Category: Opinions

Coronavirus pandemic causes change in career focus

Views

Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Joel Goldberg realized he would have to find other ways to make money when the Major League baseball season was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Goldberg, one of the announcers for the Kansas City Royals, is an independent contractor. He said he only gets paid when the team plays. So he is supplementing his income as a motivational speaker. He spoke to a combined meeting, via Zoom, of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fairfax Industrial Association Thursday, Aug. 13.

Goldberg built his speech around what it takes to make a successful team—trust, energy, accountability and makeup. This applies to athletics as well as other businesses.

Goldberg said trust is something a person must build with good relationships. He said Mike Matheny, the new field manager of the Royals this year, first spent time during the off-season visiting with players. Matheny has an open-door policy for players.

Goldberg said energy is important to baseball although it may not be from the person who is the loudest. He cited Alex Gordon, the Royals outfielder, who expresses energy with a quiet, confident manner. Rex Hudler, another of the Royals’ announcers, expresses enthusiasm with his “Hudisms,” similar to what Yogi Berra did. Salvador Perez, the Royals’ catcher, gives off much energy as part of his personality. Goldberg said.

Accountability means that as a team member, a player has to share the blame when things are not going so well.

The makeup of a team is important—that was something that Dayton Moore realized when he took over as general manager of the Royals in 2006. By acquiring players and negotiating appropriate contracts, he built a team that won the World Series in 2015.

Goldberg grew up in suburban Philadelphia and Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He came to the Royals in 2008; he also does play-by-play announcing for the Kansas City Mavericks hockey team.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

19-year-old candidate responds to criticism

Aaron Coleman

Aaron Coleman, a 19-year-old candidate for Kansas House of Representatives, 37th District, has responded to recent criticism.

Coleman leads long-time legislator, Rep. Stan Frownfelter, by five votes in the Democratic primary, after totals reported on Friday. On election night, he was ahead by one vote.

There are reportedly hundreds of provisional ballots that may be considered on Aug. 17 during canvassing, although it is not certain how many ballots are in the 37th District. The county Board of Canvassers will decide if the provisional ballots will be counted.

Coleman wrote this response recently to an opinion published in another newspaper, which discussed a social media comment he made earlier concerning Herman Cain and Republicans who didn’t wear masks deserving to become ill or die. Coleman has since said that he is “learning from mistakes.” His response:

‘Respect the decision of the voters’

“As a 19-year-old college student defeating a seven term Democratic incumbent for a legislative seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, I expected that I would feel the wrath of party insiders and establishment Democrats. But I did not expect that the media would enter into the dogpile.

“I was saddened to read a recent opinion-editorial from another local newspaper that sets a false equivalency between my legitimate, though poorly communicated, policy positions and the illegitimate, un-American, and anti-Semitic viewpoints of a Missouri Republican legislator.

“My Grandpa Charles’ mother was the only survivor of our family from Auschwitz. I have spent a great deal of time since my election victory this week reflecting on my family’s challenging journey from the Holocaust to the Kansas Legislature. There is a certain pride to know that, if elected in November, I may be both the only Jewish representative and the youngest member of the Kansas House.

“I recognize that the local newspaper’s opinion writers may not have understood or appreciated the anti-Semitic false equivalency displayed in their opinion editorial. I firmly believe in a robust First Amendment that protects free speech and a free press. Legitimate disagreements about my policy positions should always be the centerpiece. Sadly, the local newspaper’s opinion editorial was nothing more than unfortunate, anti-Semitic ‘bile,’ even if unintentional.

“I am young, and I acknowledge that I have made mistakes. I cannot promise that I won’t make more mistakes, but I can promise that I am learning from my mistakes, like every young person does.

“Despite those mistakes, the Democratic voters of Kansas House District 37 have exercised their fundamental right to be heard at the ballot box and elected me as their nominee for the November ballot. It is my sincere hope that the Kansas Democratic House Caucus, the Kansas Democratic Party and the media will respect the decision of the voters in Kansas House District 37.”

Aaron Coleman
Democratic nominee for Kansas House 37

Letter to the editor

Dear editor,

Adrienne Vallejo Foster, a candidate for Congress, was born, raised and educated in Wyandotte County.

As a true ‘dotte original, Adrienne knows Wyandotte. She grew up near 10th and Central. She attended All Saints School and graduated from Ward High School in 1990. She played baseball at City Park, and Klopper Park, and knows the tasty treats from Casa de Tacos, and Paul’s Drive In. Adrienne knows our different neighborhoods and she knows our local problems: high property taxes, high utility rates, crime, code enforcement.

It’s time for someone with Wyandotte roots and experience to have a chance.

Adrienne’s heart-felt values are: Family, Faith, Freedom.

These values are how Adrienne and her husband, Stephen, married 24 years, have raised their five sons: Stephen Jr, Sebastian, Christian, James, and Blaise.

Adrienne graduated from UMKC with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. She started a small business providing legal transcription services.

She was elected in 2004 to the Roeland Park City Council and in 2009 was elected mayor of Roeland Park. During the recession of 2009-2010, she did not increase taxes or debt and forced the city manager to cut spending! The city manager also wanted to build a new city hall costing $10 million, but Adrienne said no, and today Roeland Park still uses the same, small, old building. She is fiscally responsible! We need that with UG and BPU!

Gov. Sam Brownback appointed her director of Latino Affairs for Kansas, a state-wide responsibility. Later, President Trump appointed her to the Small Business Administration to be an advocate for small businesses in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa.

Adrienne has the best combination of values, experience, and personality to be an effective Member of Congress.

As a Congresswoman, Adrienne will focus on national issues:
• get the economy going again, and get people back to work.
• reducing health care costs, so we can afford to buy it.
• support President Trump’s efforts to secure our borders.
• making Congress more fiscally responsible.

It’s Wyandotte County’s turn. Let’s elect a true ‘dotte original.


Chris Steineger
Lifelong Wyandotte County resident