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BREAKING NEWS
Robot stolen from Raytown Robotics
team
(KCTV) - Imagine
working for more than six weeks on something near and dear to your heart then
having that item stolen. That's what members of the Raytown Robotics team along
with coaches and parents are dealing with. It seems someone broken into a van
parked in the driveway of one of the team's coaches Monday morning and made off
with the team's robot, a school flag, a laptop computer, and a toolbox. READ MORE
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| BY GREG WALTERS |
Gwendolyn Walters
WHERE THERE WERE TWO,
NOW THERE ARE THREE!
NOW THERE ARE THREE!
My
wife, Mecee, and I are proud to announce the arrival of our first grandchild, Gwendolyn Walters. She arrived in our world Thursday, March 5th at 8:49
a.m.
Now I know what it feels like to be a Grandpa!
The
father and mother, Ryan and Jenn, tell us Gwen is settled in at home and
doing fine.
An interesting footnote – Gwen, like her mother and grandmother,
has red hair.
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| BY PAUL LIVIUS |
The Paul Livius Report
Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting – March 3,
2015
The Board
approved the appointment
of Jerome Barnes to the University of Missouri Extension Council.
Brenda Gustafson told the Board
the City is considering sending out the newsletter four times a year.
She told the Board she polled the cities of Gladstone, Raymore, Lee’s
Summit, and Prairie Village for their guidelines for their own newsletters.
She found most of the cities have similar guidelines to what we are proposing. The newsletter costs around $11,000.00 (68 cents per piece) for design, print, postage and mail services. By selling advertising, we have the opportunity to partner with the business community to help offset these costs to the City’s budget.
She said the City would not receive the monies. All revenue would go to the Raytown Community Betterment Fund (RCBF), held through Truman Heartland Community Foundation.
This fund would be responsible for receiving payments for advertisement and for paying the bills that are generated by the publication of the newsletter.
The City’s Newsletter shall accept only commercial advertisements. Noncommercial advertisements for the purpose of expressing political or religious messages, or messages otherwise related to public issues will not be accepted. Advertisements which propose a commercial transaction but which have a primarily non-commercial purpose shall not be accepted.
Alderman Van Buskirk asked why religious advertising would not be allowed. He pointed out there are close to 60 churches in Raytown. They all have fundraiser at different times of the year, and this would be a good vehicle for advertising.
Ms. Gustafson said they did not want to restrict religious messages. The staff would probably allow advertising of fundraisers. Mr. Van Buskirk pointed out it is part of the resolution. Mahesh Sharma said it was procedural guidelines.
Mr. Sharma said if there is some part of it the Board doesn’t like, the Resolution can be changed at a later date. The question was asked if religious advertising was legal in a government newsletter. The Board asked the city attorney to research that question. After much discussion, the Board tabled a resolution about a newsletter advertisement policy.
She found most of the cities have similar guidelines to what we are proposing. The newsletter costs around $11,000.00 (68 cents per piece) for design, print, postage and mail services. By selling advertising, we have the opportunity to partner with the business community to help offset these costs to the City’s budget.
She said the City would not receive the monies. All revenue would go to the Raytown Community Betterment Fund (RCBF), held through Truman Heartland Community Foundation.
This fund would be responsible for receiving payments for advertisement and for paying the bills that are generated by the publication of the newsletter.
The City’s Newsletter shall accept only commercial advertisements. Noncommercial advertisements for the purpose of expressing political or religious messages, or messages otherwise related to public issues will not be accepted. Advertisements which propose a commercial transaction but which have a primarily non-commercial purpose shall not be accepted.
Alderman Van Buskirk asked why religious advertising would not be allowed. He pointed out there are close to 60 churches in Raytown. They all have fundraiser at different times of the year, and this would be a good vehicle for advertising.
Ms. Gustafson said they did not want to restrict religious messages. The staff would probably allow advertising of fundraisers. Mr. Van Buskirk pointed out it is part of the resolution. Mahesh Sharma said it was procedural guidelines.
Mr. Sharma said if there is some part of it the Board doesn’t like, the Resolution can be changed at a later date. The question was asked if religious advertising was legal in a government newsletter. The Board asked the city attorney to research that question. After much discussion, the Board tabled a resolution about a newsletter advertisement policy.
The Board passed a resolution approving an agreement
with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety. Last year, due to a hail storm that caused
damage to over 1,500 homes in Raytown, the Development and Public Affairs
Department issued more than 1,400 roofing permits over a four to six month
period of time. In addition, the number
of permits issued resulted in over 1,400 inspections.
The number of inspections does not include the additional number of site visits made by the City’s Building Official to inform various roofing companies that they must obtain a roofing permit. The number of permits issued as well as the resulting site visits and inspections performed by the City’s Building Official resulted in a disruption to normal routine activities within the Development and Public Affairs Department. The Right-of-Way Inspector in the Public Works Department provides back-up support for building inspection services.
