Comments on: Jenkins in limbo, Kline clobbered

By: Nicolette Goodman

Nicolette Goodman — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:51:11 +0000

That’s an absolutely fine text. Thank you for sharing this blog post!!

By: bth

bth — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:14:28 +0000

Agnatha – I, too, hope the Arena succeeds. And I have developed a parking/traffic proposal for the Arena which is available through my company. I have shared it with one of the candidates for County Commission.

However, up to this point the Arena proponents have shown no interest in dealing with parking. They claim that our willingness to walk at River Festival when the weather is nice proves that we will do so during an ice storm.

By: Agnatha

Agnatha — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:14:22 +0000

Well, I still hope that the arena succeeds. I think the decision to gut parking was incredibly wrong headed (I don’t know what was with the consultants who suggested this action, I suspect, but do not know, that such consultants come from metropolitan areas with a much stronger commuting infra-structure than we have here-they assume that people will put up with inconveniences here that they put up where they live). It’s not uncommon for construction budgets to come in over, so I am not irritated about that, but I am irritated at the cuts they made, particularly in parking structure, to try to get this done. I voted for the arena because at the time I thought that a downtown arena would better support both athletics, concerts, and downtown redevelopment. Also, the acoustics at Kansas Coliseum suck beyond suckage (and it is also barely accessible to people with physical disabilities). However, the lack of parking I think will greatly damage the prospects for the new arena.

But the fact remains, if I went back in time I would change my vote, and hope that the renovations to the Kansas Coliseum (particularly in acoustics) would have greatly improved that facility (it is substandard).

By: bth

bth — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:48:31 +0000

“And yeah, its not fair to do the same vote over and over again till you get the desired result.’

Which is precisely what the YEA people did. They lost by much parger margins.

“I’m rather sure that it was the conservatives who voted it in anyway.” To a large extent yes. The ‘business’ conservatives did. Thing is, many others did not and many who did have soured.

linda – good points. I have kept a pdf of the prmises – and have compared with the current budget. Core costs up bout 45%. Advertised $26+ million reserve fund gutted. Infrastructure shifted to Wichita City taxpayers. Parking gutted. It’s going to be fun to watch as they need more money – especially with at least three (and maybe four) Commissioners not blindly supporting it.

I’m looking forward to see just what they will come up with for an opening act. They better get a good one. NCAA basketball men’s regionals? HA!

Tom – good point about the TIF. As for the jail there are better ways. Hopefully we will see a good detailed discussion of that topic.

By: TomPaine

TomPaine — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:35:41 +0000

The city council voted to add another TIF district to the city around the arena I would bet in a year or two well have another city bailout

By: TomPaine

TomPaine — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:30:18 +0000

that 3 pro arena CC’s are now gone is of little consequence now that the arena is half built. the problem I see with Peterjohn is the same problem Libertarianism has in general Nobody likes paying taxes but at the same people dont want the services that taxes pay for cut either. and republican are now in the position of nominating a candidate for sheriff who wants to spend 56 million on a bigger jail and a commissioner who wont raise taxes to pay for it, or hanks firehouse either i would imagine

By: lindainks55

lindainks55 — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:02:48 +0000

PMom, I voted for the arena. I was sold a bill of goods! You know I try to stay at least as informed as most, but the information available was skewed! “They” told us IF we didn’t vote for the sales tax increase with a time limit to fund the arena we would pay MORE in additional property taxes to “fix” the Coliseum and property taxes don’t go down after such and such a period. That, and there would be parking, and there would be a reserve fund (from the sales tax gathered in that limited time) to take care of repairs and upkeep for a long number of years (sorry I’ve forgotten the number). It was a total bill of goods that scared not just me but others into passing that and it was wrong! It passed narrowly and only after the vote did we find out how we had been lied to! Winters is the county commissioner for the district I live in — it was past time for him to retire!

By: Jed

Jed — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:52:26 +0000

Por Que?,
Gee, we finally agree on something! I’m all for one-issue prosecutors sacrificing their careers too! The sooner the better.
Justice? You don’t want justice, you just want your own way, troyboy.

By: Political_mama

Political_mama — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:50:54 +0000

I’m rather sure that it was the conservatives who voted it in anyway. And yeah, its not fair to do the same vote over and over again till you get the desired result.

By: bth

bth — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:31:15 +0000

p-mama – several polls have shown that the public soured on the arena as the project changed from what had been promised. Costs have escalated as well – especially when you consider hidden costs like infrastructure and county personnel working on it while paid by the County.

It took several tries for it to narrowly pass – there were calls for a re-vote which were rebuffed by the commission. A general feeling has developed that we were sold a ‘bill of goods’ when we voted for this thing – and it was the sitting Commission that endorsed all the promises. Those promises are not being kept.

Other budget issues just add to the fire – especially since the news came out about county general funds being used to pay personnel to do Arena work.

Last cycle two candidates who were not for the arena (especially Parks) were voted in. This cycle we get at least one more.

By: Political_mama

Political_mama — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:23:29 +0000

The arena was voted on, I didn’t want it, but I didn’t get a voice as I’m not a resident. However, I don’t know how you can assume that the people are getting voted out because of it.

