A NOTE FROM GREG WALTERS:
Tuesday is the Presidential Primary Election in Missouri. The
Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Constitution Party are all holding Primary
Elections in the process to choose a presidential candidate for their respective parties.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE
Polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
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Paul’s Rant! BY PAUL LIVIUS
Bob Phillip’s
Conspiracy Theory
I’m a reader. I read damned near everything I
can get my hands on. Newspapers, magazines, books, I even read the stuff
written on the boxes of cereal when I am eating breakfast.
But when I really want to go slumming in the
world of written word, I reach for a copy of the Raytown Times. To be more
accurate, I read the column named “Off the Top” by Bob Phillips.
In fairness to Bob, he is a decent writer. There is
structure to his stories. His favorite method of writing is to create two or
three short paragraphs on a subject and then move on to the next topic.
Typically he starts with local Raytown politics and then moves on to items of
national interest.
What I find amusing are his conclusions.
He is in complete
denial about climate change. But it is his conclusions about local Raytown politics that catch our eye most of the time. Bob lives in Ozarks. He is undoubtedly being spoon-fed hokum by his
friend who lives in Raytown.
Last week he ends his story
with the following paragraph:
“I guess most of the
controversy is over, except for the explanation of why meetings with the Fire
District folks had to be so secretive. It leaves us to wonder just what they
were up to.”
Such nonsense!
The
Fire District reached out to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen to discuss discrepancy
they had found in an internal audit of the City’s billing of the District of TIF funds. They used the proper channel to initiate the meetings by contacting Mayor Michael McDonough's appointment as the Fire District liaison, Alderman Jason Greene, to arrange the meetings.
The meetings were
held within compliance of the Missouri Sunshine Law. Publishers of the Raytown
Times, the Raytown Brooking Eagle and the Raytown Report were also invited to
meet with officials of the Raytown Fire District.
All three of those news
sources published stories about the subject and content of those meetings.
The public has been
invited to view the information at the Fire District as well. If the meetings
were so “secretive” I think it would be fair to say the attempt was a complete failure.
Given the
transparency of those meetings, the inclusion of the press in the discussion, the Mea Culpa from City Hall for not filing the TIF reports in a timely manner . . . most people would be pleased with the result.
So, tell us Bob. How
on Earth do you find a conspiracy theory in all of the above?
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The idea of eating a particular food for one nutrient is
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16 comments:
The liaison is Jason Greene not josh
Paul,
Thank you for setting the record straight regarding the Raytown Fire District and the City. If the City would observe the same transparency as the District these problems would not be happening. And it probably won't be over for quite some time as they only thing the City has done it catch up back reporting. So while we sit and wait for answers, make sure are signing the petition in order to get a full disclosure from the City as to where are tax dollars are going.
When I had access to the Raytown Times and the Raytown Post before that, I enjoyed Bob Phillp's editorials which he called something like "Bob's Burnt Comments." When he attended and reported on BOA meetings, there were times his reporting was on the burnt side. After he made a comment about me that was actually an editorial and not a report of the meeting, I started referring to him as "Burnt Bob." His most interesting writings were about farming, Sunday outings, animals, and his daily life. I tended to disregard his conclusions about politics. I felt that the title "Burnt Comments" tended to describe the his conclusions!
Andy Whiteman
Paul,
Thank you for calling out to everyone that when someone is getting the news they write about at least 3rd hand if not more like 5th or 6th hand.
Does anyone really want to read that as at that point it is so far from the truth that is is gossip.
There is an old group exercise that person one tells a short story and the next person retells the story until it gets back to the person who started.
I have yet to attend one of these exercises where the story still sounds like anything that is started with. Some basic facts yes, but important pieces get lost.
I see this on how Randy and Bob are running "Bob's Side Show" pieces.
Perhaps the required TIF reports and meetings were done in secret, and that's why no one can find them! (I'm kidding, as text sarcasm can be hard to interpret sometimes)
Try being late for a couple of years with your taxes and see how unforgiving the state and city can be. Don't you think the recent snafu's by the city call into question the professionalism of those in charge. Let's see, they forget they promised the voters they would split the sales tax between parks and storm sewers. Not just for a couple of years. They forget for five years. They forget to turn in reports to the state for five years. They are required to hold a public hearing on the 350 TIF every five years. Guess what. They forget that too. Does the city council and mayor not see how sloppy their city is being run? Are they too ignorant to see it? God help us in Raytown if this is the case. Give it another couple of months. Another snafu will undoubtedly take place calling into question how the city is being managed by the professionals as city hall.
