Sunday, January 11, 2015

RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE

 
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BY GREG WALTERS
Charter Notes . . .

I was surprised to read in Randy Battagler’s Raytown Times that his is the only paper to carry any news about the Raytown Charter Commission. Battagler knows better. Anyone who reads the Raytown Report on a regular basis knows the meetings have been reported and commented on since the Commission was formed last April.

In his Reflections column, Randy also announced that he is opposed to the proposed Charter. He bases his opposition on the decision by ten of the thirteen Commissione to require the City Administrator to live in Raytown. Randy wrote he would support the charter if the Commission were to change that one rule. This is not a surprise. Readers will remember that Battagler was opposed to forming the Charter Commission in the first place.

So why is Randy Battagler and the powers that be at City Hall so upset about the Charter?

The residency rule is not new. It has been in the Raytown Code of Ordinances for over 14 years. All of the City Administrators employed by the City of Raytown have been required to live within the city limits. All of them, with the exception of the current Administrator, have done so.

The last three City Councils ignored the residency requirement in their own Code of Ordinances. They did this by writing contracts around the law to specifically nullify the residency requirement.

Under a Charter form of government these type of political word games will come to an end. That is because the Charter can only be changed through a direct vote of the people of Raytown.

So there you have it. The Charter empowers the people of Raytown.

There are those at City Hall who do not want the people to be empowered.

You will hear from them between now and the April 8th City Election. They will nit-pick and whine. They will say they want a Charter but for this “one rule” keeps them from voting for it.

Balderdash! In reality they are trying to hold on to what some have come to believe to be their private fiefdom at City Hall.

There are nearly three months between now and April 7th City Election. Use this time to learn all you can about the Charter. Then, on election day, go cast your vote based on an informed decision.
USE THIS LINK TO VIEW A COPY OF THE CHARTER


Paul’s Rant!

Last Tuesday the Board of Aldermen met. The meeting had some fireworks when Ward 2 Alderman Jason Greene asked that Board to grant the Raytown Charter Commission permission to use the City’s logo (to print on) the Raytown Charter when it is printed and distributed to the public.

Since it was not on the agenda, the Board had to vote to approve discussion of the item.

Believe it or not, Ward 1 Alderman Joe Creamer actually voted against allowing any discussion to take place!

The Board then had a healthy discussion. The end result was the Board voting down the request because it (the Charter) was not brought by the City but by the people.

Sounds like some pretty twisted logic to me. The people are the City of Raytown. Without them there would not be a City Hall or, for that matter a Board of Aldermen.

I’ll let my weekly report tell the story in the Board’s own words. Spoiler alert . . . the Board did not put themselves in a very good light last Tuesday.

A Little Professionalism Please
Last week I wrote about the problem with the sound system at City Hall. After watching the last meeting it became very clear. Part of the problem is the people speaking.

At last Tuesday’s meeting there were a number of people who spoke in Public Comments at the beginning of the meeting. I’d love to tell you what these private citizens had to say to the Board of Aldermen. Unfortunately, the microphone was turned off. Need I say more?

City Clerk Teresa Henry gave (what I am told) a detailed history of the city logo used in Raytown. She may have given a good speech, but neither I nor anyone else watching on television will ever know because her microphone was turned off!

The microphone at the City Staff table is constantly cutting out during meetings. All of this is happening in the wake of over $30,000 in improvements to Council Chambers at City Hall.

Friday night the Charter Commission held its first public hearing on the Charter. Greg tells me the front door was blocked open with a rock because someone forgot to turn off the electronic locks at City Hall.

Microphones that do not work . . . people who refuse to use microphones when they do work . . . using a rock to hold open a door so the public can attend the meeting.
Come on guys, fix these irksome problems. Raytowners deserve better from their leaders. These lapses is attention are the types of things that demean a community and hurt its image. They are not hard to fix – so fix them – a little professionalism, please!

BY PAUL LIVIUS
The Paul Livius Report  

The Invocation was given by Pat Jackson. 

