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. 

Has Stephanie Meyer Gone Totally Bonkers?

IMHO, the answer to that question is yes.  Big time.  The current council president and mayoral candidate posted this on her FB page at https://www.facebook.com/stephaniemeyerforshawnee/

This is what she posted:

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.

In my experience, the residents of Shawnee are warm, welcoming, and compassionate people, and we should want that spirit to echo through all that we do. I hope you’ll participate in this important conversation.

This push for cities in Kansas to adopt non-discriminatory ordinances is absolutely ridiculous.  How many of them are still being challenged in the courts?

Laws against discrimination belong at the state and/or federal level.  For various reasons.  A hodgepodge  of these ordinances means that folks traveling from city to city would need a book of ordinances for all cities.  But, even more important are cities really the best entities to judge and evaluate what some may or may not perceive as discrimination?  Do cities have the resources?  Do cities have the funding?

This is a "feel good" act looking for a problem. 

Now, let's take a look at state law.  K.S.A 44-1009 has a pretty good handle on this subject, and if it needs amending, expanding or anything along those lines then encourage the state legislature to make those changes.  Keep it uniform across the whole State of Kansas.  Keep it uniform so that violations of the statute can be handled in a judicious manner.  Not in a helter skelter willy nilly fashion.  Keep in mind that this item is being championed by the same cheerleader who wanted to saddle Shawnee residents with an enormous tax burden to finance a community center. 

The council committee will be discussing this item at its meeting on Tuesday Aug 13, 2019 at 7PM at Shawnee City Hall, 11110 Johnson Drive.  Let her and any other members of the council that support this know that this is an item best left to the State of Kansas.

Stephanie Meyer and the Gang of Six Have No Confidence in Shawnee Citizens

Wow, that is a heck of a headline, isn't it?

So, are you asking why I say that?  Actually, it is pretty easy to explain.  First let's define the "Gang of Six".  That includes Meyer, and Councilmembers Zimmerman, Neighbor, Larson-Bunnell, Sandifer and Constance.

Now for what happened.  It is a matter of record.  At the last Council Committee meeting members Jenkins and Kemmling brought forth some proposals regarding the budget process.  One of these was to establish a citizen task force to review the budgets going forward and if needed recommend adjustments by looking for ways to possibly reduce or move allocations.  The task force would consist of 2 members appointed by each councilmember and two from the council itself.

The "Gang of Six" did everything they could to shoot down that idea, and unfortunately they succeeded.  Among the reasons given were the high quality of our staff and the fact that we use priority based budgeting. 

We probably do have a very high quality staff.  But, they are human.  And sometimes humans can make mistakes, errors, or not see certain things etc. etc. etc.  They are not perfect.  A task force as proposed by Jenkins and Kemmling would utilize the other advantage we have here in Shawnee.  To wit, a very diverse, intelligent community with folks from all career backgrounds.  The task force would not be decision making but advising.  Folks outside of the budget process might just see some things that could prove to be beneficial.  So, what is the gang of six afraid of?

We have boards and commissions made up of citizens already.  And some of them are in a position where they virtually do make the decision (Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commission).

So again, why would the "Gang of Six" be against utilizing the wealth of experience and knowledge that our residents could bring to the table?  I have my opinions, you can formulate your own

Happy Birthday USA

Happy birthday to the USA.

A special note to those who are objecting to President Trump's inclusion of the military in a special July 4th celebration, get over it!  It was the military that secured our independence, and it has been the military that has insured that independence, and it is the military that will continue to make sure that we remain a free and independent nation by protecting all of us from aggressive enemies.

To include a military display in the 4th of July celebration is right, justified, and fitting.  God bless the USA.

Kevin Straub - Ward III Special Election

Kevin Straub has tossed his hat into the ring for the Ward III special election (primary) to fill the unexpired 2 years of the term by former council member Justin Adrian.

Kevin will be facing Lisa Larson-Bunnell who was appointed to temporarily fill the position until this election and Greg Sitzman.  The top two vote getters in this election on August 6th will move on to the  general election November 5th.

You might want to visit Kevin's web site at  Kevin Straub for Shawnee City Council | Ward 3 Special Election  

Kevin will help to get the city council set on going down the right road for Shawnee's future.  Vote for Kevin.

Jenkins/Kemmling Proposal for Storm Water Pipes

The condition of Shawnee's storm water pipes has been a subject of discussion since the recent presentation that pipe failures could cost as much as $140 million over the next 10 years.

