Let's talk about how a COW (council member from other ward) made a big mistake.
By now most folks are familiar with the fact that the proposed apartment building for the old Wonderscope property was turned down.
Here is what I was told. The neighbors that banded together naturally expressed their opinions with their council reps (Ward 2). And that is the way it should be. On the other hand, remember that when the council votes, regardless of which ward the council member was elected from, that council member is voting for the whole city. Yes, including the area where the building was proposed to go.
Apparently, the folks that were against the project asked for a meeting with Matt Zimmerman, from Ward 1. The neighborhood folks wanted to at least present their opinions to him, knowing that when he would vote it would affect them. Supposedly he told them to "contact your council rep" and refused a meeting. Dumb, stupid and arrogant, IMHO. Regardless of which ward the project is in, council reps need to at least hear what the citizens in that ward have to say. Why? Because how they vote on the council will affect those folks. Now, they may not agree with those citizens but they sure as heck ought to at least listen to them.
Those citizens who he ignored can't vote for or against him in the next election (should he choose to run again). But, they sure could do certain things that are legal to help an opponent of his.
I've written about this subject before, and feel that with a city council election coming up in about a year (or sooner if there are primaries) it needs to be discussed again.
What is a COW? Shawnee has four council wards. Each ward has two council members. So, each citizen has 6 COWs. Council members from other wards.
Let's switch for a second to the US Congress. We here in Kansas might have an interest in a bill that is before Congress. Naturally we would express our feelings to our rep. At the same time we might contact, oh let's say a Texas rep and express our feelings (for passage or decline). Because when the Congress meets as a whole they are voting for the whole country.
Same thing with our city council. The members may represent a particular ward, but when they are on that dais and vote, they are voting for the entire city. And that is why council members need to listen to citizens who may contact them, even if they are outside of their ward. An example: For argument's sake let's say some citizens of Ward 2 have an issue and want some support, besides from their reps, but from other council members. So, let's say they contact a council member from Ward 1. but that member doesn't want to be bothered with them because they are not in that member's ward. Big mistake.
See, all citizens from all wards have the right to support or voice non-support for candidates in any of the four wards. They can't vote outside their ward, but they can contribute to a candidate that they approve of. They can even volunteer to distribute literature, make phone calls, etc. So, when a council member from one ward turns a deaf ear to a citizen or group of citizens from another ward they are making a big mistake. They may not agree with them, but they should not turn their arrogant noses up at them. They need to at least listen. Remembering that how they vote on the dais will affect those other citizens.
Tuesday at around noon two 53' trailers were seen loading those trash containers up at Splash Cove to get them out of the city. Good, go store them somewhere else. And just as important, don't bring the used items back here to be stored at Splash Cove and/or Shawnee Town 1929.
For background see my posts below of 11/10, 11/14 & 11/15.
I would venture a guess that this change came about because some members of the governing body paid attention to what was happening. They realized that the citizens of the city had a valid complaint. And they realized that city staff works for the governing body, not the other way around.
We have two council members in particular that need to go bye bye. One is up for reelection in 2021. If she decides to run again we will have to do whatever is legal to stop her from being re-elected. The other one is up again in 2023. Can the city survive? Maybe we should consider action under K.S.A. 25-4318 et seq
Let's continue the discussion from my last post, just prior to this one. The comments made by certain planning commissioners, were, IMHO totally out of line.
Let's look at what that fine body did with the proposed apartment complex at 5700 King Street. They were willing to go along with a five (5) story unit that contained 189 apartments. Now, here's the kicker, they gave a variance for 68% of the units. Huh??? Seems that Shawnee has a requirement that a residential unit have a minimum of 800 sq ft. Well, 129 of the 189 units were well under that.............some were in the mid 600s and some were even as small as 460 sq ft. Wanna know what 460 sq ft looks like? Go outside and look at a striped parking lot. Depending on the striping you will be looking at 2, maybe 2-1/2 spots. Teeny tiny huh? Naturally those are studio apartment units, but still, when you take away kitchen areas, bath areas, washer/dryer set ups etc etc not much walking around room.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the commission also go along with the concept that any excess vehicles could park at city lots. Always thought that overnight parking was not permitted at city lots.
Anyway, methinks the three commissioners who did not (so far) follow Braley out the door might want to consider doing the same.
Willoughby was, IMHO the most egregious for a variety of reasons. He made the comment during the open meeting that citizens should rise up and vote out the council members who voted against the project. Let's take a trip down memory lane. Let's see if "Uncle" Alan remembers. He was appointed to fill the vacancy of a council member who had resigned. The way his nephew by marriage (former Mayor Jeff Meyers) had orchestrated the appointment process resulted in a KOMA investigation by the JoCo DA. That resulted in a scathing letter of rebuke by the DA. Subsequently, when Uncle Alan ran for an actual full term he was soundly defeated. No wonder. His performance as a member of the council was, politely speaking, lackluster.
Some folks have asked me my thoughts about what can be done at that location. Personally, I feel that an apartment set up could be beneficial and blend in, if done properly. If it was kept at 2 or a maximum of 3 stories. Actually, what about a "village" of duplexes, triplexes and even fourplexes. Or, maybe designed like that but two stories. If the designs were right, they could conceivably blend in with the rest of the neighborhood and also add to the downtown area with additional people residing there. But a five story monstrosity.............no way.
At this past Planning
Commission meeting it appears thatfourmembers of the
Shawnee Planning Commission overstepped their position.
First, let's make one thing
clear. Planning Commission members have volunteered for the position,
and that is to be commended. At the same time, they are not accountable
to anybody.
At this last meeting, four of them seem to have gone over the line. It had to do with the fact that
the City Council (who is accountable to the citizens of the city) voted
down the rezoning action for the proposed apartment unit at 5700 King Street.
At the end of the meeting,
while still in session these foursaw fit to
complain about the action of the City Council. It is NOT their position
to take sides on these issues. They cannot be champions for either the
developers or the residents. That is beyond the scope of their
function. Freedom of speech? Yes, when the individual is not
sitting in a session. Taking sides while sitting in a session is abhorrent.
So, what happened? Commissioner Les Smith (5 years) started the ball rolling
with attacks of the council. Randy
Braley who has been on the Planning Commission for six years announced his
resignation because he disagreed with the council's actions. He has been
on the Commission since 6/2014. Good riddance.
