Chiefs vs Bills Sunday 1/21/24 - My Predictions

 OK, here goes my predictions for tomorrow's game.

Let's talk defense first.  Steve Spagnuolo will have his "D" all fired up.  My guess is that we might even see some new defensive looks during this game.  Things that are not on any tapes.  On this subject my prediction is that the Bills score 13 points ( 1 TD, 1 PAT, 2 FGs) and that Josh Allen gets sacked three times.  And there will be a Chiefs pick 6.

Now, let's look at the Chiefs offense.  Andy Reid will have at least 6 new plays, never before seen, drawn up, and will use at least four of them.  The offense will score five times, all TDs......Pacheco 2, Rice 2 and Kelce 1.  Kelce will have some great plays, lots of yards, setting up his teammates. 

So, 5 offensive TDs, 1 pick 6 and Butker going 6 for 6 on PATs and the final score will be 42-13 as the Chiefs move on up the ladder.

Sidebar:  Mahomes throws for 350+ yards, and no interceptions.

Short Term Rentals & JoCo Post Reporting

 At a recent (1/8/24) meeting of the Council Committee I spoke on a few things regarding short term rentals.

One suggestion I made was that if the ownership of a short term rental was located more than 150 miles from the property that an agent be appointed who could accept service of citations, NTAs, subpoenas, etc. Some on the committee thought that might be viable and one member (Tony Gillette) even suggested that the mileage be even closer, 100 miles,

So, now we have a pretty good idea/suggestion, IMHO.

Well, guess what?  In their reporting of that subject the Johnson County Post (formerly known as the Shawnee Mission Post) failed to include that item.  Hmmm, could it be because they don't like me?  Could it be because they don't like good ideas submitted by non-left leaning persons in general?

Here's the kicker.  In the packet for the 1/22/24 council meeting the city attorney included that idea as a possibility for inclusion in the rewrite of the chapter of the municipal code.  Ain't that a kick in the butt.

Let's take it to another item.  When the JoCo Post stated on their web site that they would be closed for MLK Day I sent an email to their editor asking if they ever closed for Memorial Day, Veteran's Day or even President's Day.  Needless to say I never received a response. I can only guess as to why not.  My guess would be that the southpaw swinging staff does not like to admit that it is because of those who have served their country that rag sheets like theirs can exist.  Yes folks, it is because of veterans defending freedom of speech and freedom of the press that the JoCo Post and bloggers are able to post their commentary.  Not to take away from MLK and what  he did for the civil rights movement, southpaws don't usually like giving credit to the military, IMHO.

I'm reminded of a long item that has been around for many years, and has been quoted here.  A portion of which says:

"It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the Veteran, 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." 

Let's see if the lefties at the JCP close next year for Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.

How To Waste $3,882.96

Well, we can kiss that money good bye.  What am I talking about?  That's what the cost was for former Mayor Distler's bye bye reception.

The breakdown was $3,525.59 paid for by the city and $357.37 paid for by the Sister City Committee.

The breakdown of the city's share is shown in the below image of the document I received in response to a KORA request.  I was wondering if in the video (total cost $2,300...$2,000 for the video itself and $300 for scripting) made mention of her accomplishment as being the only Shawnee mayor to be arrested for a felony.  I wouldn't know since I did not attend the event.

The breakdown by the city indicates that the cost of the beverages was donated by the Sister City Committee.  I sent them a request for the info and an attorney replied with the amount of $357.37 and indicated that that was for alcoholic beverages only.  BTW, a separate KORA request to the city returned the info that last year (2023) we gave the Sister City Committee $7,500 (those are taxpayer dollars) for the city's annual sponsorship of that organization.  Oh yes, did I mention they are a 501(c)3 charity organization.

Ditler still hasn't apologized to the citizens of Shawnee.  Sure would be nice if she reimbursed the city and the Sister City Committee for their expenditures.  Kinda like a delayed addendum to the diversion agreement she got..

Oh well, maybe it was worth it to finally be rid of her from city government.

Here's the breakdown that the city sent:

Who Has Trained Mickey "The Mouse" Sandifer?

