Voice For Liberty

Tag: Jeff Longwell

Wichita City Council Member Jeff Longwell

Wichita Smoking Ban Starts. Sharon Fearey is Excited.
Today, September 4, 2008, marks the first day of the ban on smoking in Wichita. It’s not quite a total ban, and that has some smoking ban supporters upset. In a letter to the Wichita Eagle, anti-smoking activist Cindy Claycomb writes “If you are a supporter of clean indoor air, please do not spend your money in businesses that allow smoking indoors, including smoking rooms. If we continue to spend our money at places that allow smoking indoors, that tells the business owners that we do not care — that we will tolerate secondhand smoke even though we all know the harmful effects.”
Not everyone is upset, though. In the Wichita Eagle article Smoking ban takes effect; for smokers, end of an era, Wichita city council member Sharon Fearey is quoted as “I feel this is an exciting time for the city.” If, like council member Fearey, you appreciate increasing government and bureaucratic management of the lives of Wichitans, you might be excited, too. Those who value liberty and freedom, however, are saddened — even if they aren’t smokers.
Fortunately Ms. Fearey is precluded from running again for her seat on the city council by term limits. The two architects of this smoking ban — Lavonta Williams and Jeff Longwell — can run for election again. The position held by Ms. Williams is up for grabs in the March 2009 primary. Hopefully the citizens of Wichita city council district one will elect someone respectful of property rights, not to mention personal rights.
For more coverage of the smoking issue and why it’s important, these articles will be of interest: It’s Not the Same as Pee In the Swimming Pool, Haze Surrounds Wichita Smoking Ban, Property Rights Should Control Kansas Smoking Decisions, Let Property Rights Rule Wichita Smoking Decisions, Testimony Opposing Kansas Smoking Ban, and No More Smoking Laws, Please.
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September 4, 2008
Do Wichita TIF Districts Create Value?
A recent Wichita Eagle article City tax districts aren’t breaking even reports on some of the problems with tax increment financing, or TIF, districts in Wichita:
One promise of TIFs was that revitalizing certain areas — such as Old Town and the East Bank — would boost property values throughout downtown.
In the past four years, assessed valuation has risen 14.9 percent a year within the downtown TIF areas where millions of dollars of public money have been invested.
But take away those TIF districts and valuations have grown at 4.1 percent a year for the rest of the downtown area. Countywide, commercial property values have gone up about 10.7 percent a year.
One question I have, and one that might be difficult to answer, is if property values in TIF districts are being assessed accurately and fairly. For assessed valuations in TIF districts to grow at only 1.4 times the rate as all commercial property seems to indicate that perhaps TIF district property is undervalued by the assessor. After all, it is in TIF districts that we expect to see rapid growth — “exponential,” as Wichita city council member Jeff Longwell explained to me — in value as developers renovate old buildings or build new buildings.
The primary problem, however, is that these TIF districts represent the city government’s desire for more development in places or things that people don’t value it as much as they do in other places. It is government central planning, led by politicians and bureaucrats, making decisions rather than people expressing their preferences through voluntary transactions in a free market.
Since politicians and bureaucrats have different goals than entrepreneurs, it is not surprising that TIF districts may not live up to the expectations of the public. Of course, it depends on your expectations. If you desire simply to get something built — this would be the politicians’ goal — then TIF districts work. Buildings, indeed, are built.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to create wealth by building something that the public values enough that you can earn a profit — this being the goal of entrepreneurs — government central planning simply doesn’t work.
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July 29, 2008
Kansas Blog Roundup for July 3, 2008
Even with a holiday-shortened week, there was quite a bit of activity in Kansas blogs.
At the Kansas Republican Assembly blog, the post Sebelius: Slattery needs help raises questions about U.S. Senate candidate Jim Slattery’s acquisition of certain email addresses, and the etiquette of using them. In Democratic delegate shunned for endorsing McCain over Obama, the anonymous writer of this blog wonders whether the Democratic Party is really the big tent party.