Councilmembers Eric Jenkins and Mike Kemmling have prepared a proposal and resolution to address this item. It can be read at https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/24449?preview=24451

This item is going to be discussed at the Council Committee meeting on Tuesday June 18, 2019 at city hall beginning at 7:00PM

The proposal makes sense.  Citizens are encouraged to attend the meeting and to support this important concept.

Stephanie Meyer - Talks From Both Sides of Her Mouth

Well it looks like I missed some fun and games at city hall Monday night.  Not gonna get into much of what was said.  I do want to discuss procedures.

Seems like some citizens had a few things to say and then Councilmember Mickey Sandifer decided to wait until "Miscellaneous Council Items" to get real down and dirty with a member of the public.  Based on eyewitness accounts and audio files this is basically what happened next.

A citizen got up to rebut what he was saying.  Stephanie Meyer and Mickey Sandifer shouted out you can't do that it is not allowed.  City manager Nolan Sunderman whispered into the mayor's ear with what was probably an interpretation of the council procedures and the mayor said that the citizen couldn't say anything.  It was not allowed.  Former Councilmember Jeff Vaught yelled out to that citizen to sit down and that it was not allowed for them to speak during that part of the meeting.

Well, that was bad information.  On Oct 26, 2015 Policy Statement 7 was modified in Section IV(D)(2) to give citizens the right to speak during miscellaneous council items.  And if anybody is interested the Shawnee Dispatch had a nice article about that change and it is still available on line at http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2015/oct/29/council-approves-additional-public-comment-meeting/

What is really interesting is Stephanie Meyer's quote in the above referenced article.  "Anytime we can increase public participation at meetings, I'm for it."  Looks like she became a little two faced on that subject.  Guess citizen participation is only good if she feels the same as they do.  And this individual, who apparently now wants to restrict citizen input after saying how great it was, wants to be mayor of our city.  Which side of her mouth will she be talking from tomorrow?  She'll say just about anything to get elected. 

Now as for Vaught.....what gives him the right to tell another citizen to sit down?  What gives him the right to say it is not allowed for them to speak at that time?  Go back to various on line articles and previous meetings before Oct 26, 2015.  Jeff The Bully Vaught was the major impetus for getting that part of the policy statement changed.  He had a nasty habit of using Miscellaneous Council items to say some negative things about citizens and they couldn't, until the change, rebut what he said.

As for the City Manager, Nolan Sunderman, if he did in fact advise the mayor that citizen input was not allowed at that time he was way off base. 

 

We Steal a Good One From Lenexa

I think it has finally happened.  Last week Hayward's Pit BBQ relocated to 10901 W. 75th St in Shawnee (two blocks east of Nieman).  That is the building that has seen a revolving door effect with restaurants.

Well, it looks like we finally have a winner in that building.  Went there Friday night.  Wait time was about 45 minutes.  They were jammed.  Parking lot was full.  Fantastic.  Friend of mine told me that parking lot was also jammed at lunch.

Enjoyed dinner.  Food was good.  Wait staff was friendly, upbeat and checked back which, considering how crowded they were could have  taken a hit.  Kudos to the wait staff.  Kudos to the kitchen staff. 

Even with all the previous owners it had been a long time since the interior was remodeled.  It finally happened now. 

Looks like we finally have a keeper at that location.

The Longest Day

In 1962 the film "The Longest Day" was released.  It was a portrayal of the Normandy landings on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of that momentous occasion.  Below is the theme song from that movie with lyrics.  Listen to the lyrics, please.  And if you get a chance, watch the movie. 

Who Is Running?

Today was the last day to file and/or withdraw from the local city elections.

So, what is happening now:

Primary Election:  August 6, 2019.  The top two finishers in each contest will advance to the General Election November 5, 2019

Mayor

Michelle Distler (Incumbent)
Dawn Tubbesing
Ajay Sood
Stephanie Meyer

Council Member Ward 3 Full Term Four Years

Kurt Knappen
Nick Reed
Dawn Rattan

Council Member Ward 3 Unexpired Two Year Term

Kevin Straub
Lisa Larson-Bunnell (Incumbent)
Greg Sitzmann

Council Member Ward 4 Full Term Four Years

Kris Durbin
Matthew Shaw
Jill Chalfie

General Election:  November 5, 2019  These individuals will run in November as they do not have any primary challengers in August

Council Member Ward 1 Full Term Four Years

Tammy Thomas
Jim Neighbor (Incumbent)

Council Member Ward 2 Full Term Four Years

Eric Jenkins (Incumbent)
Andy Rondon