not much walking around room.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the commission also go along with the concept that any excess vehicles could park at city lots.  Always thought that overnight parking was not permitted at city lots.

Anyway, methinks the three commissioners who did not (so far) follow Braley out the door might want to consider doing the same.

Willoughby was, IMHO the most egregious for a variety of reasons. He made the comment during the open meeting that citizens should rise up and vote out the council members who voted against the project.  Let's take  a trip down memory lane.  Let's see if "Uncle" Alan remembers.  He was appointed to fill the vacancy of a council member who had resigned.  The way his nephew by marriage (former Mayor Jeff Meyers) had orchestrated the appointment process resulted in a KOMA investigation by the JoCo DA.  That resulted in a scathing letter of rebuke by the DA.  Subsequently, when Uncle Alan ran for an actual full term he was soundly defeated.  No wonder.  His performance as a member of the council was, politely speaking, lackluster.  

Some folks have asked me my thoughts about what can be done at that location.  Personally, I feel that an apartment set up could be beneficial and blend in, if done properly. If it was kept at 2 or a maximum of 3 stories.  Actually, what about a "village" of duplexes, triplexes and even fourplexes.  Or, maybe designed like that but two stories.  If the designs were right, they could conceivably blend in with the rest of the neighborhood and also add to the downtown area with additional people residing there.  But a five story monstrosity.............no way.

Planning Commissioners Who Overstep

 

At this past Planning Commission meeting it appears that four members of the Shawnee Planning Commission overstepped their position.

First, let's make one thing clear.  Planning Commission members have volunteered for the position, and that is to be commended.  At the same time, they are not accountable to anybody.

At this last meeting, four of them seem to have gone over the line.  It had to do with the fact that the  City Council (who is accountable to the citizens of the city) voted down the rezoning action for the proposed apartment unit at 5700 King Street.

At the end of the meeting, while still in session these four saw fit to complain about the action of the City Council.  It is NOT their position to take sides on these issues.  They cannot be champions for either the developers or the residents.  That is beyond the scope of their function.  Freedom of speech?  Yes, when the individual is not sitting in a session.  Taking sides while sitting in a session is abhorrent.

So, what happened?  Commissioner Les Smith (5 years) started the ball rolling with attacks of the council. Randy Braley who has been on the Planning Commission for six years announced his resignation because he disagreed with the council's actions.  He has been on the Commission since 6/2014.  Good riddance.

Commission chair Dennis Busby made some scathing comments about the city council.  He has been on the Commission since 8/2007.  That is 13 years.  Too long. Methinks he should follow Braley out the door and not let the door hit him in the rear.

Next up.....Alan (Former Mayor Jeff Meyers' Uncle by Marriage) Willoughby.  He was advocating, from his position on the Commission, that residents in the wards of the council persons who voted against the item should rise up and vote them out.  That is a personal view, and if he wants to state that away from a Commission meeting that is fine.  But to make that statement while the Commission is in session is a breach of protocol.  He too should follow Braley out the door.  His service on the commission has been split over the years, but amounts to approximately 10 years.

Again, it is not the Planning Commission's responsibility to advocate for either side in a matter that has come before them.  These four  have tarnished their positions.

 

It Gets Worse - More Revelations About the Trash Container Situation

 In my first post about this situation I mentioned the agreement that the city entered into with the sub contractor for Waste Management.  As a point of reference you can view it by clicking here.

There is something very important missing in the agreement.  There is no way for the city to opt out, even in an emergency or for cause.  Usually agreements like this have such a clause, especially to opt out "for cause".

Who drafted this?  Was it the assistant city manager who notified a member of the council that she had authorized this action?  Was it the city attorney?

Here is my problem.  We all make mistakes.  Nobody is perfect.  But for some reason we have some folks who say that our staff (especially senior members) are world class.  We have a very good city staff.  And most of the time they function very well.  The problem is, and it starts at the top (City Manager Nolan Sunderman), there is a culture of an unwillingness to admit to mistakes.  It is for this reason that I have not asked him directly about this trash container debacle.  Previous experience has shown that he tap dances around questions, seldom provides direct answers, and refuses to acknowledge mistakes.