By: bth

bth — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:20:25 +0000

It has been fun watching some of the reactions to Karl thrashing Winters. This makes THREE of the five County Commissioners who pushed the Arena who are now gone. I don’t know how Tim Norton will fare this fall but it will definitely be interesting having a majority on the CC who have not been in favor of the Arena.

By: Rage

Rage — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:19:34 +0000

In keeping with my determination to (usually) stay of Kansas politics, I’ll merely “ditto” these sentiments:

http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2008/08/jenkins-in-limbo-kline-clobbered/#comment-396979

By: Predestined

Predestined — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:54:12 +0000

Thanks, Linda and Ben.

By: brian_nuevo

brian_nuevo — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:37:25 +0000

ding dong the Kline is gone

By: bth

bth — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Just watched Ken Ciboski’s comments – TAXES and the Arena. I have also known Ken for some time and would say that he has a pretty good grasp of local politics.

By: bth

bth — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:59:25 +0000

Pre – Goddard.

Looking at a flyer my family received in the mail from “Peterjohn for County Commissionsr”:

3 strikes and you are OUT

Winters – 4 strikes. Budget up 100%; 2.5 mill increase; levey from 25.736 to 31.333 mills; budget from 200 million to over 400 millipn

Peterjohn – Reagan analyst; public library board; voter approval of tax increases; KS Taxpayers Network; Eminent domain; reduce taxes and trim budget; term limits.

“A Friend of Sedgwick county Taxpayers”

Not one mention of abortion, marriage definition, or any of the other ‘government intervention into private life issues.’

Definitely the Karl Peterjohn I have known for so many years.

A chuckle: I was introduced to local politics by Karl’s predecessor – the late Roger Grund of Home Owners Trust. I wrote articles for Roger’s HOT News. Went to many Pachyderm Club lunches when they were at Century II long ago (when my schedule permitted)

By: lindainks55

lindainks55 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:52:46 +0000

Pre, I think she is Goddard’s current mayor.

By: Predestined

Predestined — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:48:02 +0000

Ben,

Since I used to be “out west”, what town was Marcey Gregory mayor of? I’m curious because I recognize the last name, but I can’t be sure if it’s the same family I know.

By: Agnatha

Agnatha — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:28:34 +0000

Re: Kline

Most appropriate response, ala Simpson’s character Nelson.

HAH hah!

By: CelticKin

CelticKin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:13:08 +0000

“Kline opinion, lawsuit, cost Kansas taxpayers $475,000″

http://blogs.kansas.com/courts/2008/08/06/kline-opinion-lawsuit-cost-kansas-taxpayers-475000/

What a laugh: “an expert and able prosecutor”. This case alone cost Kansas taxpayers almost half a MILLION dollars. Kline effectively lied to the people of Johnson County about his real place of residence. He worked 29 hours a week for $160,000 dollars year. He lamely endangered a prolife nonprofit by campaigning on their letterhead.

The “right” WORSHIPS incompetence. These are the last people who should be running any governmental office in the nation, including “animal control officer.”

By: bth

bth — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:10:14 +0000

Paul – YES. So, I am certain I DID get my friend’s mailers for his campaign. I used to be a Republican and many of my friends are Republican. We compare notes since come general election time we typically vote split ticket.

I never claimed to be an ‘expert’ on Republican politics. However, I do keep tabs on my district; especially since I once was a Winters supporter and know BOTH of the Republican candidates much better than I know either of the Democratic candidates.

By: parkay

parkay — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:39:16 +0000

It is no defeat for an expert and able prosecutor to refuse to abandon his principled stand to protect desperate mothers and their babies from the ongoing coercion, exploitation, and abuse by criminal, racist abortionist quacks in Planned Parenthood’s second-trimester Overland Park abortion mill.
It is gallantry, and my hat’s off to DA Phill Kline.
What Kansas needs to have now are more prosecutors unafraid to sacrifice their careers to continue the courtroom attacks on abortion mill crime.
What Kansas needs now is justice.

By: Franklin

Franklin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:38:45 +0000

Ben
Is there a Republican in your household?
If not, I am sure you were never mailed any Peterjohn literature.
It is possible that someone hung something on your door —
But that still does not make you an expert on Republican primary politics.
Furthermore, there are prolife mailing lists.
There are prochoice mailing lists.
The activist groups did make endorsements.
The precinct people, themselves, are dominated by prolifers, prolifers who probably left that literature on your door, if that is how you got it.
Yes, Karl tends to be libertarian, but he is against taxpayer funding of abortion and is not hostile, at all, to most prolife candidates.

Winters has always been an enemy of the prolife cause, most prolife folks know that regardless of endorsements.

By: bth

bth — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:38:19 +0000

The general election out west will be interesting. Marcey Gregory has run a small business and has been mayor of a small town. Karl Peterjohn has been an anti-tax crusader and, to the best of my knowledge, not much else. Tom Winters had represented the status quo.

Well, status quo has been repudiated. Now which way does my district go?