Voice For Liberty

Category: Sedgwick county government

  • Sedgwick County Commission Urged to Veto Wichita Arena TIF District

    From Darrell Leffew.

    The Wichita City Council voted December 2nd. to approve the TIF District for the Arena area, including a large sum for parking. As a voter and taxpayer in the County and Wichita, I respectfully request each of you on the Board of County Commission to veto that TIF.

    The Arena sales tax collections to build the project included parking expenditures. To use a TIF for more funding is double taxation. I say that for this reason: as the property taxes increase in the TIF district to pay back the City, business owners paying those increases always pass the cost on to their customers. While not directly a “tax”, it has the same effect. And this continued effort to support a downtown while ignoring the business owners elsewhere creates distrust, anger and unhappy voters.

    We, the consumer, will continue paying. Sure we have a choice as to whether we spend money at those businesses. But should we choose to NOT trade there, we actually are doing the opposite of what the TIFs were intended for.

    I am opposed to this TIF. And as member of District Advisory Board V, I have received more than three dozen calls from citizens since noon Tuesday who want a veto from our County Commission.

    I know the parking associated with the Arena is a tough issue. I read the most recent study. And I have been an opponent of the Arena. But it is being built. I therefore hope is is the most successful arena ever built. Taxing an overtaxed community during a recession is bad timing, bad government and bad politics. Hold a public hearing on the matter. Ask, no demand, the voters get involved in your process. Isn’t that how our Representative form of government is supposed to work?

    Again, I and many others who have voiced concern to me, urge you to veto that TIF.

  • Johnson County Republicans Enforce Party Discipline

    Kansas Liberty, in the post JoCo GOP battle exposes party weaknesses reports on the recent Johnson County Republican Party leadership position elections. Unlike the same event in Sedgwick County, where dissent was discouraged (see Sedgwick County Republicans, Not All United), there was choice available to Republicans Kansas’ most populous county.

    What also happened is that the Johnson County party suspended 15 precinct leaders (committeeman and committeewomen, presumably) for supporting and donating money to Democratic candidates who were running against Republicans. Tough crowd up there! We had a similar situation in Sedgwick County, where nominally Republican groups spent some $19,000 in an effort to elect a Democrat over Republican Karl Peterjohn to the Sedgwick County Commission. So far there hasn’t been similar outrage expressed here.

  • Sedgwick County Republicans, Not All United

    I received this from a Republican activist who isn’t pleased with the process that took place last Thursday, when the Sedgwick County Republican Party met to select new officers. As a committeeman, I was there and took part in the process. As a new committeeman, attending my first of these meetings, I mostly kept my mouth shut. The official party line is that it’s great that all candidates for party office were elected by acclamation. I would have preferred, however, to see some choice. Unity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

    Perhaps it is my naivete that makes me believe that in order to have a truly “successful” election that there must first be more than one candidate on the ballot. Throughout history, a country in which leaders are selected in back rooms and then presented to the voting public as a slate was ultimately ruled as a dictatorship. Cuba, Lybia, Argentina, Venezuela, and many communistic countries have “elections” at which, not unlike ours of Thursday, the singular choice for a position was made by an elite few and any further nominations or candidates were strongly discouraged. Fortunately in America we do not discourage at gunpoint as of yet. But any discouragement of candidates interested in seeking out an office is still a gross manipulation of a supposedly free and honest nation.

    As a political party our charter should be to encourage new leaders. To help those who have never sought any office feel like they have support and assistance in taking that nerve wrecking step into public life. It is not for a few to horde as many offices as possible nor to pass around the positions amongst a few. Those few who have successfully held positions should be encouraged to reach for higher positions, or at the least, be the mentors to those with the desires but maybe not the developed skills. To guide and aid them into their new positions but not to do the job for them.

    Hand picking leadership is as old as ancient civilizations but we must forever be mindful that whenever we forego our voting privileges to a slate we are giving up some of the liberties our own forefather’s fought and died for. Remember that their sacrifice was so that we may each have the opportunities to hold office and have a say in our government, no matter what our socio-economic origins are.

  • Goddard City Website Campaigns for Its Mayor

    City of Goddard website

    For about the last week, the City of Goddard, Kansas, has been using its website to campaign for its mayor in her race for the Sedgwick County Commission.

    The website, located at www.goddardkansas.us, usually looks like a typical city website, holding general news and information, with links to city departments. But around October 21, according to the date given on the site, the normal front page was replaced with the page illustrated above. (Click here for a full-size image of the page.)

    The message on this new front page is nothing else but a campaign advertisement for Marcey Gregory, Goddard’s mayor. It seeks to rebut the facts about tax increases in Goddard that were revealed in her opponent’s advertisements and in news stories.

    It’s not right for governmental units to use their websites for this purpose. The proper place for candidates to get out their message is in their campaigns, funded by themselves and their donors. The same goes for the Goddard City Council members (Craig Bassett, Bob Means, Larry Zimmerman, Mary Carpenter, and Todd Wentz) who are speaking to voters through this message.