 I've always wondered who trained him and who pulls his strings.

Looks like the answer is out there.

Actually, I think these little ones might be more intelligent than our newly elected dictator, I mean mayor, excuse me.  A Freudian slip.

What is Special About December 13th?

 Everyday of the year is special to someone, somewhere.  I am sure that there may be thousands of folks who can claim a special meaning for December 13th.  I will touch on four of them.

December 13th of the year just past (2023) was the second anniversary of my heart attack, which resulted in my needing a quadruple bypass.  I learned a few things.  First, a quadruple bypass is annotated in one's medical records as CABG x4 (spoken as cabbage times 4).  No it's not something that goes in salad.  Coronary artery bypass graft times 4.  Also, I would have to change my dietary regimen.  I've lost a person (110 lbs) and weigh just 5 lbs more than the day I went into the army, 29 Oct 64, and feel great.  Actually, some folks I've known for years have walked past me, not recognizing me, until I spoke.....apparently I have a distinctive voice......LOL

Many folks were born on December 13th.  Two of them have a local connection.  One is Taylor Swift, soon to be known as Mrs. Travis Kelce (my prediction, engaged by summer 2024 and married within two years of now).  The other one is our very own Dr. Mike Kemmling, currently a councilmember in Ward II here is Shawnee.  Happy belated birthday Dr. Mike.

The fourth event that I want to touch on just happened on December 13th, 2023, nineteen days ago.  The city held a reception for former mayor Michelle Distler.  I have submitted a KORA request to ascertain how much the reception cost the city.  Actually, it doesn't cost the city anything.  The city has no money.  The money comes from us, the taxpayers.  We all know the story.  Distler was arrested and charged with felony perjury.  She eventually was given diversion.  What is diversion?  It's a court approved plan where an individual performs various acts of what can best be described as punishment, and if completed successfully charges are dropped.  Or, as some would say, do the time and then forget about the crime.  Two things about the reception really bother me.  First, she never publicly apologized to the person whose name she used when performing the falsification that caused her to be charged with the felony perjury.  Me!!!  But more importantly she never apologized to the citizens of Shawnee.  She has said many times how much she cares about Shawnee and it's people.  Actually, she kept saying how much she loves the city and its people.  She's a damned liar.  If she cared about the people she would have apologized to them, especially to those who voted for her, twice, to be mayor. And, if you are really interested in how much of a liar she is, ya need to read the DA investigator's affidavit for her arrest warrant and see how many different stories she told the investigator. 

So, that's my take on December 13th.

Sandifer Fails to Respond

 Check my posting of 12/21/23 to read the email I sent to Mayor Mickey "The Mouse" Sandifer.

As of today no response has been received.  Actually, that does not surprise me.  Even though "The Mouse" claimed to want to interact with the citizens of Shawnee he forgot to add that that would only be for those who agree with him.  The other reason why he hasn't responded is because he lacks the intestinal fortitude to admit that I was right and he was wrong.  

It won't be long before Shawnee will become aware of how incompetent he really is and those who voted for him will wonder if they were part of the illustrious 330 voters who put him over the top.

Hidden camera recording of Mickey and friends at play:

Email Sent To Mickey "The Mouse" Sandifer

 When I was  in the army and we were presented with a task that was downright dumb we referred to it as a "Mickey Mouse" detail.  Hence the title of this post  Proceed and you will read an email I sent to Mayor Mickey Sandifer:

Mr. Mayor,

I am writing to you concerning your actions at the city council meeting of 12/11/23.  Please be advised that a copy of this email will be published on my blog.  Should you desire to respond just email me and I will post your response, in its entirety (unedited).

Let’s start with the beginning.  You made it a point to advise all present that the meeting would be conducted in a civil manner.  After I spoke regarding the lack of transparency concerning two appointments that you wanted to make your conduct towards the members of the council who apparently were wanting more transparency was anything but civil.  Listening to the audio and reading the minutes (once they are published) will confirm my analysis.  The Shawnee Mission Post, unfortunately gave you a pass on this one.

