Eric Persson's October Campaign Finance Report is MIA

Seven of the eight candidates for Shawnee City Council seats have filed their October campaign reports earlier this week as required https://voter.jocoelection.org/CampaignReportsDisc

One candidate, Eric Persson in Ward 2 does not appear to have his October report on file as of 0600 hours today 10/29/21.  Hmmm, who is responsible for that?  Is it him or his treasurer Kelsi DeBruyn?

Why is that report not on file?

Well, here is a list of possible reasons/excuses:

1.  It was there on time but JoCo Election office hasn't posted it yet

2.  It was there late and JoCo Election office hasn't posted it yet

3.  I/we forgot to send it in

4. I/we did not put it on our calendar(s)

5. We don't have to file, as rules don't apply to us, only to others, because we're special and we can do what we want when we want.

6. There were donations and/or expenses that we don't want to show before election day, even though we have to, by law.

I'm trying to be kind with responses #1 & 2.  Responses 3 & 4 shows disorganization, and possibly an
"I don't care" attitude.  Responses 5 & 6, well, are these possible?  

Curious as to what the tap dancing will be about this.

Kevin Makalous - Failure to Listen to Citizens

 Wasn't sure if I was going to comment before the screen capture below or after.  Decided to comment first.  Hopefully that would make it clearer.

The screen capture below shows Kris Durbin commenting about a posting by Kevin Makalous, candidate for a Ward 4 council seat.  Apparently Makalous is upset that folks are still talking about the defeated proposal for the community center (that he supported) claiming people are re-litigating it.  He thinks it is over and done and should be put to rest.

As typical, he is trying to dance around and dodge the real issue.  The issue is that his support of that project proves that he does NOT listen to people.  That is why it is still relevant.  He would have folks believe that he will listen to them about their concerns.  Horse nonsense.  Various studies that the city paid for indicated that even though folks wanted a facility they were adamant about not paying increased property taxes to support it.  The studies showed that.  He, and certain other individuals still attempted to jam it down the throats of the citizens of Shawnee.  

The city buried most of the negatives deep down on its web site and in its printed literature did not give a true picture of what was involved.  The push by the city itself was supposed to be educating, but instead it was advocating.  When the truth was brought out the item went down in flames 72-28.  If Makalous truly listened to folks he would not have supported the project.  The city was, and I repeat myself, told in their studies that people did not want to pay an increase in their property taxes.  We won't even talk about the exorbitant fees to use the facility.

Ergo, bringing it up is NOT re-litigating it, it is affirmation that Makalous cares more about what a few select folks want than what the people want.  

Curious, can he really say that he has not had conversations with certain folks that if elected he would push to bring this item back?

Anyway. if you want a council member who is willing to truly listen, and is not part of the good old boy network, might I suggest you vote for Jacklynn Walters in Ward 4.

If you click on the image below you will get a larger size that will be easier to read.

Why Does the Shawnee Mission Post Provide Cover for Rattan?

 OK, let's keep it short, sweet and to the point.

For background, see these two posts of mine:

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2021/10/shawnee-mission-post-fails-public-on.html   10/13/21

http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2021/10/lisa-larson-bunnell-supports.html   10/3/21

So, why did the SM Post fail to tell the whole story?  So, the Rattan property taxes for 2019 were paid after it became public knowledge.

What about the 2015 & 2016 property taxes?  Yes they were paid, in 2019, when Rattan ran for city council, and only after another member of the public brought it out.  how long would those taxes have gone unpaid if the situation hadn't been made public?  The only thing that the SM Post did in their article about the 2019 taxes was to give  Rattan plenty of space to cop a plea.  But, they ignored the situation from just two years ago.  First, how can anyone vote for somebody to be on the board of trustees of a tax supported entity who goes years at a time in not paying their property taxes?  

Why did the SM Post not pursue the situation from two years ago?  Were they afraid of antagonizing Ms. Rattan?

As a matter of fact, read the SM Post's values as posted on their web site here:  https://shawneemissionpost.com/our-values/

You can decide for yourself if you think their action or lack of it on this matter is in keeping with their stated values.  

