In response to "Thanks Cherokee Residents"

An anonymous post-er commented:

"I'm very pleased to FINALLY see news about the work being done to calm traffic in Prairie Hills. To be clear. It has been an ENTIRELY volunteer effort by residents only. I'm grateful to Kisa that she has continued the work begun by a small group of Cherokee Drive residents. This volunteer effort began with an on-line petition that was sent to Cherokee Drive residents more than a year ago. The petition connected Marsha Bjerkan, Kisa and Carol Kobza to plan volunteer efforts including a meeting inviting all of the Cherokee Drive residents. At least 15 residents of Cherokee Drive attended a City Council meeting and presented our concerns. It wasn't as simple as meeting with Bob Pryzby. It took sincere effort. And it has been extremely difficult to get ANY response from elected officials. There is no guideline provided by the City of Prairie Village for how to make change happen. It has been surprising and often disappointing and I'm glad to see that Kisa hasn't given up. Great job, Kisa. "

Thanks Cherokee Residents

I have met with the Prairie Village Director of Public Works, Bob Pryzby regarding traffic calming. I was extremely impressed by the progress that has been made by the group led by Ward 3 and Cherokee Drive resident Kisa White in working with PV staff to develop a comprehensive program that will address traffic issues throughout the entire city.

From what I have seen, anyone who wanted to address residential traffic issues in PV in a sensible, forward-looking, neighborhood-friendly way owes a debt to Mrs. White and her neighbors for the work they've done one this plan. Their efforts are a testament to the power of residents who want to work to solve problems not just complain and go home.

City Strengthens Building Review

As a result of process errors and poor compliance of the building contractor, PV has strengthened the building review process.

Though I really appreciate the Star reporter asking for my comments, I was slightly misquoted as saying,

“I think the initial look at what went wrong is excellent for now,” Ward 3 council member Andrew Wang said. “But there’s probably more that can be done.”

Now anyone who has heard me speak in the council chambers (or anywhere for that matter) knows that I am no William Jennings Bryan but that is a sloppy sentence even for me.

More importantly, an initial "look" is most certainly NOT enough. I do think that city staff has made a good effort to institute significant changes towards eliminating the errors that occured on 71st Street but it was not merely examiniation of the processes. It was the addition of the site inspection with a set of plans that includes the actual measurement of the foundation distance from all set back lines and a comparison of those measurements to the approved plan.

I was accurately quoted as saying that I would like to pursue monetary fines for builders who materially ignore the permitting process.

Congratualtions

to Michael Kelly, your new Ward 3 Council Member

Environmental Cmte Hosts Earth Fair

PV'er, Blog visitor and member of the PV Environmental Committee Margaret Thomas writes:

Friends and neighbors, this Saturday is the 6th Annual Earth Fair from 10 to 3 at Shawnee Mission East.

It is a super event for all ages, and it's free! The Fair has alternative fuel, electric and all hybrid cars on site. This year more than 50 exhibits will be there with information and activities related to energy, transportation, air quality, architecture, landscaping and agriculture, wildlife and prairies, rivers and streams, and personal lifestyle and investment decisions.

There will be musical performances by Briarwood and Belinder, and Kansas City’s own “Green Elvis” will perform. Craft activities for kids and live animals to touch will be part of the program. Eco-products, native perennials, and vegetable starts will be sold. Delicious organic lunches may be purchased. You can get your gas cap tested while you visit the Fair. The Fair also coincides with Shawnee Mission East’s gigantic used book sale.