However, providing building inspection services has to also be balanced with his normal duties, which last year was challenging due to the number of right-of-way inspections resulting from the City’s sanitary sewer construction project and Google Fiber installation.
To avoid these disruptions to normal City services in the future, staff in the Development and Public Affairs Department has discussed inspection services with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS).
As provided in the attached brochure, IBTS is capable of providing a variety of services including construction plan review, construction permit issuance, and inspection of different types of construction projects.
The inspectors provided by IBTS have the same certifications as the City’s Building Official. Therefore, there will not be a loss in expertise, if the City should need to utilize their services.
The desired services for this Agreement will be for construction inspection services and construction plan review.
This proposed agreement will enable City staff to utilize their services if needed while ensuring that normal level of service is maintained.
Staff anticipates only using the plan review services in response to unforeseen storm damages and for large scale commercial construction projects that exceed or supplement the time or technical capabilities of the City’s Building Official.
The authorization for these services when needed would be made by the City Administrator.
The number of inspections does not include the additional number of site visits made by the City’s Building Official to inform various roofing companies that they must obtain a roofing permit. The number of permits issued as well as the resulting site visits and inspections performed by the City’s Building Official resulted in a disruption to normal routine activities within the Development and Public Affairs Department. The Right-of-Way Inspector in the Public Works Department provides back-up support for building inspection services.
However, providing building inspection services has to also be balanced with his normal duties, which last year was challenging due to the number of right-of-way inspections resulting from the City’s sanitary sewer construction project and Google Fiber installation.
To avoid these disruptions to normal City services in the future, staff in the Development and Public Affairs Department has discussed inspection services with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS).
As provided in the attached brochure, IBTS is capable of providing a variety of services including construction plan review, construction permit issuance, and inspection of different types of construction projects.
The inspectors provided by IBTS have the same certifications as the City’s Building Official. Therefore, there will not be a loss in expertise, if the City should need to utilize their services.
The desired services for this Agreement will be for construction inspection services and construction plan review.
This proposed agreement will enable City staff to utilize their services if needed while ensuring that normal level of service is maintained.
Staff anticipates only using the plan review services in response to unforeseen storm damages and for large scale commercial construction projects that exceed or supplement the time or technical capabilities of the City’s Building Official.
The authorization for these services when needed would be made by the City Administrator.
The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance granting
a conditional use permit to operate a vehicle rental business at 9400 and 9600 E.
53rd Place.
Neal Clevenger, on behalf of Emanuel Barger is seeking approval of a Conditional Use Permit application to allow a U-Haul rental business to operate at 9400 and 9600 E. 53rd Place. Mr. Barger would be the owner of the U-Haul business and would lease the property from Mr. Clevenger. The property contains two buildings with parking for the U-Haul vehicles as well as for parking of customer and employee vehicles. The applicant has submitted a site plan indicating the location of the buildings and the parking spaces in which the U-Haul vehicles would be parked.
Neal Clevenger, on behalf of Emanuel Barger is seeking approval of a Conditional Use Permit application to allow a U-Haul rental business to operate at 9400 and 9600 E. 53rd Place. Mr. Barger would be the owner of the U-Haul business and would lease the property from Mr. Clevenger. The property contains two buildings with parking for the U-Haul vehicles as well as for parking of customer and employee vehicles. The applicant has submitted a site plan indicating the location of the buildings and the parking spaces in which the U-Haul vehicles would be parked.
The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance granting
an amendment to the architectural design standards specified in the Crescent
Creek Design Manual.
John Benson told the Board the Planning and Zoning Commission by a vote of 7 in favor and 0 against recommends approval of the following text amendments. Driveways in the front yard are permitted only for lots that do not have alley access and shall be a maximum of twenty (20) feet wide.
Garage Doors shall not face a street if alley access is available. Where a garage door faces a street the following standards shall apply:
John Benson told the Board the Planning and Zoning Commission by a vote of 7 in favor and 0 against recommends approval of the following text amendments. Driveways in the front yard are permitted only for lots that do not have alley access and shall be a maximum of twenty (20) feet wide.
Garage Doors shall not face a street if alley access is available. Where a garage door faces a street the following standards shall apply:
1. Not more than twenty-two (22) feet
of the garage, inclusive of the garage door, shall extend beyond the sidewall
of the primary structure on the lot.
2. The front of the garage shall not
extend in front of the front plane of the house.
The Crescent Creek subdivision was
approved by the City of Raytown in 2004 as a Traditional Neighborhood Design
(TND) development. As a TND development,
certain design standards were proposed by the developer and adopted by the City
as part of the Planned Development Overlay Zoning District for the subdivision. The adopted standards include, but are not
limited to such design aspects as:
• Emphasis on human scale architecture
through such design aspects as porches or covered stoops in front each front
door entry on every home and garages not be located in front of homes;
• The subdivision emphasizing pedestrian
amenities and walkability through design aspects such as sidewalks along all
streets; smaller lot sizes relative to the size of lots in conventional
residential subdivisions; and homes being constructed closer to the front
property line than conventional residential subdivisions; and
• A variety of residential housing
types that includes single-family homes, paired houses (e.g. duplexes) and
townhomes.