Commission chair Dennis
Busby made some scathing comments about the city council. He has been on
the Commission since 8/2007. That is 13 years. Too long. Methinks
he should follow Braley out the door and not let the door hit him in the rear.
Next up.....Alan (Former
Mayor Jeff Meyers' Uncle by Marriage) Willoughby. He was advocating, from
his position on the Commission, that residents in the wards of the council
persons who voted against the item should rise up and vote them out. That
is a personal view, and if he wants to state that away from a Commission
meeting that is fine. But to make that statement while the Commission is
in session is a breach of protocol. He too should follow Braley out the
door. His service on the commission has been split over the years, but
amounts to approximately 10 years.
Again, it is
not the Planning Commission's responsibility to advocate for either side in a matter
that has come before them. These fourhave
tarnished their positions.
In my first post about this situation I mentioned the agreement that the city entered into with the sub contractor for Waste Management. As a point of reference you can view it by clicking here.
There is something very important missing in the agreement. There is no way for the city to opt out, even in an emergency or for cause. Usually agreements like this have such a clause, especially to opt out "for cause".
Who drafted this? Was it the assistant city manager who notified a member of the council that she had authorized this action? Was it the city attorney?
Here is my problem. We all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. But for some reason we have some folks who say that our staff (especially senior members) are world class. We have a very good city staff. And most of the time they function very well. The problem is, and it starts at the top (City Manager Nolan Sunderman), there is a culture of an unwillingness to admit to mistakes. It is for this reason that I have not asked him directly about this trash container debacle. Previous experience has shown that he tap dances around questions, seldom provides direct answers, and refuses to acknowledge mistakes.
The lack of an opt out clause in the agreement is, IMHO, one such mistake. Actually, the entire situation is one big mistake. If Sunderman does not take full responsibility for this debacle, then IMHO he needs to go. The sign of a true leader is to take responsibility, especially when things go wrong. He is not a leader.
This is getting worse each and every day. See my original post of 11/10/20 below'
Here is what we know:
1. A sub contractor for Waste Management is storing tens of thousands of trash containers on the north side of both Splash Cove and Shawnee Town 1929 adjacent to the visitor center.
2. The same sub contractor will be bringing in used, unsanitary containers to store at these locations. These can spread infections, diseases and attract various vermin and animals (and not all domesticated either-----think coyotes, raccoons and foxes)
3. This action involves swapping containers with Waste Management customers and not just Shawnee customers.
4. The agreement with the sub contractor was signed by the Assistant City Manager. Who authorized it? IMHO, whoever it was should be terminated, post haste.
5. Why? Waste Management has hundreds of acres out by their landfill.
6. How was some of this information gathered? Not from the city. Staff ignores inquiries from citizens. So, a member of the community had a nice conversation with the persons representing the sub contractor.
7. Please, just see two of many emails below:
11/12/20 Thursday
I told you earlier about seeing the TV4 truck at Splash Cove this morning and the two obvious delivery trucks.
I did not get to see 7 am news for WDAF but do intend to watch the noon edition to see if anything.
But I then decided to go back and see if anyone around and ask where they might be delivering those on the two trailers.
Wow, glad I did. There were two guys in a pickup with Rehrig name on it. (The mfgr of the containers.) The one guy got out and talked with me for about 15 minutes. He and his bro own a company who contracts with WM to do this all over U. S. Said he had no knowledge of what is involved with City and Rehrig but he filled me in on details which I can guarantee you most folks, including our city council members and perhaps even the mayor are not aware of. Not sure I can recall all he told me but will tell you enough to make your blood boil and want some damned heads to roll from our "world class city staff".
Here are some highlights.
1. He and his assistant were awaiting arrival this morning of FOUR more 53' trailers of the WM bins!!!
2. He pointed out what is now the beginning of a second area of USED WM containers.---he also expressed frustration with mgmt of WM as they have not instructed him WHERE or WHAT is to be done with these unsanitized containers!!!
3. He did say these are definitely NOT going to only Shawnee, but to several surrounding cities having contracts with WM.
4. Now here is the part you will find amazing. A few years ago you might remember WM offered smaller size containers. The largest one has always been what they refer to as a 96gallon. I think he said next is 60 and smallest is 18. According to my understanding these NEW containers are going to be delivered to all WM customers, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE. Customers will have no choice!! The plan is to send by some method a notice after TG I believe, but not sure of date, explaining to customer. They will attempt to deliver the NEW ones the day after the customer's current pickup date. Can you imagine that nightmare? He SAYS he and his bro own the company contracting with Rehrig and have done several of these "switchouts" over the past 10 years. He never did explain the WHY of such action.
4. He did admit there will be many instance where the customer will end up with double qty/styles as they do not coordinate the delivery/pickup. The info letter mentioned above is supposed to explain that he stated.
I know there were other thing he covered but these are highlights I remember. This thing I guarantee you is headed to be a much bigger fiasco and quite frankly I would guess strongly that Caitlin nor her illustrous leader Nolan, neither one know the real plan that is being implemented.
And think about it---those dirty, unsanitized used containers---how long will they sit at Splash Cove? Good thing cool weather is with us. NEW ones piled all over with more to come---WHILE old used ones are brought to same storage area to be held for who knows what.
Folks, this is a true "hidden agenda" I feel and no one at City Hall truly knows the workings!!!
11/13/20 Friday
I just came by SC on my way to Cap Fed. Those two white pickups with the hauler trailers were there (7 a.m.) loading up for another day of distribution I guess. And looked like more used containers had been added to the storage also.
This is probably the saddest Veteran's Day that I can ever remember. Some miscreants found it necessary to deface the WWI Memorial in KCMO. They spray painted " No to elections" and "Yes to revolution" along with the communist hammer and sickle. Would you like to see what it looked like? Then all you have to do is click this link.
The anarchists are looking to turn this country into a communistic/socialistic nation. Just see some of the statements coming from the Democrats about black balling Trump officials and efforts to reeducate Trump supporters. Typical communistic/socialistic moves. Adhere to the party line or you are in deep trouble. Funny thing is that many Democrats that supported some of these socialists would also in the end (if a takeover were to happen) would also be swallowed up. Kinda like some animals that eat their young.
Freedom of speech is great. Vandalism, destruction of property, arson, murder, looting is not.
Something I published here from an internet source many years ago. If you don't want to read the whole thing, then at least scroll down to the last highlighted paragraph.
WHAT IS A VET?
