Tammy Thomas for Ward 1 Shawnee City Council

Tammy Thomas would be an excellent choice for Ward 1 Shawnee City Councilmember.

IMHO ward 1 has been under represented for many years by Jim Neighbor. Neighbor's favorite comment at meetings on various subjects has been "I'd like to echo what so and so said". It's time that Ward 1 had a councilmember who would truly get engaged in items of concern for the city.
Tammy would bring a background of exceptional service and knowledge to city government. First, she has been a member of the De Soto USD 232 school board. From 2012-2019 she served as a Statewide Long Tern Care Liaison within the The Department for Children and Families. She was able to work and bring together State Agencies such as　 DCF, KDADS, KDHE, along with Long Term Care Facility Administrators to support elder Kansas families to work the maze of gaining needed support.　 The maze of elder Medicaid was very difficult and  many life long Kansas citizens were struggling to navigate it. She brought the right agencies to the table to engage in open dialogue with Long Term Care providers....face to face.　　

She then went on to be the Kansas City Regional Director for the The Department of Children and Families. In that capacity she was responsible for five counties with full service centers (Atchison, Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Johnson and Douglas).

She currently is serving with a non-profit organization, Safe Families for Children. 

She has shown to be a compassionate individual who is willing to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. This is a skill that is sorely needed in a Ward 1 councilmember.

It is sincerely hoped that the citizens of Ward 1 will elect Tammy Thomas to represent them on the Shawnee City Council.

Stephanie Meyer - Hot Air Blowing in From The West

Ahh yes, Stephanie Meyer has posted some items on the blog portion of her campaign web site that IMHO generate a large quantity of hot air.  Hmmmm, maybe as the temperature drops she'll go up to cars in the city hall parking lot, blow on the windshields, and get rid of any ice build up there.

Let's see, where do I start?  Let's try this one:".....incumbent empowered a small group of angry naysayers who are actively working to hold our city back and constantly undermine staff."  What a joke.  First, what is a naysayer?  That is someone who disagrees with you.  And, using it as a negative means that the person doing so thinks that their opinions are the only right ones.  Whooops, we now have a new "arrogant one" in Ward 3.  Small group?  Ha......she's just upset that she couldn't get the city to swallow the lines of BS that she was throwing  out about the proposed community center.  Kinda sounds like Hillary Clinton.

Or how about this?:  "The incumbent has appointed, or attempted to appoint, individuals who do not support growth onto our planning commission, individuals who do not support economic development onto the economic development council, and as a council member, actively lobbied for the appointment of a council member who has been an obstructionist on many issues facing our city during his time in office"  You will kindly note that she does not mention names, not does she give specifics.  Just hot air.  Or are we supposed to take her at her word?  Stephanie Meyer is an individual who has many times played footloose and fancy free with the truth.  As previously posted on this blog she couldn't even be successful in her own ward in the recent primary election. Those folks must be telling the rest of the city something.  Heck, just scroll down to the post about the campaign contributions.  She blew that one.  Big time.

And last, but not least, (for today anyway):  What about this?   I think having an open and honest dialogue – one in which you’re hearing directly from me – is always the best and most productive course of action. Stephanie Meyer promoting open and honest dialogue?  Now that is one for Comedy Central.  Isn't that why as council president she ramrodded the NDO from committee to council in less than 2 weeks?  She saw what happened to the community center when the city gets time to think  Bet she didn't want those thought processes to take root on this item.

She is so full of hot air I truly expect to see her floating above the dais at a council meeting.

Shawnee City Council Races - 2019

As the 2019 election gets closer just thought I'd mention my choices.  In the very near future I will be listing each race separately with specifics.

Ward 1:  Tammy Thomas over Jim Neighbor

Ward 2:  Eric Jenkins over Andy Rondon

Ward 3 (full term):  Kurt Knappen over Dawn Rattan

Ward 3 (unexpired term):  Kevin Straub over Lisa Larson-Bunnell

Ward 4: Kris Durbin over Jill Chalfie

"Agendas" and "Special Interests" - Revisited...........Again!!!!!!