This year the Fair features a special workshop at 10:30 for elementary and middle school parents and teachers describing how schools can better utilize their Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites (OWLS). There will also be a special presentation at 1:00 on how to use native plants to build a rain garden at your home – rain gardens are key to reducing water runoff and stream erosion throughout our region. Earth Fair is co-sponsored by the Prairie Village Environmental Committee and the Shawnee Mission East Student Environmental and Recycling Committee. Drawings for hourly door prizes will be held for those who walk, bike, or carpool to the festivities or make a clean air pledge to reduce driving

Ward 3 PV'er Ryan Foley Weighs In

Ryan Foley's idea's were so well regarded by one blog reader that it was suggested that RYAN consider running for office!!! Thanks a lot Ryan; go start you own blog. In all seriousness, his great ideas follow:

"The vision for the future is indeed worth considerable discussion and thorough planning. Why not tap the people of Prairie Village to help, create a "Vision Campaign" and allow the residents to share their ideas in writing. Maybe the city could provide to each household an invitation to visit an online site and enter a submission for their vision and ideas of what Prairie Village should be doing to highlight its amenities, grow its population, attract business and/or new residence, etc...

Some of my thoughts are:
1. Create an incentive for home owners who renovate their properties.
2. Enforce codes that instruct residence on lawn and home maintenance (i.e. grass no higher than 12, no hanging gutters, etc...)
3. Create a Farmers Market across from Hen House or the Blue Moose.
4. Erect Prairie Village sign that spans across the roads near City Hall.
5. Build internet "Hot Spots" for our Parks.
6. Build a more robust Community Center that has numerous conference rooms, stage, kitchen, and other amentities.
7. Firework Fridays, a small Firework Show during the summer before the closing of the Pool.
8. Concert in the Park during the Summer.

We need to make living in Prairie Village so attractive that even as families grow they decide to stay rather than move away. Prairie Village should be about "Quality of Life", this is what is most attractive to our family and I think for many others. Prairie Village feels like home, it has a sense of community, people lack this sense in other places and are attracted to Praire Village."

Equal time ....

This was posted anonymously in response to the discussions on this blog regarding the "Nichols Vision" and more importantly the future of Prairie Village:

"Whether or not you think J. C. Nichols walked on water, I think we can all agree that he’s not going to come back and give us his vision for Prairie Village today and tomorrow. And, as he’s not coming back, people like Andy Wang are working toward developing a new vision for our city and giving us the opportunity to be involved in the process.

I imagine that J. C. Nichols, a forward-thinking man, would do the same if he got the chance, for the Prairie Village of today bears little resemblance to the city of the 1950s. Prairie Village began the decade as mostly pastureland and ended as one of the fastest growing cities in the country. In the 1950s, most women in Prairie Village stayed home and raised children, while their husbands took the family car to work. The Kansas City metropolitan area wasn’t replete with discount stores that draw people away from shops in Prairie Village, and residents didn’t have multiple cars to make it easy for everyone in the family to shop elsewhere.

Today, we are one of the few cities in Johnson County with a declining population. Today, it’s about 21,511. In 1970, the population of Prairie Village was 28,378, according to the U.S. Census of Population and Housing. In 1970, there were 4,577 people per square mile in Prairie Village. Today, there are only 3,470. In 1970, there were 8,771 housing units in the city with an average of 3.2 occupants in each residence. Today, there are about 10,031, with 2.1 people in each. That’s fewer people with more cars and more property to maintain.

We need a vision for the future that is going to attract more people to live in Prairie Village. The alternative is continued decline in the population, forcing fewer people to come up with more funds to support city services...and schools. Trying to recreate Prairie Village of the 1950s is not an option. Neither is bringing back J. C. Nichols from the dead. The future of Prairie Village is in our hands. If we support the city’s merchants, attend area activities, send our children to area schools, and get bright and thoughtful people like Andy Wang elected to office, we will have the resources to keep the city vital.

So, instead of debating J. C. Nichol’s vision, let’s debate how we can attract more residents, more shoppers, and more children to Prairie Village to make the vision of Prairie Village’s future more positive. --The Crank of PV "

If I'm fortunate enough to have the anonymous comment post-er return to the blog, I don't know what this means. Help me out:

Mr Wang

I think some people call you Andrew and some call you Andy. We will try not to hold that against you.

Comments Posted

Because I truly want your input and I've always promised to present comments -- even those that were critical of me -- on the blog for all to see, below is a comment posted anonymously with regard to my rant against the "Nichols Vision". In the interest of humility, I'm moving it from the semi-hidden comments to "top billing" on the blog main page.