The Board approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of four 2015 Ford police utility interceptors from Dick Smith Ford.  Chief Lynch told the Board the Police and Public Works Departments annually evaluate the Vehicle Replacement program to determine which vehicles are reaching the end of their life cycles.  This year 4 marked patrol vehicles are due to complete their service based on mileage, age, and projected maintenance costs.  Dick Smith Ford participated in the Mid America Council of Public Procurement (MACPP) bid process and was awarded the bid contract for PI Utility Vehicles.  The staff recommended that the City Purchase 4 Police Utility Interceptors from Dick Smith Ford at a unit cost of $27,679.00.  The total cost will be $110,716.00.

The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance to grant a conditional use permit subject to operate an event space at 10028 East 63rd Street.  Nathan Prather, on behalf of Siatta Investments, is seeking approval of a conditional use permit application for operation of an event space / banquet hall at 10028 East 63rd Street in downtown Raytown.

The proposed conditional use would allow persons or organizations to rent the property for special events such as weddings, bridal showers, graduation parties, birthday parties, super bowl parties, wedding anniversaries, youth dances, dance lessons, school fund raisers, community meetings, and other types of gatherings.
  
Alderman Greene asked about security for the middle-school age children.  He was told there would be adults and security on the premises at all times.

The Board heard the first and second reading of an ordinance granting a conditional use permit to operate a financial institution at 9480 Highway 350.  They then passed the ordinance.

Russ Ehnen on behalf of Raytown Square Center is seeking approval of a conditional use permit application to allow a financial services business to operate at 9480 Highway 350.  The financial services business is Springleaf Financial Services of Indiana and is currently located in the Center 63 Shopping Center on Raytown Trafficway.  If the conditional use permit application is approved Springleaf Financial will move from their current location and occupy 1,400 square feet in a portion of the former Hallmark Cards store in the Raytown Square Shopping Center.

Stacey Lintzenich, with Springleaf Financial, requested a suspension of the rules and asked for a second reading.  She explained their time line to get moved into the new space is closing in very soon.  Their current lease expires January 31, 2015. They prefer to get moved into the new space before the end of January to avoid any holdover rent at the current space.

The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance adding Article XVII to Chapter 10 of the code of ordinances for the purpose of defining smoke and tobacco stores and limiting their occurrence in the At the request of the Board of Aldermen City staff has developed an amendment to the City of Raytown Code of Ordinances regulating smoke and tobacco shops within the City.

The amendment proposes regulating smoke and tobacco shops through the creation of Article XVII in Chapter 10 of the Raytown Code of Ordinances.  The amendment defines “Smoke and tobacco shops” and “tobacco paraphernalia” and limits the sale of tobacco paraphernalia to exclusively smoke and tobacco shops as defined in the ordinance.Article XVII proposes to define “smoke and tobacco shops” as retail stores that sell tobacco and tobacco paraphernalia comprising 70% or more of their total sales.  Article XVII would additionally define “tobacco paraphernalia” as items used for the packaging or consumption of tobacco or other plant products.  Such items include pipes, water pipes, bongs, and hookahs.  See the attached ordinance for the full list and the official definitions.  Department stores that have tobacco departments would be exempt from the definition of “smoke and tobacco shops”.  The amendment further proposes to limit the number of smoke and tobacco shops in the City limits based upon the following population limits.Smoke and tobacco shops would be limited in Raytown to one store per 5,000 residents.  The location of smoke and tobacco shops is also proposed to be regulated as follows:
 
  • Smoke and tobacco shops would also be restricted from operating within 2,640 feet of the boundary of the City, 2,640 feet of any other property on which another smoke and tobacco shop is located, and 500 feet of any property legally used as a public park, school, church, or residence.  
  • Enforcement of the regulations would occur through the City’s annual Business Licensing Process, which would require a business stating that they are a smoke or tobacco shop to provide information showing that the sale of tobacco and tobacco paraphernalia products comprise 70% or more of their total sales.  
  • If a business meets this standard then they would be allowed to sell tobacco paraphernalia.  Any business that sells tobacco products that do not comprise 70% or more would be allowed to sell tobacco products but would not be allowed to sell tobacco paraphernalia. 
Alderman Jason Greene made a motion to grant permission to the Charter Commission to use a city logo on the Charter Document.

The Board voted 9 to 1 to consider the motion. Alderman Joe Creamer cast the  only “no” vote.