The lack of an opt out clause in the agreement is, IMHO, one such mistake.  Actually, the entire situation is one big mistake.  If Sunderman does not take full responsibility for this debacle, then IMHO he needs to go.  The sign of a true leader is to take responsibility, especially when things go wrong.  He is not a leader.

Part 2 - Shawnee is the New Storage Facility For Waste Management

 This is getting worse each and every day.  See my original post of 11/10/20 below'

Here is what we know:

1.  A sub contractor for Waste Management is storing tens of thousands of trash containers on the north side of both Splash Cove and Shawnee Town 1929 adjacent to the visitor center.

2.  The same sub contractor will be bringing in used, unsanitary containers to store at these locations.  These can spread infections, diseases and attract various vermin and animals (and not all domesticated either-----think coyotes, raccoons and foxes)

3.  This action involves swapping containers with Waste Management customers and not just Shawnee customers.

4.  The agreement with the sub contractor was signed by the Assistant City Manager.  Who authorized it?  IMHO, whoever it was should be terminated, post haste.

5.  Why?  Waste Management has hundreds of acres out by their landfill.

6. How was some of this information gathered?  Not from the city.  Staff ignores inquiries from citizens.  So, a member of the community had a nice conversation with the persons representing the sub contractor.

7.  Please, just see two of many emails below:

11/12/20 Thursday

I told you earlier about seeing the TV4 truck at Splash Cove this morning and the two obvious delivery trucks.

I did not get to see 7 am news for WDAF but do intend to watch the noon edition to see if anything.

But I then decided to go back and see if anyone around and ask where they might be delivering those on the two trailers.

Wow, glad I did.   There were two guys in a pickup with Rehrig name on it. (The mfgr of the containers.)  The one guy got out and talked with me for about 15 minutes. He and his  bro own a company who contracts with WM to do this all over U. S. Said he had no knowledge of what is involved with City and Rehrig but he filled me in on details which I can guarantee you most folks, including our city council members and perhaps even the mayor are not aware of. Not sure I can recall all he told me but will tell you enough to make your blood boil and want some damned heads to roll from our "world class city staff".

Here are some highlights.

1. He and his assistant were awaiting arrival this morning of FOUR more 53' trailers of the WM bins!!!

2. He pointed out what is now the beginning of a second area of USED WM containers.---he also expressed frustration with mgmt of WM as they have not instructed him WHERE or  WHAT is to be done with these unsanitized containers!!!

3. He did say these are definitely NOT going to only Shawnee, but to several surrounding cities having contracts with WM.

4. Now here is the part you will find amazing.  A few years ago you might remember WM offered smaller size containers.  The largest one has always been what they refer to as a 96gallon.   I think he said next is 60 and smallest is 18.  According to my understanding these NEW containers are going to be delivered to all WM customers, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE.   Customers will have no choice!! The plan is to send by some method a notice after  TG I believe, but not sure of date, explaining to customer.  They will attempt to deliver the NEW ones the day after the customer's current pickup date. Can you imagine that nightmare?  He SAYS he and his bro own the company contracting with Rehrig and have done several of these "switchouts" over the past 10 years.  He never did explain the WHY of such action.

4. He did admit there will be many instance where the customer will end up with double qty/styles as they do not coordinate the delivery/pickup.  The info letter mentioned above  is supposed to explain that he stated.

I know there were other thing he covered but these are highlights I remember.  This thing I guarantee you is headed to be a much bigger fiasco and quite frankly I would guess strongly that Caitlin nor her illustrous leader Nolan, neither one know the real plan that is being implemented.

And think about it---those dirty, unsanitized used containers---how long will they sit at Splash Cove?  Good thing cool weather is with us.   NEW ones piled all over with more to come---WHILE old used ones are brought to same storage area to be held for who knows what.

