The League of Women Voters and the Raytown Chamber of Commerce held a candidates forum for the Missouri House 28th District earlier this week. All six candidates were in attendance. RaytownOnline.com made a video recording of the forum. Due to the closeness of the election, to save time, the normal amount of editing to pretty up the footage has not been done. There is about 10 minutes where the view is only the moderator at the podium, when the preferred view would be the candidates. This is at almost the end of the video and the reason is simple, I made a mistake during the file transfer process and did not catch it before the originals were deleted from the camera. Everything is there, just some of it is not the preferred view.
As many of you may know, it recently came out that 7 of our 10 Alderman have taken part in secret meetings with the Fire District. The content of these meetings is still a mystery as The Disgraceful 7 will not discuss it with staff or you, their constituents. That is precisely the reason they are being investigated by the Missouri Attorney General’s office. Congratulations to the three Alderman( Steve Mock, Bill VanBuskirk and Jim Aziere) for not being part of this group.
I addressed the board through public comment at the last regularly scheduled meeting and let them know of what I thought and warned if they used their position to try to intimidate me I refuse to back down. So, with that I am going to tell you about my next story.
As many of you know I served 8 years on The Board of Alderman representing Ward 1 but am not currently in an elected capacity. I spent 8 years working with staff and other Alderman to try to make Raytown a better place. I found the staff at City Hall when I had questions in regards to any question I had with anything involving the community. I have set back as I am no longer an Alderman and observed the new board as they lead the community. This is where I want to take things a new direction.
I have had many conversations with people to the every day workings at City Hall and they have brought up to some disturbing revelations into the way the board is working with the professional staff at City hall. The ringleader of the disturbing treatment of staff would be the one and only Jason Greene; he believes that gotcha moments and the use of his henchmen is the way to work with staff. He uses Steve Meyers and Mark Moore to intimidate whomever is around that might disagree, whether it be staff or other Alderman. All of this while your Mayor Mike McDonough sits at City Hall for the entire day every day.
The treatment of staff is so bad that a friend confided in me that they were talking to an employee of City Hall and this person started crying because of the treatment they had seen staff members receive from the 3 listed above. I find that disgraceful! Now there are those that would argue the job of the Alderman is to ensure that staff perform to their highest level possible and that would be correct. However, if you condone the kind of activity at City Hall, put yourself in the position of the employees there. I know of nobody that wants to be in a position where they don’t know where the next attack is coming from.
These elected officials are supposed to be the leaders of our fine community but where is the leadership in idly standing by and watching the mistreatment of other human beings. I believe that Mike McDonough is a very good person but is being pulled by a faction of very selfish people who want to impose their will on the good people of Raytown. I call on our Mayor to stand up and show us the leadership we elected him for.
As a side note I have filed a complaint on all of the Disgraceful 7 with the Missouri Ethics Commission to let them determine if there is any wrong doing. There has been analysis from other news sources in regards to the matter but they are not the experts.
RAYTOWN DEMOCRATIC ASSOCIATION MEETING NOTICE Thursday, June 18th, 2015 at 7:00 PM Las Chili’s, 6210 Raytown Trafficway, Raytown Come early at 6:00 PM to dine and make new friends!
Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough and Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders at the last RDA meeting.
Sanders gave a presentation on the prospects for Light Rail in Jackson County by using idle railroad lines. Exec Sanders explained the unique advantage Jackson County and Raytown have given much of the route can be implemented on existing right-of-ways that the railroads have already agreed to sell at a fraction of what it would cost to develop for public transit from scratch.
The Charter is getting support in the form of Signs and post cards from a group called “Raytown Community Alliance.” Inquires to the Jackson County Election Board resulted in a referral to the Missouri Ethics Commission. The Commission website did yield some information.
Address 10014 E 63rd St. Raytown, Mo. 64133 Phone (816) 225-xxxx (the address is also the address of former Mayor Sue Franks insurance company and the phone number that I did not fully list is Ms. Frank’s cell phone)
The only other information on the Ethics Commission’s web site is a single non-committee expenditure report that shows $972.00 for yard signs and $1226.18 for a mailer. There was nothing about where the money came from. A recent article in the Raytown Eagle seemed to indicate that this group claimed to not be a campaign committee and therefore was not required to file disclosure reports. Well the group did file an expenditure report, they just did not file a contributor report. http://mec.mo.gov/Scanned/PDF/2015/111374.pdf
The bottom line is that it does not matter if a group can legally hide where their money comes from, if they hide it, they are not to be trusted. They are like a politician coming to your door wearing a ski mask.