Sidebar:  To the best of my knowledge, Lisa Larson-Bunnell, Shawnee 3rd Ward council member, running for reelection has still not withdrawn her endorsement of Rattan nor asked for her monetary contribution to be returned.  We don't need folks that think like her back on the council.

If those of you living in Ward 3 want a council member who is not ethically or morally challenged you might just want to vote for Angela Stiens.

Remember Larson-Bunnell also voted last spring to give the city manager a 25% increase in pay (approximately $40,000).  Just when folks were starting to hurt.

Were Eric Persson's Comments Hypocritical?

 Reference my post of 10/16/21 concerning Persson's comments about Mike Kemmling who spends one night a week (2 days) away from Shawnee . .  Persson, as is typical for a liberal demo who likes to present false information posted this on his FB page "To my knowledge, my opponent spends the bulk of his time outside of Shawnee and is therefore not actually knocking on doors himself."  That is why I posted my commentary on 10/16/21.

Now, let's see what might be hypocrisy on the part of Persson. The following items were posted by Persson on his LinkedIn page:

"I am currently looking to hire a talented Sales Representatives for my team in the Salt Lake City area"

"I am currently looking to hire a talented Sales Representatives for my team in the Oklahoma City or Wichita area."

Hmmm, now I don't know how his company functions but if you hire new sales reps don't you have to spend time with them?  And considering the distances, wouldn't one go out for multiple days at a time?  And, what other areas that are distant from Shawnee does he or will he have subordinates?  And what happens if the new hires don't make it?  The process starts over!!  Does that mean more travels out of town? And what about the ones that stick around.  How often would he travel to work with them?   Just something to think about.  Maybe he needs to provide the voters of Ward 2 with hip waders for whenever he speaks?

Additional info about my previous post of 10/20/21 concerning Kevin Makalous:  Some folks have asked for me to be more specific about saying he slept thru law school.  OK, he says nobody is illegal.  Try this:  We have laws in this country on the legal methods of immigrating here.  When a person violates those laws they are here illegally.  Hence the term "illegal alien or illegal immigrant".  All of the other feel good, PC terms are a bunch of nonsense.

Did Kevin Makalous Sleep Thru Law School?

 According to his info posted on LinkedIn he received his Juris Doctor from Drake University in 2005.  So as not to confuse the situation he is not currently a practicing attorney in Kansas as he does not hold active certification from the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas.

But still, did he sleep thru law school?  Or at least part of it?  On his Facebook page he has a graphic which says among other things that "no person is illegal".  Sorry Mr Law School Graduate, I would definitely disagree with you.  That phrase has been used by the liberal socialist left to make it politically incorrect to call these illegals what they are. They should be more concerned about what has been happening in this arena.  Illegals are being flown all over the US, in the middle of the night.  And this, after they have been released via the "catch and release"  policy of the current administration.  The costs of these sanctioned illegals will have to be borne by everyday people in our country.

Illicit drugs, human trafficking and a variety of other problems have been on the rise.  These left wing socialists use all kinds of neat little buzzwords.  Truth be known they want to restrict the freedoms of American citizens so as to turn this country into a political model that has never worked.  If you value your freedoms, you cannot allow these individuals to gain entry onto local governing bodies.

Eric Persson - Lying At The Door

 Word has been filtering back that Eric Persson, Ward 2 council candidate has been telling some big fibs about incumbent council member Mike Kemmling.  Seems he has been making statements to the effect that Kemmling spends more time out of town than in Shawnee.

Me thinks that Persson needs to get his story straight.  Let's start with the facts.  For many years Dr. Mike Kemmling was a self employed dentist with an active business right here in Shawnee.  Also known as being a small business owner, right here in Shawnee.  In January, 2020 he sold the business and as part of the sale he has a non-compete clause that expires January 2023 (he is now a little over half way there).  The non-compete clause makes it difficult for him to work in his field within the metro area.