But since it is my blog, my rebuttal follows in the post after this one.

The Comment:

Mr Wang,

Based on his admiration for JCNichols city planning do you mean to imply that Michael Kelly is a racist? That is quite a leap. What motivates you to make imply this?

Have you ever been to the Country Club Plaza, Crestwood, Brookside or Mission Hills? Nichols undeniably had a long lasting and elegant impact on Kansas City. Many would argue that Nichols made Kansas City what it is today.

Don't you suppose the more logical conclusion to draw from Mr. Kelly's admiration of Nichols is of that legacy? If the restrictive covenants that exist throughout cities in the United States is a true issue of concern to you, can we expect to see you take immediate action to strike them from the record in Prairie Village?

If not, perhaps you should let Mr Kelly speak for himself.

In the interest of fairness to the democratic principal behind blogging, please don't delete this. Do as your website states and show 'tact and respect' for all points of view.

A more thoughful reading would help

I'll apologize right now to the Post-er -- it's very difficult to keep my more acerbic side in check when repsonding to an anonymous critique. If I knew who the Post-er was, I'd be a lot more deferential. However, I would much, much rather get comments anonymously than not at all and I thank him/her for posting.


First of all, if this person would have made a more careful reading of my post, it would not be necessary for me to defend my position. But his/her emotional response jumps to so many conclusions that I have to point out that I write a lot more thoughtfully than they read. I'll make my rebuttals after direct quotes from the comment since I have a major issue with nearly everything that the Post-er alleges.

"Based on his admiration for JCNichols city planning do you mean to imply that Michael Kelly is a racist? That is quite a leap. What motivates you to make imply this?"

Who's making the leap? I didn't even get around to implying that Nichols was a racist -- although Nichols own actions speak for themselves. I didn't imply Kelly was anything.

I never took Latin but even I know that ad hominem means "against the man"; when I said no ad hominems, I meant it. I didn't post to attack Kelly, I attacked his stance which I thought was -- as I have already said -- poorly considered. It is a simple fact that if Kelly endorses "Nichols Vision" he either 1) doesn't know enough about the vision to make that statement or 2) he endorses "Nichols Vision" which includes racist policies and since Kelly is not a racist, this makes his statements about "Nichols Vision" NOT WELL-RESEARCHED and NOT WELL-THOUGHT OUT. I don't believe that I have ever been so shy on this blog that I have ever implied anything. The poster inferred an implication because he/she wanted to, not because there was one there.

"Have you ever been to the Country Club Plaza, Crestwood, Brookside or Mission Hills? Nichols undeniably had a long lasting and elegant impact on Kansas City."

With all due respect: Was "Nichols Vision" of the Plaza and Brookside (and Village Shops and Corinth) to sell out to Highwoods Properties, a North Carolina Real Estate Investment trust? To me it's impossible to be a booster of the Nichols Vision and also advocate for support of local retail ownership. Corinth, Village Shops and the Plaza are not owned locally because the Nichols company sold out. Brookside has only recently been brought back to local ownership.

Whoever argues that Nichols made the city what it is today does not count me among their legion. I have said numerous times that we have beautiful neighborhoods, shopping areas and parks. I have said that the planned elements of the city work pretty well. Nichols wasn't dumb. I said he was an astute developer and innovative planner. That sounds like a compliment, to me.

But it cannot be denied that a village feel is fostered by a more pedestrian-friendly community than the car-centric one Nichols designed, that the houses that he built do not suit the preferences of many growing families and that Prairie Village has lost population while Johnson County on the whole has boomed.