This article originally ran in the Raytown Times and is reprinted here with their permission
The proposed City Charter has several policy issues that could become problematic for the city. particularly in the working relationships between the Mayor, Board of Aldermen and the City Administrator, Gary Markenson, former executive director of the Missouri Municipal League and now a consultant to cities. said yesterday (Tuesday, March 3 1).
At the Charter Commission’s request, Markenson met with the commissioners early on as they sought advice on charter preparation. After the draft was printed, Commission Chairman Sieve Guenther provided Markenson a copy of the charter and asked him to review it and provide an endorsement. Markenson said he could not endorse it and pointed out to Guenther several key problems.
The Charter has essentially gutted the position of Mayor, stripping the office of all administrative duties and leaving the mayor to handle ceremonial duties, Markenson noted. It also presents a wall between the Mayor and the City Administrator, placing more power with the Board of Aldermen.
The Charter states: ‘The Mayor shall be recognized as head of the City government for all legal and ceremonial purposes; shall have no administrative duties beyond serving as Board of Aldermen Chairman.”
The Charter also provides for an elected Municipal Judge. but states that the judge, “Need not reside within the City.”
” I don ‘I know of any city in this state that allows an elected official to live outside the city.” Markenson said. ” It seems inconsistent to require the City Administrator to live within the city when an elected judge is not required to.”
Markenson noted that the Charter specifies that “the Park Board may make and adopt such bylaws, rules, and regulations for the guidance and for the operation of the parks. Such rules shall be adopted into the City code or ordinances upon approval by the Board of Aldermen.”
“Does that mean the city has to rule on every little rule and regulation the Park Board comes up with?” he asked rhetorically. “It seems that could cause major conflict between the Park
Board and Aldermen. It paves the way for conflict.”
Markenson pointed out several other faults. but praised the Charter Commissioners for their diligence in preparing the document. “They worked really hard,” he said.
That concludes the Raytown Times article. Below is video of Markenson’s presentation at the second Charter Commission meeting.
The race for Mayor of Raytown is turning out to be the biggest in terms of cash contributions ever. Alderman Ertz has raised a respectable $5,533.33 and given the amount of time left from that filling to election day, should hit the normal well financed range of $6,000 to $8,000. Retired police Sergeant McDonough has raised a whopping $16,260.00 and has already set a new record for contributions.
Analysis of the named cash contributor based on their stated address shows that Ertz got 81.48% of his contributions from Raytown and the average contribution level was $270, McDonough got 55.48% of his contributions from Raytown and his average donation was $630.83. This is an incomplete picture as a large portion of McDonough’s contributions were in-kind donations and a large portion of Ertz’s donations were raised at fundraising events where small donations to not have to be itemized.
Click HEREto download a pdf scan of the Ertz filings with the Ethics Commission that this article is based on and clickHERE to download the McDonough filings.
Register Raytown is a non-partisan effort to register voters in Raytown. We will be helping voters get registered on March 1st from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM at the Painters Hall at 9902 East 62nd Street Raytown, MO. A Jackson County Election Board employee has volunteered his time so that your registration will be submitted immediately.
Directions: Take 63rd to Raytown Road (between Fox Drug and the UMB Bank) and turn North to 62nd Street and turn West (left) and it will be right in front of you. The entrance to the meeting room we will be using is in the back.
Local elections have more impact on our lives than any other type election. They determine the quality of our streets and street lights, police, parks, schools, and fire protection. Politicians listen to people that vote and are more likely to treat them fairly.
