Keller City Limits

Todd Overman, the editor at the Keller Citizen wrote a great LTTE last week announcing that he was leaving the paper. I wish him well and I think he did a great job here in town.

As you might recall, I posted earlier in the year about the Beef Recall that affected KISD. You can read those posts here and here. I finally got around to filing a Freedom of Information act request on May 5th (I’ve been busy).

Today, I received a package from Ms. Johnson at the KISD, and while they stuffed the package with a lot of boring emails, a few popped out at me.

From Greg Manning to Shellie Johnson, 2/20/2008 at 8am.

Shellie; I am aware of the “blog” and the release that you put together, thank you for doing so. Please edit to me as the direct contact for more information, as the communications folks are not the direct contacts for any local information; our inventory, our menu’s etc.
Can I visit with you this morning? Greg

This is apparently in response to Shellie’s original press release and stating the contact should be Caroline Nelson and Nancy Quinn at Chartwell. But what it shows is that Ms. Johnson was aware of my post here on KCL, but yet later took the time to write a Letter to the Editor stating she never received an email from me. While the school systems old Novell Servers might have eaten my original email, she did know about my concern. She never addressed them, even to today, but took the time to write the LTTE.

In fact, the original post on KCL was passed around a few times between KISD employees at the Admin building, they provided me with those emails.

Another parent sent an email to Nancy Quinn with Chartwell asking about the beef recall, and she responded to Greg Manning and Eugenie Caroselli with the following:

Interesting that the email was sent directly to me…I am a bit suspicious which is why I requested more info…any insight on that?

Greg - does the name ring a bell?

Caroline can help with some key messages for this parent if necessary…

Good night!

Nancy Quinn

VP of Chartwells School Dining Services

This email was sent on the night of the 19th, hence the email above from Greg Manning requesting that he be the contact rather than a VP up in New York. Still, why would they be suspicious? What were they hiding?

Two things that really jumped out at me though, one was the lack of documents provided that I requested. I also requested videos or recordings of any meetings whether private or public where the recalled beef was discussed, but yet didn’t receive a copy of a school board meeting.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me though was that there were very few individual school items forwarded to me. In fact, the only items that weren’t generated at the KISD Admin building happened to be from my daughter’s school, Shady Grove Elementary. And two of those items that were forwarded to me? My daughter’s class weekly newsletter. Nowhere in my request did I specify information strictly from Shady Grove or from my daughter’s class. Instead, they included that information as a way of letting me know that they know who I am and what class my daughter is in.

Paranoid? Maybe, but how many teachers are there in KISD? How many newsletters that mentioned the recall? Lots, and I requested ALL forms of communications that mention the recall, but yet I get my daughter’s newsletter and her principal’s weekly schedule but none of the others.

BTW, we (the taxpayers) had to PAY $2,300 to have 140 cases of ground beef taken to the landfill and another 40 cases incinerated. Frank Di Nella with KISD stated that he felt the supplier should be responsible for paying to get rid of the meat, good for him.

There are still a lot of documents that they should have provided, and I plan to follow up and ask why they weren’t. I suspect because they are afraid of a little sunlight.

BTW, from what I can tell, a good portion of the beef was fed to the kids.

More later when I get an answer to my followup.

…but not sworn AT, at least not publicly.

Tonight the Keller City Council swore in its three newest members, John Baker, Tom Cawthra and Jim Thompson. This was just another ho-hum, same-o same-o transition of power ceremony common in the West but unthinkable among vast swaths of the world’s oppressed peoples.

I used my time at the podium to pay homage to those who didn’t have to listen to me, didn’t have to consider my arguments, didn’t have to care what I had to say. But they did so anyway, and I had never bothered to say how much I appreciated it.

I will now withdraw from the public stage, not only at Town Hall but at Keller City Limits, too. If this blog survives as a useful forum, it will be because others take the time and effort to make it so.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of KCL—it’s just that my leading role in it has ended, at least for now. Like a scorned suitor, it is therapeutic that I step away and do something else with my time and talent. It is also just the decent thing to do for my opponent(s)—he’s (they’ve) earned the right to represent you with the benefit of the doubt, and he shall have it from me.

To those of you with whom I’ve been short lately (and you know who you are,) I’m truly sorry. I know you mean well, but this is a decision I made some time ago.

KCL will continue to be “owned” by me, but it will be administered by Doug Miller, Frank Flanagan, Mike Sivertsen, Monty Snow and John and Elaine McNaughton. There are many others with author privileges on KCL, and many more are welcome. If you have something to say that you feel is more important than just a comment, contact one of these people and get yourself signed up as an author. Just try to keep it about Keller, OK?

As for me, I will continue to write, because I really enjoy it. I just won’t be writing about Keller politics, at least for a while. I have another domain called thinkfromscratch.com where I might pontificate. Some of the things I’m considering saying there will preclude me from being elected to any office ever again.

Finally, I want to express my sincere thanks to those who supported me. I will always be grateful.

To me, this blog was about more than just Jim Carson, but as a tool to help keep Keller Citizens informed of the happenings in our fair city. Tonight, the three new Council Members begin their term officially. I wish them the very best.

If Jim allows, I will continue to post my thoughts here on KCL and I hope he and all the other contributors do as well.

From the Mayor’s Letter to the Citizens:

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the annual KellerFest, May 30- June 1, at Keller Town Center. The festival is hosted by the Keller Chamber of Commerce and this year’s theme is titled “Freedom Has A Price” honoring all past and present military personnel. KellerFest is sure to have something for everyone such as carnival rides, food, craft and vendor booths, military aircraft and vehicle displays and presentations, and live entertainment. For more information and to volunteer, contact the Keller Chamber of Commerce at 817-431-2169 or visit the festival’s website at www.kellerfest.com.

