Opinion: From doughnuts to development to debates, Wyandotte County takes the cake this week

Window on the West
by Mary Rupert

Mayor Mark Holland gave his state of the Unified Government speech earlier this week, and readers of this column will note that some, but not all, of the same information about economic development was in a column two weeks ago, when the mayor spoke at the Leavenworth Road Association meeting.

That column is at https://wyandotteonline.com/questions-and-answers-about-economic-development-projects-in-kansas-city-kan/.

What intrigues me is whether the Krispy Kreme grand opening at Wyandotte Plaza, just a couple hours before the mayor’s speech Tuesday, grabbed the attention away from the mayor’s day?

The mayor was not able to attend the grand opening that day because of his speech scheduled that morning, and he visited the new store at Wyandotte Plaza for an employee event the weekend before, according to the local Krispy Kreme communications officer. The company had rescheduled the grand opening two times because of delays and was finally ready to go on Tuesday, according to the spokesman. The store opening made national news, as it was the company’s 1,000th store opening.

Republicans including Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer were on hand at the doughnut shop event to welcome the new store.

The mayor made a big media swing, appearing on broadcast news programs and talk shows the next day in order to get his state of the UG economic development message out.

I’m not really sure how the doughnut store opening fits with the UG’s healthy communities plan, but maybe a walking trail is needed at Wyandotte Plaza now.

It’s difficult being an unaffiliated candidate in Wyandotte County

Janice Grant Witt, a candidate for the Unified Government, 1st District at large, said she doesn’t expect to win but she is sometimes having an opportunity to get her message out during this campaign.

However, no unaffiliated candidates were allowed to speak at the Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic breakfast last weekend at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Witt said she was not asking to speak, but said she was questioned about whether she was really a Republican at that meeting. She said she is unaffiliated. Only Democratic candidates were allowed to speak at the meeting, and only those who were Democrats and unaffiliated could attend. Witt felt she was being questioned about her party in an attempt to remove her from the room. She was told she could not pass out her campaign information, too.

Witt said her husband, currently a Democrat, now is thinking of switching to unaffiliated status.

In past years some candidates have told us that it’s more fun to be the underdog, and then you can criticize the powers that be. Witt’s “tell it like it is” campaign included lots of criticisms at the forum held at the John F. Kennedy Community Center. But at the Armourdale forum held on Wednesday night, Witt left all her campaign speech behind and instead talked just about her efforts to help the homeless on that very cold night, and also about the Reola Grant Civitan Center, which she founded, at Victory Dodge on State Avenue.

The Armourdale forum has a policy of “no candidate bashing” and no debating, so it was quite a bit tamer than some other events held earlier this month.

On Saturday, Witt said she felt that she has a right to attend the Democrats’ meeting, as the meeting notice said unaffiliated voters could attend.

Access is an interesting thing. In general, people do not have access to a private organization’s meeting, unless invited or unless it is open to the public, while they do have access to government-sponsored public events. In general, they also have access to the places open to the public in public buildings – not necessarily to individual rooms in the building. Witt expressed the thought that she was in a public building and had the right to be there.

Legalities of access aside, however, many organizations have changed their approach to membership in recent years. That’s because a lot of the younger generation has expressed a fear of long-term commitment to membership. Organizations instead are holding single-day or weekend events to draw in the younger generation, which is membership-shy. I doubt that the organizations will get a lot of new members by double-checking individuals’ membership at meetings. Access and membership are some interesting issues that the political parties have to face in the future.

I enjoyed attending some of the forums, but my own experience was that the Democrats were the best at getting out information in advance about their candidate forum last Saturday morning, better than the other local groups that had forums. The Democrats sent out several email blasts about their upcoming event.

Is it Village East or Village West?

The name “Village East” appeared in some media reports again recently concerning the 98th and State Avenue Schlitterbahn area being developed for the Dairy Farmers of America headquarters.

I did not see the Village East name used again in the current UG documents or at the meetings, but only in some other media reports. The Village East name had surfaced on some documents when the first public announcement was made of the U.S. Soccer training facility near Schlitterbahn, but officials later said it would not be used for that area again.

That use of the name “Village East” is something State Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist., doesn’t like to see, since he has the rights to the name “Village East.” And in Sen. Haley’s opinion, Village East will be east of I-635, some day.

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].

Legislative newsletter from Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.

Rep. Stan Frownfelter
Rep. Stan Frownfelter

Legislative newsletter from Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.
In this issue:
Budget woes
Sin taxes
Judicial selection
Bill bans professors from voicing opinions
Keep in touch

Budget woes
A study released this week by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy identifies Kansas’ tax policy as the ninth most unfair in the country. The study cited Gov. Brownback’s tax plan, which authorized tax exemptions for businesses and the wealthiest Kansans, as the reason why. The governor’s tax policy has created state revenue shortfalls and a budget deficit of over $1 billion over the next five years. Rather than looking for long-term solutions to address the problem, the governor wants to use single sources of revenue, like school district contingency budgets and the Kansas Highway Fund, to bridge the revenue gap.

Education allotment
After cutting $28 million from local school district budgets, Gov. Brownback and his legislative allies are now suggesting that school districts use their cash reserve funds to make ends meet this fiscal year. These funds, however, are not flexible and local districts have already allocated the money to cover future expenses like virtual and bilingual education programs, summer school, and textbooks. The one-time use of these funds is not sustainable and does not address the real problem: our schools are underfunded. Failing to invest in public education threatens Kansas’ future.

T-Works

This week the House Transportation Committee voted to approve the governor’s request to sweep $724 million from the State Highway Fund in 2016 and 2017 to help fill projected budget deficits. The fund, which is a proven job creator, was established in 2010 to spur economic growth and development while improving Kansas roads. The move to sweep part of the fund will cost our state jobs and will defer scheduled maintenance on vital infrastructure like roads and bridges that Kansans use every day.