Greene told the Board the Charter Commission was requesting permission to use the “Man and Anvil” logo on the Charter document when it is presented to the public.

Alderman Van Buskirk said it would be inappropriate to allow the logo use.  In the past, the charter commission was initiated by the city.  This time, it was initiated by a petition effort of the residents.  The city was forced by the State to have the commission.  If the Board allows the commission to use the logo, it would imply the city endorses the charter, which is not true.  If the charter commission had come from the city, it would be different. 

Alderman Josh Greene said the city should be consistent.  If the logo has been used in the past, it should be used now. * 

Alderman Lightfoot said the charter commission didn’t come from the city, and the city won’t endorse the charter.
  
Mayor Bower said the residents only voted to have a charter commission.  The city does not endorse the charter. 

Alderman Greene said . . . “I do not see how you differentiate between city hall and the community. I thought we were the same. More than 70% of the voters approved the formation of the Charter Commission. We should honor their decision.” 
*Previous charter attempts have all incorporated the city logo in documents.

HOW THEY VOTED:
Should the Charter Commission use a city logo on the proposed Charter Document?
VOTING YES:           
Jason Greene, Janet Emerson, Josh Greene
VOTING NO:            
Jim Aziere, Joe Creamer, Steve Mock, Bill Van Buskirk, Charlotte Melson, Michael Lightfoot




BY KRISTEN
FIT BOTTOMED EATS
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List of Candidates Grows
The list of candidates for City, School Board and Fire District has grown since the New Year began. Filing closes for all offices next Tuesday, January 20th at 5:00 p.m.





RAYTOWN CITY OFFICES FOUR YEAR TERM
Mayor
Pat Ertz
Michael McDonough
Alderman Ward I  
Joe Creamer
Karen Black
Greg Walters
Alderman Ward 2 
Jim Aziere  
Chris Rathbone
Steve Guenther
Alderman Ward 3
Lisa Emerson
Mark Moore
Ryan Myers
Alderman Ward 4
Mary Jane VanBuskirk
Steve Meyers
Alderman Ward 5
Barry Park
Eric Teeman
City Collector
Kathie Schutte
RAYTOWN SCHOOL BOARD THREE YEAR TERM
Kristie Lynn Collins-Delarber
Amy Beth Tittle
RAYTOWN FIRE BOARD SIX YEAR TERM
Richard Tush
Willard Ross

  
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33 comments:

Vicki said...

I know why the police don't answer questions about crimes. It's because they can't talk about active investigations or about cases that haven't totally been concluded in the courts. It could take years for a crime to go through the regular trial and any appeals after the trial.
It isn't just the Raytown police department. They all are like that, nationwide.

Anonymous said...


Maybe we need an appointed Chief of Police with a police board then things would be done properly. The police only tell us what they want us to know to make them look good.

Anonymous said...

If a store is robbed such as the recent one in KS where the owner was shot and killed the Star had all the information on Sunday. We do not ask for any more from our police dept. Come on stop trying to cover for the cops.

Pat Casady said...

I tried to warn all of you to NOT vote for Aziere for
the Charter Commission. I said he would try to
sabotage the deal. Now he along with some other elected
officials have shown us how they feel about the Charter.
Aziere and other elected officials, and in some cases
their wives on the commission board did just that,
sabotaged the last Charter Commission.
Bower, Creamer, Mock, Van Buskirk and Melson
still don’t have a clue who they work for.
Just another reason for them to be VOTED OUT!
They don’t own the logo! The people own the logo,
and the people wanted a Charter!
Watch, in the future these people will use at least one
Of the papers and everything they can, to stop this Charter.
This is politics at it worst.

Johnny said...

Anon 7:56
You want an appointed Chief of Police? Can you imagine the gestapo tactics a mayor like Bower could use? Don't want a charter? No problem. Just harass those talking about it. Want a new Walmart? Cool. Just give tickets to anyone who opposes. We'll all be saying "Heil" soon.

Anonymous said...

Gloria asks the question---If President Truman couldn't cut ties with his pal Pendergast how could McDonough cut ties with his buddy Police Chief Lynch??? You don't have to be smart to get the answer to this question.