The Kansas Trunkline reports that U.S. House of Representatives candidate Nancy Boyda is not shy with her support for increasing motor fuel taxes in Nancy Boyda: Yes, new taxes! Also, reporting on Kansas Republican Party chairman Kris Kobach and his remarks in Slattery fundraising wilting, DSCC bailing.
This week, the Kansas Meadowlark has posts on judicial nominating commissions in Kansas. First, can campaign contributions of $13,000 to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and covering some airplane expenses purchase a seat on the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission? The post Did $13,000 given to Gov. Sebelius play part in Supreme Court Nominating Commission appointment? answers. Second, the title of the post Political makeup of Third District Court Nominating Commission doesn’t reflect district? asks the question that needs answers. This district is Shawnee County, where Topeka is located.
The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission seems to fall short of fulfilling its duties in these two posts: Kansas Ethics Commission can’t find political activist, who didn’t file PAC report, but newspapers can? and Kansas Ethics Commission ignores missing $25,000 payment by PAC?
The anonymous blogger Stay Red Kansas supplies in Talk around T-Town some political gossip obtained from some “power players.” It’s hard to know how much weight to give to posts like this from an anonymous blogger. Is the information real, or just the sowing of the seeds of rumor? Unless we know who the blogger is, or unless you read the blog enough to form an opinion as to the writer’s reliability, it’s hard to treat these posts seriously.
In the post Is Congress shilling their constituents?, The Patriots (news from citizen advocates) blogger Allen Williams wonders about U.S. Energy policy.
Kansas Federalist blogger Currie Myers comments on the difference between Iowa Floods versus New Orleans Floods.
At the Joyful Cynic, the very fine post Charity at a Distance explains the difference between charity and “legally mandated charity,” although I believe Sharon is too mild in describing government activity as anything resembling charity.
Just when I think I’ve become aware of all blogs with a Kansas connection, I find out that I’ve been missing out on a very good blog. The Blog About All Things MBM (market-based management) is a blog that I’m sorry I’ve overlooked. One of its contributors is a Kansan, and market-based management was developed by Wichitan Charles Koch. The post Did Adam Smith Hate Businesspeople? contains the sentence “MBM considers any form of political profit completely unacceptable.” When you read my Voice For Liberty in Wichita post Wichita and the Old Town Warren Theater Loan, you’ll realize why I am glad I found this blog.
At The Quite Conservative, the post When the Republic Hung by a Thread comments on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and the right to bear arms.
At In Media Res the interesting post Ten Things I Like About Canada (In Honor of Canada Day) contains this good thing about Canada: “Relative avoidance of sugar processed from high fructose corn syrup.” Why in the U.S. do we use corn syrup instead of sugar? Do government tariffs have anything to do with it? If you don’t like the government meddling with the way we sweeten soft drinks, how will you like another “good thing” in Canada, which is number four in this list: socialized medicine.
At the Voice For Liberty in Wichita, Karl Peterjohn of the Kansas Taxpayers Network contributed the article Socialism And Big Government Expand In Kansas.
In Wichita, big news this week was the Wichita City Council’s giveaway to a theater owner. My remarks to the council are in the post Wichita and the Old Town Warren Theater Loan. John Todd testified too; his remarks are here: Wichita Old Town Warren Theater Public Hearing Remarks. Some follow-up analysis is here: In Wichita, is Economic Development Proven Public Policy?, and you may read of Wichita city council member Jeff Longwell’s unfortunately low opinion of Wichitan’s interest in these civic matters in the post Wichita Council Member Jeff Longwell: We Can, and Do, Read.
Some Wichita news media outlets revealed some sloppy reporting and bias in these posts: Wichita Business Journal: Where is the Increasing Enrollment in Wichita Schools?, Wichita Business Journal: Please Explain the Wichita School Bond Impact, and Wichita Eagle Reporting Bias.
Some coverage of a candidate forum is here: Kansas School Board Candidate Forum, June 30, 2008.