You kept stating that the appointments were “mayoral appointments”, as if the council had no say in the manner.  It is amazing that with all your years on the council you didn’t learn anything. Yet you used those years as a selling point in your campaign.  Why do I say you didn’t learn anything? The following is from the agenda of the meeting:

Consider the Mayor's selection of two councilmembers to participate in a joint work group with Planning Commissioners to review potential amendments to the Achieve Shawnee Comprehensive Plan.

The City's Comprehensive Plan is revisited and reviewed regularly to ensure the Plan remains relevant over time.  City staff has identified some portions of the plan that may need to be revisited for minor modifications.

Recommendation: Approve the Mayor's selection of two councilmembers to participate in a joint work group with Planning Commissioners to review potential amendments to the Achieve Shawnee Comprehensive Plan.

You will note that the mayor may make the selection, but the council has to approve the action.  Your dictatorial attitude and childish tantrum needs to be held in check.  Again, listening to the audio and/or reviewing the minutes will bear this out.  And again, the Shawnee Mission Post gave you a pass and apparently did not research that what you were attempting to do was not proper.  Or do you expect the council to be a “rubber stamp” council like the one you served on? 

When a member of the council suggested putting the item in front of the Council Committee prior to resubmitting it to the Council you basically went ballistic.  And, you showed that you did not understand your position, as you said that that was not right since you were not a member of the Council Committee.  Again, even after all your years on the council you failed to learn anything about our city government.  The following is an excerpt from Section Eight of Charter Ordinance 45:

The Mayor shall serve as an ex officio member of all Standing Committees but shall not have any voting rights on said Committees.

What that means Mr. Mayor is that you can sit in on the Council Committee meeting.  You can even voice your opinion and attempt to convince others of your position on an issue.  You just can’t vote on items presented to it.  Don’t believe me?  Check with the city attorney.  Maybe you need a refresher course in Shawnee 101.  And again, the Shawnee Mission Post gave you a pass on this one.  Did they ever research Charter Ordinance 45 to show that you were not accurate in your statement? 

You may have won the election, but you did not receive a mandate.  A difference of 330 votes when 14,544 votes were cast translates to the fact that almost half of those voting did not want you in that position and that they will be closely monitoring how you perform.  Just in case you don’t understand what a mandate is……..” When a politician wins an election by a wide margin, that's a mandate to implement their ideas.”

Ray Erlichman

Correspondence With Councilmember Burchfield

 Recently I emailed Councilmember Burchfield concerning the city council meeting of 12/11/23.  A copy of the email is listed below.  In keeping with a desire to maintain transparency her reply email, unedited, is also listed below.  Readers can judge for themselves what they think about each email.  They might also want to listen to the audio of the 12/11/23 meeting.

My email:

Councilmember Burchfield,

 At this past Monday’s council meeting after I made my comments about the lack of transparency regarding the possible appointment of two council members to a joint study group you commented to the effect that even though you were one of the designated individuals you had no problem with delaying action until Jan 8, 2024.

 When it came time to vote on moving the item to January you voted against it, as reported in the Shawnee Mission Post.

 Would you mind clarifying the contradictory action on your part?

 So that there are no misunderstandings regarding transparency, this email will be posted to my blog along with an unedited copy of your response.

 Thank you

 Ray Erlichman

Her reply:

Hello Ray,

Thank you for your email and the opportunity to clarify.

 I don’t believe my actions were contradictory. I spoke that I was open to a discussion on the appointments at the January meeting so that the public had enough time to be informed participants in the conversation. After further comments from city staff, other council members, and the mayor I voted no on the motion because I didn’t believe the Council Committee meeting was the correct place for the discussion, I did not think the Mayor intended to make appointments, and I didn’t believe the city staff were ready to move forward with the workgroup.

 Thank you,

 Laurel

Sandifer's First Night As Mayor - Hail Caesar & Tantrum Throwing

 Last night (12/11/23) was Mickey Sandifer's first night as mayor.  If ya wanna see an example of tantrum throwing and a dictatorial attitude just go to the audio of the meeting by clicking here. Then to save yourself some time go to the 1:54:01 mark.

