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.