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a
missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the
evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the
leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the
refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have
kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by
looking. What is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi
Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers
didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden
planks, whose overgrown frat boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the
cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She -
or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing
every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one
person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico
drill instructor who has never seen combat, but has saved countless lives by
turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and
teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade-riding Legionnaire
who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career
quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three
anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington
National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes
whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's
sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied
now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who
wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the
nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a
person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his
country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice
theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he
is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest,
greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has
served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people
need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been
awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, THANK
YOU!
It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom
of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of
speech. It is the soldier, not the preacher, Who has given us freedom of religion, It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the
freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves
beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the
Actually that should be Rehrig Pacific Company, a sub-contractor for Waste Management. In a nutshell, the parking lot of Splash Cove has become a storage facility for thousands of trash containers.
There has been much back and forth between city staff and various members of the community with staff NOT being totally forthcoming.
The city entered into an agreement with Rehrig for the storage of these items. It would appear that the city is not being compensated for this. Why is the city the storage facility? Info from city staff indicates that the city was asked to help store the items which were going to Shawnee citizens. But, certain questions have yet to be answered, and as is typical for certain members of city staff it is like pulling teeth to get specific answers.
Here are the questions that various citizens want answered:
1. Who approved this arrangement?
2. Why isn't Shawnee being compensated?
3. What assurance does the city have that all of the containers will be distributed to Shawnee residents?
4. Produce a copy of the distribution list for these containers.
This is an outrage. Unfortunately, previous experience has shown that senior city staff (City Manager Nolan Sunderman) will attempt to tap dance around this
Well, the Presidential election is for all practical purposes over. It would appear that Joe Biden is the President-elect and I seriously doubt that any lawsuits filed will change that. In all probability there will be some instances of irregularities proven, but not enough to change the outcome.
So, why do I say that the Democrats' hypocrisy rears its ugly head-again? Actually the answer to that is very obvious.
First, let's make one thing clear. Joe Biden did not get a mandate. The vote totals for President were not a "wipe out". Democrats apparently retained control of the US House of Representatives, but with less members. Instead of the predicted "blue wave", they have lost seats. Maybe it's time for them to wake up and not reaffirm Nancy (the wicked witch of the west) Pelosi as Speaker. The Senate results are still very much in limbo.
OK, now for the hypocrisy. Biden is calling for unity. Where was the unity when Trump won in 2016. It was non-existent. Hillary Clinton has spent the past four years spewing venom. The House of Representatives wasted years and millions of dollars trying to play "gotcha". This is all very well said by Jason Chaffetz in this opinion piece. Methinks turn around is fair play. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. First, continuing investigations need to be conducted into the financial machinations of Hunter Biden and to finally pinpoint the involvement of his father.
Some folks may not remember what happened when Stacey Abrams lost her bid for governor of Georgia in 2018. How the liberal press fawned over and supported her legal challenges to the results. That is the same liberal press that is now attempting to excoriate Trump for his legal challenges. Need a reminder? Click here.
Some predictions from yours truly:
1. Our NATO allies, who under Trump finally ponied up hundreds of billions of dollars in owed contributions will revert back to their old ways of holding back.
2. The recently negotiated accords between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors will come to a halt. Biden does not have the necessary skills to move forward to bring others into the realm of these accords.
3. Biden will resign after serving at least two years and one day of his term. The reason for that time frame is based on the terms of the 22nd Amendment to our Constitution. The reason for the resignation will be medical, probably a diagnosis of early onset of dementia. The time frame that was just mentioned would theoretically allow Kamala Harris to run and be elected to two terms of her own. Any resignation prior to the time specified would limit her to just one run.
4. When the unemployment numbers for minority citizens rise and they experience a widening of the pay gap, folks will realize that Trump was not the racist that he was portrayed to be by the Dems. Under Trump, minority unemployment was at an all time low. The pay gap was narrowing (still needed more work), and thousands of Opportunity Zones were being created to bring jobs, home ownership and positive commerce in low income neighborhoods.
5. Various groups of anarchists will continue their actions of rioting, burning buildings, looting, assassination of law enforcement, and physical attacks of those not aligned with them. Biden, aided by local Dems will continue to refer to these folks as peaceful protesters. And, they will be aided by the Communist News Network and the Most Stupid Network Broadcasting Company. Eventually they will destroy our country. That's right folks. Unlike Trump who understood a strong law and order position Biden/Harris will cave. The Republicans were not out to destroy our country. It has been the Democrats with their left leaning (and leaning even more) that will destroy our country as we know it. Their cradle to grave philosophy of government controlling its citizenry will change our country for the worst. The only way out will be for a strong Republican surge in the Congressional elections of 2022. Will we survive until then?
I recently received an email from a very dear friend here in Shawnee. Rather than attempt to explain it myself I will copy|paste his email below, complete with the Go Fund Me link.
Please consider a donation. Thank you.
Hello, Barb and I are fine. However, here sister in Galena IL, had a serious
fall in her home last Friday. The details are a on the link to a GoFundMe page
created by her family and a friend.
We are asking if you have a Facebook account, please post the link. Also,
please forward this message to anyone willing to help out a pet lover.
Barb's sister loves pets and has been earning extra money as a pet sitter for
residents in her small community of Galena. She will not be able to do this pet
sitting in the near future as she will have braces on her back and neck. She
will have these braces for at least three months.
After many years of delays, millions of dollars spent, tens of thousands of residents and visitors inconvenienced this is the signage that appears at Nieman Road and Shawnee Mission Parkway. Photos were taken today but the signage has been there for quite some time now.
Who approved it? Somebody had to sign off on it. I would have asked our overpaid neophyte city manager but he has a history of not responding with clear, specific answers. Tijuana two stepping is his modus operandi.
Anyway, here are the pics, day and night. You can click on the images below to load a larger view.
Note that in the day image, from a distance, it is difficult to read "Shawnee". Try it for yourself. Drive by and see if you can read it clearly.
The evening picture is wild. Those LEDs look like a bad string of Christmas tree lights. One member of the community told me he thought that it looked like the wording on a marquee for a gentleman's club. Check it out for yourself some evening.
I've been holding back, but something that came up today could not be ignored. Hillary Clinton has said on her podcast that the thought of Trump winning reelection made her sick to her stomach. Well Hillary, the thought of you ever being President of this country is a horror film.
Hillary Clinton, who didn't care about our guys in Benghazi.
Hillary Clinton who told State Dept employees they could not use private emails for government business and then did it herself.