For Help registering call 317 ROC VOTE (317/762-8683) email vote@raytownonline.com
KANSAS CITY REGION RESPONDS, LAUNCHES “KC RISING”
TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL ECONOMY
Nov. 11, 2014 – Announced today, the Kansas City region’s business, civic and government leaders are launching KC Rising, a new effort that will:
• Build capacity to bring existing businesses to greater scale
• Synchronize and optimize initiatives supporting existing businesses
• Fully realize the KC region’s potential through business growth
KC Rising is initially focused on building capacity within three economic drivers: globally competitive sectors, innovation and entrepreneurship, and human capital. The planning process will be completed in three phases with regular reporting to the community: Issue Definition and Vision Setting; Strategy Prioritization and Development; and Plan Roll Out.
“While many of our peer cities have bounced back from the Great Recession, the KC region is not keeping up – and the gap is growing,” said KC Rising Co-Chair Scott Smith, former CEO of HNTB Infrastructure. “Now is the time for a sustainable, strategic vision for the economic future of our entire KC region … we are all in this together.”
KC Rising is a strategic, business-led, long-term vision that is global in perspective and regional in focus. This community initiative is focused on three measurable outcomes:
• High growth in the Kansas City region’s Gross Metropolitan Product
• High-paying and sustainable, quality jobs
• A thriving innovation and business-creation environment
“A recent Brookings Report made it clear the KC region must be better positioned for success in the areas of job growth, global market share and commercialization,” said KC Rising Co-Chair Doug Girod, executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “We are kicking things off today and realize the tremendous task ahead of us. I am confident that the promise of KC Rising will become a reality.”
Groups comprised of business and civic leadership from across the two-state region will support, implement and sustain this collaborative initiative. KC Rising is led by a steering committee with input on the development of strategies led by work groups focused on the initial three economic drivers.
KC Rising is supported by active engagement of the leadership and staff of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC), Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), and the support of many regional chambers of commerce including the KC Chamber, our great educational institutions, and elected officials across the region, among others.
About KC Rising
KC Rising is a regional, collaborative, business community-led effort to develop a path for the KC region to reach its full economic potential. KC Rising will develop strategies for accelerating the region’s economic growth and ensure its continued competitiveness in the global economy. www.kcrising.com.
I was present at the Raytown polls on election day for the August primary. While there, I noticed Alderman Joe Creamer engaged in a long conversation with an election judge. I talked to Creamer afterwards and he stated that the Jackson County Election Board initially did not have a record of his residency. Eventually, the problem was cleared up and Creamer was allowed to vote.
Alderman Creamer contacted me several days later to tell me he was sending letters about his problem at the polls to the editors of Raytown’s print media as well to Raytown Online. He indicated that the source of the problem was a complaint from former Alderman Greg Walters, who was using Creamer’s upcoming divorce to challenge Creamer’s right to claim his home as his legal residence.
Prior to publishing Creamer’s letter on August 22nd, I asked for additional documentation. Creamer forwarded me a copy of this email he received from the Jackson County Election Board:
Mr. Creamer,
The Jackson County Election Board received a request from Greg Walters to investigate your voter registration regarding your residency. As discussed with you this morning, I will turn over all the paperwork you gave us to our Board’s attorneys.
We will advise you of the outcome.
Robert C. ( Bob ) Nichols, Jr. Director of Elections Jackson County Election Board 816-325-4600
The next step in my investigation was to verify Creamer’s copy of the email with the election board. The election board not only verified the validity of the email, at my request, they also provided me with a copy of Walter’s complaint letter. Click HERE to download a PDF version of the letter or scroll down in the article.
The next step in verifying Creamer’s story was checking Walter’s blog, where I read the following statement: “Raytown City Hall sources tell us that Ward 1 Alderman Joe Creamer is being investigated by Jackson County Election Board officials on questions of his residency.”
I will leave it to the readers to decide why Mr. Walters cited City Hall as the source of an investigation that he appears to have instigated.
Next, I obtained a copy of the divorce papers Mr. Walters referred to in his letter to the election board from Alderman Creamer. Creamer provided me with a copy and you can click HERE to download a PDF version of the relevant pages, or scroll down to the bottom of this article.
From the divorce document, it is clear that Alderman Creamer lists the home he owns in Ward 1 as his permanent residence. The document also lists a temporary address in Raytown, but outside Ward 1, as his residence while the divorce is concluded.