Folks, this is a true "hidden agenda" I feel and no one at City Hall truly knows the workings!!!

11/13/20 Friday

I just came by SC on my way to Cap Fed. Those two white pickups with the hauler trailers were there (7 a.m.) loading up for another day of distribution I guess.  And looked like more used containers had been added to the storage also.

Veteran's Day - 2020 - A Sad Day This Year

 This is probably the saddest Veteran's Day that I can ever remember.  Some miscreants found it necessary to deface the WWI Memorial in KCMO.  They spray painted " No to elections" and "Yes to revolution" along with the communist hammer and sickle.  Would you like to see what it looked like?  Then all you have to do is click this link.

The anarchists are looking to turn this country into a communistic/socialistic nation.  Just see some of the statements coming from the Democrats about black balling Trump officials and efforts to reeducate  Trump supporters.  Typical communistic/socialistic moves.  Adhere to the party line or you are in deep trouble.  Funny thing is that many Democrats that supported some of these socialists would also in the end (if a takeover were to happen) would also be swallowed up.  Kinda like some animals that eat their young.  

Freedom of speech is great.  Vandalism, destruction of property, arson, murder, looting is not.

Something I published here from an internet source many years ago.  If you don't want to read the whole thing, then at least scroll down to the last highlighted paragraph.

WHAT IS A VET? 

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a

missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the

evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the

leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the

refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have

kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by

looking. What is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi

Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers

didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden

planks, whose overgrown frat boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the

cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She -

or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing

every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one

person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico

drill instructor who has never seen combat, but has saved countless lives by

turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and

teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade-riding Legionnaire

who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career

quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three

anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington

National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes

whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's

sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied

now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who

wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the

nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a

person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his

country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice

theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he

is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest,

greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has

served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people

need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been

awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, THANK

YOU!

It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom

of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of

speech. It is the soldier, not the preacher, Who has given us freedom of religion, It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the

freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves

beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the 

protester to burn the flag.

Shawnee is the New Storage Facility For Waste Management

Actually that should be Rehrig Pacific Company, a sub-contractor for Waste Management.  In a nutshell, the parking lot of Splash Cove has become a storage facility for thousands of trash containers.

There has been much back and forth between city staff and various members of the community with staff NOT being totally forthcoming.  

Wanna see pictures of this mess?  Click here - you might have to scroll down And if you want to see the written agreement you can do that by clicking here.

The city entered into an agreement with Rehrig for the storage of these items.  It would appear that the city is not being compensated for this.  Why is the city the storage facility?  Info from city staff indicates that the city was asked to help store the items which were going to Shawnee citizens.  But, certain questions have yet to be answered, and as is typical for certain members of city staff it is like pulling teeth to get specific answers. 

Here are the questions that various citizens want answered:

1.  Who approved this arrangement?

2.  Why isn't Shawnee being compensated?

3.  What assurance does the city have that all of the containers will be distributed to Shawnee residents?

4.  Produce a copy of the distribution list for these containers.

This is an outrage.  Unfortunately, previous experience has shown that senior city staff (City Manager Nolan Sunderman) will attempt to tap dance around this

Democrats' Hypocrisy Rears Its Ugly Head - Again

 Well, the Presidential election is for all practical purposes over.  It would appear that Joe Biden is the President-elect and I seriously doubt that any lawsuits filed will change that.  In all probability there will be some instances of irregularities proven, but not enough to change the outcome.

So, why do I say that the Democrats' hypocrisy rears its ugly head-again?  Actually the answer to that is very obvious. 

First, let's make one thing clear.  Joe Biden did not get a mandate.  The vote totals for President were not a "wipe out".  Democrats apparently retained control of the US House of Representatives, but with less members.  Instead of the predicted "blue wave", they have lost seats.  Maybe it's time for them to wake up and not reaffirm Nancy (the wicked witch of the west) Pelosi as Speaker.  The Senate results are still very much in limbo.