Hillary Clinton who used that private email for classified documents.
Hillary Clinton whose campaign paid for a phoney dossier that resulted in a multi year and multi million dollar investigation that proved absolutely nothing (except that Trump did NOT collude with Russia)
Hillary Clinton who has spent the better part of the past four years undermining the President instead of trying to work with him and who has blamed everybody but herself for losing the election.
Below is a list of names of the individuals who lost a presidential election since 1952 (the earliest one I can remember). There is only one name on the list that has spent the time after the election belittling and denigrating the individual who won. That name is Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Jeff Meyers is running for County Commissioner in JoCo to represent mostly Shawnee. He does have name recognition. Former council member, mayor and football coach.
He has also shown a proclivity to engage in nepotism, not always in the best interests of the citizenry.
As the result of a vacancy created by a resignation on the Shawnee city council various individuals applied for the position. The position eventually went to Alan (Jeff Meyers' uncle by marriage) Willoughby. The circumstances behind Willoughby's appointment met with a scathing rebuke by the JoCo DA. You can read about it here from a posting on January 30, 2013 which also includes a link to an article from the Shawnee Dispatch (yepper it is still up there).
Eventually Uncle Alan actually ran for the office and was defeated. OK, then what? An opening occurs on the city's Planning Commission. Enter his cheerful nephew (by marriage) who appoints Uncle Alan to the Planning Commission. the appointment has one stumbling block. The council votes to a 4-4 tie on the appointment. So, what does Meyers do? He breaks the tie and Uncle Alan winds up on the Planning Commission. You can read more about it in this post from December 10,2013
In November of 2014 Meyers was fired as the football coach at Olathe East when his team had their first losing season in 15 years. Huh? Fifteen years of winning seasons, lose one season and get sent packing. And he then wound up in the Independence, Missouri school district. Something does not seem right here. Really strange after all of those winning seasons. By the way, did/does any of his campaign literature mention the time spent in Independence. Anyway, his firing from Olathe was reported by the KC Star on November 25, 2014 and can be read by clicking here.
Anyway. methinks the folks of Shawnee would be best served by voting for Rob Patterson, a small business owner who knows what it takes to make things run. Especially in these trying times.
Strange things happening regarding the apartment building development for 57th & King.
Where do I begin? First, the project was to come before the council on 9/28/20. A request to postpone it for two weeks came about because Council Member Jenkins was undergoing surgery. Surprise, surprise, it never did show up on the agenda 2 weeks later (10/12/20) nor is it on the agenda for four weeks later (10/26/20). Why not?
Now let's look at some other interesting items relative to that project. Many folks who live in the area of the project are not happy with it. One of the things that they tried to do was to get Council Members Lindsey Constance and Jill Chalfie involved with their cause. I recently found out that four (4) meetings with them were cancelled because one or the other could not make it. They (the council members) had a requirement that they had to appear together and this finally happened last week. Huh? Constance and Chalfie would only appear if they could do it jointly? Many times various members of the council have met with citizen groups without a requirement that another member be present. This just solidifies, IMHO, that these two are joined at the hip and that Chalfie cannot act independently. Is she a puppet for Constance?
Now, back to the delays of the vote on the council for this project. I can just guess as to why it has been postponed. If the vote had been taken 10/12 or 10/26 and Constance had voted for it (Chalfie will mimic Constance), the folks in that area would have most likely voted against her candidacy for State Senate. Hmmmm, would that have an effect on that candidacy? Did somehow Constance get this item postponed until after the election?
I don't know. Right now it's speculative. But, if I lived in that area I wouldn't trust Constance to represent me in the State Senate. The 10th State Senate District encompasses virtually all of Shawnee and a small segment of Merriam. As a matter of fact, I don't live in that area and I still don't trust her to represent me in the State Senate. I classify her as part of the Democrats/Socialists movement out to destroy our country from within.
Edited 11/5/20: When I said I did not live in that area, I was referring to the part of Shawnee where the apartment project is being proposed. I most certainly do live in Shawnee and within the boundaries of the 10th State Senate District.
I previously posted about this on August 30th, 2020.
Below is a copy of an email I sent to the governing body on 10/6/20. You will note that it references a previous email from 9/28/20. It is pretty self explanatory.
********************************
Mornin’
On 9/28/20 I sent an email covering two items.
One of the items is listed below.
How about an answer?
Council meetings
If folks can still go to city hall for council meetings why can’t “business from the floor” be brought back into the agenda?
More importantly, when are we going back to in person council meetings? Like OP, Lenexa, Olathe, and the BOCC? Five on the dais, (Thomas, Jenkins, Mayor, Knappen and Chalfie, with or without movable barriers) four at tables in front of the dais. City manager and city attorney in the gallery, where they belong. Staff should be able to figure this out. Instead of making excuses as to why it can't be done how about finding a way to do it? Just gave you a starting point.
**************************************
Other citizens have given info on how the necessary electronic hook ups could be done. But staff should be able to figure that out
So, what do we have? We have:
The "good": The four council members who show up willing to be a true city council. These are Eric Jenkins, Mike Kemmling, Tammy Thomas and Kurt Knappen.
The "bad": The four council members and the mayor who still sit out at home using Zoom. Matt Zimmerman whose specialty seems to be to lecture the other council members with an arrogance reminiscent of former council member Jeff Vaught. The difference? Zimmerman does it in a softer speaking tone. What a rip off!!! Lisa Larson-Bunnell...............whose hypocrisy on this item has already been covered in another post. Lindsey Constance........a little bit of two faced actions. Can't bring herself to show up at city hall for a meeting but wants to be a state senator where they have been meeting in person. A poor choice as a council member, an even poorer choice to be a state senator. Jill Chalfie whose only claim to fame appears to be as a puppet for Constance. The mayor? All kinds of excuses.
The "ugly": The over paid frat boy city manager Nolan Sunderman who can't seem to advise the council on how this can happen. What are his underlying motives?
Well the council member from Ward III has shown us, again, how she can be hypocritical.
At the August 24th council meeting there was a discussion about council members meeting in chambers live. That info can be found in the minutes of the meeting by clicking here.
Here are her comments: (click on the image to view a larger version)
Now, with that said, her concerns about gatherings didn't stop her from this shoulder to shoulder photo op for the opening of a new drinking establishment in Shawnee: (oh, that's her on the right hand side with the patterned dress): (click on the image to view a larger version)
At the August 24th Shawnee City Council Meeting four members did the right thing. They showed up in the council chambers. Council members Eric Jenkins, Mike Kemmling, Tammy Thomas and Kurt Knappen were the ones that showed up.