It's funny that the phrase "cookie cutter" has been thrown around by one of the candidates as though it's a bad thing and yet most people in PV live in cookie cutter developments. That is another example of nonsensical rhetoric. I would bet that in 75% of the houses on my block, I can find my way to every room blindfolded. What is more cookie cutter than that? I and my family live in a cookie cutter development that is the hallmark of Nichols developments and we absolutely LOVE it. But I have spent my entire life in Johnson county and 30+ years in PV. PV MUST start thinking about how to attract families that don't already have a sentimental attachment to the area and investigate possibilities of affordable homes for seniors to "age in place". Neither of those was part of the "Nichols Vision"

"Many would argue that Nichols made Kansas City what it is today. Don't you suppose the more logical conclusion to draw from Mr. Kelly's admiration of Nichols is of that legacy?"

It would be unfair for me to draw conclusions about Mr. Kelly's admirations. Honestly, Mr. Kelly and I are not running against each other. He has plenty in the public realm and on his website about which I could comment and I have chosen deliberately NOT to do that. That is not my place. I have a major problem with the phrase "Nichols Vision" because a vision is all-encompassing and with Nichols, that vision was going to be accomplished with racist policies.

If the restrictive covenants that exist throughout cities in the United States is a true issue of concern to you, can we expect to see you take immediate action to strike them from the record in Prairie Village?

No. As I understand it, the cost per home to get the covenants stricken could be as much as $25-50. The process will involve some expensive attorneys that will need to get the appropriate documentation from every homeowner in the affected area. I don't have nearly the money to do that.

I won't be doing anything about it as a member of the City Council either. The rules of the homes association are distinct and separate from city government. The city even has specific laws about wading into homes association covenants. As I said, Nichols made those covenants to last. Nichols himself placed the corporate responsibilities of the homeowners associations in the Homes Associations of the Country Club District. All of the home association covenants are ultimately administered by HACCD. That is to whom I pay my dues; it should be their responsibility as the administrator of the homes associations.

If it were as simple as taking a petition from door to door, I'd do it myself, but Nichols did not intend for those covenenats to be so easily changed.

"If not, perhaps you should let Mr Kelly speak for himself."

Woo, that was meant to be a stiff jab. It would sting if only I were speaking for Kelly. But I'm not. Speaking for himself, he said "JC Nichols Vision ... should be our vision...". It is a fact that the vision excluded African Americans. Kelly either knew that or he didn't. In either case, I didn't make it up. That's what started this whole thing.

"In the interest of fairness to the democratic principal behind blogging, please don't delete this. Do as your website states and show 'tact and respect' for all points of view."

Goodness, another jab. Unfortunately, this one missed, too. Anyone who has seen my e-mails to notify them of posts knows that I've always said that comments without obscenities will be available in their entirety. It's ironic to receive lessons on democratic principals when I'm the one speaking my mind in the public sphere without the veil of anonymity. I WANT people to feel free to comment and criticize me anonymously. However, I would prefer advice on the "democratic principals" that I'm not already exhibiting.

Election in less than two weeks!

Please see the sidebar to links to each candidate's website. Each has ways that you can contact them and get to know them. Look at both sites, if you have any advice on who should get our votes. Post here!

Candidate Holds Open House

A candidate has e-mailed me and told me that he is holding an event. I am more than happy to steer people toward opportunities to find out about their candidates. Mike Riley and his wife Ellen are holding an Open House for Ward III voters. It's tomorrow, Saturday, 4000 west 74th Street, 2pm to 4pm. If you can't make it, call or e-mail him and tell him to come to your neighborhood and meet you there. If you speak to him, let me know what you think. He's MIKE on your ballots.

Silence Broken ;)

I get the sense from my colleagues that sitting council members do their best to stay under the radar during the election season for their counterpart's seat. I was pretty happy to follow suit and still am...... essentially.....

I just have to say one thing. I know most of us were pretty green and raw when we ran for office, especially the first time. There aren't that many fantastic ideas and there are even fewer clever slogans that will energize the voters. Candidates are mostly people doing the best they can on their own, without the political consultants and pros that make the big shots look good.

And that's all just fine. I don't want to get on anyone's case because I happen tho think that his big idea is kinda small or his clever slogan isn't that impressive. HOWEVER, when someone's catchy motto is so poorly formulated and so short-sighted that it borders on insulting, I gotta punch-up the blog.