The Keller Indians Baseball team outhit the Jesuit Rangers to win the Area 1 Championship. Kaleb Merck pitched in both must win games on Saturday and showed his determination in leading the Indians to both wins.

Keller will face playoff rival Flower Mound this week, I’m hearing Thursday at Keller, Friday at FM, and Saturday at a neutral field.

The last time Flower Mound came to Keller for a playoff baseball game, it was an overflow crowd. Come out and support your Indians as they try to beat a very good Flower Mound team.

Also, the Indians were also featured on WFAA’s High School program last night with Britton Blanc receiving their Play of the Week for a great catch as he bounced off the metal wall at Jesuit to save an extra base hit. They interviewed a few of the players and Coach Stramp on the show, it was great to see them getting some much deserved publicity.

Just a FYI, Southlake also won this week and will face the Coppell Cowboys.

Early voting results:

Place 2: John Baker is leading with 57.8% of the vote.

Place 3: Tom Cawthra is leading with 56% of the vote.

Place 4: Jim Thompson is leading with 68% of the vote.

Here’s the link

I’ve called and congratulated Jim Thompson.

UPDATE, Final Results:

John Baker, 53% of final vote
Tom Cawthra, 52% of final vote
Jim Thompson, 67% of final vote

I honestly thought I could stir the fiscally conservative majority of Keller to vote in a city election. I was naive. I couldn’t even inspire my wife to vote.

The Positively Keller slate of candidates is backed by the powers that brought you the late night vote that approved a library without the vote of the citizens. Watch this video and be amazed at the names brought up in the Mayor’s remarks on who should be on the steering committee, they are pretty much the “Who’s Who” of Positively Keller dot com.

Also notice at the end who makes the motion to approve the resolution, none other than Steve Trine, one of the directors of the PAC that isn’t a PAC, Positively Keller.

We have made progress since 2005 and today we have a much more open Government at City Hall.

Is it contentious at times? Sure, but there’s a saying that sausage and law making can be messy business. I’d much rather have an open dialog than a bunch of back room deals.

The weather tomorrow is going to be beautiful with a high of 92 degrees. The Keller Sports Park will be full of families watching their kids play baseball and soccer and there is large number of communities in town having their neighborhood garage sales. Keller High Baseball is in the playoffs and will be playing at Jesuit High. Heck, my son’s college team is playing in Lubbock tomorrow in the playoffs. I know you will be busy, but if you have not voted, take the time to stop by Bear Creek Middle School or Shady Grove Elementary School and do so tomorrow. Take the 10 minutes to keep Keller Government on the right track, rather than returning to the days of back room deals and a Council as a Body.

The power brokers in town want you to stay home, they feel that the lower the turnout, the better chance they have.

Jim Carson, Bob Kirk and Mark Harness need your vote.

A little break from local politics for a lighthearted view of flying these days……if it wasn’t so true it would be funny. (via Instapundit)

It is not that the whole experience is uncomfortable, which it is, but that the process has become — through a Satanic collusion between the airlines and government — utterly dehumanizing. Bean-counters and bureaucrats have combined to create the one central experience of American life in which you are reduced to a hunk of meat.

The next time you simply “must” travel observe the process from one mental remove. The snaking lines and the endless bland posters and placards at “Security.” The forced removal of your items of clothing — coats, sweaters, and shoes (the better to expose you to any tasty foot fungus left behind by those in line in front of you.) Then listen to the endless loop of warnings and instructions as you watch old women in walkers get wanded so that nobody can possibly say “Profiling is afoot!”

Put them all together along with the ever-present though distant chance that the plane will indeed fall out of the air, and you have a vague replay of kindly SS officers in the 1940s murmuring in dulcet tones, “This way to the showers, ladies and gentlemen.”

My wife generally has at least one round trip by plane every week, I just don’t understand how she puts up with it. I fly 5 or 6 times a year only when absolutely necessary and regret it about the time I have to take my shoes off….

I forgot the Citizen doesn’t publish LTTE the week of the election, and have been sitting on this one for a week or two. It’s a version of my Joe’s vs. Schmoes.

I’m going to post it here so at least some of you will be able to read it.

To the Editor:

The way I see it, there are two faces of Keller, the elitists and the working Joe and Jane. The elitists believe that they are the savior of Keller from the likes of Jim Carson, Mark Harness and Bob Kirk. They worry about Art in the Park, while the working Joe’s worry about pot holes. They worry about the feelings of the bureaucrats at City Hall while the working Joe worries about how it feels to be flooded out of their homes because somebody at City Hall wasn’t doing their job.

The elitists worry about the “Council as a Body”, the working Joe wonders why after all these years, and all the promises from past Mayors Tandy and Phillips, that the Town Center TIF is still in the red and will continue to be there for the foreseeable future. They make accusations of ethical lapses, but then their PAC doesn’t think they’re a PAC and won’t file the required forms. What are they hiding?

It’s simple really; if you care more about Art than Pot Holes, vote for the Tandy slate of candidates. If you want middle of the night votes for Town Center Libraries that the public doesn’t want, vote for them. If you want a slate of candidates that feel they can buy the election, have at it, vote for them, because they’ve spent more money this year than ever has been spent in an election in this town.

If you want OPEN government, a Council that will fight to keep every dollar in YOUR pocket, then vote for Carson, Kirk and Harness. Sure, these three men have some stances I don’t agree with, but one thing I know is true, they care about you, the Citizens of this town.