So, what happened? Our mayor proceeded to come up with every excuse she could think of for not resuming in person council mfeetings. Needless to say, the other three major JoCo cities (OP, Lenexa and Olathe) and the BOCC have resumed in person meetings.
The mayor seemed to base most of her comments on the ability to maintain social distancing and how that could not be accomplished with the dais in chambers. Plexiglass barriers would not work, and then she also said if the city attorney and city manager were removed from the dais that would not help. BTW, those two should NEVER be on the dais no matter what. They are NOT members of the governing body. They belong in the staff section of the audience like in every other city. If their comments are needed they can come to the podium and deliver them, on open microphone, not whispered off mic.
Anyway, back to social distancing. She was right. It can't be maintained with everybody sitting on the dais. So, have half of them get their butts off the dais. Set up tables down front of the dais. Social distancing can be maintained. It will mean running some additional cables for microphones etc. but it can be done. Get that overpaid city manager (he who just got a 25% $40K raise) to use some American common sense and ingenuity to come up with a workable plan. Quit coming up with excuses as to why something can't be done. Start thinking of ways to make it happen.
This would also bring back that very important part of a council meeting...."Business from the floor".
It is out and out BS that we are told to email comments ahead of time to the governing body. Are they read into the minutes of the meeting? Are they attached as part of the minutes? What about comments that might be made while an item is being discussed that were not thought about prior to a discussion?
I won't even get into the admonishment of the four council members. I believe they are due a public apology.
Let's start this off by saying what happened in Minneapolis to George Floyd cannot be condoned.
What has been the result? Demonstrations. Justified and guaranteed by our constitution. Protests, also guaranteed by our constitution. Riots, not guaranteed by our constitution. Destruction of property by various methods to include arson. Not guaranteed by our constitution. Physical assaults on law enforcement, to include murder and also against folks who disagree with the lawless anarchists. Not guaranteed by our constitution.Looting of businesses. Not guaranteed by our constitution.
I have much to say but will do so in multiple posts so as not to bore some folks.
This will be quick. Let's look at the State of Minnesota. The governor, after months of riots, property destruction, physical assaults etc finally called up the entire state guard a couple of weeks ago. Like a day late and a dollar short. At the same time he was asking the feds to provide five hundred million dollars to repair the damage and destruction caused by the rioters. That's BS. Why didn't he take control when it started? Was he one of the liberal, tear jerking democrats who kept performing osculatory functions upon the gluteus maximi of the protesters? Many of whom had the protesters turn on them? Where will that five hundred million come from? From law abiding citizens. These want certain reforms. Some may be justified, most are not. Still, five hundred million could go a long, long way to help communities that now need rebuilding instead. I hope the federal government denies funding to those states that took no action to stop the rioters and who also failed or are failing to prosecute them for their criminal acts. Let George Soros and his ilk pay to rebuild what his funding has destroyed.
Then you have prosecutors like the state attorney in Chicago who is prosecuting very few of those folks charged with felonies. Outrageous. And what about the dumb DA in St. Louis who wants to prosecute that husband and wife who wanted to defend themselves and their property? When a couple of hundred rioters march on a private street, break the iron gate to a gated community, show up in your front lawn threatening to kill you, burn and//or occupy your house, you have every right to defend yourself and your home. It is the demonstrators who literally attacked those two folks and put their lives in danger who should be prosecuted.
Who is financially supporting these anarchists? Who is providing the molotov cocktails, bricks, frozen water bottles that are being strategically placed during the day so the rioters have access at night? Was that a peaceful protester who unloaded a bunch of baseball bats on the Brooklyn Bridge so that violent anarchists could attack members of the NYPD to include the Chief of Department? Who is paying for their food, lodging, transportation? Do I smell a link to George Soros and others of his ilk?
And then we have the Commie News Network and the Most Stupid News Broadcasting Company supporting these anarchists. The same news outlets that for two years supported the left wing democrats' lies about the POTUS. Guess what? Now the criminal investigations on that front are coming to a head.
When it comes to elected office, beware. It is the left wing democrats that if they advance in office, local or national, will do everything they can to destroy our country as we know it.
It is with mixed emotions that I learned of Deputy Fire Chief Sal Scarpa's pending relocation to Columbus, Georgia to be their Fire Chief.
Why Mixed emotions? Shawnee will be losing a highly qualified, dedicated member of the fire fighting community. On the other hand it appears to be a very positive career move for Sal and we can only wish him the best.
Let's talk for a second about where he is going. Columbus, Georgia is a unique city/county configuration. The city has a population of approximately 195,000 and the metro area is approximately 303,000. That means that Sal's new department is responsible for the well being of a population that is 5x that of Shawnee. Add to that his responsibilities will also include all EMS in that area and emergency management his plate will be full. We are fully confident that he is well suited to the tasks ahead.
We will miss him and his proven abilities, but we wish him well in his new position.
My translation abilities are limited, and I hope I did this correctly:
Grazie mille per quello che hai fatto per Shawnee. Che tu
abbia successo nel tuo nuovo lavoro.
Unlike our city manager who got 25%, Lenexa recently gave their city manager a 3% raise.
She has only been in the position for about one year, but has been with the city for 23 years. Hmmm, believe our neophyte city manager was still in middle school at the time. And she has other government experience too.
Tomorrow we will celebrate the birthday of our great nation. Next week I will have some comments about those that are attempting to destroy our country from within. But, right now, I just want to say Happy Birthday USA with links to two of my favorite songs.
I received the email below from Teresa McGarry who I have known for many years.
If you can help her in any way I know it would be appreciated. Thank you.
"Hi
there,
Hope
you are doing well. Our family is doing okay. I have been focusing
on a few large Moneytalk tasks since I have the time, doing online coaching,
and trying to figure out how I can help. As part of working with two
elementary schools through the Caring for Kids program (which gets the
community involved in supporting the local schools), I am coordinating the
school supplies for these kiddos including using my ability to purchase in bulk
at a discount as a non-profit.
We
are targeting $50 per student to provide school supplies and backpacks to the
1,000+ students at Neiman elementary and Shawanoe elementary schools.
Both of these schools are right here in Shawnee and are both very low income
families (both are Title 1 schools.) According to the teachers and
principals, they are concerned about families becoming homeless or having
utilities disconnected once the prevention orders are lifted. They aren't
going to be able to afford school supplies, let alone shoes, school shirt,
yearbooks, and food on the weekends.