OK, now for the hypocrisy.  Biden is calling for unity.  Where was the unity when Trump won in 2016.  It was non-existent.  Hillary Clinton has spent the past four years spewing venom.  The House of 
Representatives wasted years and millions of dollars trying to play "gotcha".  This is all very well said by Jason Chaffetz in this opinion piece.  Methinks turn around is fair play.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  First, continuing investigations need to be conducted into the financial machinations of Hunter Biden and to finally pinpoint the involvement of his father.  

Some folks may not remember what happened when Stacey Abrams lost her bid for governor of Georgia in 2018. How the liberal press fawned over and supported her legal challenges to the results.  That is the same liberal press that is now attempting to excoriate Trump for his legal challenges.  Need a reminder? Click here.

Some predictions from yours truly:

1.  Our NATO allies, who under Trump finally ponied up hundreds of billions of dollars in owed contributions will revert back to their old ways of holding back.  

2.  The recently negotiated accords between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors will come to a halt.  Biden does not have the necessary skills to move forward to bring others into the realm of these accords.

3.  Biden will resign after serving at least two years and one day of his term.  The reason for that time frame is based on the terms of the 22nd Amendment to our Constitution. The reason for the resignation will be medical, probably a diagnosis of early onset of dementia.  The time frame that was just mentioned would theoretically allow Kamala Harris to run and be elected to two terms of her own.  Any resignation prior to the time specified would limit her to just one run.

4.  When the unemployment numbers for minority citizens rise and they experience a widening of the pay gap, folks will realize that Trump was not the racist that he was portrayed to be by the Dems.  Under Trump, minority unemployment was at an all time low.  The pay gap was narrowing (still needed more work), and thousands of Opportunity Zones were being created to bring jobs, home ownership and positive commerce in low income neighborhoods.

5.  Various groups of anarchists will continue their actions of rioting, burning buildings, looting, assassination of law enforcement, and physical attacks of those not aligned with them.  Biden, aided by local Dems will continue to refer to these folks as peaceful protesters.  And, they will be aided by the Communist News Network and the Most Stupid Network Broadcasting Company.  Eventually they will destroy our country.  That's right folks.  Unlike Trump who understood a strong law and order position Biden/Harris will cave.  The Republicans were not out to destroy our country.  It has been the Democrats with their left leaning (and leaning even more) that will destroy our country as we know it. Their cradle to grave philosophy of government controlling its citizenry will change our country for the worst.  The only way out will be for a strong Republican surge in the Congressional elections of 2022.  Will we survive until then?

Friend's Sister-in-Law Needs Help

 I recently received an email from a very dear friend here in Shawnee.  Rather than attempt to explain it myself I will copy|paste his email below, complete with the Go Fund Me link.

Please consider a donation.  Thank you.

Hello, Barb and I are fine. However, here sister in Galena IL, had a serious fall in her home last Friday. The details are a on the link to a GoFundMe page created by her family and a friend.

We are asking if you have a Facebook account, please post the link. Also, please forward this message to anyone willing to help out a pet lover.  Barb's sister loves pets and has been earning extra money as a pet sitter for residents in her small community of Galena. She will not be able to do this pet sitting in the near future as she will have braces on her back and neck. She will have these braces for at least three months.

The link to the GoFundMe story:

http://gf.me/u/y52fq6

Nieman Road Signage - Deplorable

 After many years of delays, millions of dollars spent, tens of thousands of residents and visitors inconvenienced this is the signage that appears at Nieman Road and Shawnee Mission Parkway.  Photos were taken today but the signage has been there for quite some time now.

Who approved it?  Somebody had to sign off on it.  I would have asked our overpaid neophyte city manager but he has a history of not responding with clear, specific answers.  Tijuana two stepping is his modus operandi.

Anyway, here are the pics, day and night.  You can click on the images below to load a larger view.

