Jeff Vaught Gives Citizens of Shawnee the Middle Finger

Strong words.  True story. 

The National League of Cities has two conferences a year.  One is in November (rotated among various cities) and one is March (in Washington DC).

This year's November conference is in Charlotte, NC, Nov 15-18, 2017.

Based on information received today, from Shawnee, pursuant to an information request, Jeff Vaught is one of the council members signed up to attend this conference.  What kind of nonsense is this?  This from a man who has stated on numerous occasions that he was elected to be a steward of the city's (taxpayer's) money.  These trips usually average $1500 to $2500 per person going. 

Why is Vaught listed?  He got his fanny spanked in the primary (8/1/17) and as such will not even appear on the November ballot.  As a matter of fact he will no longer be on the council as of January 2018.

Regardless of what ward a citizen lives in (he represents Ward 3), this is an affront to ALL citizens of Shawnee.  It is imperative that the community lets the governing body know how insulting this is to the city (taxpayers). 

Maybe he liked the idea of this, found by clicking here.

The City of Charlotte will host what promises to be an epic closing celebration on Saturday night. Join your fellow delegates in the convention center ballroom for a special performance by the legendary Commodores! Dance the night away with this beloved R&B and funk group that helped define the motown era with hit after hit, including the tune we all know and love, “Brick House.”

Anybody wanna bet that the bird cage liner Shawnee Dispatch doesn't cover this?

Info from the city 12:23 PM 8/31/17:

Here is the list so far. It is subject to change.
Mickey Sandifer
Stephanie Meyer
Jeff Vaught
Jim Neighbor
Vicki Charlesworth

Ward 4 Beware - Lindsey Constance Dem/Liberal Doubletalk

Lindsey Constance, a candidate for Ward 4 city council in Shawnee is typical of the Democrat/Liberal mindset when it comes to doublespeak.

First, let's certify her democratic/liberal credentials:  Public records available at the JoCo Election Office indicate that she is a registered democrat.  Her 7/24/17nancial filing form clearly indicates a donation from the Johnson County Democrats.

So, why beware of this type of candidate.  History, and recent events show that when that say they "want to talk, to have dialogue etc" on a subject it is only good if you agree with them.  If you disagree, well, just look at what can happen.  Traditionally, they are not willing to accept ideas other than their own.  Just look at how the democratic/liberals, for all that they profess, are trying to curtail free speech around the country.

I'm a Ward 4 resident, and I don't want a candidate like this to represent me on the city council.

Brandon Kenig and His Sour Grapes

Oh by gosh by golly.  A candidate loses the primary and then goes on a rant in the Shawnee Dispatch
spewing some of the same items he did in his campaign literature. Why?  The voters did not buy it when he campaigned on it.  Why should they buy it now that he is a defeated candidate. 

I am not going to go through his rant item by item but have covered some of them before, right here.
He touts the increase in safety personnel.  How much of that has been covered by federal grants?  A bunch.  He touts other safety items.  Again, federal grants and also an increase in mill levy.

He touts road repairs.  Whoops...........what about the sales tax increase that has been paying for that?

He says there are only two active TIF districts.  How many have been approved and are in the development stage?

Get to know Brandon.  He has an attitude.  Not sure why.  He was never elected to the council.  He was appointed to finish the term of the mayor after her election.  He mentions that he is the current council president.  True.  Ask him how many ballots the council went through to finally settle on him.

His rant is like a 5 year old spoiled brat who didn't get his way.  Maybe we should nickname him Kindergarten Kenig.  Poor baby........grow up.

There was one thing that was missing from his screed.  He didn't congratulate the folks that beat him in the primary and he did not wish them well.  If, and that is a big if, he had any sense of being a mensch (look it up) he would have done that.

I just had an epiphany.  Something hit me.  His name...........Kenig is a derivation of König (also spelled Koenig) which means "King".  Maybe he thinks he has a royal entitlement to the council seat.  LOL

BTW, over the years I have read many documents, papers, etc. coming out of city hall.  His screed, to me at least, has a flavor attached to it.  The flavor of a possible ghost writer.  Did a senior member of  staff assist in the drafting of the letter?  We will never know.

New Hypocrite Emerges in Ward 3 - Justin Adrian

Looks like the JoCo Democrats are fielding, IMHO,  a Class A-1 hypocrite for the Shawnee City Council.

