There were so many things wrong with the Board of Alderman meeting of February 11, 2014 that I hardly know where to start. Aldermen Cheryl Kross and Sonya Shryock once again asked imbecilic questions taking up the time of both petitioners and staff. They stalled a CID renegotiation resolution of the Wentzville Bluffs development just after the petitioner announced that he had five new businesses ready to go to planing and zoning, one of which is a new movie theater. Mayor Nickolas Guccione went total bozo over the ethics policy again and reiterated the fact that he cannot read and hates Roman numerals. Of course, Alderman Michael Hays did what he does best; stare at his computer screen, make funny faces, and vote with Guccione—adding absolutely nothing to the meeting.
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I am going to start with Guccione's favorite issue: being able to take baskets of goodies to the Mayor's ball. This point in question has become the entire thrust of Guccione's platform, any other issues in Wentzville pale in comparison to his desire to collect donations from companies to take to the Mayor's Ball.
Guccione has been arguing the ethics policy for months trying to get the Aldermen to change it to allow him to take charitable donations. You may recall, this policy was modified to disallow elected officials to solicit private donations after Mayor Lambi abused his authority and was found guilty by the Missouri Ethics Commission. Spearheaded by Alderman Forrest Gossett, the policy was written to safeguard individuals and companies from feeling pressured by elected officials who seek donations for a cause. Guccione wanted it changed back to pre-Guccione days so he can go around town strong-arming companies to give generously to his beloved Mayor's Ball.
I used the term "strong-arm" because regardless of how you cut it, that's what it is. Companies as well as individuals are intimidated by an elected official coming to their home or business looking for a hand out. If I were to walk into a Wentzville business asking them to donate $250 to my favorite charity, they'd say, "no thanks." But if a mayor walks into that same business with the same request, the owner is nervous and feeling pressured about refusing him, and as Lambi proved; they'll give it to him. Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't this a form of (perhaps unintended) extortion? I think so, and so should our elected officials.
The change to the policy was up for final reading and King Nickolas got his dream fulfilled as it was a 5-1 vote. Alderman Rick Stokes sacked up and held firm that he disagreed with allowing any elected official to extort solicit donations, consequently, he was the only one to vote "Nay." I'm especially disappointed in Gossett when he announced that he promised to compromise with the mayor but struggled with himself internally because he felt it wrong also. That didn't stop him from voting "Yea." Mr. Gossett sold out his core values to keep a promise to a mayor who has never kept a promise to anyone since being elected almost eight years ago. Shame on you Alderman Gossett, you just made it possible for Guccione to move on to his second priority—getting Chief of Police, Lisa Harrison fired.
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Moving on to the utter lunacy of Kross and Shryock. Mr. Rick Podhorn, developer of the Wentzville Bluffs retail development, came before the board to ask for a resolution to obtain an extension of the CID used to develop the property on the southwest corner of Hwy. 70 and Hwy. Z. Mr. Podhorn explained that he had five other businesses (one of which is a movie theater) ready to go before planning and zoning within the next two months, but they will be unable to obtain financing if the CID is not extended. After repeating the lengthy proposal to Shryock three times because she didn't seem to understand Community Improvement Development language, Stokes moved to offer the extension and have a resolution drafted by the next meeting.
Alderman Kross, in her usual baffling way, offered an alternate motion to bring it back for discussion without a resolution. Why she wants to stall this great opportunity for Wentzville has many people scratching their heads. She is making things tight for the developer and could possibly close the window on it with her smoke and mirror logic. She's making powerful enemies all over town and I'm afraid with this latest stunt, among many others before, Alderman Kross has outlived her usefulness to Wentzville politics—she needs to follow Shryock out of the door and definately not be re-elected in 2015.
Why does Nick Guccione want to fire Chief Harrison?
ReplyDeletehe doesn't need any reason other than he hates her
DeleteShe probably knows where he buried the bodies.
DeleteShryock and Kross want to have the chief fired too. They are a bad element on the board of aldermen.
