Blume Shawnee - Looking Good

 The project "Blume Shawnee" seems to be moving along.  This has the potential to be a very positive addition to downtown Shawnee.  A more detailed explanation of the project can be found by reading a recent article at the Shawnee Mission Post.  

This is definitely, IMHO a more attractive concept than the monstrosity that had been proposed for the old Wonderscope property.  It is my understanding that the developer of that project is now looking at a town home type project.  That would, IMHO make more sense.

Architectural styles can evoke a variety of responses from the public.  Different folks have different ideas as to what looks good.  As an example, I feel the aforementioned Blume Shawnee is much more eye appealing than the soon to be completed apartment building to its north which to me looks like the Starship Enterprise.  Yet, I am sure there are those that find that design appealing.

Now, if we can just do something about that old post office building. Keep in mind that there are no deliveries coming out of that unit.  It is basically a mailing center.  Are their boxes still active?  Can't somebody find a storefront location that can be used for this post office?  C'mon Shawnee Economic Development folks.  There's your challenge.  Are you up to it?

Sob Sisters And Their Ilk Still Don't Get It

 While walking thru the display put on by the company that was contracted to study the potential Shawnee comprehensive plan (at a cost of $250K), one item stood out to me.

This was the question "Of the following choices which do you believe are the top 3 critical issues facing Shawnee (choose 3)"

I was intrigued by the item that drew 19.85% (number 10 of 10). "Division amongst City Council members".  This caught my eye because of a recent article in the Kansas City Star in which the two Shawnee Sob Sisters (former council member Stephanie Meyer and current council member Lindsey Constance) seemed to weigh in on that.

So, let's look at that.  Maybe a little civics/history lesson might come in handy.  First, if you have nine members of a city council and if there was never any division, then you have some serious problems.  If any legislative body is always in agreement you might as well dissolve it, go to Office Max, buy a huge rubber stamp and let an overpaid neophyte city manager do whatever he wants.

Now, for many years one could say that the city council was divided ideologically 6 (liberal thinkers) to 2 (conservative thinkers).  Bet ya didn't hear any crying from the likes of Meyer and Constance.  Then what happened?

A coterie of "we know better than the people" tried jamming a community center down the throats of the citizens of Shawnee.  The two sob sisters were part of that group.  Especially Constance who wouldn't admit that the cost was really $54 million not $38 million.  What happened?  The people of Shawnee revolted, democratically, via their votes.  A 46% turn out (a record for a mail in ballot) turned down this local version of the Taj Mahal 72% to 28%.  That should have told these miscreants something.  But it didn't.  Get out the crying towels.  They tried saying the "Vote No" group lied.  Wrong.  Who misrepresented the project?  Who buried important info deep on a web site?  The folks who wanted the project!!!!!

What happened next?  Again, the people revolted and by their votes changed the make up of the council to 4-4 (split between liberal thinkers and conservative thinkers).  Now the sob sisters and others of their ilk are blaming the "divided council" for Shawnee's ills.  Wrong!!!!!!!  

The sob sisters are refusing to accept the fact that the people of Shawnee are starting to get tired of the paternalistic approach of certain elected officials.  It showed at the last council election.  And more and more people will rise and be heard at the polls and not permit certain arrogant "we know better" types to remain in government.

Continuing the Battle About Business From the Floor

 For reference purposes please see my post of 3/14/21 (last Sunday)

Below is my latest email to the Mayor, the city manager and the governing body.

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

Nolan,

I see that Business From The Floor is thankfully again on the agenda for 3/22/21 but still at the end of the meeting.  This is outrageous.

If you reread your email to me from last week the double talk on your part is so obvious that a two year old could spot it.

Again, folks were permitted to come to the council chambers to comment on other items but Business From the Floor was held back because "We did not want a large number of people gathered in the Council Chambers when there were other (safer) methods for members of the public to express their concerns".  

Two things need to happen.  First Business From the Floor needs to be moved up on the agenda to its former position.  Again, the mayor's comments that staff has priority over the public is total garbage.  Additionally, any member of the council that agrees with that is not considering who they were elected to represent.