Note that in the day image, from a distance, it is difficult to read "Shawnee".  Try it for yourself.  Drive by and see if you can read it clearly.

The evening picture is wild.  Those LEDs look like a bad string of Christmas tree lights.  One member of the community told me he thought that it looked like the wording on a marquee for a gentleman's club.  Check it out for yourself some evening.

Day image:

Evening image

Hillary Clinton Disgusts Me

 I've been holding back, but something that came up today could not be ignored.  Hillary Clinton has said on her podcast that the thought of Trump winning reelection made her sick to her stomach.  Well Hillary, the thought of you ever being President of this country is a horror film.

Hillary Clinton, who didn't care about our guys in Benghazi.

Hillary Clinton who told State Dept employees they could not use private emails for government business and then did it herself.

Hillary Clinton who used that private email for classified documents.

Hillary Clinton whose campaign paid for a phoney dossier that resulted in a multi year and multi million dollar investigation that proved absolutely nothing (except that Trump did NOT collude with Russia)

Hillary Clinton who has spent the better part of the past four years undermining the President instead of trying to work with him and who has blamed everybody but herself for losing the election.

Below is a list of names of the individuals who lost a presidential election since 1952 (the earliest one I can remember).  There is only one name on the list that has spent the time after the election belittling and denigrating the individual who won.  That name is Hillary Rodham Clinton.

1952 - Adlai Stevenson

1956 - Adlai Stevenson

1960- Richard M. Nixon

1964 - Barry M. Goldwater

1968 - Hubert H. Humphrey

1972 - George McGovern

1976 - Gerald R. Ford

1980 - Jimmy Carter

1984 - Walter Mondale

1988 - Michael Dukakis

1992 - George H. W. Bush

1996 - Bob Dole

2000 - Al Gore

2004 - John Kerry

2008 - John McCain

2012 - Mitt Romney

2016 - Hillary Rodham Clinton

 

Jeff Meyers - King of Nepotism - Bad for Shawnee and the County Commission

 Jeff Meyers is running for County Commissioner in JoCo to represent mostly Shawnee.  He does have name recognition.  Former council member, mayor and football coach.

He has also shown a proclivity to engage in nepotism, not always in the best interests of the citizenry.

As the result of a vacancy created by a resignation on the Shawnee city council various individuals applied for the position.  The position eventually went to Alan (Jeff Meyers' uncle by marriage) Willoughby.  The circumstances behind  Willoughby's appointment met with a scathing rebuke by the JoCo DA.  You can read about it here from a posting on January 30, 2013 which also includes a link to an article from the Shawnee Dispatch (yepper it is still up there).

Eventually Uncle Alan actually ran for the office and was defeated.  OK, then what?  An opening occurs on the city's Planning Commission.  Enter his cheerful nephew (by marriage) who appoints Uncle Alan to the Planning Commission.  the appointment has one stumbling block.  The council votes to a 4-4 tie on the appointment.  So, what does Meyers do?  He breaks the tie and Uncle Alan winds up on the Planning Commission.  You can read more about it in this post from December 10,2013

In November of 2014 Meyers was fired as the football coach at Olathe East when his team had their first losing season in 15 years.  Huh?  Fifteen years of winning seasons, lose one season and get sent packing.  And he then wound up in the Independence, Missouri school district.  Something does not seem right here. Really strange after all of those winning seasons.  By the way, did/does any of his campaign literature mention the time spent in Independence.  Anyway, his firing from Olathe was reported by the KC Star on November 25, 2014 and can be read by clicking here.

Anyway. methinks the folks of Shawnee would be best served by voting for Rob Patterson, a small business owner who knows what it takes to make things run. Especially in these trying times.

5700 King Street Apartments, Constance and Chalfie.......Something Strange

 Strange things happening regarding the apartment building development for 57th & King.

Where do I begin?  First, the project was to come before the council on 9/28/20.  A request to postpone it for two weeks came about because Council Member Jenkins was undergoing surgery.  Surprise, surprise, it never did show up on the agenda 2 weeks later (10/12/20) nor is it on the agenda for four weeks later (10/26/20).  Why not?