Another dentist who he has known for years has an existing practice in Wichita and offered him a position.  This is what it entails.  He drives down to Wichita on a Tuesday morning.  Works there Tuesday.  Spends the night there Tuesday.  Works there Wednesday and then drives back to Shawnee Wednesday night.  That means he spends two days and one night outside of Shawnee.  He spends five days and six nights a week with his family, right here in Shawnee.  That is not, by my calculations spending more time outside of Shawnee.  Many folks that are involved in sales spend 3-4 nights out on the road a week.  Oh well, seems that Persson can't count.  I find it ironic also that he would be critical of Kemmlings very light travel load.  Especially coming from someone who, since June 2012 has worked for six different companies.  How much travel did/does he do in those positions?

Also, I find it ironic that Persson, as previously stated on this blog, has not listed what he feels are his qualifications for becoming a member of the council.  Just a bunch of liberal double talk.  And we are witnessing all over the country what the socialist liberal democrats are trying to do.  And yes, they are pushing to get their folks in on the ground floor (city councils, school boards, water commissions, etc.) and then work their way up.  So, what is happening nationally is important here (just look at two counties in Virginia, the State of California, parts of Oregon, Michigan,Washington, et al).  Do we want to have these individuals stealthily move into ground floor political positions? Like city councils, school boards, etc. And yes, Persson is "one of them".  Here is a screen capture of his recent request for donations to his campaign.  Click on it to view it larger

Note that he is going thru ActBlue for his donations.  What does that mean?  From the ActBlue web site: (highlights mine)

"...we’ve built a powerful online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, progressive organizations.."

Also from their web site: (highlights mine)

".. Our platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations...,"

These are the folks that are pushing to indoctrinate rather than educate your children, the people who want total control of your daily lives, who want to suppress your freedom of speech (unless it mirrors theirs).  Those who want to spend monies for giveaway programs and basically drive the middle class out.  So far we have been partially insulated from these folks here in Shawnee but they will continue to chip away at our rights.  Let's not let it get to the point where we wake up one morning and say "what happened?"

Shawnee Mission Post Fails the Public on Rattan Tax Story

The Shawnee Mission Post, in a feeble attempt to cover the story behind the past due property tax situation of JCCC Trustee candidate Dawn Rattan, left out some very important info.  Did they deliberately leave the info about the delinquent tax history out?  Were they "covering" for the candidate?  Also, as stated in a previous post here, current Ward 3 Council Member Lisa Larson-Bunnell apparently has no problem with endorsing/supporting Ms. Rattan.  Also, Ms. Larson-Bunnell was on the council when the previous delinquency became known.  I think Larson-Bunnell is morally and ethically challenged for supporting Rattan and needs to publicly withdraw her support.

FYI, more specific info on the previous tax delinquency (2015 & 2016 not paid until 2019 and only after a member of the community brought it to light) is contained in my email to the reporter, editor and owner/publisher of the Shawnee Mission Post, quoted below:

++++++++++++++++++

I read the article that you published concerning the 2019 back property taxes that were owed by Dawn Rattan on your web site at

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2021/10/08/dawn-rattan-property-taxes-133785/

The reasons given for the late payment were something about miscommunication with her spouse and a death in the family.

Was your article based on the blog post at http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2021/10/lisa-larson-bunnell-supports.html ?

If you read that blog post there was info that indicated that just two years ago (in 2019) when Ms. Rattan ran for city council that another member of the community brought out info that there were multiple years of delinquent taxes.

That info is easily verifiable at the JoCo Tax Office.  What was the reason for those delinquent items?  Was it also miscommunication with the spouse?  Were there other deaths in the family?

Why was this info not mentioned in your article?  Was it selective editing?  Don’t you feel a responsibility to report these types of situations to the public?  Or, are you being protective of a candidate who appears to adhere to the maxim, “the rules are made for thee, not me”?

Anyway, it was the 2015 & 2016 taxes that were not paid until 2019.  Curious if that member of the community had not made the info public how much longer would they have gone delinquent.  IMHO, your “newspaper” was very remiss in not adhering to the old Paul Harvey saying of “….and now for the rest of the story…..”