DeleteShryock can only do significant damage for a little more than a month more, but Kross can create problems for another year. Plus, look to see Shryock blow before leaving office, and her classless act won't be a surprise to her co-aggrivators, Kross or, the Gooch. She may even take a crack at The Wentzvillian who exposed their attemped derailing of Chief Harrison. But as long as Gooch is mayor the witch hunt will never end.
I hope Harrison sues their asses off.
Chief Harrison is the only Chief of Police in the last 20 or so years to act with honesty, integrity and a high platform of professional ethics. She still has some dogs on her staff that need to be let loose so they don't do any further damage to the city. She is the best thing to happen to this fair city in many years and the "A" Team knows it and will support her thru all legal venues. She needs to identify her detractors with their own sins so they can retire gracefully and exit the city before they, too, are caught in the crossfire.and cook their own goose..
DeleteAll HAIL THE CHIEF! !!!.
For what Alderman Shryock did to Chief Harrison last year she should be sued by the Chief within an inch of her tarnished aldermanic reputation .
DeleteThe issues at stake from Kross , Shryock, the Mayor and others toward Chief Harrison may be in conflict with the 'Federal and State Anti- Bullying Legislation'. Could someone consult an attorney and see if there is any issues relevant to their actions that apply here????
DeleteNEWS FLASH:
ReplyDeleteIt's well known that Gooch wants to get rid of Chief Harrison. But what is not so well known is that Representative Brian Spencer is trying to help him reach his goal.
Last year Govenor Nixon signed into law, a bill that makes firing a police chief almost impossible. Gooch's buddy Spencer is doing his best to get that law modified to make it much easier. Spencer is a bigger rat than you thought, huh?
sounds like chief could have a hell of a good lawsuit
DeleteWentzvillian, You made an error when you said:
ReplyDelete"Guccione wanted it changed back to pre-Guccione days so he can go around town strong-arming companies to give generously to his beloved Mayor's Ball."
It was not "Pre-Guccione days." Guccione was in office when it was introduced, unanimosly passed by the board, and Guccione himself signed it into law.
The Mayor's 'strong-arm' tactics are the same as 'bullying' and the reality is going to come to pass that the Mayor can now be charged with acts against the anti-bullying legislation.
DeleteIf you watched last nights meeting the mayor said "there are ways to get around this law" our bet is that he will still do his silent strong-arming of companies but have them GIVE the donation to his wife who can then pass it over to the Mayor for his gift basket> HE always has a way to get around the law. Let's have the Chief check the basket for fingerprints!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Gossett folded hoping that Guccione wouldn't campaign so hard against him.
ReplyDeleteAlderman Gossett needs to put away his pompous, better than thou attitude with the Mayor if he wants to survive . It is best to keep your ego in check on the dais and deal with the Mayor on these issues in private. There is nothing to be gained by shooting down the Mayor unless YOU know you are dead-on-target and he doesn't have a chance to reload. Besides, He has arrows that go around corners and will get you when you're looking the other way. Alderman Gossett's ego is best when checked at the door.
ReplyDeleteWhy would Alderman Kross be against retail growth in Wentzville? She's always concerned with spending money, why isn't she interested in collecting additional tax revenues for the city? She isn't making any sense trying to stonewall the Wentzville Bluffs development. It's really funny because the development in question is in her ward 1.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably correct, maybe she should retire from government. I know she won't get my vote next time she runs for office and I'm going to spread the word that she has flipped her wig.
Alderman Kross: Citizens in Wentzville want a movie theater and what better place than in our ward. Thank you Mr Podhorn for your continued desire to develop that rock down here, and trying to brings us new and different retail shops.
This sounds like Mayor writing with the "What the people want is what the people get" attitude. Sometimes what the people--AND WHO ARE THE PEOPLE-- want is not always what is good for them or the city. The PEOPLE-by a small number elected the Mayor and there is no way in God's creation that you can say HE is good for the PEOPLE..