After beginning construction on
single-family homes as well as one townhome building, the housing market
softened and ultimately crashed. This
caused the Crescent Creek subdivision to go into foreclosure.
In late 2013 the bank sold Crescent Creek who in turned sold it to a new developer. Kirk Miles on behalf of the new developer, Crescent Creek Revitalization, LLC, is seeking approval of an amendment to the Architectural Design Standards in the Crescent Creek Design Manual that was approved as part of their rezoning application for this development.
The amendment being sought relates to the width of driveways between the front of the house and the street and to the garage door restrictions on page 53 of the Design Manual. The regulations currently specify the following:
In late 2013 the bank sold Crescent Creek who in turned sold it to a new developer. Kirk Miles on behalf of the new developer, Crescent Creek Revitalization, LLC, is seeking approval of an amendment to the Architectural Design Standards in the Crescent Creek Design Manual that was approved as part of their rezoning application for this development.
The amendment being sought relates to the width of driveways between the front of the house and the street and to the garage door restrictions on page 53 of the Design Manual. The regulations currently specify the following:
• “Driveways in the front
yard are permitted only for lots that do not have alley access and shall be a
maximum of ten (10) feet wide.”
• “Garage doors shall not
face a street if alley access is available.
Where a garage door faces a street, no more than nine (9) feet of a
garage door shall extend no further than nine (9) feet beyond the plane of the
sidewall of the primary structure on the lot.”
According to the applicant, this
requirement presents several problems with regard to the entire development.
1. The current design results in
severe parking problems. The parking
problem has negatively affected property values and causes ill will between
homeowners.
2. The current restrictions on
driveways and garages have rendered the development unmarketable because the
costs of concrete and other related materials for rear entry garages are
excessive. Current real estate market
conditions will not support the home values that were previously sold when the
project first stated over 10 years ago.
3. Unless changes are made to the
garage requirements, the total costs of constructing new houses will be outside
the market and further delay for years the development of Crescent Creek.
4. The increase to twenty-two (22)
feet allows for a two-car garage to be built, which will help alleviate the
severe parking problem and improve ability to market homes in this development.
In addition to the problems the
current driveway and garage door regulations create, staff has noted the
following issues that relate to these design requirements.
5. Several corner lots do not have
alley access for the garage and these corner lots are not of a size that will
allow the garage to be tucked behind the house in any manner. Existing homes located on the corner of
Arlington Avenue and 57th Street and at Arlington and 57th Terrace are both
prime examples of this and have driveways and garages constructed that would
comply with the proposed amendment.
6. This restriction on perimeter lots
that do not have alley access necessitate the garages to be front loaded. As such the current standards require garages
to be tucked behind the house as more than 9-feet of garage door are currently
not permitted to extend beyond the plane of the sidewall of the house. In order to obtain access to the garage door
for a two-car garage, the garage has to sit far back from the house resulting
in a large portion of the back yard being taken up by concrete for the
driveways and the garage itself. In
addition, some of the driveways could be as long as 80-feet in length. Based upon the problems described above, the
applicant is requesting that the existing regulation be replaced with the
following language:
• Driveways in the front yard are permitted only for lots that do
not have alley access and shall be a maximum of twenty (20) feet wide.
• Garage Doors shall not face a street if alley access is available. Where a garage door faces a street the
following standards shall apply:
• Not more than twenty-two (22) feet
of the garage, inclusive of the garage door, shall extend beyond the sidewall
of the primary structure on the lot.
• The Planning & Zoning Commission
recommended approval of the above requested amendment subject to the following
additional language being added to the Garage Door amendment.
• The front of the garage shall not
extend in front of the front plane of the house.
Paul’s Rant BY PAUL LIVIUS
Last Tuesday night’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen was an interesting study in politics at Raytown City Hall..
Last Tuesday night’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen was an interesting study in politics at Raytown City Hall..
The issue at hand was whether or not
the city should sell advertising on the proposed quarterly news magazine published by
the city. Alderman Bill VanBuskirk questioned why the guidelines for
advertisers specifically eliminated advertising by religious organizations.
The city’s Public Information Officer,
Brenda Gustafson, did some fast back peddling to say they were just guidelines that
could be changed. Board members, led by the unusual pairing of Alderman Jason
Greene and Alderman Bill VanBuskirk pretty much led the charge in carrying over
the issue for further study. Their argument to carry over was endorsed by the
City Attorney who said he would need a couple of weeks to research the issue.