How is former Wichita public school superintendent Winston Brooks doing at his new post in Albuquerque? Someone there doesn’t have too high of an opinion: In Albuquerque, Someone Already Doesn’t Like Winston Brooks.
An important series of posts at the Voice For Liberty in Wichita deal with the involvement of Earthjustice, a radical environmentalist group, in Kansas energy policy. This, to my knowledge, has not been covered by Kansas news media util very recently. The post Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius at Earthjustice reports on the governor’s recent talk an at Earthjustice event. Earthjustice in Kansas: What is Their Agenda? contains a fellow blogger’s interpretation of the motives of Earthjustice. In Earthjustice in Kansas: The Press Release I report on how I have made a records request to the governor’s office so that Kansans can learn more about the activities of this extremist group and its relationship to our governor.
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July 3, 2008
Wichita Council Member Jeff Longwell: We Can, and Do, Read
Wichita City Council Member Jeff Longwell, in the news article Little time to review Warren loan terms (July 1, 2008 Wichita Eagle), was reported as remarking “It’s unlikely many residents would read the full contract even if it had been made public earlier.”
Mr. Longwell, many people in Wichita do read documents such as these. I think a better question is whether city council members read and understand these documents. This is from before Mr. Longwell’s time on the council, but in the article The Real Scandal at City Hall, I report how city council members are sometimes not aware of even the most basic facts about city affairs:
… council members were described as being surprised upon learning that the industrial revenue bonds and property tax abatement awarded to a local business also included a sales tax break. How could they be surprised? The City of Wichita website contains a nicely-done page titled “Industrial Revenue Bonds” (located at http://www.wichitagov.org/Business/EconomicDevelopment/IRB) (This is the first result that appears when you use the wildly popular Google search engine and search for “Wichita IRB.”) The first link on this page is titled “IRB Overview: Industrial Revenue Bond Issuance in the State of Kansas,” and you don’t have to read very far before you come to the sentence reading “Generally, property and services acquired with the proceeds of IRBs are eligible for sales tax exemption.”
(The city’s website has been rearranged a little since then. The new location for this page is http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/CityManager/Urban/EconomicDevelopment/IRB/.)
Besides being wrong on whether people read documents like these, I think Mr. Longwell’s statement reveals an unfortunate attitude towards the people of Wichita. I don’t think he always felt this way, as earlier this year it was reported he “strongly believes in transparency in government.” (Rule seeks to stop leaks after private city council meetings)
Mr. Longwell is correct in that the Old Town Warren Theater loan documents should have been released to the city council and the public earlier. Mr. Longwell could have shown us evidence of his belief in transparency by moving to delay yesterday’s council action until these documents could be read, digested, and debated.
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July 2, 2008
Warren Old Town Wichita Theater: Good Money After Bad?
This letter is from my friend Darrell Leffew. Not everyone seems to understand the folly of throwing good money after bad. “Taxpayers are already on the hook” is Wichita city council member Jeff Longwell’s opinion as expressed in a Wichita Eagle article. Mr. Longwell, I realize you weren’t a member of the council when we taxpayers were placed on the hook, but don’t help us on another, please.
Let us not throw more good money after bad. The Wichita City Council has approved a business loan to the Limited Liability Company that owns the Old Town Warren Theater.
That same company was quoted in an Eagle article earlier this month as saying the remodel paid for by the loan would cut the losses. No mention of ending the losses, just reducing. What are the exact estimates? Taxpayers should be fully informed.
An Eagle article of November 2004 talked about revenues related to the TIF, which funded Old Town development, being woefully short. How many millions of taxpayer dollars are already at risk? And if the business goes into foreclosure before the loan is repaid, we the taxpayers have first claim on a failed, debt ridden property. Our interim City Manager advised against the loan.
Our elected officials are not just offering commercial banking now but BAD commercial banking. And the “Open for Business” sign is bright neon.
Has our City Council overstepped its authority? Voters will decide at the polls.
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June 27, 2008