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.