I wonder what makes anyone think that
selling ads in the publication will be a slam dunk!?! Particularly in a
publication that offers little more than over-stating the obvious and playing a
not-too-clever game of patting the powers that be at City Hal on the fine job
they are doing.
From my point of view, here is a
better plan.
The City Newsletter costs the
taxpayers about $22,000 annually. Why not quit publishing the newsletter for one year, and
put the money to more productive work.
Sources at City Hall have told us the broadcasting
of City Council meetings on U-Verse and Google will cost the city a one-time
cost of about $20,000. The good news is the city, and more importantly, the
taxpayers, would reap dividends in the form of live broadcasts of City Council
meetings in real time twice a month.
Once that one-time payment of $20,000
has been paid – it will not have to be paid again. Compared to a quarterly
news publication, that is quite an improvement.
From watching the videos on YOU TUBE
we have noticed the city must have new video equipment because they are now
broadcasting in a split screen and from multiple locations during meetings.
Put the technology to work to make
Raytown’s broadcasting ability a notch above surrounding communities.
BITS AND PIECES
In his State of the City address the Mayor reported that in the past five years the city has paved almost 68 lineal miles of roads.
The overabundance of qualifiers in the sentence (words like “almost” and “lineal”) made us wonder. Does he really believe Light Aggregate Seal (LAS) is the same as paving a road surface?
We disagree.
A paved road surface is one that is prepared for resurfacing and then repaved with the same material with which it was built. Light Aggregate seal is basically a tar like substance covered with gravel.
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| BY PAUL AND GREG |
In his State of the City address the Mayor reported that in the past five years the city has paved almost 68 lineal miles of roads.
The overabundance of qualifiers in the sentence (words like “almost” and “lineal”) made us wonder. Does he really believe Light Aggregate Seal (LAS) is the same as paving a road surface?
We disagree.
A paved road surface is one that is prepared for resurfacing and then repaved with the same material with which it was built. Light Aggregate seal is basically a tar like substance covered with gravel.
Oh, and for the record, Paul “almost” does twenty pushups every
morning.
Finally, the word lineal is superfluous. The same sentence could just
have easily read . . . “the city has paved 68 miles of roads”. Could it be the word
lineal qualifies the road surface to each lane paved?
Paul hit the nail on the head in his report about the city producing
its slick news magazine on a quarterly basis. The city’s Public Information
Officer, Brenda Gustafson, thinks the city should sell advertising based on a
number of inquiries by potential advertisers.
She may learn something any salesperson can tell you. Inquiries are not sales.
She may learn something any salesperson can tell you. Inquiries are not sales.
I like Paul’s idea of using the money of two of those publications to
hook up the city’s broadcast ability to the Google and ATT Networks.
A published magazine is nice, but it is looking back at events after they have happened.
The real time news of live broadcasting is more efficient and serves the public better. It also gives a nod to the technology available to the City of Raytown at the halfway mark in the second decade of the 21st Century.
The real time news of live broadcasting is more efficient and serves the public better. It also gives a nod to the technology available to the City of Raytown at the halfway mark in the second decade of the 21st Century.
The one-time cost of upgrading the city’s broadcast ability will pay
dividends for years to come.
I agree with Paul’s assessment of the situation. The city would spend
at least $45,000 publishing a quarterly magazine. We would all be better off if
they spent the $45,000 on REAL street overlay.
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| BY KAREN |
DO IT YOURSELF
Croutons
In four days most of the country
will be turning their clocks forward to kick-off daylight savings time; and
while some folks struggle with the change to their natural body rhythms, I for one couldn’t be
happier. Warmer days, lighter meals and definitely more of those big-ass salads are on
the horizon, which brings me to the topic at hand: croutons.
Crunchy cubes of
re-baked bread add interest, texture and an additional layer of flavor to
simple soups and salads; plus, they are a great way to use up those loaves,
buns and rolls that have passed their prime. READ MORE
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| ERIC AND ROXANNE TEEMAN |
Eric Teeman
Candidate for Alderman / Ward 5
Longtime Raytown resident Eric Teeman, has filed and began his campaign for Alderman in Raytown's 5th Ward.
“I'm excited about the opportunity to serve the Raytown community and Ward 5 in particular” Teeman said. “I look forward to the opportunity to be a fresh voice for the citizens of Ward 5, and stand for the responsible use of our tax dollars. In addition, I will be a strong advocate for quality business investment. As well as a vocal proponent for increasing the opportunities for youth activities in the city.”
Eric Teeman has been a resident of Raytown for 30 years. Eric graduated from Raytown South High School in 1995. He continued his education at UMKC where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree and went on to earn his MBA from Keller Graduate School.
He is a small business owner working closely with senior citizens around the metro area. Eric and his wife, Roxanne, are raising their 3 children here in Raytown.
Eric has volunteered for the Parents Advisory Committee to the Raytown School Board and currently volunteers as a coach for his daughter’s softball team.