Any long term reader of this blog (or anybody who wants to use the search tool) will realize that I have addressed the use of the above two phrases numerous times.

Any individual, who claims that a political candidate is not qualified because they have an "agenda" or are backed by "special interests" is an idiot for saying that.  Huh?   Yepper.  They are probably the two most abused comments in any political contest.

Agenda:  What is an agenda?  It's an action plan.  It's what a candidate wants to accomplish if elected.  If a candidate does not have an agenda then they are dumb.  If they don't have an agenda how does a voter know what they stand for?  All candidates need to have an agenda so voters can choose which ones have similar thoughts on issues that they, the voters do.  The only "bad" agenda, is if it does not agree with your views. 

Special interests;  Another misused term.  Every candidate is backed by special interests.  Try this, candidate A wants to paint traffic stripes purple.  Folks that agree with that will support that candidate to include donations.  Candidate B wants to paint traffic stripes brown.  Folks that agree with that will support that candidate to include donations.  See, supporters of a candidate's position(s) then become "special interests".  Again, like with an agenda, the only bad special interests are those that do not have similar thoughts that you do.  Good special interests agree with your point of view.  Very misused and abused terminology.  Already had to take candidate Stephanie Meyer to task for using that term against the incumbent Mayor Distler.  The reverse would be true if someone reviewed her financial statements.  Bet I could pick out a bunch of special interests.

Is Rattan for Real?

Dawn Rattan, candidate for City Council in Ward 3 posted the info below on social media.  My guess is that it had something to do with my blog post about an in kind contribution to her campaign.  That blog post can be read by clicking here.

Anyway, here is what she posted:  (if you click on it, it should pop up larger)

Anyway, it's interesting that she claims that being a newbie was the reason for the mistake.  Quite possible.  Newbies do make mistakes.  Then again, some newbies go out of their way to read the rules completely so as not to make mistakes.  Of, absent that, they consult with an attorney.  Oh, forgot, she's married to one. 

Now, it's nice that she says the problem was corrected with the government Ethics Commission.  Only problem is she didn't say how it was corrected.  Did they give her a slap  on the wrist and call her a naughty candidate?  Did they issue a fine?  Did they direct a refund of the overage amount?  Usually the GEC issues a letter on things like this, with the resolution.  Haven't seen it at JoCo Election web site, yet.

Is she really fit to be a member of the city council?  A review of public records indicates that on 7/11/2019 property taxes for her residence were paid for 2018, 2016 & 2015.  Was that a newbie mistake?  Or that on 2/26/16 property taxes for 2014, 2013 and the 2d half of 2012 were paid.
Should she be sitting on a council that makes decisions regarding taxes?  Guess that's for the voters of Ward 3 to decide.

Stephanie Meyer - Liar Extraordinaire

In a recent blog post on her candidate web site Stephanie Meyer posted this:

"Join me to say that a candidate, like me, who receives much of her funding from individual donors and residents, rather than from a small handful of large and special-interest donors........."

Well Stephanie, apparently is incapable of reading campaign finance reports.  That is why the statement above is a bunch of malarkey.  Nahhh, it's BS.  Let's look at the donations, by amounts for the two mayoral candidates.............Michelle Distler and Stephanie Meyer:

Contribution amount                              Distler                         Meyer

$500 (maximum)                                        9                                  13
$250-$499                                                  2                                   10
$100-$249                                                 17                                  26
$51-$99                                                     0                                      1
$1 - $50                                                     28                                  19

Hmmmm, which candidate has relied on "big money donors"?  Also, Meyer has used the expression "special-interest donors" as if that is bad.  Heck, she has special interest donors.  All candidates get donations from special interest persons.  Apparently Meyer has not read my various posts about that term.  Take any subject where two candidates disagree.  Their donors are "special interests" if they support them.  Both sides.  Let's take the subject of abortion.  If you are against it, you will be supported by special interests who think like you.  If you are in favor of it you will be supported by special interests who think like you.  To use that term as a negative is unscrupulous to say the least, and highly misleading.  But then Stephanie Meyer has a habit of misleading. Is that why the voters of her ward, ward 3, rejected her in the recent primary?