Now let's look at some other interesting items relative to that project.  Many folks who live in the area of the project are not happy with it.  One of the things that they tried to do was to get Council Members Lindsey Constance and Jill Chalfie involved with their cause.  I recently found out that four (4) meetings with them were cancelled because one or the other could not make it.  They (the council members) had a requirement that they had to appear together and this finally happened last week.  Huh?  Constance and Chalfie would only appear if they could do it jointly?  Many times various members of the council have met with citizen groups without a requirement that another member be present.  This just solidifies, IMHO, that these two are joined at the hip and that Chalfie cannot act independently.  Is she a puppet for Constance?

Now, back to the delays of the vote on the council for this project. I can just guess as to why it has been postponed.  If the vote had been taken 10/12 or 10/26 and Constance had voted for it (Chalfie will mimic Constance), the folks in that area would have most likely voted against her candidacy for State Senate.  Hmmmm, would that have an effect on that candidacy?  Did somehow Constance get this item postponed until after the election?

I don't know.  Right now it's speculative.  But, if I lived in that area I wouldn't trust Constance to represent me in the State Senate.  The 10th State Senate District encompasses virtually all of Shawnee and a small segment of Merriam.  As a matter of fact, I don't live in that area and I still don't trust her to represent me in the State Senate.  I classify her as part of the Democrats/Socialists movement out to destroy our country from within. 

Edited 11/5/20:  When I said I did not live in that area, I was referring to the part of Shawnee where the apartment project is being proposed.  I most certainly do live in Shawnee and within the boundaries of the 10th State Senate District.

One Half of Shawnee City Council Ignores Their Responsibilities

 I previously posted about this on August 30th, 2020.

Below is a copy of an email I sent to the governing body on 10/6/20.  You will note that it references a previous email from 9/28/20.  It is pretty self explanatory.

********************************

Mornin’

On 9/28/20 I sent an email covering two items.

One of the items is listed below.

How about an answer?

Council meetings

If folks can still go to city hall for council meetings why can’t “business from the floor” be brought back into the agenda?

More importantly, when are we going back to in person council meetings?  Like OP, Lenexa, Olathe, and the BOCC?  Five on the dais, (Thomas, Jenkins, Mayor, Knappen and Chalfie, with or without movable barriers)  four at tables in front of the dais. City manager and city attorney in the gallery, where they belong.  Staff should be able to figure this out.  Instead of making excuses as to why it can't be done how about finding a way to do it?  Just gave you a starting point.

**************************************

Other citizens have given info on how the necessary electronic hook ups could be done.  But staff should be able to figure that out

So, what do we have?  We have:

The "good":  The four council members who show up willing to be a true city council.  These are Eric Jenkins, Mike Kemmling, Tammy Thomas and Kurt Knappen.

The "bad":  The four council members and the mayor who still sit out at home using Zoom.  Matt Zimmerman whose specialty seems to be to lecture the other council members with an arrogance reminiscent of former council member Jeff Vaught.  The difference?  Zimmerman does it in a softer speaking tone.  What a rip off!!!  Lisa Larson-Bunnell...............whose hypocrisy on this item has already been covered in another post.  Lindsey Constance........a little bit of two faced actions.  Can't bring herself to show up at city hall for a meeting but wants to be a state senator where they have been meeting in person.  A poor choice as a council member, an even poorer choice to be a state senator.  Jill Chalfie whose only claim to fame appears to be as a puppet for Constance.  The mayor?  All kinds of excuses.

The "ugly":  The over paid frat boy city manager Nolan Sunderman who can't seem to advise the council on how this can happen.  What are his underlying motives?

Election Choices for 11/3/20

These are my choices.  Some of them I will go into detail in specific posts within the next few days.