If you wish to contact Eric Teeman, you may through email at
eric@ericteeman.com
eric@ericteeman.com
54 comments:
Congrats Greg and Mecee!! You have joined the ranks of Grandparents. This ride is so much fun. It is such a blessing to be a grandparent. Beautiful baby Gwen welcome to the world . Love the picture !!! Three red heads in one family!! Congrats to Ryan and Jenn !! Another generation begins
The key word is "appointed". If someone is appointed or hired to a job it does not mean they give up personal freedoms. Face it friend, for whatever reason you do not care for Ertz and you think it is your duty to bash him with illogical and erroneous accusations.
The key is who will have time to be mayor?Mr. Ertz has too many responsibilities at the water company to do justice to both jobs. If he is elected he might have to make a choice between the two jobs or his board of directors could make it for him. 5 member board, only takes 3 to feel he is not fulling his dutes in order to make a change. I wouldn't want to put my six figure job (with benefits) into this kind of jeperdory.
When appointment may provide conflict of interest, then yes there is a problem. Mr. Ertz liberty is not at stake, he choose to take that appointment and he choose to run for mayor. I dont even know Mike, but I will vote for him because Mr. Ertz has told me all I need to know about him by not resigning from the water board in his persuit of mayor.
Here’s something that is not “erroneous” about
Mr. Van BusKirk. He and his wife are using his old
signs for her campaign for alderman. He is telling
everybody in his ward that it’s time again to vote,
as if it were him running. And no he is not
telling them any difference.
7:30 AM Anonymous
This approach by the VanBuskirk crew should come at no surprise, the way he and his wife have spoken about the city, shows they think people are idiots. We will look like idiots if we elect a husband and wife team to the board. How embarassing for us if this happens, enough with these power hungry officials.
At last week's City Council meeting, the Aldermen were upset that the city prohibited churches from advertising in the newsletters. I agree the newsletter would be a great vehicle for churches to get the word out, but what is the city going to do when some fringe religion wants to have a fundraiser for a cause they don't agree with? What if ISIS wants to have a fund raiser? If they let the local Christian based churches advertise, won't they have to let the non-Christian based religions also advertise? Or, will they just let their bigotry come roaring out of the bag? I don't think a single one of them stopped to think about the slippery slope they were going down. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Creamer, you are wrong. You said the Constitution gives us freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The Constitution clearly states the government shall not support or establish any one religion. If someone chooses to have freedom from religion, that's their right.
Why is it necessary to waste $44,000 or more per year for a newsletter? The newsletter used to be a 2 sided page included in the sewer bill and contained important information such as animal licenses should be renewed in June, Raytown Cleanup days recycle center schedule, etc. Advertising should we open to ALL who want to pay without censorship by type of organization, but why would anyone spend good money to advertise there? The newsletter is something I discarded immediately after a quick check on the headlines! Some will discard immediately. I remember there used to be full sized newsletter mailed out out periodically but it was discontinued as a waste of money. A new newsletter is also a waste of money and never should be started. Apparently people don't learn from history and/or have short memories. The local media (2 print papers and online blog to name a few) could and would publish anything of general interest at no cost to the taxpayers.
Andy Whiteman
It's too bad the VanBuskirks didn't move out of town years ago when they didn't like the City's new dog ordinance, and threatened to move. She will probably try to ban all dog breeds because she it's smart enough to do her home work. I wouldn't vote for her if she was the only person on the ballot. VOTE FOR STEVE MEYERS, ALDERMAN WARD 4.
Andy, you're only part right. The Times will only print what City Hall wants printed. If city hall doesn't like a group or organization, the Times won't print it.
Pretty baby Greg and Mecee. Congratulations!!!
All this talk about a conflict of interest is so much nonsense. Will Mike McDonough have a conflict of inte=rest because he receives apension from the RPD? It is just as wrong to claim Pat Ertz has a conflict of interest because he was hired to manage a water company.
Speaking of pensions. Has either candidate spoken up about the police pension mess in Raytown. I understand officers will draw two pensions from the city at one time.
If there was a mess with the police pension fund, who do you think created it? It wasn't the police officers, it was the Mayor and the board of aldermen. Nothing gets done without the board of aldermen's approval. So as I see it ALL of the incumbents are the problem. VOTE THEM OUT!!!
Ok, 7:45, let's spell this out for you. Money changes hands between the city and the water company, for right of way permits for street and sidewalk cuts and degradation fees caused when a utility has to tear up surfaces to replace or repair lines. See Raytown Municodes 36.135 and 36.120. This is called a fiduciary duty and it's an ongoing relationship. No one tears up roads more than utilities, not because they want to but because they have to.
Pat Ertz would not have a conflict if he were retired and were receiving a pension from the water company, just as McDonough doesn't have a conflict because he's retired.