And now she again regales us with her impoverished upbringing.  But she forgets that there are still folks that are in that situation in Shawnee. But that didn't stop her from trying to push the proposed community center down their throats. Check this out.   Or this one.

So, if you want someone who has a history of misleading folks as your mayor then maybe you should vote for Meyer.  I know I don't.

Remembering 9/11/2001

Today is Patriot Day.

There is only one thing I can say, and it has been said by many others...................never forget.

Ward 3 Rejected Stephanie Meyer

In my post yesterday I briefly touched on how Stephanie Meyer could not even carry her council ward in her bid to become Shawnee's mayor.  OK, she got creamed in the primary.  She did come in second which allows her to go into the general election.  But, wow, she got her tail end kicked.

Picture this, a 4 way primary, current mayor, Michelle Distler racks up 57% of the vote citywide.  Stephanie Meyer shows up with a weak second place finish at approximately 26% citywide.  Over the years I have witnessed various primary elections.  Usually, when it is a 4 way race, the top dog winds up with a figure in the high 30's % to low 40's %, but 57% is unheard of.

But, let's get back to the topic at hand.  Stephanie Meyer is a current Ward 3 representative and president of the city council.  One would think that she would persevere in Ward 3.  Wrong!!!!
She literally got her butt kicked.  Don't believe me?  Here are the figures and you can double check them yourself at http://www.jocoelection.org.

Ward 3 Results Mayoral Primary 2019

Distler         1004      51.38%
Meyer           639       32.70%
Tubbesing     277       14.18%
 Sood               34         1.74%

Why would the voters in a council rep's own ward reject them for mayor?  The reasons can be numerous.  Maybe they don't trust her?  Maybe they don't think she is truthful?  Maybe they think she hides things?

I asked it yesterday and I'll ask it again: are the citizens of Ward 3 trying to tell the rest of the city something?   BTW, she (Meyer) really got hammered in the other three wards.

Shawnee does not need, not can it afford to have someone like Meyer as its Mayor.

Stephanie Meyer - Bad for Shawnee

My personal belief is that if this individual is elected mayor of Shawnee it would be a terrible mistake.  A train wreck waiting to happen.

She was the major driving force and cheerleader to get the council to pass the recent NDO, (Non Discrimination Ordinance).  Here is the ironic thing about that.  The item was on the Council Committee agenda 8/13/19 and then moved to the Council 8/26/19.  In all the years that I have been following the council I cannot remember any time that an item went from committee to council in 2 weeks.

So, I got to thinking as to why that may have happened.  This is strictly a theory, but in many ways it makes sense.  It goes back to the proposed community center vote.  You may remember that Meyer (currently Ward 3 rep and council president) was also the lead cheerleader for that one.  You may also remember that the same council members who supported the NDO also marched in lockstep with her on the community center.  You may also remember that there were many reasons not to vote yes for that center.  Reasons which she and her acolytes failed to mention and kept hidden.  (More on her acolytes on the council and what needs to be done at the upcoming election regarding them in a future post).

So what happened?  A citizen group was formed and got the truth out there (contrary to Councilmember Sandifer's rant that that group lied).  The measure failed at the ballot box 72%-28%.  So, my thoughts are that Meyer pushed this item through quickly so that the citizens of Shawnee could not mount a well organized and justifiable opposition to the proposed NDO.  She does not respect citizen input.  During the community center debacle she kept mentioning how many folks wanted it. She and her acolytes failed to mention that the same survey that showed that, also showed a majority of Shawnee citizens did not want an increase in property taxes to pay for it.  So, that is why I think this NDO was ramrodded through the process.