Foundations is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit charitable organization
913-538-1465
Support the non-profit by shopping through Amazon Smile.
Check out Charity Lists, it is a registry of items needed by the
non-profit. They will pay the shipping directly to us and it still counts
toward your smile donation!"
Here is a screen shot of a post by Lindsey Constance, Ward IV, City of Shawnee council rep.
Now here is a section of the RMS audit which was published with other documents in the agenda:
Still trying to figure out her definition of "clean". When ending balances don't match with opening balances? And, she was one of the five that voted for the city manager's raise prior to this being on the agenda. But this info must have been known prior to that vote, and he is responsible for those directors under him.
Anyway, does she mislead or is she just a liar? And she also wants to be your state senator.
Oh, if you have trouble reading the info in the images click on them for larger copies.
A recent poster on the social media site Next Door had an item that City of Shawnee workers were recently denied a COLA (cost of living allowance) increase. Some refer to it as a market adjustment.
If true, this is outrageous. Most times a COLA increase (as opposed to a merit or step increase) is usually in the neighborhood of 1% to 3%. A truly pithy amount compared to the 25% increase recently voted by certain members of the governing body for the city manager.
Would any of the five persons who voted for the unwarranted increase for the city manager care to email me about the COLA for the city employees? If so, your email will be published here.
Those five are:
Matt Zimmerman - Ward 1
Lisa Larson-Bunnell - Ward 3
Lindsey Constance - Ward 4
Jill Chalfie - Ward 4
Michelle Distler - Mayor
On Memorial Day I am always reminded of a quote by the man that I consider to be the greatest field commander in US history, Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
His quote: "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
Yes, let us thank God that so many men, and women, have given their all to safeguard our liberties. Please, do not take the liberties, freedoms, and God given rights that they died for, for granted.
One of the biggest events in the City of Shawnee has been the Tour de Shawnee bike ride. This event has a history of over 30 years and is run to benefit the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund).
It is usually held on a Sunday near the end of August. Having volunteered to help out in the past for about 6-7 years I decided to check on line to see if it was on for this year, or if it has been postponed, rescheduled or cancelled.
Wow, was I shocked at what I found on the city web site. When you go to this web page they are still talking about the 2019 event. If you click and go here you will get a registration form for the 2019 event.
What happened to the 2020 event? Now, there will be some folks who will say that with Covid 19 and the stay at home thingies the site was not updated. Horse nonsense. Why wasn't the site updated after last year's date (which did get rained out)? Why wasn't info about the 2020 event posted September, October, November, December, January, February etc?
I sincerely hope that the city manager (Nolan Sunderman) does not pass the blame downstream to the Parks Department. Remember Harry Truman's desk sign, "The Buck Stops Here".
He was probably too busy planning on how he would eventually attempt to justify his 25% salary increase.
Sidebar: A BK double whopper with cheese and bacon says that the two links above will probably disappear or get changed after this post appears.
Shawnee City Council Member Lindsey Constance responded to my blog post from yesterday. You can scroll down to read it, or access it by clicking here.
Since she was kind enough to respond, I will post her email here, followed by my reply:
Constance email of 5/21/20:
Hi Ray,
Regarding your question about my recommendation to
appoint Mr. Waltman to the Parks Board, Elizabeth (our volunteer coordinator)
doesn’t require the Parks Board applicants to re-do their applications, instead
they may remain on file for future consideration.
Mr. Waltman’s application was from 2018, so I did reach
out to him and had a conversation over the phone last week before making my
selection. He is not planning to push forward the community center, as that
didn’t pass the public vote. Mr. Waltman’s reference to that in his application
was 2 years old prior to the election last spring.
Let me know if you have further questions. Thanks and
enjoy your week.
Lindsey
My reply to that email:
Lindsey,
This is a perfect example as to why applications need to
be updated. The community center project
was a very contentious issue.
A purported conversation between you and him that he
would not pursue the item can best be described as hearsay. You are not him.
My suggestion would be for Mr. Waltman to send a signed
letter as an addendum to the application reiterating your purported
conversation. The letter needs to be added
to the agenda packet. If he is unwilling
to do so then I would suggest that his nomination be withdrawn.
Stay well
Ray
Final thoughts:
Just because she says that he told her he would not pursue, I would love to see that in writing. From him, not her. Lindsey Constance has a habit of not necessarily being forthcoming. Just look at how she didn't divulge important info about the comparisons when it came to her vote to give the city manager a raise.
At next Monday's council meeting Lindsey Constance's nominee to serve on the Parks 7 Rec advisory board is an indication of how she doesn't listen or care what the people of Shawnee think.
She has nominated and individual, who, according to his application was happy that he supported the community center project and is looking forward to supporting it again.
Huh??? Constance also supported it. But, 72% of those casting ballots in the largest election of its kind told her and those pushing it to "faggedah bout it". Constance, the mental midget who could not understand why the project would cost $54 million not $38 million. She did not want to concede the fact that the city (meaning taxpayers) would have to fork over $16 million in interest. Now she wants to put another person on that board who is deaf to the desires and wishes of the people.
Maybe if I had lent her my hearing aids she could have heard better what the folks had said.
Let's dig a little deeper into Nolan Sunderman's, what is IMHO, recent exorbitant salary raise. Wow, 25% at one shot.....almost $40K.
According to the demographics for the city, which are available by clicking here, the per capita income in Shawnee is.............$36,856. Interesting.
The city council has to vote on the city manager's salary increase. In this case, the council was split 4-4 and the mayor voted to break the tie. It would be unfair to blame the entire council for this action. But, the individuals who did vote for the salary increase can be held accountable should they run for reelection and/or another office.
Who were the ones that voted for this insult to the people of Shawnee:
Matt Zimmerman (Ward 1)
Lisa Larson-Bunnell (Ward 3)
Lindsey Constance (Ward 4) and announced for the upcoming state senate race
Jill Chalfie (Ward 4)
Michelle Distler (Mayor)
Long term readers of this blog may recall that over the years I have been a strong supporter of the mayor. Even though we had disagreed on some items I have never felt in the past that she had done anything to "stick it to" the people of Shawnee. Good, bad or indifferent, I always thought that she had the best interests of Shawnee at heart. This is no longer the case. To give this inexperienced puppy this kind of raise and by some, to compare his background with those of surrounding cities' city managers is a travesty.