Sin taxes

In an attempt to offset the significant cost of his failed tax plan, Gov. Brownback is proposing to raise consumption taxes to generate more revenue for the state. On Wednesday, the House Taxation Committee heard the governor’s proposal which would:
• nearly triple the tax on cigarettes from 79 cents to $2.29 a pack,
• and raise the tax on alcohol from 8 percent to 12 percent
Business owners testified to the committee that the bill would push sales across state lines into Missouri, causing them to lose business. Thus far, the governor has not been able garner support for the bill from members of his own party so it is unlikely that the new taxes will pass.

Judicial selection
Several proposals are circulating in the capitol to change the way Supreme Court justices are selected. The current process is merit-based and nonpartisan; a nine member commission forwards three nominees to the governor for selection. Seeking to change the process, the House Judiciary Committee recently passed two proposals:
1. Appointment by governor, with Senate Confirmation, and
2. Direct election of justices by voters in a partisan election.
An independent, non-partisan judiciary is essential to the state’s system of checks and balances and electing judges in a partisan fashion, or allowing the governor to appoint justices skews that balance and threatens the principle of democracy in our state.
Bill bans professors from voicing opinions
The House Education Committee heard testimony this week on a bill that would prohibit employees of state universities and community colleges from using their official titles in newspaper opinion columns if they are about a person who currently holds any elected public office. Opponents of the bill claim it infringes on public education employees’ freedom of speech, and that the measure is unwarranted.

Keep in touch
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 174-W, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785-296-7691 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can email me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.

Rep. Pam Curtis
Rep. Pam Curtis

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.
Feb. 19, 2015
My congratulations and best wishes to Joe Reardon who was named President-CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority this week. Joe made public transportation a priority during his tenure as Mayor, and I have no doubt that he will do an excellent job leading our regional transit authority. As Joe stated, ”Public transportation is the glue that holds communities together!”

Last week, Kansas college students visited the legislature and spoke to the Judiciary Committee about their proposed bill, Lifeline 911. This week, the committee passed it through favorably. The intent of this bill is to save lives, which is why I voted in favor of it. The bill would make it so any minor who is in need of medical assistance or sees someone who is can call for help and be granted immunity from criminal prosecution.

I also had the privilege of attending two events this week: The Kansas Chamber dinner and The Kansas Livestock Association dinner. These events allowed me the opportunity to speak with people from across the state, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thursday, I was part of a press conference for The Kansas Democrats and House Latino Caucus that discussed the unconstitutionality of a Senate bill that would negatively impact our immigrant communities. The bill would remove benefits from employers who have hired individuals in the president’s immigration program and prevents those individuals from obtaining drivers licenses.

It remains an incredible honor to represent our community in the Kansas House of Representatives. While the Legislature is in session, I do my best to stay in touch and keep you informed by email, and I spend countless hours every week helping my constituents solve problems. If I can be of service to you or anyone you know, call my office at 785-296-7371, or email me at [email protected].

Budget woes
A study released this week by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy identifies Kansas’ tax policy as the ninth most unfair in the country. The study cited the governor’s tax plan, which authorized tax exemptions for businesses and the wealthiest Kansans, as the reason why. The governor’s tax policy has created state revenue shortfalls and a budget deficit of over $1 billion over the next five years. Rather than looking for long-term solutions to address the problem, the governor wants to use single sources of revenue, like school district contingency budgets and the Kansas Highway Fund, to bridge the revenue gap.

Education allotment
After cutting $28 million from local school district budgets, the governor and his legislative allies are now suggesting that school districts use their cash reserve funds to make ends meet this fiscal year. These funds, however, are not flexible and local districts have already allocated the money to cover future expenses like virtual and bilingual education programs, summer school, and textbooks. The one-time use of these funds is not sustainable and does not address the real problem: our schools are underfunded. Failing to invest in public education threatens Kansas’ future.

T-Works
This week the House Transportation Committee voted to approve the governor’s request to sweep $724 million from the State Highway Fund in 2016 and 2017 to help fill projected budget deficits. The fund, which is a proven job creator, was established in 2010 to spur economic growth and development while improving Kansas roads. The move to sweep part of the fund will cost our state jobs and will defer scheduled maintenance on vital infrastructure like roads and bridges that Kansans use every day.

Sin taxes
In an attempt to offset the significant cost of his failed tax plan, the governor is proposing to raise consumption taxes to generate more revenue for the state. On Wednesday, the House Taxation Committee heard the governor’s proposal which would:
• nearly triple the tax on cigarettes from 79 cents to $2.29 a pack,
• and raise the tax on alcohol from 8 percent to 12 percent

Business owners testified to the committee that the bill would push sales across state lines into Missouri, causing them to lose business. Thus far, the governor has not been able garner support for the bill from members of his own party so it is unlikely that the new taxes will pass.

Judicial selection
Several proposals are circulating in the capitol to change the way Supreme Court justices are selected. The current process is merit-based and nonpartisan; a nine-member commission forwards three nominees to the governor for selection. Seeking to change the process, the House Judiciary Committee recently passed two proposals:
1. Appointment by governor, with Senate confirmation, and
2. Direct election of justices by voters in a partisan election.

An independent, non-partisan judiciary is essential to the state’s system of checks and balances and electing judges in a partisan fashion, or allowing the governor to appoint justices skews that balance and threatens the principle of democracy in our state.

Bill bans professors from voicing opinions
The House Education Committee heard testimony this week on a bill that would prohibit employees of state universities and community colleges from using their official titles in newspaper opinion columns if they are about a person who currently holds any elected public office. Opponents of the bill claim it infringes on public education employees’ freedom of speech, and that the measure is unwarranted.