Why do I say this?  Heck, he said it himself................see the below screen capture from his Facebook page (click on it to view larger):

 

 

He says "Our Armed Forces have given their lives for my freedom.  Thank you."  This coming from the man who proudly proclaimed that he was going to be a Hillary Clinton (the Witch of Benghazi) delegate at the Democratic National Convention.  We all know what kind of disdain HRC has for the military.  Where I come from that's hypocritical. 

 

My question for Mr. Adrian is: Why didn't you join the service?  You could have put in3 or 4 years.  That's another way to say "thank you" to those who have gone before.  Heck, as a college graduate you probably could have gotten an officer's commission.

 

BTW your opponent served...........

Did The Shawnee Dispatch Act in an Unethical Manner?

Did the Shawnee Dispatch cross over from reporting about an election to actively shilling for a particular candidate?  In their issue just released today they have a "Letter to the Editor" from Lindsey Constance, Ward 4 council candidate.  You can read it by clicking here  Decide for yourself.

Is this really a letter to the editor or is it a campaign mailer/statement of position?  You read it and decide for yourself.  I think it is a piece of campaign literature.  Maybe the Dispatch thinks they can be promoting one candidate over another.  Kind of like the Washington Post or the NY Times. 

For the record, I called both the local reporter/editor and the Journal World general manager and did not get a call back.  As a matter of fact, I was in Lawrence today and stopped by the Journal World (Dispatch's parent company) and their general manager was "in a meeting".

One last item.  The Dispatch's headline is very telling.  "Council candidate wants to put politics aside, focus on Shawnee’s economic future"  It just goes to show her naiveté.  What she says may sound good (let's sit around the campfire and sing kumbaya) but that is not the real world.  The real world is political.  And whether she wants to admit it or not, so is her position. The future of any city will have political overtones.  At least in our society.  Not necessarily in a liberal socialist society.    And she's a teacher?  Does she attempt to indoctrinate our youth with her personal liberal philosophy?

Vote Totals From Tuesday 8/1/17

tWell, the unofficial final figures are in at jocoelection.org  After the canvas required by statute the final figures will be posted.  These figures are interesting.

WARD 3:

Dave Myres                          597            45.61%
Justin Adrian                        408            31.17%
Jeff Vaught                           304            23.22%

Wow.............Vaught really lost touch with the voters of Ward 3.  This is the second primary where he got dumped.  The last one was the mayoral primary in 2015.  To have a person that was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the DNC (Justin Adrian) beat you, in this ward, then you really have lost touch with your constituents.  Stick to real estate or used car sales. 

Going forward, Dave Myres will serve the residents of Ward 3 in a manner that they will truly appreciate.  On November 7, 2017 elect Dave Myres as the Ward 3 council member.

Ward 4:

Tony Noble                     695       41.82%
Lindsey Constance         584       35.14%
Brandon Kenig               370       22.26%
Ajay Sood                         13         0.78%     

Maybe Kenig has learned that it's not nice to over embellish your qualifications in an attempt to make it look like you are the most fantastic candidate and council person to ever serve (even after only two years....appointed not elected).

Since the general election is in November, and the winners from that election will take office in January we are still stuck with these two lame duck incumbents for 5 months.  Anything that these two do that IMHO is detrimental for the city will be noted here. 

Going forward Tony Noble is the candidate to vote for on November 7, 2017.  He will represent the folks of Ward 4 in the manner that they want.

There are two more members of the council that need to go bye-bye, but that won't come up until 2019.  Suffice it to say one of them is from Ward 4 who endorsed Brandon Kenig.

Vaught & Kenig Kicked to the Curb

Voters in Shawnee's Wards 3 & 4 chose to kick two incumbents to the curb.  Jeff "The Arrogant One" Vaught came in third in Ward 3 and Brandon "Bobblehead" Kenig also came in third in Ward 4. 

Dave Myres will go up against Justin Adrian in Ward 3 and Tony Noble will go up against Lindsey Constance in Ward 4.  Adrian and Constance who both had support from the Johnson County Democratic Party would not be my choice for city council.  Adrian was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the  DNC and Constance, by her comments shows that she is out of touch with the majority of the voters.

The two lame ducks will be around until January when the winners of the November general election will be sworn in.  But, we can still celebrate the fact that they will not be coming back to the council after January.

So let's celebrate that Vaught and Kenig will be gone.............by "Dancing in the Streets"

Vaught's Hypocrisy Rears Its Ugly Head, Again

Vaught has a history of hypocrisy............and it's all on the record.  How about the times he has tried to eliminate or reduce citizen talking times at council meetings.  Or when he did not want full transcript minutes brought back.