The old pension plan is fixed and gone. If some get two checks it will be because they became vested in both plans because they are still working. No new money goes into the old plan.
Matthew 6:24, no one can serve two masters.
I hope they catch who ever it was that stole the robot. It'd be a shame if the kids never got it back.
I feel so sorry for those writing on this blog that clearly got an education from our very own Alderman and former Raytown Teacher Jim Aziere.
For those that don’t understand and must have it clearly presented to them.
They mayor appoints the individuals that serve on the Police Pension Fund Board.
This same Police Pension Fund Board could do the right thing by the citizens of Raytown and stop the abusive funding of the pension fund that is bankrupting our city and is impacting the condition of our streets.
However, what former police officer is going to appoint anyone to that board that puts the pension formula in check and does what is right for everyone.
Therefore there is a clear conflict with a former police officer from the same city serving as Mayor.
Marilyn when did a group that our government has identified as a terrorist organization become a non-Christian based religious organization?
In fact by not allowing any true religious organization as recognized by our government could clearly be considered reverse discrimination for not accepting their advertisement.
Keep in mind the key piece to this debate is advertisement, which translates that the religious organization would be paying for the space.
You must further understand the US Constitution and the 1st amendment within it has no language, which indicates only Christian based religious. Oddly enough this means that those who don’t believe in a “GOD” are protected as that is their form of religion.
The real augment needs to be around that fact that our unneeded Public Relations Director believes that there are enough businesses within Raytown to fund the publication of the cities newsletter.
The reality is a the funds are there now all we have to do if elected individuals who find the position of a Public Relations Director to be unneeded and the duties to fall back upon the overpaid and under invested in Raytown, City Administrator. This would more than fund the newsletter and provide funding to find someone to fix the mess that these two call a city website.
Anyone who disagrees that the Public Relations Director is unneeded just needs to visit the cities new website and click on anyone of many links that go no place or look for content like prior meeting minutes that have totally disappeared.
I don’t know about you but I want that transparency that I keep hearing Mayor Bower tell us we are getting not a magic act on how to make things that were once available disappear.
Let me get this straight. A utility company pays a fee for damaging the street when it is dug up. Sounds like a simple formula to me. So many square feet = an amount of dollars.
The police pension fund is commpletely funded by the city. The individual police pay nothing into the fund.
Sounds like the same deal to me.
can we talk about some real issues like crime, fixing up our neighborhoods?
This discussion is silly and in many ways, absurd. Neither candidate for mahyor has done anything wrong.
The police officers pay into the pension plan as well.
Anonymous 7:40,
Maybe neither candidates have done any wrong but Jim Aziere,
Pat Ertz and the Van BusKirks has been caught in several lies.
Mike McDonaugh has not and is the most honest person
on the ballot.
I think it is hysterical that Ertz is patting himself on the back for saving Super Splash....which cost the tax payers plenty. Saving the City Administrator....which cost the taxpayers 30k......Bringing Aldi to town and loaning them money. Giving a TIF to the Sav-a-lot which couldn't make it. These all exhibit poor spening of mine and your tax dollars. Please stop him before it gets worse.
Dear folks at KC Starter and others that keep reminding everyone what a nice and honest guy Mike McDonaugh is.
I am sure we can all agree on that, but what does that have to do with being Mayor?
I sure recall everyone eight years ago saying the same thing about David Bower and look at what we actually got.
The point is people should not vote for someone because they are nice and honest as the old saying goes “what politician will be honest once they take office” and do any of us really want a nice (push over) person leading the direction of our city.
It seems the key to electing the best person for the job is to review their experience as it would relate to the office being sought.
I should stop myself and clarify I am not recommending one candidate for mayor over the other, but trying to understand the points that truly mater that should have any of us voting for one candidate over the other.
Many of my questions and concerns of who is truly best for Raytown comes from a review of the city newsletter, the city budget and concerns about the city presented on this blog by Alderman Candidate Van Buskirt.
Van Buskirt brings up some good points about some of the departments at city hall and brings to light simple questions if things could be done better.
My concern with Mr. McDonough’s direct ties to city hall and day in and day out operations. Is he tainted by the mindset that have been demonstrated or is he willing to step up as Mayor and put his friends and former co-works in check to save money and work on issues that Van Buskirt has brought to light.
Demonstrated too much throughout the news that public officials too often tend to forget who elected them to office in an effort to support those close net relationships, which ends up as costly mistakes for the voters.
Is Mr. McDonough willing to publicly address and recommend ways that will be put into action and transparent to everyone to address the concerns brought by Van Buskirt or are the loyalties to those at city hall stronger than being the nice and honest guy for everyone?
Is Mr. McDonough willing to publicly address the concerns that many of us have with countless issues at city hall that we all want answers about by calling for a state audit of all departments and getting public feedback on what will be included in the state audit?
As I said this was not a support for or against either candidate.
