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Wichita City Council can’t judge airport contract
On Tuesday the Wichita City Council will conduct a hearing for review of the award of a contract for the construction of the new Wichita Airport terminal. But because of relationships between nearly...
View ArticleFor Wichita government, an ethics tipping point
Tomorrow Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer and the Wichita City Council will make a decision that will let the city learn the ethics and character of its elected officials. The issue is whether the mayor and...
View ArticleWichita fails ethics test
Yesterday Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer and a majority of the Wichita City Council failed a test, showing that Wichita elected officials, except for one, aren’t interested in ethical behavior. The problem...
View ArticleIn 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...
View ArticleWichita voters reject cronyism — again
Tuesday’s primary election in Kansas was notable for the large number of victories by conservative challengers over Republican senate incumbents. Also important is that voters in Wichita and the...
View ArticleKansas counties decline sustainable communities planning
Two of the five Kansas counties that were asked to participate in a sustainable communities planning grant have decided not to join the effort. Of the five counties (Sedgwick, Butler, Reno, Harvey and...
View ArticleOpen records again an issue in Kansas
Responses to records requests made by Kansas Policy Institute are bringing attention to shortcomings in the Kansas Open Records Act. Those who have made records requests in Kansas are probably not...
View ArticleIn 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...
View ArticleWichita could do better regarding open government, if it wants
Tomorrow the Wichita City Council will consider renewing its contract with Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau. The renewal will provide another opportunity for the council to decide whether it...
View ArticleCampaign contributions show need for reform in Wichita
Candidates for Wichita City Council have filed campaign finance reports, and the filings illustrate the need for campaign finance reform in Wichita and Kansas. Two incumbents, both who have indicated...
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Carl Brewer: The state of Wichita, 2013
Much like President Barack Obama in his recent inaugural address, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer displayed his collectivist instincts in his “State of the City” address for 2013. His speech, as prepared,...
View ArticleDowntown Wichita issues not appreciated
Once again, the Wichita Eagle editorial board misses the point regarding downtown Wichita development. There may be some that are opposed to downtown simply because it’s downtown, or for other silly...
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Is graft a problem in Wichita?
In his paper History and Constitutionality of Pay-to-Play Campaign Finance Restrictions in America Greg Schmid explains the problems that result from the “soft corruption” that pay-to-play laws...
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Wichita economic development and the election
As Wichitans decide their preference for city council members, voters should take a look at the numbers and decide whether they’re satisfied with our city’s performance in economic development. As...
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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...
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Ambassador Hotel Industrial Revenue Bonds
The City of Wichita should not approve a measure that is not needed, that does not conform to the city’s policy (based on relevant information not disclosed to citizens), and which is steeped in...
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Starwood calls on Wichita
This Tuesday the Wichita City Council considers economic development incentives to Starwood Hotels & Resorts for a call center to open in Wichita. Besides the usual problems with cronyism and...
View ArticleWichitaLiberty.TV July 14, 2013
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV, host Bob Weeks explains the attitude of the Wichita City Council regarding ethical behavior and reports on incidents that illustrate the need for campaign finance...
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Wichita does it again
Wichita never seems to learn. Its government, that is. The last time Key Construction was awarded a no-bid contract for building a parking garage in Wichita, it almost cost Wichita taxpayers an extra...
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Wichita contracts, their meaning (or not)
Is the City of Wichita concerned that its contracts contain language that seems to be violated even before the contract is signed? This week the Wichita City Council approved a development agreement...
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