The other thing that needs to happen is that the council needs to meet back in chambers and cut out this virtual nonsense.  Some of the council members have been doing this.  Others are hiding behind their computers.  There are many ways to make this happen and maintain social distancing.  One of those is to eliminate the seating of you as city manager and the city attorney from the dais.  No other city does this.  You and he are staff.  You belong in the staff section of the gallery and if your input is needed you can come to the podium.  Or, another possibility is a separate table in the well.  This would also eliminate the off the record whispering that you and he do during council meetings.  The governing body itself can be split with half on the dais and half at tables in the well.

Let's get both of the above items back in force for the April 12th council meeting.  

Ray

City Manager's Bovine Scatological Response

 For reference please see my post of 3/6/21, "Shawnee is as Transparent as a Rock"

Here are the email exchanges.  What a bunch of nonsense that the city manager tries to get us to believe, and the mayor's comments at the last meeting about staff having priority over citizens were outrageous.

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

Nolan,

The delay in my response was caused by my racking my brain trying to figure out how to be politically correct in that response.  Impossible based on most of your comments. 

Also, besides the mayor, I have on this reply included the governing body.

To make it easier for you and them to understand my responses, I have interleaved them, below, in your email, in red.

Ray

From: Nolan Sunderman [mailto:nsunderman@cityofshawnee.org]

Sent: Monday, March 08, 2021 9:40 AM
To: Michelle Distler; rerlichman
Subject: Re: Business from the floor - revisited

Ray,

I hope you are doing well and have not had any early morning trash pickups recently. Issuing fines in Municipal Court to WMA and the driver appears to have curbed that problem. Just to be clear....public comments are not being stifled.  Horse nonsense, look at the delay in getting business from the floor back on the agenda, when folks could coment on other items.I do not want you or others in the community to feel that way.  Members of the public can speak to any item that is on the meeting agenda.Why wassn’t business from the floor brought back sooner?  Any comments/feedback/concerns can also be emailed to governingbody@cityofshawnee.org that will be directed to the entire Governing Body at the same time.  Each elected official can also be contacted directly and their information is available on the City's website, published in the CityLine, and residents can call City Hall to get that information if needed.  I realize you know that, and I know you were not happy with that direction. Of course I wasn’t happy because it was outright BS.  Emails to the governing body did not become a matter of record, but comments on other items would.

The decision to bring back Business From the Floor is directed by Council policy under PS-7.  Just so we are on the same page, the reason we suspended Business From the Floor and public comments was because of COVID-19. BS We did not want a large number of people gathered in the Council Chambers when there were other (safer) methods for members of the public to express their concerns. More BS.  Unfortunately it was seldom that we had large groups of people at council meetings.  One of my other complaints.  We should be so lucky as to have large numbers of citizens at these meetings. The Mayor did decide to allow for public comments on agenda items several months ago.  There have not been many members of the public attend our meetings since COVID began so there hasn't been a lot of public comments on agenda items.  Again, we have only restricted business from the floor which is for comments regarding issues that are not on the meeting's agenda. Tijuana two stepping!!! For those type of concerns, we requested residents email their Councilmember, email the entire Governing Body, call their Councilmember, and/or meet with the Councilmember directly at their choosing.  We want to encourage residents to reach out to their elected official as needed and not feel they have to wait until the second or fourth Monday to voice their concern.  But again, those methods of communication do not become a matter of public record.  More Tijuana two stepping if folks could address other items, why not business from the floor?  Stifling citizen input!!!!

The City is not trying to block the thoughts of select individuals/groups.  You are welcome to contact any elected official at your choosing.  We have collected more public input and provided more public engagement opportunities over the last few years than anytime I can remember. That is something I am very proud of and I wish you were too.  Even through a worldwide pandemic, we have attempted to provide a multitude of opportunities for residents to engage and provide comments in a safe manner.  We met with the Citizens For a Better Shawnee multiple times including providing the Shawnee 101 presentation for feedback.  We have given the Shawnee 101 presentation and have seen great success offering that in a virtual format.  Along with that, we have done a number of virtual public project neighborhood meetings where previously we have only done those in person.  Our attendance at those has also increased.  Over the years, I have offered to meet with you meet you personally.  You have been in frequent contact with our elected officials over the years as well.  Mayor Distler has championed more public engagement through her Third Thursday Coffees and Quarterly Q & As. Again, you are avoiding the issue, but I expected that.  Just recently, you also visited with our lead consultant for the Comprehensive Plan in a one-on-one meeting which I hope was productive.   Waste of my time  

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to navigate a national pandemic and work to keep our community safe.  