The Jackson County Election Board ruled in Alderman Creamer’s favor, allowing him to vote based on his permanent, home address in Ward 1, Raytown. Is this a case of a Raytown elected official breaking the rules by sleeping somewhere besides his home while a divorce proceeds, or it a case of a political adversary taking advantage of Creamer’s marital problems to make more trouble for him?
Michael McDonough announced Friday, 08-15-14, his intention to run for Mayor of the City of Raytown. Michael McDonough is dedicated to fostering an environment of cooperation within the City of Raytown. He is committed to working alongside citizens and businesses to meet important community goals. For decades, Michael has served the public, his own neighbors, with integrity and dedication, in both public safety and local charity service, and is committed to our community’s progress. The election will be held in April of 2015.
Michael, a nearly life-long resident, has achieved many accomplishments throughout his personal and professional life. He was most recently honored to be named the Truman Heartland Foundation 2014 Raytown Outstanding Citizen of the Year. As stated by the Truman Heartland Foundation’s press release announcing the honor, that recognition is reserved for those community members that have “used their skills, abilities, and positions to promote the wellbeing of their communities and the people that live in them. While the avenue towards change may be varied among them, all the honorees are united by a common goal, to improve the lives of their fellow citizens, and a common desire to help improve and enrich the communities of Eastern Jackson County.”
He donates his personal time to many charitable organizations and serves on the Board of Directors for Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP,) the Raytown Police Benefit Fund, and was elected to a position on the Raytown Charter Commission. He was also involved at Southwood Elementary School for seven years in the Youth Friends Program.
His other accomplishments include having been an EMT with training in Emergency Care of Wounded Police Officers, Scouting, Coaching youth sports, and assisting other organizations with fundraising events. He has received the Officer of the Year Award, twice, a Lifesaving Award from the Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, the James Schneider Award from the Raytown Fire Protection District, the Life Saving Star from Raytown Emergency Medical Services, as well as several Quality Contribution Certificates from the Raytown C-2 School District.
Michael McDonough has lived in Raytown for the past 51 years. He grew up in Raytown, went through school here and graduated from Raytown South High School in 1973. He enjoys living in Raytown because of the great people that live here. They are so giving and helpful to one another, and just like him, are proud of this community. Although this town is surrounded by Kansas City, it has continued to keep its small town feel.
He has served as a police officer for the Raytown Police Department since 1975. Prior to that, he worked for a year in the City Street Department, while attending community college. His passion has been, and always will be, serving the citizens of the City of Raytown. He has been serving his community for the last 40 years, and will continue to do so. He continues to live in Raytown because of the people, and his love for this community.
It is that dedication and commitment to our community that has led Michael McDonough to decide to run for Mayor of the City of Raytown in the April 2015 election. Michael would be honored to continue his service to the citizens of Raytown by leading the City of Raytown with a spirit of cooperation and progress.
Frank White was at Doughboys Donuts in the Woodson Shopping Center on August 2nd for a campaign event. Mr. White signed autographs, there was a DJ, face painting for the kids and of course donuts.
In the past RaytownOnline.com has limited political attention to candidates for the City of Raytown and the Raytown School District. Recent events concerning the Jackson County Legislature granting property tax-free status and renewal of property free status at the expense of the income of the Raytown School District in the past, prompted broader political scrutiny for the sake of our community.
Jackson County Legislature, 1st District at Large (Democrat) Sherwood Smith
Mr. Smith can point to a long history of involvement working for Democratic values and has the skills and knowledge that the job requires. His opponent has name recognition and a commendable history working with children, but needs more political experience before tackling a job in the often rough arena of the Jackson County Legislature.
Jackson County Legislature, 2nd District (Democrat) Sterling Brown
Mr. Brown lives in Raytown with his wife and children and has a history of supporting issues that help working class families. The former 2nd District Legislator totally ignored the Raytown portion of his district and the odds are good that his hand-picked successor with do the same.
Jackson County Legislature, 6th District (Republican) Theresa Galvin
Ms. Galvin seems knowledgeable and articulate. It is hoped that Raytown will receive better attention from her than it has from the incumbent Bob Spence. To Mr. Spence’s credit, he has attended a couple of Raytown Chamber of Commerce functions recently, but after many years in office, it is too little and too late.