Pat Casady said...

You know it is said my most people that Truman
was one of the best presidents ever. He went in
with nothing and came out with nothing.
Our current president went in with a worth of
two million and is already worth more than eight
million. In fact every president after Truman, has
come away worth millions more than when they went in.
you’ll have to find a worse comparison than that one.
Beside the fact you don’t know what you are talking about.
I’m sure Mike would thank you for the comparison to
such an honest man.
Try again!

Anonymous said...

Mayor Bower is supporting Pat Ertz for mayor. Do you want more of the same? This is a good enough reason to vote AGAINST Ertz.

Anonymous said...

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."

- Voltaire

Anonymous said...

Anon of 1/12 @ 12:21 --

Please free free to run for mayor as well.

Anonymous said...

The silence on the crime at the Whiskey Barrel gives the feeling that Mike and Connie's lives truly don't matter to the city of Raytown. What do you think would of happened if a city or state official was shot in the head? What if someone from the police department was shot. Do you truly think the media would not be reporting it as soon as it happened? This is the 10th day of silence. Why do we have two papers in town doing nothing on this story?
Elisa Breitenbach

Anonymous said...

Again I posted on this blog once before, there are only a couple aldermen that look out for the people and are not puppets. Thank you Mr. Greene!

Anonymous said...

Everyone should check out Raytown On Line.

Elisa Breitenbach

Anonymous said...

My vote is for Pat Ertz. He is a fair honest man with experience in business and politics.

Anonymous said...

Here is another prime example of an uninformed citizen making a statement which he knew nothing about. At last nights charter Mark Moore made the statement that the CA is the highest paid city employee. Wrong that person is Chief Jim Lynch. He got his golden egg from Sue Frank when she was mayor. Am I surprised he would make that kind of statement oh no because when he filed for alderman the first time two years ago he didn't know what ward he lived in and filed in the wrong ward this time Alderman Jason Greene had to go with him to make sure he did it right. Comments by Gloria

Vicki said...

ok. I checked out Raytown on Line. There is an article about candidate filings, road conditions, Raytown High School at Disney World, and one of the Shawnee gun shop shooters having a Raytown connection. What I didn't find was any information about the robbery and shooting at the Whiskey Barrel. Both owners were injured. Connie was beat up pretty badly and her son, Mike was shot. He spent almost a week in intensive care. Hey Downing, did City Hall tell you to ignore this story?

Anonymous said...

Vicki our hands are tied. We have been told this crime has happened but until Mike or Connie talks to the media it's being treated like it never happened. I was told the KWIK Auto at 67th & Blue Ridge was robbed a few weeks ago by one of the Shawnee gun shop shooters. I hope all the facts come out soon but it has the feeling that Mike and Connie's crime was only robbery and Mike just bumped his head. The media has nothing to go on is what I have been told. Again I truly think Mike was shot and Connie was beat with the gun but they are the only ones who can have the media do a story.
Elisa Breitenbach

Anonymous said...

The city of Raytown needs to be held negligent for tearing up our streets and then not replacing the asphalt before bad weather set in. This is just an accident waiting to happen. Why would you allow a contractor to do something such as this? The city administrator and the public works director need to be fired. Why would we vote for any incumbent office holder at city hall when they are allowing this type of incompetence to run rampant?

Anonymous said...

So the only paper to report on the charter Commision is Randy's? Wonder why the other paper has not done an article...hmm
We only have two local papers. You would think both would report on this. Not everybody has a computer to pull up the internet and get the Raytown Report online

Anonymous said...

Randy wants the charter to fail as does Bower and some of his cohorts. Randy will cover to the fend because he wants it to fail plane and simple hmmmm.

Johnny said...

Randy is just blowing smoke. Both papers have reported on the charter commission. He chooses to ignore the other paper and act like his is the only on in town. The truth is, the Raytown Eagle is a better paper. It has more news articles and less advertising. The Eagle has more stories about what is happening around town and no editorials written by some out of touch guy living in southern Missouri. BTW - does anyone really care about Randy's grandchildren?

Anonymous said...

The Charter looks great and the good people of Raytown will now get to vote on it. The election is April 8th. It's true not everyone has a computer to pull up the Raytown Report but I would be happy to let them drop in my donut shop and read it on our computer.