Try this:  Go back to when the council first discussed the remodeling of the city council chambers.  Another member of the council said that the price tag ($263,000) was the equivalent of buying a house.  Vaught said it was, if you wanted to live in a shack.  It is almost impossible to count how many times Vaught has regaled folks with what he paid for his house and why he built it there etc etc etc

Now, here is the kicker.  In July of 2016 he pushed for an increase in property taxes.  But not necessarily for him.  For a person who says folks are willing to pay more in taxes for increased services he apparently did not include himself.  Approximately six months later he appealed his property taxes, and did get a reduction.  The JoCo Appraiser's Office has the records (they are public).

Bounce this guy out of the primary on Tuesday 8/1, just like he got bounced in the mayoral primary two years ago.  Ironically, he couldn't even carry Ward 3 in that primary.  Folks must have realized what kind of a disaster he would be as mayor.  He is now a disaster as a council member.

My pick: Dave Myres

Brandon Kenig Speaks - Hip Waders Needed

If you believe the literature he has put out, he is the most fantastic person to ever serve on the city council, and all in two years, to a position he was appointed not elected to.

He touts how he has been supportive of the hiring of new police officers.  Well, it's hard not to be supportive when the federal government is paying for most of them under a grant that the city received.

Likewise, he touts how he has been supportive of the hiring of new firemen.  Well golly gee, when you plan to spend $4 million on a new fire station (with funds from a mill levy increase) it would be foolish not to support the hiring of personnel to staff it and the corresponding equipment.

Again, he is a bobble head.  He'll nod in agreement with whatever a citizen says, not giving any indication that he doesn't agree with what is being said, and then go the other way.

Tuesday, at the primary for Ward 4, vote for Tony Noble..............he will truly listen.

Voting Choices for Tuesday's Primary 8/1/17

OK, my choices:

Ward 3:  Dave Myres................at least he will show respect to other members of the council and to the public.

Ward 4:  Tony Noble................he won't be a bobble head making you think he agrees with what you say.

SMSD At Large:  Fabian Shepard..........some good old fashioned common sense and a strong conservative philosophy

100° Temps and Jeff Vaught Blows More Hot Air

To fully understand and comprehend what I am about to say it is necessary to read this portion of Jeff Vaught's recent mailer to the voters of Shawnee's Ward 3.

So, here it is, in his words, not mine.  Then I will explain why I am calling it hot air. (Click on the image to see a larger version)

 

 

Unbelievable......Jeff Vaught the master of bombastic bovine scatology does it again.  His comments about his opponents are, in a way funny and ironic.  He asks what city boards and commissions have they served on.  Well, what boards and commissions did he serve on before getting elected?  Do I hear a "nada"?  He claims that by two of them signing up to run they have created a primary for the voters of Ward 3.  Well, when he first ran he did the same thing.  Also, when he ran he said he'd bring civility to the council.  Heck he is the most abrasive member of the council towards his fellow council members and to members of the public.  Oh, and BTW Jeff, Dave has attended some council meetings.  You yourself didn't start going to them until you filed to run. 

 

He wants to know what record they have of civic involvement.  This coming from a man who shirked his responsibility to defend his country.  Civic involvement?  Dave Myres served his country first as an NCO then as a decorated army captain.  To me that is civic involvement.  One of Dave's assignments was as the OIC for the Ft. Bliss Funeral Detail where he supervised over 35 military funerals.  We know how important that is to the families.  And now he is associated with the Children's Ministry at the Westside Family Church.  Isn't that civic involvement?

 

What kind of civic involvement has Vaught been involved with, prior to his election?  Well, he did relocate his business from KCK to Shawnee after his election.  Gee, did he perhaps do that so as to maybe utilize his position to promote his business.  I mean, he is always telling us at council meetings (ad nauseum) that he is in commercial real estate (that's on the record).  Wonder, just how does he rank with other commercial real estate folks in the metro area?  Well, check out his web site http://www.vaughtgroup.com and decide for yourself just how influential he is in the commercial real estate market.  Has he ever been a principal player or participant in any major (define that as $10 million plus) project in the metro area? 

 

It's time to remove Jeff  "The Arrogant One" from the council.  Vote for Dave Myres in the primary on Tuesday, August 1, 2017.  There is also the opportunity for advance voting.  Check out the info at the county election office web site by clicking here  Also note that there has been a change in the voting location in Shawnee Ward 3 Precinct 7.

 

 

 

 



Three Reasons NOT to Vote for Brandon Kenig - Ward 4

There are IMHO, three good reasons NOT to vote for Brandon Kenig in the Ward 4 primary.