Now here are some interesting facts.  In the recent mayoral primary Stephanie Meyer only got 25% of the vote.  In Ward 3, her ward as a council person, she lost her own ward.  Take it a step further, she lost the precinct (her neighborhood) where she lives in that ward.  That has to be a message to the rest of the city.  Her own ward rejected her.  Her own precinct rejected her.  Are the people that she represents trying to tell the rest of the city something?  Are they saying don't be deceived by her dolce voce, rather that she is no good for the city.  Now, for those folks who are wondering how she got to be a council rep, be advised, she never was truly elected to the position.  She was appointed to fill an unexpired term and then when she ran for the office she ran unopposed.  She has a problem when running against an opponent.  In a previous election she lost 2-1 against Charles Macheers.

I implore you.  Do not sit out this election.  Vote, and reelect the current mayor, Michelle Distler.

Who Is Don Cawby?

Until a few weeks ago he was the city manager in Osawatomie Kansas.  It's been all over Miami County that he is moving north to become finance director here in Shawnee.

Wonder when the official announcement will be made?  Oh well.  Mr. Cawby has a pretty impressive resumé, which can be viewed on Linked In

He will be replacing Maureen Rogers who retired after 7 years with Shawnee.  That does bring up some questions.  While Ms. Rogers was with Shawnee the city received various awards and accolades for its financial reports, departmental audits etc.  Her retirement seemed to come rather suddenly without much notice.  Usually a department director gives a substantial amount of notice.  Also, it does not appear that the usual retirement party was held at city hall.  What happened here?  Was Ms. Rogers forced into an early retirement?  It all seems strange, again, in view of the various positive reports and items of recognition the department received while she was here.  Maybe someday we'll find out.



 

Potential Property Tax Problems With Big Box Retailers

Below is an email I sent to the governing body of Shawnee today.  The actions (or inactions) of the city manager are IMHO, inexcusable.

Good afternoon,

Some of you may recall that I addressed the council in July about this problem.  At the time it was learned that Wal Mart had won an appeal of their property tax based on what they contended was an erroneous method of calculating their taxes by JoCo

It was indicated that if their appeal is upheld it could have severe consequences on taxes received by the city and county by not just Wal Mart but other retailers that were taxed the same way (Lowes, Home Depot, Walgreens etc.)  This could also involve the refunding of substantial sums of money to these businesses.  For those that are not aware of what this entailed, apparently JoCo had been basing property taxes on sales as opposed to actual property valuations.

The more I have thought about this issue, the more upset I have become with staff, particularly the city manager.  When queried, he responded that the situation was being watched closely.

 The situation has been ongoing apparently for quite some time.  So, that now begs answers to the following questions:

1.  Why weren’t the citizens of Shawnee told of this situation prior to the vote on the community center?  Was it because that would have been just one more reason for the voters not to approve it?

2.  Why wasn’t the information presented in the open council budget sessions so that the public could know about it.  Presentations about this item were made to the council in OP.  Presentation about this item was made to the BOCC in open session.

 This low key approach and not keeping the citizens informed of this item, is IMHO an act of misfeasance on the part of the city manager.  Now, before anybody on the council starts to declare that “we have the greatest staff in the metro”, realize that by doing so you would be condoning the withholding of this information from the public.  This is outrageous.

I proposed in July some actions that it was felt were necessary to keep the citizens of Shawnee properly informed on this matter.  I will reiterate those proposals at this time:

1.  The city council must, in open session, direct the city manager to provide in January after the beginning of the new council session and at the beginning of the budget process an outline of the current status of the item as what the courts have decided up to that time.

2.  Utilizing the same time line as above the city manager needs to prepare various “what if” scenarios.  Even though specific dollar amounts are not currently available, there should be enough raw data available to project various possibilities.  It is done for other items all the time.  Heck, the budget is one big “what if” scenario.

