Kevass Harding Archives - Voice For Liberty

In Wichita, the need for campaign finance reform

13

Dec

In Wichita, the need for campaign finance reform

Actions of the Wichita City Council have shown that campaign finance reform is needed. Citizen groups are investigating how to accomplish this needed reform, since the council has not shown interest in reforming itself. Consider recent actions by the council and its members: The council voted to give a movie theater operator a no-interest and low-interest loan, after having already received the benefit of tax increment financing. A minister dabbling in real estate development made a large contribution to his council representative just before he asked the city council for tax increment financing. The council voted to give a construction…

21

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…

20

Jun

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school board reacts to criticism

In the following video, USD 259 (Wichita public school district) board member Betty Arnold reacts to concerns that citizens expressed at a recent meeting. It's common that citizens who disagree with governmental agencies -- especially the Wichita school board -- are told that they have the wrong information, or that they simply don't understand the complexities of running government. A few years ago when board members dismissed the input of an elected official because he disagreed with the board, I wrote in my coverage: "Certainly these three board members were dismissive of Chappell and his input. This is characteristic of…

31

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Wichitans have choices; perhaps not information

The Wichita Eagle publishes a voter guide before each election. While this is a useful civic service, readers of the newspaper might wonder what is the point of allowing candidates to make statements and claims without being held accountable. Here are two examples of candidates responding to the question "Assess the city's success in downtown revitalization so far. How do you see that role evolving in the future?" Council Member Lavonta Williams (district 1, northeast Wichita) responded as follows: The trend in downtown redevelopment is showing a definite payoff in private investment exceeding $250 million since 2009. People are moving…

03

Dec

By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, a quest for campaign finance reform

Actions of the Wichita City Council have shown that campaign finance reform is needed. Citizen groups are investigating how to accomplish this needed reform, since the council has not shown interest in reforming itself. Consider recent actions by the council and its members: The council voted to give a movie theater operator a no-interest and low-interest loan, after having already received the benefit of tax increment financing. A minister dabbling in real estate development made a large contribution to his council representative just before he asked the city council for tax increment financing. The council voted to give a construction…

20

Aug

By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, a gentle clawback

Tomorrow's Wichita City Council meeting will consider a clawback provision for a forgivable loan made by the city. It's on the consent agenda, so it is unlikely there will be any discussion. Clawbacks are mechanisms whereby government can be paid back for the cost of economic development subsidies when companies don't achieve the promised goals, usually employment levels or capital investment. Officials like to look tough on this issue, so they can say they're fighting for the interests of the taxpayer. An example is Wichita City Council Member Jeff Longwell, who during his recent campaign was quoted by the Wichita…

03

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Ken-Mar TIF district, the bailouts

Tomorrow the Wichita City Council handles two items regarding the Ken-Mar shopping center being redeveloped in northeast Wichita. These items illustrate how inappropriate it is for the city to serve as either entrepreneur or partner with entrepreneurs, and is another lesson in how Wichita needs pay-to-play laws. In August 2008 the city formed a tax increment financing (TIF) district to benefit the center. This allows $2.5 million of the center's future property taxes to be earmarked for the district's exclusive benefit. In January 2009 the city approved a development plan that specified how the public money would be spent, and…

07

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school board: critics not welcome

A recent meeting of the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, provided insight as to the insularity of the board members and district staff, and as to how little meaningful discussion or debate takes place at board meetings. At the June 20th meeting, Dr. Walt Chappell, an elected member of the Kansas State Board of Education, used a slot on the public agenda to address the board about the upcoming budget. Chappell received a chilly reception -- to say the least -- from board president Connie Dietz. Chappell has been outspoken in his criticism of the way…

28

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school district turf vendor selection process unlawful, board members told

At last night's meeting of the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, citizens learned that the process used to select the vendor for artificial athletic fields was flawed and violated Kansas law. The district will start over, almost from the beginning, and use a competitive bidding process to select the firm to install the fields at five high schools. The result is that the fields will not be available for the coming football season. Interim Superintendent Martin Libhart announced that a hearing committee had been working all day, and that its recommendation was to reject and revoke…

31

Mar

By Bob Weeks

More unlikely Lavonta Williams voters

I don't want to emphasize this too much, as these cases are not in the same league as listing an endorsement from a dead man (Wichita political endorsements from the other side and Campaign mailer listed endorsement from dead man ). But for completeness -- possibly, who knows -- here's the rundown on a few more people who are listed on Lavonta Williams' campaign literature under the heading "Join us in voting WILLIAMS on April 7:" Elder Herman Hicks. He lives in Derby. Reverend Kevass Harding. He lives in Bel Aire, outside the Wichita city limits. But he works at…