Elisa Breitenbach

Anonymous said...

I wish I lived in Mr. Green's district, he seems like he gets it. As for a lot of these other guys, their view of the city hall being different from the community, sums up their attitude and shows why they need to go.

Pat Casady said...

I’m sorry to say, I told you so.
After working on the City Charter for five
months, Aziere, Melson and Mrs. Van Buskirk
declined to sign off on the charter. These people
wanted to be on the commission for one reason.
That was to sabotage it. Aziere and friends did the
same thing to the last attempt at a Charter. They
along with Whitty Whitman and friends have and will
do their best to ruin what the people want and that’s
a Charter.
This is politics at its worst. Backstabbing, lying and planning
to go against what the people wanted just to appease
their leader the mayor.
Please remember, what I’m about to write. All of these
people will be out speaking against the Charter before April.
Also remember, these people helped write this document
and soon will show how bad they are by telling all of you to
not vote for it.
JUST LIKE THE LAST TIME!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh so the other paper has reported on the charter; was just going off what I read in the commentary. Good glad it has . A lot of people read the various papers in the Kc area. Most restaurants and utilities have them

Anonymous said...

If you show up to Vote April 8th you will be a day late. PLEASE VOTE APRIL 7th.
p.s. I LIKE MIKE

Anonymous said...

I guess this site is for what you consider to be news in Raytown. There was a Raytown Police Officer rear ended on duty and not one lick of coverage. Not really shocked considering the way a lot of people on this site hate the police. You should be ashamed.

Anonymous said...

10:46 am you are right this is a site not a newspaper . This site reports some news not all just like a newspaper. And yes writers of both a site and a newspaper are bias in what they share ; it's human nature. And not everybody can tell the difference between a site and a newspaper. Oh well

Anonymous said...

The library has computers and has great hours that even families can go to after work and dinner. You can view the charter issues in private form your own opinions while the kids find books for their interest.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 10:46, and 11:31, I respectfully disagree. Perhaps why it was not reported, is because it is nothing of note. Granted, a police officer was involved in an accident, where a truck ran into the back of him. However, it also was reported (on other sources) that there was no serious injuries. To claim that the reason it was not reported is because someone "hates" the police, or because they are supporting a certain candidate, it is you who should be ashamed of your narrow-mindedness and accusations.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with 10:46. This site, the Raytown Report, has more news in it than all the other news sources in Raytown. The other website just reprints press releases. Most of the stories I read in the "paper" newspapers seem to follow the lead set for them by the raytown report. Keep up the good work Paul and Greg. We appreciate the service you are doing for us in Raytown.

Elisa said...

The Whiskey Barrel Crime
It happened January 2nd on a Friday night at 8:30 PM
Connie was told "Give me all your money b**ch!!!
She said "Are you kidding?"
She saw the gun.
Then she was hit with a fist in the face. She went down.
At the very same time Mike jumped up he saw the guy jump up off the ground and hit his mother.
Mike said "Do you want a piece of this!"
He grabbed for his gun in his pocket.
The second guy shot his gun at Mike. Mike went down in a pool of blood!
Connie jumped up yelling for Mike.
Both guys had ran out.
Connie called 911. The rest was a Miracle.
Mike was in ICU for days.
The Doctor calls Mike a Miracle! He told Connie he must of had a band of Angels around him.
The ICU Unit calls Mike a "Hero" for saving his mother. Many of them had been given gift cards for Christmas. They gave them all to him.
This is not a Rumor!!! We need each of you talking about this crime.
This is Raytown, it's our hometown that we need to help protect!!!
Silence is Deadly we must let each store owner and family in and around Raytown know about this crime. WE DON'T NEED SECRETS!!! We need to band together and be aware of what is going on in this town.
PLEASE SHARE!!!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

EDITOR'S NOTE: We asked Elisa if the robbers took any money. She said, "Connie told me 'no', the two punks ran out of the store empty handed after they shot her son."

Anonymous said...

Please note robbers are also active in the middle of the afternoon on weekends. This happened to a friend of mine two weeks ago. When you would feel that people would be around and mid afternoon the crimes continue.