Here's the background.  There was an item on the agenda about appointing two members of the council to a study group.  The agenda and its accompanying memo did not indicate who they were.  Yours truly contacted staff as to why there were no names listed.  The response was that with the change over the new mayor had not had time to make the selection before the agenda went public.  I found that strange since on a previous item his selection for the Planning Commission was listed.  I considered this to be a lack of transparency and signed up to speak on it.

Well, now comes the meeting and the item comes up.  After the planning director gave his info on the background of the study group, Mickey "Julius Caesar" Sandifer proceeded to go forward with ignoring asking if anyone had signed up to speak.  Yes, I had to shout it out from the audience, "what about those who signed up?" (Was he hoping to push the item and not allow me to speak?) He then asked if anybody had signed up.  I had NO  comments about the two appointees who were mentioned a few minutes earlier.  It was procedure.  Since "Julius Caesar" (hail dictator) had campaigned on transparency it was felt by yours truly that the item should be tabled until January 8th so that the public could be informed who the two appointees were and then comment on them if they thought it was warranted.

Now ya gotta listen to the audio.  Even the two prospective appointees agreed for transparency that the public should be able to comment and were not given that chance.   Listening to the audio you will hear how Sandifer loses it and throws a mini tantrum, especially taking the stand that the mayor appoints.  Yepper, the mayor appoints (actually recommends appointments) but the council has to approve.  It got to the point where "mini me mayor" indicated maybe he wouldn't make appointments.

Cutting to the chase, just listen to the audio.  BTW, the item did get tabled until January 8th, 2024 with all council members voting in favor of that.  

Hmmmm, wonder how the left leaning Shawnee Mission Post will cover Caesar's actions last night.

A word of advice to Caesar............ya better stop trying to be a mini me dictator or you'll lose the support even of your fellow lefties on the council.

Is The Shawnee Mission Post Moving?

 Curious!  Is the Shawnee Mission Post moving their offices?  Rumor on the street is that they are moving into a very beautiful Romanesque styled building.  Here's a picture of the building.  It is very beautiful. Only problem is that it has a slight bent leaning to the left.  It is located at Piazza del Duomo 56126 Pisa Pl, Italy,

Also, what is with their pleas for funding and getting more subscribers?

After each story the reporter who wrote it has a mini bio and a plea for more subscribers.  They want your money.  I remember when a monthly subscription was $5.99 now it's going to be $8.50.  Oh well, thank you Bidenomics.  Hey that's an idea.  Get the king of the lefties to pay (out of how own pocket with no funds from China) for every member of his staff.

What about their advertisers?  They run their ads to look like news stories but they do mark them as "sponsored".  They're not lying, it's just a little deceptive, but isn't that how left leaning media operations function?

December 13th, 2023 Shawnee to Celebrate & Condone Criminal Activity

 If you don't believe the title of this blog post this is what you need to do:

On December 13th, 2023 show up at the Shawnee Town Hall at 11600 Johnson Drive (at Shawnee Town 1929) between 3:30PM to 6:00PM.  There will be a presentation at 4:30PM

What is the occasion?  It's a reception for what will be Shawnee's former mayor, Michelle Distler as her term will end on December 11, 2023.

Fact: Michelle Distler is the first woman to be elected mayor of Shawnee.

Fact: Michelle Distler is the first mayor to be arrested and charged with a felony while serving in office.

Fact: Michelle Distler is the first mayor to enter into a diversion agreement so that the charges would be dropped.  Neat, do the punishment and not get convicted.  IMHO innocent people don't take diversion.

Fact:  Michelle Distler never publicly apologized to the citizens of Shawnee nor to the person whose name she fraudulently used when filing a government document using that person's name.  I should know, I'm still waiting for that apology.  Fat chance of that happening.  Somebody the other night referred to her as the "girl with heart" in reference to the city's new slogan.  Hah....how about the girl with no moral conscience?

Originally I was going to show up at the reception with a going away present for her.  Framed copies of the affidavit for the arrest warrant and of the diversion agreement.  Decided she wasn't worth the cost of the frames (98¢ each at Walmart).