2016       Payment History                             Details

TAXING ENTITY RATE      TOTAL TAXES DUE            AMOUNT PAID BALANCE

Installment 1                     Last Paid Date: 7-11-2019

Installment 2                     Last Paid Date: 7-11-2019

Property Fees                                                  

TOTALS 0.133095              $21,596.35           $21,596.35           $0.00

2015       Payment History                             Details

TAXING ENTITY RATE      TOTAL TAXES DUE            AMOUNT PAID BALANCE

Installment 1                     Last Paid Date: 7-11-2019

Installment 2                     Last Paid Date: 7-11-2019

Property Fees                                                  

TOTALS 0.136589              $24,302.75           $24,302.75           $0.00

Sophia Theodore Is Wrong for Shawnee - Ward 1 Council

 Oh my gosh.  Wasn't this nice?  Sophia Theodore posted well wishes to all the Shawnee workers.  Now take a closer look.  Do you see that clenched fist symbol in the right hand area?  That symbol has, for many years, become associated with communism.  That's right!!  Don't believe me?  Look it up for yourself.  You can click on the image to make it larger.

Hmmm, is she another one of these left leaning liberals who are part of what the problem is today in this country?  Starting at the lower levels of government and then creeping up to the top.  Probably, considering her campaign treasurer is one of the most liberal left wingers on the current council.  She is running to replace him, since he chose not to run again.  

Her web site indicates that she is in favor of more commercial businesses so as to reduce the tax burden on private home owners.  But, just like Persson who is running in Ward 2 (see my previous post).  She is talking a good game but reality would set in.  What do I mean?  Because she would most likely approve every project with heavy incentives, thereby giving away the farm with the city not seeing any appreciable changes in the tax base.  Projects are good, but incentives have to be selective as to who gets them.  The liberal majority on the council just willy nilly gives them to everybody.  And she would most likely follow suit.  Why else would Matt Zimmerman not only support her, but take on the role of her campaign treasurer.

If you want a council member in Ward 1 who will be selective as to who gets incentives and therefore realistically work towards reducing the burden on homeowners then you want Tony Gillette.

Eric Persson - Terrible Choice for Ward 2 - Shawnee City Council

 It is my opinion that Eric Persson would be a terrible choice for the Ward 2 seat currently held by Dr. Mike Kemmling.  Mike is running for reelection.

Why do I say that about Eric Persson.  If you go to his website by clicking here, you will see why.

First, Persson does NOT give you any biographical data about himself.  That's right.  No background info.  No mention of what types of jobs he has held, what types of responsibilities he's had, what his education level is, what his community involvement is, what organizations he belongs to. Nothing! Nada!  Zero!  His background is, by his omitting it, a big blank, a nothing.  No indications of what qualifications he has to be a member of the council.  Why doesn't he mention any of these things?  Is he embarrassed by his background?  Or maybe there is nothing in his background that would qualify him to be on the council?

Maybe that explains why this statement, from his website, is empty of reality.  Read it first, and I will explain below.  Oh, if you want, click on it for a larger image:

What he says, sounds good.  And it would be nice.  But why is it unrealistic?  First, let's look at some facts.  Commercial property taxes account for the low 20's in percentage of property taxes received.  As a comparison, Lenexa's runs in the mid 40's.  Wow.  So, with a bunch of new developments over the past 10 years why hasn't the commercial tax base increased?  The answer is easy.  It's the alphabet soup of incentives that city council with a traditional overload of liberal socialistic democrats has fostered on the citizens.  They all claim to want the increase in commercial property taxes, but then they vote to give away the farm.  Mike Kemmling feels that certain projects warrant that, but not all.  And yes, Dr. Mike has fought against some of these overloaded incentives.  But the liberal wonks say if we don't give them, then the developers won't come.  Heck, and when they do, what does the city get?