Take care and stay safe.  If you would ever like to meet with me, the offer is always there.  

Now, let’s address the other issue.  Business from the floor has been brought back but it has been placed near the end of the meeting after miscellaneous council items.  That too is BS, when it used to be earlier in the meeting.  Asking folks to sit and wait (and even longer if there is an executive session) is a subtle way of stifling input.  There are times when staff and other items can be quite lengthy.  Asking folks to wait until the end is nonsense, and in reality rude, and is not, IMHO anywhere close to open government.  What is even worse, is that at the last council meeting the mayor said that that was done because staff had priority.  What????  Staff has priority over the citizens of Shawnee?  What was the mayor thinking?  I realize that lately her judgment appears to be clouded but that is one of the most egregious uses of chairing a council meeting that I have ever witnessed.  This is tantamount to a dictatorship, or actions in a third world country.  Staff has unlimited time to speak.  If the topic involves a project the developer has unlimited time.  Citizens are restricted to 5 minutes and the possibility of a second 5 minutes.  And the mayor wants them to wait until the end of the meeting.  BS.  Business from the floor needs to be brought back up to its former position.  And you say that this has not been an attempt at stifling citizen input.  Maybe not in so many words, but definitely a subtle way to do that by possibly forcing folks to wait an inordinate amount of time to voice their opinions.  Citizens do not work for staff.  Citizens do not work for council.  Citizens do not work for the mayor.  The citizens are the employers.  Saying that staff has priority is an insult to the people of Shawnee.

Thanks,

Nolan

______________________________________________________________

Nolan Sunderman | City Manager | City of Shawnee, Kansas

City Hall: 11110 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS 66203 |Office: 913-742-6200

nsunderman@cityofshawnee.org

 

---

From: Ray Erlichman <rerlichman
Sent: Saturday, March 6, 2021 7:07 PM
To: Michelle Distler <mdistler@cityofshawnee.org>; Nolan Sunderman <nsunderman@cityofshawnee.org>
Subject: Business from the floor - revisited

 

[CAUTION]: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

 

Madam Mayor and City Manager Sunderman,

First, let me say I am happy to see business from the floor back on the agenda for 3/8/21.  It's placement near the end of the meeting could discourage folks from hanging around an exceptionally long meeting to bring up items.

Neither one of you has answered the question as to why this item was removed from the agenda all these months.  So, we will ask it again.  Why was business from the floor removed from the agenda?  Please don't blame Covid as citizens had the opportunity to comment on other agenda items.  Was this an attempt to stifle input from specific individuals or groups? 

You both have an obligation and a responsibility to answer inquiries from citizens.  Both of you work for us, we do not work for you.  Rest assured we will continue to request answers until we get them.  Your continued actions of ignoring the questions will be brought to the attention of the voters of this city.

 

A copy of this email has been posted on my blog along with additional commentary.

 

<><><><><><><><><><> 

Ray Erlichman

Internet Sale Results in a Murder

 A recent sale of a mountain bike, negotiated  over the internet resulted in the murder of one of the parties.

You can read the full story by clicking here (this link updated 3/10/21 3:36PM CST) 

We are fortunate in Shawnee that our police department, years ago, created an internet sale exchange zone.  Information about that can be read here.

You can also view an image of the exchange zone by clicking here.  It is about in the middle of the page on the left hand side.

I urge everyone to take advantage of the exchange site.  It does not matter if you are the buyer or the seller.  You are dealing with a stranger.  This is not the first time that an internet sale has gone awry.  If the party you are dealing with does not want to meet at the PD, no matter how good of a deal it sounds like, please, pass the action.