No ad hominems, just an attack on this candidate's premise.

Before I start, I'm not out to get Michael KELLY. But think he's been flippant and careless in choosing his words and I'm a little offended by it. Kelly is the candidate with the three-generation history in PV and the Shamrock on his promo material. On the ballot he's “Michael”.

He's also the candidate whose major thrust is "J.C. Nichols vision for Prairie Village should be our vision for Prairie Village". I don't know why he wants to drop this particular name. In the interest of neutrality, I'll not speculate. In my opinion, Kansas Citians invoke J.C. Nichols the way St. Joe invokes the Pony Express (although the pony express existed for only 18 months!) – Hey, it's one of the few claims to fame that they have.

But J.C. Nichols is not some kind of benevolent urban/social/cultural architect. J.C. Nichols was a very astute real estate investor/developer and innovative planner who successfully exploited the coming dominance of the automobile in post war KC. He's also, like, the father of the shopping mall.....

Don’t get me wrong, Prairie Village is a beautiful city and it’s planned elements still work pretty darn well despite a community that wants to be increasingly neighborly, increasingly pedestrian friendly and increasingly socially and economically integrated. And a great deal of that is owed to J.C. Nichols vision.

But let's be honest, it's becoming more and more pedestrian friendly; it has the potential to attract and keep young growing families as well as offering older citizens homes to "age in place"; residents here are working toward a better and better place to live every year, every decade. But that's mostly because of the inherent qualities of the people who live in PV, not solely because of J.C. Nichols "vision". Most Prairie Villagers can get a larger and newer house for the same money in Beige-ville off an exit of I-70 or 35 or 29. They’re in Prairie Village because of what they can be a part of here and what they can create here, not because someone figured it all out for them 50 years ago.

There are several problems with the concept of "J.C. Nichols vision for Prairie Village should be our vision for Prairie Village” but I’ll only speak to the one that I find truly objectionable.

The problem that I have with J.C. Nichols’ "vision" is another of his pioneering works: the restrictive racial covenant. There have been numerous articles in the KC Star, academic journals, the writings of Nichols himself that document the use of racially restrictive covenants, but, to me, none is more in-your-face than the deed restrictions that STILL EXIST, IN WRITING in the deed restrictions of the Prairie Village Homes Association. Sure, they’ve been unconstitutional since the late 40’s but they’re there. You still get them in black and white on page 3,

“Section 2
Ownership of Negroes Prohibited
None of said land may be conveyed to, used, owned, or occupied by negroes [sic] as owners or tenants.”

No, they’re not enforceable, but is that the point? You tell me. To me, that’s NOT the point. They exist and apply to the homes that some of us live in, Today, Right NOW and it’s revolting.

These rules automatically renew every 25 years and if you want them amended, all the paperwork has to be done 5 YEARS in advance of the 25 year anniversary – Nichols built these rules to last. And if he’s the major KC benefactor that people claim he is, it seems to me that he would want to be the driving force in undertaking the tedious and expensive task of completing the paperwork to make these covenants go away.

So I object to the cozy name-dropping that comes with "J.C. Nichols vision for Prairie Village should be our vision for Prairie Village”. It’s ill-considered and dare I say, slightly ignorant from someone who touts a three generation history in Ward III. In the first of those three generations, the ink on those restrictions was barely dry and absolutely enforceable. . . . . nice vision.

More Committee Vacancies

There are several committee vacancies on some interesting and active groups. Please consider serving or recruiting a friend of family member. In my opinion, some of these committees don't have enough turnover as it is; the problem is exacerbated if no one new wants to serve:

Animal Control Advisory Board
Board of Code Appeals
Communications (includes youth positions)
Park & Recreation Committee (includes youth positions)
Prairie Village Arts Council (includes youth positions)
Tree Board (includes youth positions)
Sister City Committee (includes youth positions)

A couple of the vacancies are Ward-specific but if you're interested in serving, let me know and I'll give you the details.