Sidebar:  One good thing about December 13th........Taylor Swift's birthday......go for it Travis!!!!

Former Mayor Jim Allen and Current Mayor Michelle Distler - Clown College Graduates??

 Let's start with former mayor Jim Allen.  This clown has stated publicly that the situation with Shawnee's city manager is the biggest blackeye for Shawnee and he blames the council for it.  What a clown.  Was Distler's arrest for felony perjury not a blackeye for the city?  And what about her getting diversion?  That's where you do the punishment in exchange for getting the charges dropped.  Who takes punishment if they haven't done the crime?  Aha, and. what about former councilmember Justin Adrian?  We remember him don't we?  The former Olathe teacher who spent jail time for "dipsy doodling" with a male student in a classroom.  Guess Jim Allen doesn't consider that a blackeye for the city.  Anything to advance wacko left wing liberal agendas.

And now, what about her not so Honor Mayor.  She claims that there were red flags about the city manager before he was hired.  Is that the whole story?  Did the recruiting company that did the investigation(s) ever come up with anything credible about the supposed red flags?  I wouldn't trust a damned thing her not so Honor Mayor says anymore.  Just read the affidavit for her arrest warrant and see how many different stories she gave the .investigator.  

Final thoughts.........has anybody given any thought to the possibility that the city manager might be a victim in this case?  

Veteran's Day 2023

 To my fellow veterans:  If you served during a time of hostility, "welcome home brother".  If you served during peacetime, thank you for "standing the watch" and being willing to serve.

.

Take a couple of minutes please.  Watch this video, and if you have any young ones with you ask them to join you.  

Mickey Sandifer Does NOT Believe in Transparency

 Ahhh yes, Sandifer, the King of "I'll Tell Them What They Want to Hear".

Remember when the subject came up about a proposed community center?  Well Sandifer was very much in favor of it, and did not care what the cost would be to the citizens.  

Anyway, he and the other Ward 4 council rep at the time (Lindsey Constance) held a town hall meeting at the civic centre to go over the proposed project.  But neither one wanted to hear the negatives, concerning increased taxes, exorbitant fees, and operational income projected to run negatively for many years.

Well when a citizen of the community wanted to challenge these two council members, Sandifer tried to shut him down.  That was when he (Sandifer) made the comment "this is not a town hall, it's our show".

Don't believe me?  Click below and hear him say it for yourself,  Yep, when Sandifer speaks y'all wanna be wearing hip waders.

Laurel Burchfield, Sierra Whitted & Jeani Murphy----Bad News for Shawnee

 My opinions and I'm entitled to them.

These three ladies, would be really bad news for Shawnee if they were to get elected to the city council.

Burchfield is running in Ward 4, Whitted in Ward 1 and Murphy in Ward 2.

Burchfield and Whitted appear to me to be the closest thing to carpet baggers since the civil war.  They are still too new to living in Shawnee to really have a good grasp on things.  Murphy has been around a long time, but all three have been trying to pull a snow job on the citizens.

I've touched on this before in other posts here.  First, they are trying to put the blame on the city council for staff leaving.  I published the numbers.  the numbers have been pretty much the same (percentage wise) for many years.  There is always turnover.  Then, they try to put the blame on the council for certain senior members of the staff leaving.  Disgruntle city employees who were used to getting their way without previous councils doing what they were supposed to do.......question and ndot rubber stamp.

These three say that the council hasn't been listening to the "experts" on city staff.  City staff has many fine, capable, intelligent folks.  They are also human.  It is the council's responsibility to question and if the council feels something needs to be adjusted it is staff's responsibility to carry that forward.  The new city manager and the two new assistants understand the proper chain.  Under this council city staff has grown, appropriate adjustments were made to the salary structures for PD & FD, and this has been accomplished with reductions in the mill levy.

Proper review of city projects has resulted in many projects getting done, for less money.  And the city has been able to get its reserves to 57% (27% over industry accepted standards).

