Government ethics Archives - Page 4 of 5 Voice For Liberty

Aug

Fish, sauce, and the law: You make the call

Should Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer vote on an upcoming issue before the Wichita City Council? The City of Wichita code seems to say he should not vote, but the Wichita City Attorney says the law doesn't apply. This short video explains the issues. For more on this issue, see Wichita city code seemingly ignored.

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Could Wichita be the next Detroit?

That Detroit has declared bankruptcy: Does this mean anything for Wichita? From time to time we see news stories wondering if there is a parallel between these two cities -- one known as Motor City, and the other as the Air Capital. The similarity is the concentrated nature of the economies of the two cities. Both have, as can be seen in the nearby chart, a greater percentage of jobs in manufacturing than does the United States as a whole. Furthermore, when considering the dominant manufacturing industry in each city, we see that Wichita is more concentrated in aviation than…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV July 21, 2013

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV, host Bob Weeks recommends the Crony Chronicals website and explains the harm of cronyism. Westar, our electric utility, is asking for a rate increase, and cronyism is part of the application. Finally, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer feels he can't shop for his personal car in Wichita, but dishes out no-bid contracts and millions in subsidies to his cronies. Episode 5, broadcast July 21, 2013.

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Concern over state office building decision politics

Speculation that politics might influence a decision over the location of State of Kansas offices is amusing, given that one of the players has a history of awarding campaign contributors and friends. Will he now advocate for keeping politics out of governmental decision-making? When the State of Kansas said it is going to move offices from its downtown location, a local politician expressed concern to the Wichita Eagle: "It raises a red flag," says Rep. Jim Ward (D-Wichita). "I have a concern there is a history of the governor rewarding financial contributors with state contracts. I know he has contributors…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Wichita city code seemingly ignored

When a city has laws that it doesn't enforce, what are citizens to do? Here's a section from the Wichita city code as passed in 2008 (full section below): "[Council members] shall refrain from making decisions involving business associates, customers, clients, friends and competitors." When asked about a specific application of this city law, the Wichita city attorney supplied this interpretation: Related to the Mayor's participation in the item, yes, City Code advises Council members to "refrain from making decisions involving business associates, customers, clients, friends and competitors. ... " but the Code does not provide definitions or limits to…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

The speck and the logs

When Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer recently shopped for a car, it made the front page of the newspaper, and for a reason that doesn't seem very newsworthy. Buried in the story, however, is a short passage that holds actual news. Carrie Rengers reports in the Wichita Eagle: [Brewer] says he knows a lot of dealers in Wichita ... but he says he has to be careful about trying to get a good deal while shopping in the city. "I don’t want to be accused of getting any type of special deals or anything else," he says. "You have that handful…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, Jeff Longwell has the solution to cronyism

At a recent Wichita City Council meeting, Council Member Jeff Longwell (district 5, west and northwest Wichita) was critical of topics broached by two speakers, admonishing them to "take a different approach." The speakers had mentioned votes made and actions taken by the council and the appearance of influence or linkage to campaign contributions. Longwell's concern is understandable. As perhaps the most accomplished practitioner of cronyism on the council, he's dished out millions in taxpayer subsidy to his significant campaign contributors. His acceptance of campaign contributions last summer from a Michigan construction company that had business before the council lifted…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

From Michigan to Wichita’s Jeff Longwell: The campaign contributions

Two weeks ago the Wichita Eagle editorialized that "appearance matters" on city contracts: "There will be an elephant in the Wichita City Council chambers today as Mayor Carl Brewer and the rest of the council formally consider Dondlinger and Sons' long-shot final appeal of its loss of the contract to build the new airport terminal -- the close ties of Brewer and other City Council members to Key Construction, including a letter Brewer wrote last year recommending Key to build the Cabela’s store in northeast Wichita." (Eagle editorial: Appearance matters on city contracts, July 17, 2012) The Eagle probably didn't…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Michigan company involved in disputed Wichita airport contract contributes to Jeff Longwell

A campaign finance report filed by Wichita City Council Member Jeff Longwell contains contributions from executives associated with Walbridge, a Michigan construction company partnering with Key Construction to build the new Wichita airport terminal. Longwell is running for Sedgwick County Commission, District 3. He faces Karl Peterjohn in the August 7, 2012 Republican party primary. These contributions are of interest because on July 17, 2012, the Wichita City Council, sitting in a quasi-judicial capacity, made a decision in favor of Key and Walbridge that will cost some group of taxpayers or airport customers an extra $2.1 million. Five council members,…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, a problem with government ethics

Wichita and Kansas lag behind states like Illinois and New Jersey in laws regarding ethical behavior by elected officials. Last week Wichita saw a lesson in how Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer and a majority of the Wichita City Council failed a test in government ethics. Besides Brewer, long-serving council members Jeff Longwell (district 5, west and northwest Wichita) and Lavonta Williams (district 1, northeast Wichita), as well as Vice Mayor Janet Miller (district 6, north central Wichita) have also displayed a callous disregard for ethical behavior by government officials. Today I appeared on the KAKE Television public affairs program This…