President/Vice President:  Donald Trump/Mike Pence

US Senator:  Roger Marshall

US Representative:  Amanda Adkins

KS Senate-District 10:  Mike Thompson

KS Representative Dist 17:  Kristine Sapp

KS Representative Dist 18:  Cathy Gordon

KS Representative Dist 23:  Jeff Shull

KS Representative Dist 39:  Owen Donohoe

District Attorney 10th District:  Steve Howe

County Commissioner Dist 2:  Rob Patterson

Sheriff:  Cal Hayden

Council member Larson-Bunnell More Hypocrisy

 Well the council member from Ward III has shown us, again, how she can be hypocritical.

At the August 24th council meeting there was a discussion about council members meeting in chambers live.  That info can be found in the minutes of the meeting by clicking here.

Here are her comments: (click on the image to view a larger version)

Now, with that said, her concerns about gatherings didn't stop her from this shoulder to shoulder photo op for the opening of a new drinking establishment in Shawnee: (oh, that's her on the right hand side with the patterned dress):  (click on the image to view a larger version)

That pic is from her FB page which can be viewed by clicking here.

Congratulations Lisa, you just won the bovine scatology award for the month.

Bring Back Shawnee Council Meetings

 At the August 24th Shawnee City Council Meeting four members did the right thing.  They showed up in the council chambers.  Council members Eric Jenkins, Mike Kemmling, Tammy Thomas and Kurt Knappen were the ones that showed up.

So, what happened?  Our mayor proceeded to come up with every excuse she could think of for not resuming in person council mfeetings.  Needless to say, the other three major JoCo cities (OP, Lenexa and Olathe) and the BOCC have resumed in person meetings.

The mayor seemed to base most of her comments on the ability to maintain social distancing and how that could not be accomplished with the dais in chambers.  Plexiglass barriers would not work, and then she also said if the city attorney and city manager were removed from the dais that would not help.  BTW, those two should NEVER be on the dais no matter what.  They are NOT members of the governing body.  They belong in the staff section of the audience like in every other city.  If their comments are needed they can come to the podium and deliver them, on open microphone, not whispered off mic.

Anyway, back to social distancing.  She was right.  It can't be maintained with everybody sitting on the dais.  So, have half of  them get their butts off the dais. Set up tables down front of the dais.  Social distancing can be maintained.  It will mean running some additional cables for microphones etc. but it can be done.  Get that overpaid city manager (he who just got a 25% $40K raise) to use some American common sense and ingenuity to come up with a workable plan.  Quit coming up with excuses as to why something can't be done.  Start thinking of ways to make it happen.

This would also bring back that very important part of a council meeting...."Business from the floor".

It is out and out BS that we are told to email comments ahead of time to the governing body.  Are they read into the minutes of the meeting?  Are they attached as part of the minutes?  What about comments that might be made while an item is being discussed that were not thought about prior to a discussion?

I won't even get into the admonishment of the four council members.  I believe they are due a public apology.

Democrats Want To Destroy America - Part I

 Let's start this off by saying what happened in Minneapolis to George Floyd cannot be condoned.  

What has been the result?  Demonstrations.  Justified and guaranteed by our constitution.  Protests, also guaranteed by our constitution.  Riots, not guaranteed by our constitution.  Destruction of property by various methods to include arson.  Not guaranteed by our constitution.  Physical assaults on law enforcement, to include murder and also against folks who disagree with the lawless anarchists.  Not guaranteed by our constitution.Looting of businesses.  Not guaranteed by our constitution.

I have much to say but will do so in multiple posts so as not to bore some folks.

This will be quick.  Let's look at the State of Minnesota.  The governor, after months of riots, property destruction, physical assaults etc finally called up the entire state guard a couple of weeks ago.  Like a day late and a dollar short.  At the same time he was asking the feds to provide five hundred million dollars to repair the damage and destruction caused by the rioters.  That's BS.  Why didn't he take control when it started?  Was he one of the liberal, tear jerking democrats who kept performing osculatory functions upon the gluteus maximi of the protesters?  Many of whom had the protesters turn on them?  Where will that five hundred million come from?  From law abiding citizens.  These  want certain reforms.  Some may be justified, most are not.  Still, five hundred million could go a long, long way to help communities that now need rebuilding instead.  I hope the federal government denies funding to those states that took no action to stop the rioters and who also failed or are failing to prosecute them for their criminal acts.  Let George Soros and his ilk pay to rebuild what his funding has destroyed. 