This council is not anti-development.  They want the right development in the right areas, without giving up the farm, the way previous councils did.  

If you want to see Shawnee grow and prosper, then you don't want to vote for these three, or MIckey Sandifer for mayor.

The right choices for this election would be, IMHO, Megan Warner in Ward 4, Tammy Thomas in Ward 1 and Eric Jenkins in Ward 2, and Dr. Mike Kemmling for mayor.  Unlike Sandifer, Mike is not beholden to the "old boy network" and nobody is pulling his strings.  Ahhh, Sandifer, the sweet talking bovine scatalogical artist who will say anything to you to get your vote, even if it is completely opposite of what he said to your neighbor.......

Parks & Pipes and Pavement Taxes - Vote Yes

 On, the ballot on Nov. 7th will be two questions which ask voters to say whether or not they want to approve continuing these two taxes.  These are not new taxes.  They both expire in 2025 after the last time that they were approved.

IMHO, it would be to Shawnee's benefit if the voters approved the extensions.  I'm not a fan of taxes, but these two items have proven to be very beneficial for our city over the years.  

The Parks & Pipes tax is 1/8th of a penny and the Pavement tax is 3/8ths of a penny.

If you'd like more info on these items you can click here. Also, if you are looking for specific information on how these funds have been used you can contact the following individuals:

City Manager Doug Gerber dgerber@cityofshawnee.org

Parks & Recreation Director Tonya Lecuru parksandrec@cityofshawnee.org

Public Works Director Doug Whitacre publicworks@cityofshawnee.org

Does Mickey Sandifer Suffer From BCD?

 This man would be an absolute abomination if he were to be elected mayor of Shawnee.

At the recent forum held by the Shawnee Mission Post you won't believe what Sandifer said.

First, in his opening remarks he said he would not enter the office with an agenda.  Huh.  That's plain BS. 

Would you vote for any candidate if they truly did not have an agenda?  I wouldn't.  I want to know what they would do.

Maybe I'd agree with it or disagree with it, but I would want to know what it is?  Actually, he probably has one, but does not want folks to know what it is.  Not a leader as he purports to be.  A puppet and a follower.  Remember how he wimped out voting on the non-discrimination ordinance.  He didn't want to anger certain religious groups by voting for it and he did not want to incur the wrath of the LGBQT+ community by voting against it.  Not a leader, but a puppet on a string.

The forum can be seen here

Also you will be able to see how he is unable to coherently answer and explain things.  

Or, he just makes things up.  At the end of the forum he mentions how the PD & FD budgets make up 3/4ths of the city's budget?  Which side of his feeble braindid he get that info from.  Combined, the two department's budgets are 32% of the city's, slightly less than 1/3.  That info is on the city's web site viewable here

Hmmmmm, did the left leaning Shawnee Mission Post do a fact check on that one?

Or how about this, from Mickey's campaign web site

"I have serious concerns about the City council’s vote to decrease the mill levy tax, against the judgement of the previous city manager and other Shawnee staff. 

We must protect against a revenue shortfall down the road."  First he is one of those who believes that the council should just rubber stamp anything and everythingstaff brings forth.  But let's talk numbers first.  The city sits with 57% in reserves, almost twice (30%) the recommended amount.  This council has reduced the mill levy three times.  By reducing it, as home values go up , the city will still get enough to run itself and still have a healthy reserve.  Mickey just loves raising taxes, he voted for that when he sat on the council and was a strong proponent of the Community Center project which would have saddled Shawnee citizens with an unnecessary tax burden and 72% of the voters shot that idea down at the polls.

Mickey just likes to make things up or embellish various items.  Oh, what is BCD?  Biden Cognitive Disorder.....just like 46 you can't trust anything that comes out of his mouth.  When he speaks, grab your hip waders.

Do we even want to discuss how he and certain members of the previous council received a scathing rebuke from the JoCo DA regarding a KOMA violation for voting for the former Mayor's uncle by marriage to fill an unexpired council term?  Not a leader, just a dancing puppet on a string.

I hate to say this, because I have always been an Elvis fan, but he must have been very prescient, as maybe this song was a peek into the future about Mickey Sandifer.