March 14, 2016 at 8:18 PM
You are so right on, I do not feel that the mayor and the aldermen realize the problem with
the taxpayer. I would like to see changes made at city hall. No more good old boy slap on
the back.
What a huge mess was left by the Bower administration. Fixing all his mess will certainly take time since he made them daily during his time in office. A job I would not want. I know we all want it fixed like yesterday. Atleast this administration is seeing them and tackling them. What a huge mess Bower left
Paul and Greg,
I think you need to do a multi-week part that covers the salaries for the employees of the taxing entities in Raytown.
Week 1 should be the city of Raytown
I think it will be fun to watch them try and tell you it is not public information as well as try not to provide the full information as required by law.
Full Name
Title
Salary
I have heard in the past the city when requested has provided title and salary, but not the name. Just one more example of the city not following the law.
I would like to see how forth coming the other entities are too.
Good like check on the transparency or lack there of within Raytown and the lack there of being a violation of the law.
I voted. Did you?
The March 9th addition of the Raytown Times had a guest editorial from Alderman Jim Aziere, which needs some serous fact checks done.
1.) Alderman Aziere was quick to criticize Mayor McDonough for what was not covered in the mayor’s state of the city address and was correct it didn’t cover the direction of the city or issues facing the city.
However, at what state address of David Bowers were these same concern covered?
2.) Alderman Aziere claims he won by a large majority, but the records form the Jackson County Election Board show that had he only had one opposition he would have won by only 50 votes, which is not a majority.
Alderman Aziere missed the point that he is so disliked that he had two people running against him and as Aziere is so quickly to point out the unfilled promise to the voters he fails to indicate his on failed promises and how his campaigning has left restrictions on our city by keeping Raytown a fourth class city.
3.) Alderman Aziere states that the code violations and crime have increased, but provides no supporting statements. In a separate part of his acquisitions he blames rental properties for not only the code violations and increased crime, but the low test scores and lack or parent participation in schools.
I didn’t know that the school district on standardized test collected this information and if they did one would believe that it being shared with Alderman Aziere is a privacy breach.
As any of you, I have read the police blotter and I really don’t see an increase in crime, nor any validation that where there is crime the property is a rental. I do see the address of Missouri’s largest TIF project listed often, which just makes that whole thing a larger black eye on marketing our city.
I know that I cannot be alone in driving through the city and seeing too many code violations that when I check with city hall are going unreported. If we have the professional staff that Alderman Aziere has referenced then why are they blind to these same code violations.
4.) Alderman Aziere makes a statement that “a pat on the back will not save the next life lost in a fire”.
That statement is not only insensitive to the family that loss several family members in the last fire, but also to those men and women in fire protection who bravely and with honor would give their life to save anyone else.
5.) Alderman Aziere attempts to provide a “smoke screen” with the comment that “10 years ago, I introduced an ordinance to ban smoking in public establishments”.
He fails to tell that he himself voted against the ordinance. Even more deceitful is the last time this came up, which was less than 10 years ago, Mayor Bower appointed him chair of a committee to write the ordinance in conjunction with people who were both smokers and non-smokers. Oddly is the vice chair, Pat Ertz, had to run the meetings as Aziere would never show.
6.) Alderman Aziere has often attended public meetings like those the chamber of Commerce holds and bragged about the professional staff at city hall with great focus on the city administrator, but rants that for over 10 years there is an occupied house in Raytown without electricity.
The last time I checked with other public utilities and wiser Alderman I was told that without basic services the house would be condemned, so why have that professional staff not condemned this property.
7.) Alderman Aziere must concerning statement is “I have pleaded with other Alderman to take action in goal planning sessions in the past”.
When was the last time the public was invited to these goal planning sessions and being you have indicated that “to take action” clearly calls out that the board is meeting behind closed doors with the full intent to take action on items that must be keep to public meetings, which makes these same meetings a violation of the “MO Sunshine Law”.
Oddly, I have not heard Randy Battagler call these “Closed meetings” out and demanded justice, but again maybe he just has not found the time to talk with that layer son he has bragged about.
Yes, my fellow residence of Raytown, what I have covered is in the piece from Aziere and the facts I have called out are either also in the Raytown Times, Meeting Minutes, Election Board Information and /other public information anyone can validate.
It is sad that Randy, Bob and Aziere all believe that everyone actually believes their take on the “Reflections” of Raytown.
Good job on the questions and fact check back for Jim Aziere
I am sure we will not get a response on here as no one at city hall reads this blog, but funny they all know what is on it.
I think you guys give any mayor a bit too much credit for the highs and lows of this community.
Happy St. Patrick's Day. May you have the luck of the Irish today and always.
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