Then you have prosecutors like the state attorney in Chicago who is prosecuting very few of those folks charged with felonies.  Outrageous.  And what about the dumb DA in St. Louis who wants to prosecute that husband and wife who wanted to defend themselves and their property?  When a couple of hundred rioters march on a private street, break the iron gate to a gated community, show up in your front lawn threatening to kill you, burn and//or occupy your house, you have every right to defend yourself and your home.  It is the demonstrators who literally attacked those two folks and put their lives in danger who should be prosecuted.

Who is financially supporting these anarchists?  Who is providing the molotov cocktails, bricks, frozen water bottles that are being strategically placed during the day so the rioters have access at night?  Was that a peaceful protester who unloaded a bunch of baseball bats on the Brooklyn Bridge so that violent anarchists could attack members of the NYPD to include the Chief of Department?  Who is paying for their food, lodging, transportation?  Do I smell a link to George Soros and others of his ilk?  

And then we have the Commie News Network and  the Most Stupid News Broadcasting Company supporting these anarchists.  The same news outlets that for two years supported the left wing democrats' lies about the POTUS.  Guess what?  Now the criminal investigations on that front are coming to a head.

When it comes to elected office, beware.  It is the left wing democrats that if they advance in office, local or national, will do everything they can to destroy our country as we know it.

More to come..............................

Primary Election August 4, 2020

Well, it's that time again.  Primary election time, August 4, 2020.

Some have already voted in person for early voting.  Some have already sent in their mail ballot.

If you haven't voted, well, here are my choices for certain positions.

Rather than bore you with long dissertations on each one I'll just list them.  Hopefully you will agree with my choices.

State Senate, District 10:

Mike Thompson

US Congress, District 3:

Adrienne Vallejo Foster

US Senate:

Kris Kobach

Fond Farewell and Best Wishes to Sal Scarpa

It is with mixed emotions that I learned of Deputy Fire Chief Sal Scarpa's pending relocation to Columbus, Georgia to be their Fire Chief.

Why Mixed emotions?  Shawnee will be losing a highly qualified, dedicated member of the fire fighting community.  On the other hand it appears to be a very positive career move for Sal and we can only wish him the best.

Let's talk for a second about where he is going.  Columbus, Georgia is a unique city/county configuration.  The city has a population of approximately 195,000 and the metro area is approximately 303,000.  That means that Sal's new department is responsible for the well being of a population that is 5x that of Shawnee.  Add to that his responsibilities will also include all EMS in that area and emergency management his plate will be full.  We are fully confident that he is well suited to the tasks ahead.

We will miss him and his proven abilities, but we wish him well in his new position.

My translation abilities are limited, and I hope I did this correctly:  

Grazie mille per quello che hai fatto per Shawnee. Che tu abbia successo nel tuo nuovo lavoro.

Lenexa City Manager Gets 3% Raise

Unlike our city manager who got 25%, Lenexa recently gave their city manager a 3% raise.

She has only been in the position for about one year, but has been with the city for 23 years.  Hmmm, believe our neophyte city manager was still in middle school at the time.  And she has other government experience too.

Want more info?  Click here for story at the Shawnee Mission Post

Oh, in case you forgot, the four council reps who voted to give Sunderman the 25% raise were:

Matt Zimmerman  Ward 1

Lisa Larson-Bunnell  Ward III

Lindsey Constance Ward IV (and she wants to have a say in your purse strings as a state senator)

Jill Chalfie Ward IV

And since the vote was a 4-4 tie, Mayor Distler voted to break the tie and went along with the outrageous increase.