3.  The council needs to admonish the city manager that keeping this info from the citizens is not good government, nor is it transparent government.

 

Dawn Rattan - $1000 Campaign Contribution - For Make Up

I've seen some strange listings on campaign finance reports, but this one takes the cake.  Or is that pancake makeup?

We are talking about Dawn Rattan, candidate for the Ward 3 full term council seat.  In her financial report filed 7/29/19 she listed an in kind contribution from Smash Glam at 3941 Troost Ave KCMO for $1000 for "makeup for pictures".  That must have been some makeup job.

Anyway, let's talk about the legalities of in kind contributions.  According to Kansas state law the maximum amount of an in kind contribution for a candidate in a Shawnee city council race is $500 per reporting period (primary/general)  Same as an actual cash contribution.  Also, if a party gives both an in kind and an actual cash contribution during a reporting period the total cannot exceed the $500 maximum (example $200 in kind and $300 cash).  Additionally, according to State law a candidate cannot take an overage contribution in one period and split it over multiple reporting periods.  That means that the $1000 in kind from Smash glam cannot be split $500/primary and $500/general.  Now, the state Government Ethics Commission reviews these filings.  Wonder what they are going to do?  Will she have to refund $500 to the contributor?  Will she have to wash off the make up?  Which begs the question:  How long does a $1000 make up job stay on one's face?  How much did her appearance need changing?

Sign Sign Everywhere a Sign - Stephanie Meyer Pick Up Your Signs

Well, the primaries are over.

With regards to the mayoral candidates:

Mayor Michelle Signs - Signs have been removed
Dawn Tubbesing - Signs have been removed
Ajay Sood - Signs have been removed

Stephanie Meyer - Still has a bunch sitting in various rights of way.  Hmmmm, why haven't they been picked up?  Is Miss "I'm Entitled to Everything" waiting for city employees to pull them for code violations, bring them to a central location and then she (or someone) can pick them up all at once?  Misuse of city personnel.

Hope the city manager doesn't let this happen

Non-Discrimination Ordinance Discussion

The Council Committee will discuss the possibility of a Non-Discrimination Ordinance (sometimes referred to as Sexual Orientation Sexual Identity) at it next meeting Tuesday August 13, 2019 at 7:00PM.  The meeting is held in the council chambers at city hall at 11110 Johnson Drive, Shawnee Kansas 66203    Map info here

City staff will be presenting various options for the committee to review.  To read exactly what is being presented please click here

There is quite a bit of conversation going on not only here in Johnson County but all across the country.  Some cities have enacted NDOs, others have opted not to saying it is the responsibility of state and federal governments. Some of the enacted ordinances have been challenged in the courts and are still going through the process, quite possibly all the way to SCOTUS.

This is one of those topics that regardless of the outcome there will be folks who ask how did this happen (or not happen).  Simple, folks did not attend the various meetings of the various governing bodies.

My personal opinion:  This is something that is covered by current state and federal statutes.  And if those statutes do need tweaking, it is the responsibility of the state and federal governments to do the tweaking.  We do not need a mishmash checkerboard layout of differing city laws.  Also, enough cases are in the court systems that it becomes, IMHO a situation where the final outcome of those cases becomes known before Shawnee proceeds any further.

Primary Election Unofficial Results - 8/6/19

For those that haven't heard, here are the results for the Shawnee primary election yesterday.  Commentary to follow in the next day or two.

Mayor:
Michelle Distler – 3,847 or 57.22%
Stephanie Meyer – 1,736 or 25.82%
Dawn Tubbesing – 1,010 or 15.02%
Ajay Sood – 130 or 1.93%

One overvote and 71 undervotes for a total vote of 6,795.