    I don’t know if this campaign message, delivered as it is using government property and at government expense, violates campaign laws. If not, there should be a law prohibiting this.

    Note to the writer of this advertisement: when forming the plural of citizen, don’t use the greengrocers’ apostrophe. An apostrophe indicates possession, not the plural form. Also, use a colon instead of a semicolon at the end of the heading.

  • Marcey Gregory Letter Fact Check

    A letter in the Wichita Eagle on October 26, 2008 contains a few inaccuracies — okay, lies — and I’m surprised it made it past the editors.

    The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce has said several times that Karl Peterjohn, in his interview before them, was confused about the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition and its role. I can’t imagine the interview proceeded as portrayed by Harvey Sorensen. Why do I say this? Because over the past few years, I’ve had several conversations with Karl about this organization and its role in Wichita.

    A lie in this letter is when it states “… Gregory, as mayor of Goddard, has a record of keeping Goddard taxes low.” The record is that in her 1.5 years as mayor of Goddard, the property tax rate — the mill levy — increased by over 16%.

    Karl’s consistent record against tax increases is to be commended. The mission statement of the Kansas Taxpayers Network, Karl’s employer for the past 15 years, is “Our mission is to represent Kansas taxpayers at the state and local level by advocating limited taxes and government spending to create a free market environment.” That’s who Karl’s been lobbying for.

    Karl Peterjohn has been a watchdog and taxpayer advocate for the people. I’m proud to be a financial supporter of KTN.

  • Marcey Gregory Letter Fact Check

    A letter in support of Marcey Gregory for Sedgwick County Commissioner printed in the Wichita Eagle on October 26, 2008 requires a correction.

    A lie in this letter is this “… Gregory, as mayor of Goddard, has a record of keeping Goddard taxes low.”

    The actual record is that in her approximately 1.5 years as mayor of Goddard, the property tax rate — the mill levy — increased by over 16%.

    Not even the candidate herself denies that Goddard raised taxes under her leadership. Why a letter signed by Harvey Sorensen and other Wichita businessmen and women would make such an unfounded and untruthful claim is unknown.

  • Karl Peterjohn, Lobbyist and Advocate for Kansans

    Karl Peterjohn, candidate for Sedgwick County Commission, is being criticized by his opponent for being a paid lobbyist. It’s a timely slur, as lobbyists are never popular. Lobbying legislators and testifying at the state house is a form of speech that is protected by the First Amendment. Advocacy is one of the ways that people make their wishes known to their elected representatives.

    So lobbying, or advocacy, is in and of itself, is not necessarily bad. It depends on who the client is, and what it is the advocacy wants government to do.

    Who are Karl’s clients? What does he lobby government to do?

    Here’s the mission statement of the Kansas Taxpayers Network, Karl’s employer for the past 15 years:

    “Our mission is to represent Kansas taxpayers at the state and local level by advocating limited taxes and government spending to create a free market environment.”

    “I have been honored and privileged to be an advocate for Kansas taxpayers at the statehouse for over 15 years,” said Peterjohn.

    Karl Peterjohn: taxpayer advocate for the people.

  • Karl Peterjohn is not bad for business, after all

    In the story Wichita businesses not leaving home after all, Kansas Liberty finds that criticism of Karl Peterjohn by some Wichita business leaders is a little over-the-top.

  • Karl Peterjohn is Sorely Needed in Sedgwick County

    Wichita business leaders support Karl Peterjohn.

    The recent opposition by certain Wichita aircraft executives to Karl Peterjohn — a well-respected and strong candidate for Sedgwick County Commission in District 3 — is ill-informed. Peterjohn, an economist by training, has long been an advocate for fiscal prudence and has fought, on behalf of the Kansas taxpayer, against government waste, abuse and fraud. The integrity and discipline of Peterjohn are sorely needed in these days of fiscal profligacy and deserve respect.

    It is also unfortunate that the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee has chosen to support Peterjohn’s opponent, Goddard Mayor Marcey Gregory. She most recently succeeded in raising Goddard property taxes by 16.6 percent and is fiscally everything Peterjohn is not.

    Peterjohn has fought for property tax relief for business and individuals at the Statehouse since 1993. He was instrumental in initial legislation, in the 1990s, that led to the complete elimination of the business personal property tax. Peterjohn understands the importance of a well-trained work force, and that was one of the reasons he ran for the Wichita school board in 2007.

    Peterjohn opposed a 2006 property tax increase by the County Commission, which happened to include a $54 million earmark for Wichita Area Technical College to be used for an aviation technology center at Jabara Airport. Peterjohn opposed the county tax increase, not WATC.

    Peterjohn has always been and remains a strong supporter of economic growth, the aircraft industry and free-market economics. The fact that Peterjohn supports voter approval of all tax increases should be applauded.

    The letter was submitted by Colby Sandlian, John Belford, Jean Garvey, George Pearson, Don Slawson, Gerrit Wormhoudt, Cliff Sones, Johnny Stevens and Matt Eck.