Gwen Welshimer Archives | Voice For Liberty

Jan

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday January 3, 2011

This week at Wichita City Council. Roger Smith will be sworn in to take the place of Jim Skelton. Smith's term will end in April, when the voters will select a permanent member of the council from district 3. Of course, Smith could be that person. ... The council will hear from an independent fact-finder regarding the firefighters. See Wichita Eagle Wichita firefighters union stresses staffing in contract requests with city. ... Also improvement of two south Wichita intersections will be considered. See Wichita City Council to consider $4 million in street work on S. Broadway. Last meeting for two…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Sedgwick County Republicans elect leadership

Last night the Sedgwick County Republican Party met in an organizational meeting to elect its leadership for the next two years. The primary news made was in the contest for chairman and vice-chairman. The secretary and treasurer positions were not contested. Some observers, including myself, saw the contest as being between "establishment" Republicans and a group associated with the tea party. Others cast the election as more between experienced and veteran party members versus relative newcomers, while still others saw the differences as based more on personalities than anything substantive. Whatever the terminology, the newcomers did not do well in…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Political attacks not all bad

"Dr. Mel Kahn, a political science professor at Wichita State University, gave a lecture Friday on why he believes negative campaigning is essential to democracy. Kahn said that a recent study shows that there are sometimes more lies in positive ads than in negative commercials, and as long as ads are based on evidence, they help people know what’s going on in a world full of political spin." The lecture was at the Wichita Pachyderm Club as covered by State of the State KS. Kahn also said that since accountability is important to democracy, he was pleased to see the…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Wednesday November 3, 2010

Republican Party on probation. Noted conservative figure Richard A. Viguerie of ConservativeHQ.com expressed a common idea: "Voters have given Republicans one more chance to get it right. They are on probation, and if they mess up again, they won't get another chance. The last time the Republicans were in charge, they became the party of big spending, Big Government, and Big Business. They abandoned the philosophy of Ronald Reagan and cozied up to lobbyists and special interests. And they paid a price at the polls." Limited government and economic freedom not desired. In today's Wichita Eagle editorial assessing the election…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Peterjohn presses taxpayer protection platform through Sedgwick County Commission

At today's meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission, commissioners revised the county's 2010 legislative platform, adding important and groundbreaking taxpayer protection to the platform. The split vote lets voters know without a doubt where commissioners stand on taxpayer protection issues. The legislative platform is Sedgwick County's "wish list" for the legislature. The items in the platform are not laws, but instead indicate the desires of the county commission. Commissioner Karl Peterjohn proposed new language to add to the legislative platform: "All local sales tax increases must be approved by voters under Kansas law. All property tax increases that raise the…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Welshimer files for re-election to Sedgwick County Commission

Sedgwick county commissioner Gwen Welshimer files for re-election.Today, Sedgwick County Commissioner Gwen Welshimer filed for re-election to her position as a member of the commission. Her statement is below. Welshimer, a Democrat, is so far the only candidate in that party. There are three Republicans who have either filed or are considering filing. Welshimer campaigned and has voted as a fiscal conservative. I asked her given your fiscal conservatism, how will these Republicans differentiate themselves from you? Welshimer said that she's not heard their campaign platforms. They are all city people, she said, likely to support funding of downtown Wichita.…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Wichita Eagle reporting, headlining discussed by commissioners

In today's meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission, Wichita Eagle reporting and editorializing was the subject of an off-agenda item. Commissioner Gwen Welshimer used this opportunity to read into the record part of a press release she issued yesterday. The entire press release, as well as video, is at the end of this article. Commissioner and Chairman Kelly Parks mentioned that he has been disturbed with some headlines in the Wichita Eagle recently, and that the media has "not checked out some of the headlines they've put out." Commissioner Karl Peterjohn shared his concerns with misleading Wichita Eagle headlines, referring…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Parks’ Selection as Sedgwick County Commission Chair Breaks Tradition

In a move that suggests that there may be some change in the way things are done in the Sedgwick County Courthouse, Kelly Parks was selected as chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for the next year. No other name was placed in nomination. Then, Gwen Welshimer was selected as chairmen pro tem, again with no other name placed in nomination. Why is this a change? As the Wichita Eagle's Deb Gruver wrote in todays news story Parks may chair commission: "For years, it's been the Sedgwick County Commission's tradition to 'promote' the board's vice chairman to chairman."

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Sedgwick County Commission fails citizens

At yesterday's meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission, Commissioners Tom Winters, Tim Norton, and Dave Unruh failed to take an opportunity to stand up for good government. By ratifying the City of Wichita's defective public hearing, notice is given that it's open season on citizens. Their concerns are shoved aside. Commissioners say they were constrained by a very narrow range of action permitted by law. The reasons they voted against this TIF district in August are still there, though present in smaller measure. The problem is that these politicians want something so badly that they're willing to overlook major problems…