What are these reasons?

1.  State Rep Tom Cox
2.  State Rep Shelee Brim
3.  State Rep Linda Gallagher

You might ask, huh?   OK, it is easy to explain.  These three state reps have all endorsed Kenig.  They are listed as such on his mailed campaign literature. These three are apparently anti-second amendment state legislators.  Ergo, since they endorse Kenig it would be safe to say he in turn supports them (a little quid pro quo?).  As a ward 4 resident I don't want somebody to represent me on the city council who supports anti-second amendment state legislators.

If you would like a complete explanation of why I say they are anti-second amendment (and completely lacking in common sense) click here to read more.  Also, Cindy Neighbor was added to that group, read it here.

Let's elect as a council person an individual who will truly care about the people, and who, unlike Kenig, will not become a puppet for the city manager (Kenig, seems to have forgotten who works for who).  That person would be Tony Noble

Belmont Promenade Public Hearing-Another Perspective

Mike Frizzell posted the item below on his Facebook page.  He also linked to a KC Star article about this project which can be found here.  It is ironic that with two public hearings on Monday, the Belmont Project and the budget, that the Shawnee "not fit for bird cage liner" Dispatch did not have a presence.

Interesting on how those young people might have been used. 

Can't say this surprises me.
"About a dozen teenagers stood at the back of the packed chamber for the full two hours, expressing support for closer jobs, restaurant and shopping options.
One of them, Ben Snyder, said later he organized the group to help family friend, Steve Beaumont, who owns the land to be developed. “It will definitely affect us now and 20 years from now,” Snyder said."
The council didn't see the mirage and it didn't sit right with me. Now, thanks to a freelancer for the Kansas City Star, the truth comes out.
You're not getting all of these teenagers to stand around and pretend to want to attend a city council meeting for two hours without some kind of incentive or requirement. One of the teenage speakers gave a KCK address when it was her turn to speak...
I've regularly attended Shawnee City Council meetings for more than two years now. On the rare occasion that there are more than four members of the public in the audience, they're usually there because there is something specific to their neighborhood on the agenda or it's a small group of teenagers who are there because of a school requirement.
I sat through Monday's meeting with four teenagers in the row in front of me. All four ignored at least 80% of the 45 minute presentation put on by a city contractor about the proposed TIF and CID.
As soon as it was time for public comment, their eyeballs left their phones and they were all too eager to comment.
Their concerns were eerily vague. There was mention of not being able to find jobs in Shawnee. Where are you looking for a job that you can't find a better option than driving to downtown KC or the Legends?
Also interesting how the Legends kept getting mentioned, as that's one of the current shopping centers owned by this development group... #JustSaying
To name a few businesses in Shawnee who are currently hiring; Walmart, Target, Hy-Vee, and just about every fast food establishment in town. Not to mention Amazon just a short drive away in Lenexa. Amazon has seasonal work starting at $11.50/hour. Good luck finding that kind of pay at anything retail.

The Ward 3 Threesome

As we get closer to the primary election (8/1) I feel it necessary to comment some more about the three candidates for the Shawnee Ward 3 council seat.  Remember, the top two will move on to the general election in November.

Well, let's look at Justin Adrian.  In an article in the Shawnee Dispatch he stated “As a teacher, I make dozens of decisions every day,” he said. “I have a fresh, young perspective and problem solving skills.”

Which one of those decisions was the one he made to go to the Democratic National Convention as a Hillary Clinton delegate, the witch of Benghazi?  More info on that here

Then we've got the incumbent, Jeff Vaught who never served his country.  Amazing, my oldest served in Operation Desert Storm.  Jeff "The Arrogant One" is about 4 years older than my son.  So, if he went into the service at the same age as my son he would have been out (like many others) before the Gulf War.  But at least he would have served.

And then we have Dave Myres. He entered the military as an enlisted person and eventually left as a decorated Army Captain.

So, who do you want to represent you in Ward 3?  A person who supported a candidate who didn't care about American lives?  A shirker who let others serve to protect our country?  Or a patriot who did his duty for us?

I know which one that this old Vietnam Vet  would choose.  If you guessed Myres you're right.
Myres would give Ward 3 the representation it deserves.

Brandon Kenig Is Misleading Folks

Brandon Kenig, candidate for Ward 4 council rep in Shawnee was recently interviewed by the Shawnee Dispatch, click here to read

In the article he apparently told the interviewer:

While on the city council, he supported the hiring of seven new police officers and 17 new firefighters, the building of the new fire station in northwest Shawnee and the purchase of new equipment for the police department, such as body cameras for officers.