Ward 3:
Kurt Knappen – 911 or 47.37%
Dawn Rattan – 690 or 35.88%
Nick Reed – 322 or 16.74%

39 undervotes for a total vote of 1,962

Ward 3 – Special Election:
Kevin Straub – 879 or 46.36%
Lisa Larson-Bunnell – 825 or 43.51%
Greg Sitzmann – 192 or 10.13%

66 undervotes for a total vote of 1,962

Ward 4:
Jill Chalfie – 848 or 50.45%
Kris Durbin – 527 or 31.35%
Matt Shaw – 306 or 18.20%

59 undervotes for a total vote of 1,740

The top two in each race will now go on to the general election November 5, 2019

Stephanie Meyer-Talking Out of Both Sides of Her Mouth-Again

Stephanie Meyer, candidate for mayor in Shawnee is again talking out of both sides of her mouth.  She's a cute piece of work, that definitely does not deserve to be mayor of Shawnee.

Don't believe me?  Try these statements concerning the consideration of an NDO (non-discrimination ordinance) for Shawnee.  OK, I will not comment at this point on the pros or cons of such a thing.  Just want to point out how Meyer plays both sides.

From the questionnaire she answered for the Citizens for a Better Shawnee:

Q4 Are there areas you feel the city government should not be involved with?
I believe that government should play as limited a role as possible in our residents' lives, while providing for their safety, welfare, and the overall stability of our community. Regarding city government, this includes many social issues that are most appropriately dealt with at the state or federal levels.
From a recent article in the Shawnee Mission Post:

As policy makers, it is our job to be sure that our actions and decisions follow legal precedent, statute, and authority. Often times, in local government, that means waiting on clarification from a higher jurisdiction. What cannot be lost in that process, however, is the more important question of "Is this the right thing to do?"

Many months in the making, I’m happy to announce that at our August 13 Council Committee meeting, we will take up the discussion of a non-discrimination ordinance. We cannot continue to wait for others to act.

I have a question for her:  Don/t your jaws hurt when you talk out of both sides of your mouth?

Citizens For A Better Shawnee

The former "Vote NO" committee has transitioned to the "Citizens For A Better Shawnee".
They are on the web at https://www.citizensforabettershawnee.org/

Who are they?  From their web site on the about page:

"Citizens for a Better Shawnee is a non-partisan, citizen-run committee founded by the members of the "Vote No - There's a Better Way" Committee that opposed the 2019 Mail Ballot question that would have raised the property tax rate to fund a proposed community center in Shawnee. 

Our efforts were successful, as the measure failed by a decisive margin, with 72% voting against it in a high-turnout election.

Members of that committee, in response to many requests to remain engaged in city government, including city elections, decided to form "Citizens for a Better Shawnee" with the purpose of focusing on fiscal responsibility, common-sense policy, and good government in Shawnee, Kansas."

 

If you click on their endorsements tab you will see their endorsements for the upcoming primary election and info on the questionnaires they sent out to the candidates.  Interesting to note is which candidates failed to return the questionnaire.

Primary Election - Tuesday 8/6/19 - My Choices

OK.............this is going to be a short post.

These are my choices for the four Shawnee primary election contests next Tuesday, 8/6/19

Mayor:  Michelle Distler

Council Ward 3 Full Term:  Kurt Knappen

Council Ward 3 Unexpired Term:  Kevin Straub

Council Ward 4:  Kris Durbin

Why Does Stephanie Meyer Lie About Menard's?

Unbeknownst to me that it would happen, another member of the community addressed the council this past Monday regarding Stephanie Meyer's misrepresentation of why Menard's did not build in Shawnee.  Instead Menard's went to KCK.

I was already looking into this because at the recent mayoral candidate's forum Stephanie Meyer stated that Menard's didn't build here because a city engineer couldn't go out to the site when they wanted him.  Sounds to me like a slap in the face to staff.  Ironically she jumps on anybody who says anything that could be construed as a negative about staff.  Do I see a little two faced action on her part?