RaytownOnline.com position on two of the Constitutional Amendments that will be on the ballot next Tuesday.
Constitutional Amendment #1: The Right to Farm – NO
The very name of this amendment is deceptive. This amendment is not about the right to farm in any traditional sense. It is about the right to put HUGE hog production facilities in Missouri, without local government having any control. The amendment also loosens restrictions on foreign ownership of Missouri farmland and loosens restrictions on puppy mills. In the past county and city governments have been able to prevent damage to the local air quality and threats to the local water table by the use of zoning and health codes that control where large hog factories can be placed. This amendment would prevent local government from deciding where they want to allow hog factories to be placed. This bill is totally for the benefit of LARGE hog factories, foreign farm investors, and puppy mills. It does nothing for family farms and takes power away from local government ability to protect their citizens.
Constitutional Amendment #7 Sales Tax Increase for Transportation – NO
We agree there is a need to repair and upgrade Missouri highways and bridges, BUT this is the WRONG way to pay for it. The logical source of revenue would be an increase on the gasoline and diesel fuel tax, a tax that has not been raised for over 20 years. The fuel tax has not even been adjusted for inflation and is one of the lowest in the Midwest. The amendment goes further, it prevents any raising of fuel taxes for 10 years. Those that use and put the most wear and tear on our highways are the trucking industry, and they are a major force behind this legislation. NO free ride for trucking companies at the expense of everyone else, including people that do not or cannot even drive.
This years Raytown Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum was much more lively than previous forums. The elected officials (or in the case of Claire McCaskill her representative) were ask questions about recent legislation.
The recent tax cuts on business and income and the proposed sales tax and gasoline tax increases were supported by the Republican panel members. County Legislator Bob Spence) and State Representative Mike Cierpoit took the position that the tax cuts would stimulate growth in the economy and create jobs. State Representatives Bonnaye Mims and Tom McDonald maintained that the cuts favored business and the wealthy, would cause major budget shortfalls that would hurt education. The two Democratic Representatives also maintained that the increased sales and gasoline taxes would cost the middle class and the poor more than the cuts would save them.
The forum ended on a high note, with Representative Mims thanking Representative Cierpoit for his help in obtaining funding to restore the Jackson County Courthouse.
The charter candidate information has been organized in a table with links to the candidates’ submissions to RaytownOnline.com and their answers to the questionnaire RaytownOnline.com emailed them. Not all candidates have responded; consequently, the table has many blank areas that hopefully will be filled in by election day. Due to time constraints and the amount of effort this article has taken and will take, and the fact that some of the candidates will never respond, it will be published now and updated if and when RaytownOnline receives more responses.
Raytown voters and Raytown School District voters will have choices to make on Tuesday, April 8th.
Editorial Content
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For Raytown voters, these are the choices:
1. Does Raytown renew the 1/2 cent sales tax that is earmarked for transportation purposes for a period of ten years?
Yes: This one is the easiest choice to make. I have seen major improvement since this was passed. I can remember a street that was in total failure just two blocks from my home when I first moved to Raytown. I truly might have had second thoughts about buying my home if I had noticed this and other Raytown street conditions. Further, Raytown lags far behind our neighboring cities in providing sidewalks; many of our children wait for the school bus or walk to school in the street.
2. Does Raytown renew the 3/8 cent sales tax that is earmarked for capital improvements purposes for a period of ten years?
Yes: This tax pays for the equipment needed to provide services such as police, ambulance, and snow removal.
Unlike many taxes, both these sales taxes are monitored by a citizen oversight committee that insures the tax money is spent in the manner that the voters approved. Without these revenues, the Raytown would have to dip into general funds and the money is not there.
3. Do we create a commission to frame (write) a charter (like a constitution for a city)?
Yes: A charter would be good for the city, if it is a good charter. There is risk, however. We could get a commission that wastes time and taxpayer money to draft a charter that will not pass, or a charter that should not pass. Another risk would be a charter that sets the threshold for recall/initiative/referendum so low that Raytown might be drained of our tax money paying for elections for issues that have no real popular support.