We can look at many of the more recent ones, but one in particular comes to mind.  Westbooke Green.....75th and Quivira.  The initial presentation by the developer was beautiful.  Apartments, retail, restaurants, an amphitheater for public use.  The council (or the liberal element in the majority) really gave away the farm in incentives, property tax abatements, and a plethora of others to include giving up the city's 1% sales tax and giving that to the developer.  Needless to say, what the city is getting no way comes close to what we were told.  The project has been greatly reduced in scope.  Yet, the incentives are still there.  Don't even ask about the abomination that was going to be Belmont Promenade.  That is a story by itself.  Also, some of these projects also get various alphabet soup additional taxes (over and above the 1%) which also go to the developer.  

Some folks say we shouldn't bring out political philosophies.  Sorry, can't help it in this case.  With all of the problems we are facing nationally, much of it trickling down, we do not need liberal influencers on the city council.  We cannot afford to have council members who would vote to give away the farm to every project.  We need council members who will be selective to vote for projects that are truly win-win.  Persson is not that man.

Kevin Makalous Misleads & Misinforms

Kevin Makalous, candidate for a Ward 4 city council seat in Shawnee posted the below item on his Facebook page.  You can read his entire page at https://www.facebook.com/Kevin4Shawnee/.

If you want you can click on the image for a larger version.

You can also read the email thread by clicking here http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2021/08/kevin-makalous-is-wrong-for-ward-4-in.html

I'll try and keep this short and sweet.  I didn't refuse to meet with this individual.  He just did not like the idea that I wanted to record the conversation and have a third party present.  These are actions that left wing liberal liars don't like to have happen.

The divisive item (which he refuse to mention in his post) was the teaching of critical race theory in our schools.  Eventually he admitted that he aligned with the thoughts of David French.  Do a "google" on French.  A person who definitely supports critical race theory.

He claims I did not publish his last email asking again to meet.  Hmmm, did I miss that one?  Does it matter?

Interesting that he tells folks they can read the info at my blog but does not provide a link.  At least I provided a link to his FB page.

Does he mislead?  Does he misinform?  Or, is he an outright liar?  Read the emails and decide for yourself.

Do we need or want someone who is a far out left wing socialist whacko on the city council?  Someone who is a disciple of the current far left council rep Lindsey Constance?  This has been mentioned before, but in case you did not read it, here's the deal.  Constance filed to run for reelection, and then on the last day that withdrawal was permitted, 6/1/21
she withdrew.  That was also the last day that a candidate could file to run, And that is what Makalous did.  And, Constance wound up as his campaign treasurer. All documents are viewable at the JoCo election web site. Hmmmm, how long had they been planning that?  

Lisa Larson-Bunnell Supports PropertyTax Delinquent for Public Office

 It seems that Lisa Larson-Bunnell, candidate for reelection to Ward 3 council person supports a property tax delinquent for public office in Johnson County.

The campaign finance report for 9/1/21 for Dawn Rattan, candidate for JCCC Board of Trustees lists Larson-Bunnell as having contributed to her (Rattan's) campaign for $150 on 7/19/21.  As of 10/3/21 the taxes for 2019 are still unpaid.

It's outrageous that a sitting city council person, running for reelection would support another candidate who is not up to date on their property taxes.

Ironically, Rattan has a history of being delinquent on property taxes.  When she ran for city council in 2019 the property was delinquent for multiple years.  That can be verified by researching the tax records and viewing dates  when paid by clicking here to go to the JoCo tax office. When another citizen of the city brought out that information the multi year delinquencies did get paid.  Currently, the 2020 taxes have been paid, but over $21,000 remains past due for 2019.

Larson-Bunnell had to know of Rattan's previous tax delinquencies.  And, you'd think as an attorney and a sitting city councilperson she would have researched that candidate's records before contributing to her campaign.  Not really a smart move on Larson-Bunnell's part.  Not sure if I'd want someone like Larson-Bunnell representing me on the city council when she apparently can't use due diligence on researching those she contributes to for public office.  Will she demand a refund of her contribution?  Will she come out and withdraw any perceived endorsement that that contribution represents?

Or, do both of these left wing liberals have an attitude that "rules are for thee, not me"?

Larson-Bunnell should not be returned to the council in the upcoming election.

Rattan should not be elected to the JCCC Board of Trustees