DeleteKing nick wants the chief gone since she was party to the rick stokes BWW cover up. Several good officers lost their job over that incident. So the friend of your enemy is also your enemy rings true.
ReplyDeleteNo one lost their job over that. Not one officer was even investigated.
DeletePersonally I wouldn't vote for any candidate the Mayor is endorsing and I will be happy to spread the word. Mayor you are not doing the City of Wentzville any favors pushing unexperienced people into postions they do not belong in.
ReplyDeleteKross is acting against numerous new developments underway in HER ward. She is apparently too stupid to understand that helping new businesses get established helps create SALES TAXES which is what the city should ultimately want, right???
ReplyDeleteFor an alder-person to thwart economic development in general, and especially in the ward she is supposed to support, should tell citizens everything they need to know about her lack of intelligence, integrity, and business acumen. Vote accordingly.
You are absolutly right about Alderman Michael Hays, he does nothing at all. I've watched 4 meeting videos and the most time he has his mouth moving is to eat or yawn. This is the guy who our mayor fought so hard to get elected? Lord help us.
ReplyDeleteAlderman Hays was overheard saying that the only reason he took Guccione's recommendation to become an alderman, was because he recently got a new job and needs his alderman paycheck ($5,400/yr) to pay for gas to get to his new job. He would have lost his election if Gooch hadn't pulled off his unethical campaigning, and been at the polls handing out his city business cards and telling uneducated voters that frog-face was the best man for the job.
DeleteOtherwise, he has no time for his alderman job, doesn't read the information provided before meetings, keeps his mouth shut, and votes the way his good friend and benifactor (Gooch) tells him to. He takes up space and the taxpayers pay him to do it. He's a nice enough guy, but he's just useless.
Hays is a nice guy, he fell prey to Guccione's scam in just the same way Lambi fell for Ed Watkins scams. I'm not saying that Hays is a good legislator in fact, just the opposite, he is identical to Guccione in that respect.
Deletehays being an alderman of wentzville is like being the tallest midget at the sideshow
DeleteHow true it is about Alderman Hays being of questionable aldermanic character. Watch all the Alderman meetings broadcasts and you can see how good he is-NOT-. You hit it on the spot about Alderman Hays. He needs to retire also.
DeleteI don't know if it is true or not, but I don't blame our mayor for wanting to get rid of the chief. If she got "reprimanded" by the mayor to do something and it got out to the public via a couple of aldermen that tells me she is "confiding" in a group of people who will crush her to save their own lives. She needs to understand that she shouldn't stir the pot unless she wants to become the soup. If the mayor is not placing her on his agenda to get rid of, he should be.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a reprimand of Chief Harrison, it is not public information. If you have such information perhaps you would like to share it with us. It sounds like you are one of those who would like to step into her shoes.
ReplyDeletepoor nicky boy he has people everywhere telling about his escapades. employees, the aldermen, his staff, and even his own family are ratting him out. he cant get away with anything anymore. i guess the real question is; why doesn't he want the people of wentzville to know what he's up to?
ReplyDeleteit must be tough not knowing who to trust anymore but thats where he is, smack dab in the center of the target. he didn't want anyone to know that he wants to fire the chief but it's out here. he did reprimand her because during interviews she googled a prospective empoloyee and reported what she found, nicky boy didn't like it. poor, poor nick.
I see him everyday when he's in city hall he's going to have to fire every single employee, and new members of staff before he weeds out the rats. more than my eyes are on you, you putz, and we'll continue to feed everything we can find to the wentzvillian.
Is it true that the Mayor just had a meeting with his 'STAFF' people at which he told them, very explicitly, they are not allowed to talk anyone out of the confines of staff business personnel about what goes on in the city and not to talk to Alderman folks either about anything.??
DeleteIs there an issue here about 1st Amendment violation and freedom of speech if that is the case??
This is true! Mayor Nickolas Guccione got so crazy his veins were popping on his neck. He threatened to fire any directors (which he can't) who talk directly with the aldermen. He's going over the edge.
Delete