4. Which 13 candidates out of a field of 22 shall frame this charter?
RaytownOnline endorsements will be indicated by Y, N, or ?. Many of the candidates are not well known in the community, or did not respond to the request for information, so it is not possible for me to have an opinion on how well they will serve based on previous service in elected or volunteer positions. The key word in that last sentence is OPINION, as an endorsement from RaytownOnline.com is actually only my personal opinion, based on years of paying attention to the events that concern Raytown.
You do not have to vote for all 13 positions. Voting for a candidate you know nothing about reduces the chance of candidates you want elected actually winning.
Candidate
Endorsed
Comments
Joe Burton
Janet Emerson
Lisa Emerson
N
Jason Greene
Mark Moore
Chris Rathbone
Y
Robbie Tubbs
N
Susan Thorsen
Jim Aziere
Y
Former US Constitution teacher
Richard Koop
Steve Guenther
Greg Walters
N
Charlotte Melson
Y
Susan Dolan
N
Sandra Wood-Hartwell
Y
Ted Bowman
Y
Michael McDonough
Y
Excellent people and organizational skills
Mary Jane Van Buskirk
Y
David McCauley
Y
Witty Wittman
Y
Matthew Cushman
Y
Jerome Barnes
Y
Strong history of both community service and working with diverse people towards a common goal
For Raytown School District voters this is the choice:
Shall the Raytown School District be allowed to borrow $22 million dollars for the purpose of constructing, renovating, improving, furnishing and equipping school facilities of the District, including safety and security enhancements, roof replacements, lighting improvements, restrooms, plumbing, electrical and technology upgrades, and renovation and expansion of the existing Raytown South High School athletic facility and issue bonds for the payment thereof?
Yes: About 85% of this bond issue is targeted at needed repairs and upgrade. Failure to make the repairs would results in greater costs in the future. Failure to upgrade school security could result in a disaster. The expenditure to on a football field at Raytown South is not a high priority item and I would prefer that money was spent building a swimming facility to replace the loss of the YMCA pool. The bond issue addresses a multitude of needs and it is surprising that most of them deserve to be funded. 85% is a remarkably high percentage.
Click HERE to see the Election Board ballot for the Raytown City election.
Click HERE to see the Election Board ballot for the Raytown School District election.
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My name is Jerome Barnes… I am married, and have been a resident of Raytown since 1986. I served in the military for 6 years, and retired from the United States Postal Service after 30 years as a Labor Relations Specialists. I served on the School Advisory Board and Volunteered as an Athletic Director for 5 years at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School here in Raytown. Currently serving on the Raytown C-2 School Board and was recently elected to my second three-year term. I am a member of the Raytown Retired Teachers and School Personnel Association. I am placing my name on the ballot for Charter Commissioner because I want to take an active part in the local decision-making process. If elected, I will work with the charter commission members and other community leaders to produce a charter for Raytown…a charter that is written clearly and in plain language that the citizens of Raytown can understand.
Like many others, I believe that Raytown is at a crossroad. We all want to see the great City of Raytown making the right decisions and headed in the right direction. I believe the charter, if written correctly, can be a tool to aid Raytown in recognizing problems and avoid some of the potential pitfalls our community faces. In Missouri, a town without a charter operates under state rules. That means Raytown is now governed by state statute due to not having a charter. A charter serves as a town’s constitution and will outline the structure of town government and the distribution of powers within that government under the Missouri State Constitution and state laws. For me, the charter is a defining document. It defines the structure of the city’s organization, describes the process by which important tasks are accomplished, clarifies the roles of individuals and groups who play a part in the governance process, and identifies who is accountable.
There will be two questions on the ballot for the Tuesday, April 8, 2014 election concerning Raytown Charter. The first question would establish a charter commission. Secondly, the voters are also asked to choose a thirteen-member charter commission. The commissioners (when elected) will write a document that will enhance the city way of doing business for the next 10 to 20 years. I encourage you to support the development of a charter for Raytown, and would appreciate your vote to include me as a member of the commission. I can be reached at smile4jerome@yahoo.com
Jerome made a donation to REAP. This is a prerequisite for placing an ad on RaytownOnline.com When he responds to the questionnaire, it will also be posted.
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