Anyway, at one of the "Third Thursdays With the Mayor" former City Manager Gonzales had stated when asked that Menard's was not building in Shawnee because utilities were not available at the location.

An inquiry to the current city manager did produce the following:

I am in a little bit of a difficult spot to speculate on the conversation between Carol and Menard's representatives as well as a conversation Stephanie may have had with Menard's representatives.  However, the information that was shared at Third Thursday's is what I am aware of in regards to the Kansas City, Kansas location being more "shovel-ready" in regards to a quicker project.  I believe sewer access was a concern-

So, KCK had land that was more shovel ready.  Hmmmm, yet it is my understanding that Meyer still is telling folks the "engineer" story.  Stephanie Meyer, a natural born liar, IMHO. 

Stay tuned for more on her phoniness.

Side bar question:  City Managers are not supposed to get involved in the political process.  But, why hasn't the current city manager defended his staff against Ms. Meyer's comment.

The Irrelevant Arrogant One

I have received various text messages from individuals on the west side of town.

Apparently his royal arrogance (Jeff Vaught) is causing quite a stir on Next Door.  He even went so far as to single out other folks' association with me.  Gotta love it.

OK, I can’t post on the west side Next Door but I can supply info  below for anyone who chooses to use it

Let’s look at his royal arrogance (Jeff Vaught).  The first thing we will mention is that he is NOT a fan of transparency in government.  That can be verified from when the council, with his prodding changed the method of delivering council minutes from full to summary.  Only problem with that is that the former city manager chose to ignore the written directive of the council and gave the city action minutes.  Those are even more abbreviated.  Long story short, the council voted to bring back full minutes, with no help from Mr. I Know Everything.

He constantly belittled other council members and members of the public.  One of his favorite comments is “I don’t remember seeing you at any council meetings”.  That is how he attempts to shut down critics.  What a jacka$$  Very few folks go to these meetings (personally I wish more did).  But, they can listen to the audio and read the minutes

So, what happens?  He runs for mayor in 2015.  There was a 4 person primary.  He didn’t make it out of the primary (only the top 2 do)

What was the final result of the mayoral primary/

Michelle Distler   28.08%

Dan Pflumm         30.40%
John Segale          18.32%
Jeff Vaught          23.19%

More telling is how did the mayoral primary vote go in Ward 3?  The ward he represented on the council.
Michelle Distler  26.29%
Dan Pflumm         24.80%
John Segale          16.65%
Jeff Vaught          32.26%

Translation……….67.74%  (2/3) of the Ward 3 voters said they wanted anybody but Jeff Vaught as their mayor.  Apparently they learned their lesson from having him represent them on the council.

But, Vaught still thought he was relevant.  Not realizing that after winning his first term and then one reelection to the council , that the voters in Ward 3 were getting tired of his bombastic bullying buffoonery which combined to create a highly arrogant atmosphere about him.  And it created a toxic atmosphere on the council.

So, in 2017 there was a three way primary for council in Ward 3.

What happened?

Justin Adrian  38.94%

Dave Myres   39.82%
Jeff Vaught    21.24%

So now the voters of Ward 3 (78.76%, roughly 8 out of 10) made it real clear that they did not want an arrogant buffoon to represent them on the council.

And yet, he still thinks that what he says about city elections has relevancy.  It does not.  Witness his strong comments of being in favor of the proposed  Shawnee Community Center.  His bullying approach and inability to read the electorate was almost laughable.  And, like Hillary Clinton, he apparently cannot accept defeat.  He has come up with more excuses as to why the measure was defeated.  Instead of looking to see what was wrong with the plan he’d rather blame the folks who put out the effort to get the truth about the project in front of the voters.  Such arrogance.

Again, he hasn’t learned that his commentary is irrelevant.  Or maybe it is reverse relevant?  Maybe it makes folks go the opposite way of his stand on an item?  Hmmmm, remember, he supports Stephanie Meyer for mayor and Nick Reed for Ward 3 council rep.