Shawnee City Council members Lindsey Constance & Jill Chalfie, both from Ward 4, have grossly mislead their constituents. Let's look at their recent yes vote to give City Manager Nolan Sunderman a 25% salary raise (approx. $40K), which when coupled with his deferred compensation and car allowance will push him over $200K a year.
On their facebook pages they posted comments concerning their votes. Note the similarity in the wording.
Constance: - The second main item on the agenda was voting on the City Manager's contract. Prior to last night's vote, the City Manager's salary was $50,000 lower than the lowest of comparable cities. I have been pleased with Shawnee's continued history of efficiency in management, especially compared with other neighboring cities. For example, Shawnee's staff to resident ratio is 1:205 compared with Lenexa at 1:127. The efficiency and focus on finding ways to save the city money, whether it be the streetlight LED conversion and purchase, or the Facility Conservation Improvement Plan, have continued to create savings opportunities. Having quality and fairly compensated staff is important to keep our city running smoothly, so we can provide important services to our residents. I voted in support of the contract and it passed 5-4.
Chalfie: - Secondly, we approved a pay increase for our City Manager in order to bring this salary closer in line with the same job in neighboring cities (taking into account years of service). One of the biggest factors leading me to support this market increase was the efficiency in what Shawnee provides to residents with the number of full-time city staff that our City Manager oversees. As a comparison, Lenexa has one staff for every 128 people and Shawnee has 1 staff for every 205 people. This level of efficiency can only be managed by a strong leader. During this time of uncertainty, I believe it is more important than ever to value the position at the top of our organization as this person makes many day to day decisions that can affect how we come through this as a city.
Why do I say that they grossly mislead their constituents? Here goes. They both use the ratios of staff to residents, showing that Shawnee has fewer staff per resident population. So now let's dissect their comments.
Yes, Shawnee has less staff per resident population. But, Lenexa also has staff for areas that Shawnee contracts out, like facilities maintenance, janitorial services, even mowing. Why don't they mention that? What about the daytime population in Lenexa? Lenexa has substantially more large businesses, industrial parks, office parks, etc. Their commercial tax base is almost double that of Shawnee's. Why don't they mention that? That is one of the reasons why they have more police, firefighters/stations and other city facilities. And guess what else they also have? A higher mill levy. Their citizens and businesses are paying for those needed services.
These ratios that Constance & Chalfie mention have been around since Gonzales was city manager and she too hid the true facts. What Constance & Chalfie are doing is trying to compare apples to oranges.
They also want to compare Mr. Sunderman's compensation to that of individuals in neighboring cities. The Shawnee Mission Post just wrote about the vote and showed those figures for the neighboring cities. You can read the article and see the numbers by clicking here
Now, let's look at those neighboring individuals:
Overland Park- Bill Ebel - City manager in OP since 2011 and prior to that was a department director. In reality he has been in government service since 1975 when he entered the USMA at West Point and graduated in '79. Translation: he has been in government service for longer than Sunderman has been on this earth.
Olathe - J. Michael Wilkes - Has been City Manager since 1999 and started in government service in 1984. Whoops, that means he has been in government service since Sunderman was a year old and still getting his nappies changed.
Lenexa - Two people were mentioned. Current City Manager Beccy Yucham who has 20 years with the city and prior to that was Ass't. Gen. Counsel for the League of Kansas Municipalities. The previous City Manager Eric Wade, who retired after 15 years with Lenexa and before that he was with Jo Co government, Merriam, Blue Springs and KC MO. Another individual who has more government service than Sunderman has time on this earth
To compare Sunderman to these folks is outrageous. He's still a puppy in training and not ready to be compared to the big dogs.
Additionally, a 25% increase (approx. $40K) is, as I stated yesterday, IMHO, an insult to those on the front line of city work. As a percentage of the city budget the dollar number is a dot, but it sends a bad message to the residents of our city who are suffering from the current pandemic situation. That includes the owners of the many small businesses who employ lots of folks that might not be going back to work. Add to that the city, which relies heavily on sales tax revenue will see a decline in that revenue. The five people who voted for that raise created an odor that is worse than the Deffenbaugh landfill, and again I will call them out: Matt Zimmerman (W1), Lisa Larson-Bunnell (W3), Lindsey Constance (W4), Jill Chalfie (W4), and the tie breaking vote by Michelle Distler (Mayor).
Suggestion for Constance and Chalfie. Don't mislead your constituents. And for Chalfie specifically, being a lap dog for a state senator wannabe is going to cause you problems. You will be challenged when you mislead folks. Constance did that during the Community Center referendum (so did Zimmerman and Larson-Bunnell), and now on this issue.
I'll keep this simple. Please see the two images below. Click on them to view a larger version which will be easier to read.
Look at motion 6. There are many people who are not familiar with the make up of the council. The vote total is correct. The motion passed 5-4. But again, some folks are not familiar with how the council works. what the summary should have said was "Motion carried 5-4 with the mayor breaking a 4-4 tie". Let's make it simple and easy for folks to understand.
Yepper, you read that headline correctly. Last night, after an executive session the council came in to vote on giving Nolan Sunderman, our not so illustrious city manager (IMHO) a 25% salary increase.
The council was actually split 4-4, with Zimmerman, Constance, Larson-Bunnell and Chalfie in favor of it and Jenkins, Kemmling, Thomas and Knappen opposed. So, how did it get approved? Easy, our mayor, Michelle Distler voted to break the tie and give Sunderman that raise which should take him a step or two north of $180K per year.
What a travesty. What about the folks on the city payroll who really do the hard day to day work? You know, the folks that toil in all kinds of weather to keep your streets functional, your parks usable, your neighborhoods safe from crime, risking their own well being on fire calls, providing emergency medical treatment to you or a loved one? I could go on and on about that. Will the not so fabulous four and the mayor vote to give ALL employees an across the board 25% raise? What kind of message did they send to city employees with that vote?
Let's look at the four council members who voted to give the city manager that outrageous increase:
Matt Zimmerman -Ward 1-Was also strongly in favor of taxing the citizens for the community center. Does he really care about the people in Shawnee? Lisa Larson-Bunnell -Ward 3-Another council member who pushed for the community center and the disgusting burden it would have placed on the folks that make Shawnee home. Lindsey Constance -Ward 4- And yet another council member who tried to push for the community center. Ya had to be at some of the community meetings to hear the misinformation she was putting out there. And she wants to represent Shawnee in the state senate!! Jill Chalfie -Ward 4- Watch her at council meetings as she looks up at Constance with puppy dog eyes as if to ask "What do I do?"