A yes to both of my questions gets my vote and I bet everyone else that is tired of the condition of our city, lack of transparency, and failure to save us money and the inability to follow through on promises.
As for Mr. Ertz, I would like to hear his thoughts too, but the reality is he is not in the day in day out weeds at city hall. Question two is very important to either of these two men and it must be done to separate their administration from the mess of David Bower.
It is question one that we all should be asking Mr. McDonough and the answer we get that should help us cast our vote.
Here is the truth folks. Ertz told McDonough many times that he wasn't going to file for mayor. He was waiting on Bower to make a decision. Bower knew McDonough would beat him so Ertz is the sacrificly lamb. David and Pat do what they please and then try tell the taxpayers they know best. Let's throw out the baby and the bath water. We need to take our city back under the control of the taxpayers. Vote yes for the charter. Bower, Ertz Aziere,Mary Jane VanBuskirk,all oppose it because they would be held accountable.
Amen 9:04
These people are getting ridiculous...case and point Azieres article today....clowns.
I think we all agree no one will miss bower. It is silly to claim Ertz is in some kind of conspiracy to continue bowers reign. Pat was considering running as far back as early last summer. quit bashing the man. A lot of you sound hysterical as the anti-charter crowd in your accusations! Go camapgaing for your candidate. All the negative accusations will only end up hurting your cause.
I try to give everybody the benefit of doubt, but,
when I catch them in a lie that benefit is gone!
Jim Aziere, Pat Ertz, and other elected officials
have lied on many occasions and it’s a shame that
some people just can’t see that once a lire always
a lire. The people that oppose the charter and were
on the board are no exception to the rule. They are
the worst kind of politicians. They tell lies and deceive
the people they are supposed to represent. Those people
are the people and not their buddies at City Hall. The
people voted these back stabbers onto the Charter so
Raytown would have a Charter form of government.
Instead they were on the board for one reason, to
sabotage it. Jim Aziere is an old hand at sabotaging
the hard work of all the other people on the Charter
Board.
I just read Randy Battagler’s “Randy’s Reflections.”
Anybody remember Randy saying his paper would not
be a political paper? I just read the most political, non-
political article from Randy in a long time.
Instead of pointing out the sabotage movement going
on, he agrees with it!
To “Anonymous 2:52,
It’s C&C Starters.
I proudly sign my name to the above!
A politician died and found himself at the Pearly Gates. He told St. Peter, "Wow, I didn't think I'd end up here." St. Peter said, "Not so fast. Our Lord gave us Free Will. Therefore, you will spend a day in Hell, then a day in Heaven. After that, you get to decide where you want to spend Eternity." St. Peter pointed to an elevator. The politician got on and descended into Hell. When he got there, he found all his old friends. They played golf, ate gourmet food, and kissed beautiful women. At the end of the day, he went back to Heaven. He found the food good, but not memorable. There were sports, but it wasn't the same without his friends. There were a lot of beautiful women, but they were always with other men. At the end of the day, the politician decided Hell was much nicer. St. Peter reminded him his decision was final. The politician got on the elevator and went back to Hell. When the elevator door opened, the place wasn't the same. It was unbearably hot, his friends had boils and sores all over their bodies, and the food was rotting dung. "Hey, what happened?" the politician asked. "It was much nicer yesterday!" "Well", said his friends, "yesterday we campaigned, and today you voted."
Mr. Ertz does not have time to be mayor with all of his responsibilities at the water district. This is the very reason that Bower was such a terrible mayor, he was always gone. Ertz will be more of the same, if that's what you think the people of Raytown deserve, then vote for him, but I think we can do better.
The mayor only gets $2,000 or so a month. If you want a full time mayor, you're going to have to pay for a full time position. Otherwise, quit belly aching about how little time someone has to spend on mayoral duties.
No previous mayor of Raytown has ever worked outside of city hall while mayor...... Wrong...... Check all of the past mayors
Need a better excuse than the one they are too busy with other responsibilities.
Really???
Sue Frank was Mayor from 1999-2007 while running a business . Just one example
There are some alderman candidates who must be running scared, because you see their signs everywhere but in the ward they are running. Maybe they need to pick up a map at city hall to see where their wards are.
Recieved note from Jason Greene in the mail. It was heartfelt and informative. A well thought out and well written piece of litature
The city news letter is a joke.
Why not just put city information in the Raytown newspapers? It would save money and help Raytown businesses.
Win Win. Booyah!!!
Jim Aziere is putting signs in yards where he really doesn't have permission. My neighbor's husband was working in the back yard last week when Aziere came by. Aziere asked the husband if he could put his sign in their yard. My neighbor said he would think about it and get back to him. When his wife got home, she found the sign in their yard. He ripped it up and threw it in the trash. If they ever see Aziere, they'll give him an ear full.
I would like to urge everybody in Raytown to
please read the Raytown-Brooking Eagle this week.