Mickey Sandifer - Would Be Terrible for Shawnee

 Former city councilmember Mickey Sandifer is running for mayor.  It would be, IMHO, catastrophic if he were to succeed.

Now this might be a little longer read than what I usually post here, but please read it and not just skim thru it.

Mickey comes across as warm and fuzzy and very sincere and believable in what he says.  Talk to him about an item affecting the city that you are in favor of.   Then have a friend, relative, neighbor (not living too close to you and definitely without the same last name) talk to him about the same item, but their opinion is opposite of yours.  Then compare notes with them.  A double whopper with cheese and bacon says he will agree with both folks.  Take it a step further, email him and ask him where he stands on a particular item.  He will contact you and attempt to discuss the item with you over the phone or in person.  Another double whopper with double cheese and double bacon says he won't respond via email.  Believe it has something to do with the written word being a way to be held accountable.

He says he believes in transparency.  That's a laugh.  Many years ago we had a member of the council from Ward 3 who would use the "Miscellaneous Council Items" at a council meeting to literally attack members of the public.  Whether that person had spoken at the meeting earlier that evening, or not.  In those days that section  of the meeting was "reserved" for council comments.  So what happened?  One evening yours truly got up in business from the floor and suggested that Policy Statement 7 be amended to allow for citizen comments in the miscellaneous council items portion.  Eventually staff brought forth the proposed changes to PS-7 for the council to review and act.  Sandifer stated at the meeting he saw no need to allow citizens to address councilmember's comments during that portion of the meeting.  The changes passed anyway.

Now let's talk about Mickey taking three (3) vacations a year paid for with your tax dollars.  The National League of Cities (which we don't belong to any more) holds two meetings a year and the Kansas League of Municipalities holds one.  What Mickey would do is go out the day before the meetings started, stay thru the last hail and farewell morning meeting and then come back the following day.  The result:  two extra hotel nights and the corresponding per diem. Most of the other council members who would go, they had a one or two night stay, Mickey would have a 4 or 5 night stay.  I didn't pull them all, but I have posted some of the expense reports on this blog.  Mickey was always the biggest spender except for one meeting.

One of his most egregious acts with regards to these out of town excursions happened the year he did not run for reelection.  By not filing in June to run again he knew he was off the council at the end of the year.  Yet he signed up for and went to the NLC meeting which was held just weeks before the end of his council term.  Talk about a lame duck. In more ways than one, pretty lame.

Another time on one of the NLC trips to Washington, DC he took his very young granddaughter with him.  I have NO problem with that.  The problem I have is which of the three choices listed did Mickey choose:

1.  Attend the meetings that he was supposed to go to and bring her with him?  Sure and have this youngster sit very quietly and attentively during these sessions?  Yeah, right.

2.  Leave her in the room while he attended the meetings?  Hmmmm, not a good idea, at least in my book.

3.  Go to the meeting session, sign in to indicate he showed up, then immediately leave and take the grandchild sightseeing?

A triple whopper with cheese and bacon says it was probably number three.  I could be wrong, but I doubt it.  Numbers one and two don't make sense.

When Mickey was on the council he was, IMHO part of the group that abrogated their responsibility as elected reps of the people and just rubber stamped anything and everything that was brought before them.

And last but not least.  Remember when the former council passed the non-discrimination ordinance?  Mickey was conveniently absent from the meeting and therefore did not cast a vote for or against the item.  Mr. Two Face was in a pickle.  If he had voted for it he would have alienated a majority of those folks who share the same religious background as him.  If he voted against it he would have been accused of being homophobic by the LGBQT+ community and their supporters.  So, how did Mr. Two Face handle it?  He came up with some bovine scatalogical excuse for not showing at the meeting.  And he says he is a leader.  That's a laugh.  If he were elected mayor, who would be pulling his puppet strings?

Dr. Mike Kemmling has worked diligently as a member of the council to get three years of mill levy reductions passed, to review projects in a manner that staff would then reanalyze them and get them done at a lower cost to the citizens.  Dr. Mike tells it like it is.  Sandifer tells you whatever you want to hear.