And then the person that broke the tie, Mayor Distler. Like Brutus to Caesar, she plunged a knife into the backs of the people of Shawnee.
Side note: Zimmerman, Larson-Bunnell, and Constance are up for reelection in 2021. Remember that if they choose to run again. And Constance is up for the State Senate seat this year.
A big thank you to Jenkins, Thomas, Kemmling and Knappen for trying to do the right thing. Sorry that you folks got shot down by uncaring fools.
Be Careful What You Say About A Sacred Cow, Shawnee Town 1929. I'm sure I will anger some folks. Too bad!!
Let's start with what happened at the most recent city council meeting, 4/13/20. Stuck (hidden) in the consent agenda was an item to not accept the bid to move an old house from Leawood to Shawnee Town 1929. This was to be known as the "Dr. Sullivan House". Instead the city, thru its parks department is going to go forward with replicating the house.
What is disturbing about this is that when the item came up initially for discussion there was talk about doing exactly that. Not accepting the "free" house and instead building a replica was voiced by some folks, most notably a member of the community, Tracy Thomas (not to be confused with Councilmember Tammy Thomas). Ms. Thomas was soundly ridiculed for her comments, with the claim being that it would be cheaper to move the Leawood house. One of the arguments given for moving the Leawood house, was IMHO plain out stupid. That period fixtures (water faucets, etc) would be hard to find. Horse patootie. How many local businesses deal in antique fixtures, and some even rent/sell them to movie and theater productions for those activities. Anyway it has now been determined that the cost of moving the house is above initial projections and action will be taken to replicate the old Dr. Sullivan house.
I firmly believe that both the city manager and the parks department director owe Tracy Thomas an apology. BTW, if it wasn't for Councilmember Tammy Thomas the consent item would have just floated thru without any discussion.
Now, let's go to the next part of what I would like to say today about the sacred cow. First, another member of the community took a drive from both I-435 east and I-35 west. Apparently there was very limited or almost non-existant signage pointing folks to this destination.
But, more importantly, how many folks actually visit this destination in any given year even after the city has put millions of dollars into it? We do not know the answer to that question. There is not an accounting of visitors kept. We do know that during Old Shawnee Days the place is packed with folks going to the carnival, visiting the vendor booths viewing the old structures and attending the nightly shows/concerts.
What we don't have is: a) a sign in book at the visitor center, b) a clicker counter at the visitor center, c)a volunteer at the entrances with a clicker counter, d) a turnstile, no fee, but it counts the number of entrances. If that is installed, employees and/or volunteers would have to bypass it.
What it boils down to is, have we been sinking money into this sacred cow just for one extended weekend a year? Or does it generate a sufficient quantity of tourists/guests (and income) to make it what everyone would like it to be? Naturally, any figure for visitors would need to be separate from groups that rent out the town hall for events.
What I just read on a news feed makes me want to puke. Apparently House Speaker Pelosi wants to block President Trump's decision to withhold funds from WHO (World Health Organization). We are talking about almost $900 million.
WHO was totally remiss in the way they bowed down to China and allowed misinformation to be disseminated. Our country is the largest contributor to WHO, and we give literally 10x more to that organization than China. Apparently though the hierarchy at WHO feels an obligation to let China control what they do.
That $900 million can be better used here to help our people towards a speedy health and economic recovery. Not given to an organization that panders to BS and lies.
Now, will our illustrious Congressperson, Sharice Davids get smart, show some concerns for our country and its people, or will she firmly plant her lips on the derriere of Speaker Pelosi? If I was a betting man I'd bet she'd do the latter. That is why, IMHO, Davids has got to go. And the $$$ have to be held back from the WHO.
All across the country there are now disputes about religious freedom and the various social distancing orders because of COVID-19.
Here in Kansas Gov. Kelly attempted to remove the exemption for religious institutions which was quickly stifled by the legislative panel entrusted with reviewing her executive orders.
Actions taken by her, other governors and some mayors have become national news especially in view of the importance that this weekend has for multiple religions. This weekend falls right in the middle of the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Christian holiday of Easter.
Here is my take on the situation. It comes in two parts.
First: Any action by any elected official to shut down religious services at this or any time is a clear and obvious violation of our constitution. The provision in the first amendment could not be any clearer. These actions by elected officials need to be shot down by the courts as they happen.
Second: Any individual or religious congregation that is desirous of holding services in an enclosed environment involving dozens or hundreds of their faithful is downright foolish. Nope, I'll change that to stupid.
In this day and age of advanced technology we all have the opportunity to "gather together" in other forms to express our beliefs for these holidays. Including a good old fashioned parking lot drive in.
Most religious institutions have taken appropriate action to hold non-contact services. I applaud them. On line chat rooms, webinar based services, video conferencing.....wow the possibilities are enormous.
For the few organizations that are conducting in person services, I hope and yes, pray, that your flocks do not become infected. Common sense must prevail.
For those that may not be aware of it I was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx. Even though I left NYC 45 years ago there is still something in me that has an attachment for the "City That Never Sleeps".
It is for that reason that some of the things that Gov. Cuomo has and has not done under the current pandemic situation I find to be abhorrent. Yet this piece of trash is trying to blame POTUS for items that he could and should have handled.
First, in 2015 the NYS Department of Health advised that the state would be short over 15,000 ventilators in the event of an influenza pandemic. Where did Cuomo spend the money that could have gone for those items to be held in reserve? Would you like to know? Including access to the 2015 report? All you have to do is click here
The next one is very disconcerting and it involves the drug hydroxychloroquinine. It seems that Cuomo signed an executive order that any new prescriptions for this item cannot, that's right, cannot be filled by the local neighborhood pharmacies. Patients whose doctors are prescribing this can only get the item thru the NYC hospital system. Huh??? Send these folks down to the already over burdened and over taxed hospitals for something that they can get from their local pharmacy?? Unreal!!!! If ya wanna read about it just go here
Anyway, it seems like we here in Kansas are living in an area that besides science is also relying on good old fashioned common sense. Except when it comes to toilet paper and bottled water.
For those who find they need or want a cloth face mask but do not sew, Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks' son has posted a video on Instagram that shows how to do it with a handkerchief and either two hair ties or rubber bands. Simple, easy and it works. I tried it. Take a look here