Council Packets Available

City Council Packets are now available on the PV Website. Although there's a pretty substantial lag between when the meetings take place and the publication of this document, if you can bear to wade through this huge document, you can get the gist of council meetings and most committee actions.

If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, just click on the Bookmarks tab and you can go right to any topic you choose. Acrobat Reader is a free application that you probably already have on your computer; if you don't, you can downlod it for free.

Check the sidebar on this blog, underneath the link for the city website.

Keep checking here if you want your council news shorter and editorialized

Planning Commission

In keeping with it's statutory autonomy, the Planning Commission has stuck with it's original decision and refused to re-bid the position of City Planner and firm of record for city planning services. That's how I read it anyway. I might also read into this that the Planning Commission has -- respectfully -- given the city council The Bird for not respecting their judgement in the first place.

They wrote us a letter last week saying that they didn't think that re-doing the process of asking for proposals and interviewing respondents would be fruitful and that Bucher, Willis Ratliff and Ron Williamson were the best team for the job.

If you read, "Conflict of Interest or Much Ado About Nothing" from my November posts, you know I agree with the Planning Commission and have always voted against dumping the current firm and Planner just because the mayor is a principal with BWR.

I would appreciate your thoughts.

Planning Commission

I'm sure there are many of you that want to keep tabs on Planning Commission actions on the property at 3308 West 71st Street.

To that end, I see that there are several issues with this property before the Planning Commission tomorrow, March7.

Although this is not a "Public Hearing" per se, you absolutely may attend. But since it is not a Public Hearing" you might not be asked to speak. The only opinions welcomed or heard will be those specifically requested by the Planning Commission members. Although this is an Open Meeting where anyone from the public can attend, our ordinances (which largely reflect Kansas Statute) do not require a Public Hearing for a building line modification or replatting wherein citizens can come forward to express their thoughts.

I do know that the Planning Commission is aware that there is a potential issue with the apparently unapproved changing of the structure's elevation. This elevation change will be part of the discussion tomorrow night.

However, I have to set expectations that at the moment, Prairie Village does not regulate how people's houses look. Some of these issues are routinely administrative. It does appear as though the homeowner has failed to follow procedure in several cases, however, it does not guarantee that permission to do some of the things he wants to do will be denied.

I have no indication that the Planning Commission will go either way. I just think that the elevation issue may have more to do with drainage and safety issues than aesthetics.

I will get an update with all due haste after the meeting and send everyone a note when I've posted that update here.

Regular trash pick-up this week

President’s Day is not a trash pick-up holiday. Trash pick-up will be on a regular schedule this week.

Ward III Primary

The last few posts are brand new. It’s certainly not as though nothing’s been going on; I’ve just been swamped.

WARD III residents. Don’t forget to vote! We need to make a conscious choice on who represents us.

In Ward V, they’re getting a new councilman without even casting a vote. Nothing against that gentleman -- he’s served for several years on Prairie Village planning and zoning boards. But I always think it’s a shame when someone becomes an elected office holder without really having to make a case to their constituents on why they belong in office.

Ward III residents have their choice of three candidates in a FEBRUARY 28 Primary. The two highest vote-getters will advance to the general election on April 4. As a resident of Prairie Village I’ve been very interested in this council election since the beginning of this year and I’ve eagerly awaited any information from any of the candidates that helps them make their case as to why they deserve to represent us.

Mike Riley has called me and offered to answer any questions that I have on any issue. He is also hosting a “Get to Know the Candidate” coffee at the PV Community Center this Wednesday and next Monday. Mike has answered all of my questions; make him answer yours. The Johnson County Election Office website has his phone number and his e-mail address and a short profile (http://www.jocoelection.org/Candidates/Candidates-All-4-2006.htm#prairievillage). I encourage you to go to one of the coffees that he is hosting – if a candidate puts himself out there, we should take him up on it. He has a website at http://www.rileyforcitycouncil.org/ It will even tell you where and when you can vote. The county site has that info also but frankly, Mr. Riley’s site is built specifically for Ward III residents and the info is easier to find.