IMHO, Kemmling for mayor. Knowledge, experience and a new generational approach to move the city forward.

Israel & Hamas - Will It Affect Us?

 Quite possibly, and in more ways than one.

Let's just look though at one possibility.  Every day the border patrol posts counts of folks coming across the southern border.  And since Biden basically opened the border those numbers are up, way up.  And the BP logs them by country.  And every day there are some from various middle eastern nations.

Now, what about those that sneak across and don't get caught?

Remember that some of the individuals in the 911 attack were here on student visas.  Expired at that.  Heck, what's to say that terrorists have already infiltrated this country and waiting for the signal to cause problems.

The World Trade Center was a well known geographical site, with a total workday population bigger than many small towns in the US,  How about this:

 On a typical weekday, an estimated 50,000 people worked in the complex and another 140,000 passed through as visitors.

What is to say that a group of terrorists wouldn't want to create murderous activities in multiple small towns?  Primarily because the residents might just be a little too complacent?  

I know, if I mention the middle east origin of those coming across the southern border, especially those sneaking across then I am xenophobic, yada yada yada.

And, IMHO, anybody who thinks that all of those same folks are coming across with love in their hearts for our country, well, they are just plain dumb!!!!

Be vigilant folks.  Remember the folks that were slaughtered in their sleep, the infants that were dismembered, the women that were tortured and raped.

Remember how the late Queen Elizabeth had our national anthem played at Buckingham Palace right after 911!

Below is "Hatikvah", the Israeli national anthem.

Did the SM Post Properly Research & Report on Shawnee Staff Losses?

The Shawnee Mission Post has  published various articles blaming the current council for staff  losses.  I noticed that they applied for info under KORA regarding that topic.  Well, so did I.  The info I received is shown below.  

Keep in mind that the members of the current council were elected in 2019 & 2021 so this council, as it is now formed, did not really start functioning until 2022.

Here is the info as I received it.  I will have additional comments below the posting.

 The figures above are interesting.  The current council, as functioning as such has seen a net increase of 19 employees.

Now, let's look at another topic relative to this that the SM Post has been touting:  the loss of senior staff, in particular former city manager Sunderman, former deputy city manager Gard and former city communications director Breithaupt.

Let's look at those three and the question(s) that IMHO the SM Post was remiss in not asking and/or pursuing.

Former city manager Sunderman:  We've covered this one previously.  They quoted him as saying his vision for the city was not the same as the council's.  The council sets the vision.  The city manager is an employee of the council and is responsible for carrying out their directions.  Didn't the council direct him to do certain things that he did not do?  Was his job on the line?  Two questions that IMHO needed to be asked.

Former deputy city manager Gard:  Were her feelings hurt that she did not get the job when Sunderman left?  Check her credentials against the individual that the city did hire to fill that position.  

Former communications director Breithaupt:  She was promoted to that position from communications manager shortly before leaving.  She was already putting in long hours by having to attend various evening meetings, special events and then with the promotion was taking on PIO duties for the PD & FD, putting her on call 24/7.  IMHO the question that needed to be asked was, as an individual with young children how much did that play into her decision to leave for a 9-5 job? Was it her desire to spend more time with her family?  Was that asked? I believe that the job she went to is a 9-5er for a commercial business.

When there is a major change in government leadership it is not unusual for there to be a change in senior staff.   

There are four candidates running for office (3 for council, 1 for mayor) that are trying to use staff losses as a reason to elect them.  IMHO, I think they need a lesson in government, even though one of them is a former council member, and was not an effective one at that.  These 4 people are Sandifer, Burchfield, Whitted and Murphy.  

Personally, I think the SM Post is a left leaning periodical and the four folks mentioned above are in lock step with that philosophy.

Sidebar:  How come the SM Post has not reported that the current council is being very fiscally responsible, to the extent that projects are getting done (and when reviewed by this council at substantial savings) while the city reserves are sitting at 57% when the standard to achieve is 30%?  And this with reducing the mill levy for the citizens.