Shawnee Is As Transparent As A Rock

To fully understand what I am about to say you might want to read my posts of 3/1/21 and 2/2/21 entitled "City Continues to Stifle Citizen Input" and "Shawnee, Quit Stifling Citizen Input".

These items were concerning the city removing business from the floor from council meeting agendas.  Ridiculous, because citizens could still comment on other items on the agenda.  So, why remove business from the floor?  

Now we have some updates:

The Good:  Starting Monday, March 8, 2021 this item, business from the floor, has been added back to the agenda of city council meetings. A big thank you to those council members who pushed for it.  Those council members who did not support returning it to the agenda can expect to be held accountable should they decide to run for reelection.

The Bad:  The item has been placed near the end of the agenda.  Right after miscellaneous council items and before adjournment.  It used to be much earlier in the meeting.  Was this a subtle move to continue to stifle input?  On a long drawn out night someone who wants to bring something up to the council could conceivably have to wait hours.  Yes, some meetings have lasted hours..............and hours........and hours.

The Ugly:  Neither the mayor nor the city manager have responded to an email demanding the info as to why the item was removed from the agenda to begin with.  Is that the norm now?  Selectively answering emails?  Refusing to explain their actions!!!!  Are they so arrogant that they feel they do not owe the citizens an explanation?

Well, here is the new email, being sent tonight:

Madam Mayor and City Manager Sunderman,

First, let me say I am happy to see business from the floor back on the agenda for 3/8/21.  It's placement near the end of the meeting could discourage folks from hanging around an exceptionally long meeting to bring up items.

Neither one of you has answered the question as to why this item was removed from the agenda all these months.  So, we will ask it again.  Why was business from the floor removed from the agenda?  Please don't blame Covid as citizens had the opportunity to comment on other agenda items.  Was this an attempt to stifle input from specific individuals or groups?  

You both have an obligation and a responsibility to answer inquiries from citizens.  Both of you work for us, we do not work for you.  Rest assured we will continue to request answers until we get them.  Your continued actions of ignoring the questions will be brought to the attention of the voters of this city.

A copy of this email has been posted on my blog along with additional commentary.

City Continues to Stifle Citizen Input

 On Tuesday Feb. 2, 2021 I published an item on this blog entitled:  "Shawnee, Quit Stifling Citizen Input"

Since nothing has happened to change the city's gross actions of stifling citizen input I feel compelled to address this subject again.

The item "Business From The Floor" has been removed from city council meetings.  It cannot have anything to do with Covid as folks can still attend meetings and comment on other items on the agenda.

The city advises that folks can email the governing body with their comments.  The problem with that is that emailed comments do not become part of the record/minutes of the council.  In person comments by citizens do become a part of the record of the meeting.

I am under the impression that four of the council members (Jenkins, Thomas, Kemmling and Knappen) have indicated a positive opinion about bringing back "Business From the Floor".  I am also under the impression that the remaining four members (Zimmerman, Larson-Bunnell, Constance & Chalfie) along with the mayor are opposed.  It also was brought to my attention that when the item came up at the recent council retreat/planning session that the city manager said something about shelving it until a future date.

Why is the city stifling citizen input?  What is the city afraid of by having folks address the council in "Business From the Floor"?  Is the city trying to block the thoughts of selected individuals?  Groups?There is a rumor going around that that could be a possibility.  Personally I only hope that it is a rumor and not fact.  Because, if it is fact that smells of tyrannical behavior.

Does the council need a review of Section 3 of the Bill of Rights of the Kansas State Constitution?  A document that they have sworn to protect, defend etc. etc.  Here it is, again, for those not familiar with it:

§ 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. (highlights mine)

I am sending an email to both the mayor and the city manager, not asking, but demanding an answer as to why "Business From the Floor" is not being brought back.

The email will read as follows:

Dear Mayor and City Manager,

Your attention is directed to my blog post of this date entitled "City Continues to Stifle Citizen Input" at https://www.shawneeray.blogspot.com

This has gone on long enough.  We are past civil niceties.  As such, I am not asking for your comments, rather I am demanding your responses.  So there is no misunderstanding, responses will be posted on the blog.