Kansas Mudwrestling in Republican Swampland ... 'the letterhead affairs.'

[John Richard Clinton Maenpaa]

Kansas Mudwrestling in Republican Swampland ... 'the letterhead affairs.'
Political wedgies for fuddie duddies with letters ...

Neighboring Leavenworth, Ks. has numerous conservative citizens experiencing an unusual wave of political wedgies, quite a number of fuddie-duddies in the population and on the City Commission had their underwear pulled up from behind by the Kansas Attorney General's office after the high office members of the most imprisoned population of the state, unceremoniously dumped one of it's own members as mayor.Who would want to smack down this uppity woman mayor of Leavenworth, Ks.?

The attractive Shay Baker was dumped in a purge after she wrote a letter, on city government letterhead, urging a federal judge leniency from issuing a 45 year prison sentence to an old friend of hers convicted of drug dealing. The judge handed out the sentence just the same, but the old timers got riled at the attractive upstart in office.

The local newspaper, Leavenworth Times on-line, had a rather stingy teaser touching on the controversy, and as usual, solicited a subscription to find out more. Local reporter, Tim Linn, wrote that Kansas Representative for Leavenworth received a letter from the AG's office stating that the commission had no "authority to vote for that removal under state statutes."

Kansas City television KCTV 5 being less beholden to local advert revenues, did get some remarks from the man who the commission voted to replace the rebellious blonde mayor, Davis Moulden, who made the plain spoken remark, ""Doesn't common sense say if they can name a mayor, they should have the authority to remove a mayor -- that doesn't make sense." Well duh ... who would think that a city in Kansas would have to follow some law from Topeka? The city that sent out a posse of slavers, bounty hunters led by a certain then federal sheriff to bomb Lawrence in the 1850s hasn't changed that much. Local vigilantes know best, even in Leavenworth of the 21st century.

What did Mayor Baker have to say about this? An intelligent quote, again from KCTV 5:

"Baker spoke to KCTV5's Eric Chaloux. 'They're setting a dangerous precedence for a mayor being ousted because they have an unpopular opinion and that's not what the city commission is meant to do,' she said. 'They're not meant to determine what my opinion on any subject should be.'"

The City of Leavenworth is stuck with her, or a flurry of lawsuits, which if won will cost the town more money and increased insurance rates in the end.

Have others engaged in questionable use of their offices?

Congressman Todd Tiahrt: You betcha!
Why not use tax dollars to campaign?

Just smell the stink wafting over the use of a city building for alleged campaign purposes in Salina, Ks. City Commissioner Aaron Peck made a point when commenting about Congressman Todd Tiahrt's self-styled town hall meeting of late to the Salina Journal's Tim Unruh:

"Peck, who's also a member of the Building Authority board, interprets Tiahrt's motives differently. Gage could not be reached Thursday.

'I believe town hall meetings are part of a campaign strategy. They're not well-hidden,' Peck said. 'The use of that facility for the explicit purpose of campaigning is a misuse of that joint facility.'"

Saline County Commission Chairman Randy Duncan (who is also Kansas Republican Party 1st District Chairman, and arranged the use of the government building) got his underwear pulled from behind by an email intercept the local newspaper dug up from the Tiahrt office.

It follows:

A Dec. 31 e-mail media advisory from Kansans for Tiahrt announcing the town hall meeting read:

"Conservative Congressman Todd Tiahrt will host a town hall meeting at the Salina City/County Building on Wednesday, January 6th from 10:30 -- 11:30 A.M. Tiahrt is the leading conservative running to replace Sam Brownback in the United States Senate. Tiahrt has been recognized throughout his career for fighting for lower taxes, traditional values, and limited government."
The letterhead on the release said: "Todd Tiahrt U.S. Senate." It also stated: "Paid for by Kansans for Tiahrt."

Read more from the not-so-stingy Salina Journal on-line.

Influencing thousands in a series of town hall meetings, which appears obiously, like just another campaign rally, similar to what Ks. 2nd Dist. Hon. Lynn Jenkins and others, did late last summer over health care; using government postage, stationary and your own campaign aides is commonly overlooked. But use a government office letterhead to get a judge's attention to read about an old friend, well that's downright punishable with a fate of political death.

Kansas Democrats just don't figure for dirt in this fracas, preferring ethereal issues like apologizing for "health care for all" when turns into "health care insurance reform" or "Stop the Wars" to "30,000 more to Afghanistan" ... mud wrestling is not a legitimate sport for liberals, at their political peril, or so it seems.


Posted by Michael Caddell at 12:45 PM

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