Please read Mr. Jason Green’s article. Mr. Jason Green
is not the Green that went to the dark side! He is the
Green that seems to want honesty in our cities
Government. He explains how our City Hall really
works. Which is, as we all knew, if you don’t suck up
to the mayor you won’t get anywhere! This is why
we need sweeping changes at City Hall.
Why didn't Jason sent a letter to everyone? I didn't get one and I am a active voter and vote in every election. What's the deal?
I got a note from Greene as well, just demonstrates what we already knew about this mayor and his attitude.
Kudos to the young alderman for having the courage to speak out and say what he feels and knows. Im sure there will be a few that will attack him because they are supporting the status quo, but I have a feeling that their days are limited.
To 1:35 it is obvious it was sent to those in HIS ward. Most will send only to the ward of voters that they represent and it is not meant to slight anyone
I didnt get a letter from him either and I vote, maybe the mail will take a couple days to get it. Regardless, I just read the Brooking Eagle online, I kind of feel bad for him. Seems like he had an optimistic view of trying to get involved, just to get the games that this city plays.
9:26,
I think the reason we see signs for Alderman in places other than their own Ward is called the Joe Creamer rule.
Under the Joe Creamer rule you put signs up in all the Wards as you just don't know where you will be living
Why is the city not posting the minutes from the meetings?
Is this transparency?
Is this what happen when someone is driving to and from Raymore?
Just one more sign of the waste of money we have in management at city hall!
Kuddos to Jason Greene for sending letters to those in his ward and placing it in the papaer where all can see it. This young man cares for his city and it shows through in his writing.
I got my letter. Feel so sorry for him. HA HA. He ran for the US Senate and he is complaining about this. He needs to get a thick skin put on his big boy pants and grow up. If you really want to help your city get up and do something and stop being a cry baby. I didn't know the teachers got paid so well they could afford to do a mass mailing. Must have cost him a nice chunk of change. By you don't have to serve on a committee to serve there are a lot of other ways just ask some of the other Alderman.
Oh, Mr. HaHa, you have it soooo wrong!
Jason did put on the "big boy pants" by raising the money to put out his letter. At least he signed his name!!
Ok 7:07
Big boy pants...
He was telling truth which is more refreshing than the liars we normally hear. Are you suggesting he doesnt say anything? I didnt view him as complaing but mearly saying that this is not how a city should run. I agree at least he signed his name.....something tells me you wouldnt go to his face and say that. If you did you might get smacked.
I dont live in his ward and I gotta letter. Thanks Jason.
One thing we have to remember, the “Anonymous”
writers on this site could be elected officials. In other
words the opposition to the people that actually want
Raytown to be a better place to live. They have an
ego trip going that somehow turns their brains off
when it comes to the people and the town.
They seem get a feeling of power, a better
than thou mentality. That’s why when your neighbors
and sometimes your friends get elected into office,
all of a sudden they lose their minds and turn stupid
and forget why they ran in the first place.
Criticism just makes it worse. If you were to point
out to most of our elected officials that they said
two and two is five, they would hold it against you
like you were the stupid one!
We see this at City Hall all the time.
Jason Green is a grown up man! He signs what he
writes, he has taken a chance by standing up and
telling us how City Hall is run. We have a bunch of
yes men and women that can’t or won’t think for
themselves. For them it is easier to just obey
their king, the mayor.
It is apparent 7:07 was just trying to rock the conversation saying Jason was a cry baby;
When he was not.
It is also apparent 7:07 only knows cry baby's and bullies and has a very limited vocabulary "big Boy Pants" ect
Intelligent people would not use such childish talk
It's just some in needing attention
If Jason had been talked to and treated as Greg Walters was under Sue Frank he really would have something to complain about. Mr. Greene were you not appointed as liaison to the fire board? And were you able to attend the meetings? Just wondering sign me Gloria
Ive visited this site only twice before, but got Mr. Greene's letter yesterday and felt compelled to write on here. I see a man who cares about our city, I dont see him complaining but just saying that this isnt right. The people at city hall know this isnt either. They have created a lot of division that they complain about and Mr. Greene called them out on it. I find it refreshing and will be watching next weeks meeting to see how they treat this fine man for having expressing his right of free speech.
Hmm let's see whom is it that is infamous for using the big boy pants cliche
Oh we all know
Who is also the one who consist ably uses the term cry baby
Oh we all know
Back when they used their name
Hmm that's a no brainer
I remember hearing that Greene wasnt appointed to an actual standing committee for his first year.... I think the first time that has happened, but I may be wrong. I think his letter is speaking about other people's appointments not his. "Gloria" Id just call Jason up and ask him. I think he could have gone into more detail on that in his letter but from what I read it sounded like other people involved.
I think the reason we see signs for Alderman in places other than their own Ward is called the Joe Creamer rule.
Under the Joe Creamer rule you put signs up in all the Wards as you just don't know where you will be living
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