Well, a council repo can't help but to support items that are being paid for with outside grant money.  Like five of those police officers and the body cameras. Duhhhhhhhh.............

Today We Celebrated...........................

................241 years...................

Ward 3 Primary – Myres Only Candidate To Serve Our Country

The primary race for the Ward 3 council position will be in a little over 4 weeks. It is scheduled for Tuesday August 1, 2017.

 

Suffice it to say that Dave Myres is the only one of the 3 candidates who has served our country.  Justin Adrian didn’t serve.  Heck he was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the DNC and we all know what her stance was on members of the US Military, especially in Benghazi.  Gee, is Mr. Adrian proud of supporting her for that?  Jeff Vaught likes to beat his chest alot but he never stood the watch. 

 

How about Dave Myres?  He started out as an enlisted member of the Mississippi Army National Guard and rose to E5 in the Field Artillery.  Subsequent to that he was commissioned in Air Defense Artillery (Patriot Missiles) as an RA officer (that’s Regular Army for those not familiar with the term)

He served in many positions before coming off active duty as a captain, the last being as Commanding Officer HHB, 3^RD BN 43^RD ADA 11^th Brigade.  Among his various awards and decorations are an Army Commendation Medal and 2 awards of the Army Achievement Medal.

 

For those folks who say city council is not a national office and military service is not germane, I say hogwash.  A willingness to serve one’s country, with possible exposure to adverse conditions is, IMHO, an indication of a person’s commitment to his fellow man.

 

As a former Army Staff Sergeant with service in Nam there is only one candidate in Ward 3 that I would feel comfortable saluting…………….figuratively and literally…………and that is Dave Myres.

 

What Is Going On With The Shawnee Dispatch?

I very rarely read the hard copy.  I do read the on line version consistently.

It has become a local puff piece, & HS athletic rah rah paper.

This is the first year that Shawnee voters will go to the polls for a local general election in November.  As such, this is the first year that local primaries will be held in August.  As such, we have two council wards that will have a primary.  Ward 3 has three candidates and Ward 4 has four candidates.

There has been no mention at all in the Dispatch (on line) about this.  But the local reporter does give us plenty of feel good puff pieces.  Gee, is she going to cover the ruling in the Qrivit vs COS case?

We have public hearings on the budget, Bellmont Promenade and other items coming up.  Is the Dispatch going to cover those?  Where are the interim stories on these and other items affecting the city? Are the citizens of Shawnee deliberately being kept in the dark about these items.  IMHO, the Dispatch stinks.  It's not even worth its free distribution.

Anyway, the only "hard" stories have been those contributed by Mike Frizzell of Operation 100 news.

Kenig Explains Missing Newsletter

In keeping with my policy of posting rebuttals from individuals that I have mentioned here is one from Brandon Kenig.

He called last night, I was not available, but he did leave a VM.  Not being a court stenographer I will give a brief synopsis of what he said.  He said that he did not delete me from his email list for his newsletter.  He claims that the email distribution program that he uses maxes out at 100 and he has more than that on the list.  This means that he has to go back in and resend to those who did not get it the first time.  He also stated I was not the only one that told him they did not receive the newsletter.

I do know that some of these email distribution lists (especially if they are free) do have limitations on the number of contacts that they can send.  We'll just have to take his word that his list tops out at 100 and he has more than that on the list.

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How come Vaught doesn't respond to my postings.  Oh I know, he just let's a woman confront me in a grocery store parking lot.  http://shawneeray.blogspot.com/2016/10/im-bully-and-fathers-are-protected-class.html
 

Did Brandon Kenig Have a Hissy Fit? Advice for Jeff Vaught

Keep in mind, that I do live and vote in Ward 4, and Kenig is running for election in this ward.

Well, he has a newsletter that he sends to his constituents.  Usually I get a copy.  Not this time.
He probably had a hissy fit about my earlier post about him and deleted me from his email list.

Don't worry Brandon, I did get a copy forwarded to me.

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I have written on this blog numerous times on how Jeff Vaught can be a real windbag when he speaks at council.   He goes, on and on and on.  Worse than the Energizer Bunny.  Almost as bad as former council member Dawn "Motormouth" Kuhn.  Well, somebody passed on a Chinese fortune cookie fortune to me and said it reminded them of Vaught.................

"..................a person is not wise simply because a person talks a lot......."  Fits him to a "t".