Warren Smith may be an excellent candidate too. I don’t know. I don’t know anything about him. He filed as a candidate over a month ago and there is no profile on the county website and no e-mail address. I suppose you can give him a call or if you have any campaign material, please share it with me.

Michael Kelly may likewise be an excellent candidate. Again, I don’t know. There is no phone number or e-mail address or profile on the county website. I guess you could write him a letter and ask him to get back to you.

I don’t have anything against any of these guys but as a resident of Ward III, I require an easy way to find out about my candidate or an simple way to exchange views with him. Certainly, the county website is a free and incredibly easy way to put something up for all to see.

I am always thinking of ways that I can make myself more accessible and collaborative with my fellow residents. It perplexes me that even before they are elected, candidates who might have great potential as representatives can’t figure out the simplest ways to let people know who they are and what they think.

Vote. Find out where and when, and Vote

Beer Sales

The Legislative and Finance Committee has asked the full council to have the Planning Commission hold a public hearing on selling beer at the Phillips/Conoco station at 95th and Mission. Please let your thoughts be known. I personally do not see a threat to the Prairie Village lifestyle brought by allowing the sale of beer at a gas station. There would not be anything more restrictive or permissive than selling beer at our grocery stores and there are already places in PV (or within a couple of blocks of a PV border) where you can park your car and, within 10 steps of the door, grab a case or a glass of beer.

No, there's not a particularly good reason to expand beer sales to gas stations, but just as importantly, there's not a compelling reason to prevent it. I don't think the government ought to spend a lot of time limiting what a PV business can sell if those items are already easily available elsewhere within the city.

Urgent (?) Pledge

We’re saying the Pledge of Allegiance before council meetings now. I'm being told that it was the mayor's decision since he is the chair of the council meeting but it's not as simple as that. Wayne Vennard, the councilmember from Ward V brought this up at his first meeting after his appointment to the council a couple of months ago. I don’t mind saying the pledge of allegiance at the council meetings, I object to having it added to the agenda as some kind a magic way to patriotize or legitimze the proceedings. I don’t approve of someone changing council meeting processes that don’t first and foremost improve the efficiency and faithfulness with which we do the work of the residents of the city. Apparently, Wayne couldn’t get enough support from the Council to institute the Pledge democratically, so he put the mayor on the spot.

I believe in what the flag stands for. I respect the flag as a symbol of our history and our country's unique ability to remain united and stable and strong for over 200 years.

I find it disturbing that the neither the council nor the mayor felt that the Pledge was an integral part of doing the City’s business, yet an new member is appointed and we add it to the agenda within two months.

I have participated in two council work sessions in the last two years and we have barely scratched the surface of the issues that the entire council agreed were important to a better, more efficient, more productive and more cohesive council. Yet we add the Pledge to the council meetings without any compelling reason to do so and without consent of the council as a whole.

Ward III Updates

There are a couple of hot issues in Ward III.

One is the building of a new house on 71st Street. I have been speaking with the homeowners association and the residents in the area from the time that some of the apparent infractions were committed. I heartily applaud the careful research that the residents did on what was happening in their neighborhood and the restrictions that applied there and the respectful, calm and opened-minded yet assertive way they approached the council with their concerns. I much appreciate the collaboration with Prairie Hills Board members on this issue as well and I assure everyone that I will pursue a better set of review policies as we go forward so that we can prevent this type of problem in the future.

I would welcome anyone’s input and evaluation of those policy changes as I work with city staff to try to understand everything that happened and the processes that failed.

Another group of Ward III residents to be admired for their collaboration with one another are a group of Cherokee Drive residents who have grave concerns about the speed and volume of traffic on their street. I’ll be meeting with city staff soon to discuss the outcome of the meeting between those residents, Public Works and Public Safety.

As the research progresses, I'd appreciate your input on this as well.

The key to getting the wheels of government turning to investigate problems and solutions in each of these situations is that neighbors came together and worked with each other on a common cause. They're all to be applauded.