You know that downtown Parkville speakeasy (secret store) that can be accessed through a side doorway inside a Main Street business? Sure you do. It’s the topic of Brad Carl’s hit music video ‘Meet Me at the Speakeasy’ which can be found on YouTube and Spotify.
Anyway, we’ve been mentioning it occasionally in this column space since the winter months and recently put in a Sunshine Law request to the city for information, licensing, inspection reports, emails pertaining to the address, etc. and have uncovered a few interesting facts.
You’ll recall a Parkville alderman has proclaimed on social media that “everything is fine, nothing to see here.” But the facts we’ve uncovered detail an interesting time frame on when the secret club finally sought a business license. There’s also some interesting information regarding how long the speakeasy has been operating, and some interesting tidbits about who was patronizing the club long before the ‘business’ had taken steps to become properly licensed by City Hall, and some interesting info about who has ties to the club’s ownership and operation.
Anyway, just a tease of a little summer fun ahead.
Hate to break this to you, but the rest of this week’s fresh column was lost at deadline when my computer crashed at the most inopportune time of the week. If I get those comments recomposed, in the next day or two I’ll post that column on our web site at plattecountylandmark.com.
So instead of those fresh Wednesday morning thoughts, here are some Between the Lines comments from last year at this time. I’d normally call it a “best of” but in this case let’s just call it an emergency replacement and go from there.
So here we go. Keep in mind everything you’re reading from this point forward is from May 27, 2020:
Remember that time several years ago when the week prior to a Platte City election I didn’t talk about the upcoming city election in my column, then a nice lady in Platte City called to rip me a new one after she forgot to vote? Because it was totally my fault she forgot to vote.
It was a world class fanny chewing. Epic, in fact. It was like a Mayor Nan meltdown before Mayor Nan meltdowns became a thing.
By the way, the series known as Love Notes From Nan is now alive and well on our new website. The first posting is up. More soon to come. They’ll stay archived on the web, which is another advantage to placing them there instead of in the printed newspaper.
Find them at this link: plattecountylandmark.com/love-notes-from-nan
As veteran mayor Frank Offutt prepares to sail off into the elected office sunset, Platte City is fortunate in that it has two quality candidates for mayor. Tony Paolillo, president of the board of aldermen, and Dave Sharp, businessman who is active in the community as president of the local chamber of commerce, will be on the ballot.
The city will be in capable hands either way. That’s not an avoidance of giving you an “endorsement,” that’s simply a fact. Both are level-headed. Both have experience at City Hall, Paolillo as an alderman for a decade and Sharp as an appointed member of various city boards. Most importantly, both seem to be supporters of DJ Gehrt, current city administrator, who has been a major asset to the city for the past nine years or so.
I was working here when Platte City hired its first-ever city administrator in the 80s. I’ve seen them all. Some respectable. Some not totally terrible. Some natural disasters.
Obviously we don’t agree on every issue, but Gehrt has been the best one yet. And that’s another reason for Platte City residents not to panic over Offutt’s decision to retire. Good mayoral candidates and a good city administrator in place should, and I emphasize should, make for a smooth transition.
On Tuesday, voters in the City of Dearborn will decide whether to allow up to six chickens per household.
I’d love to talk about this more but my KFC cravings are real, you guys.
My political position is that I’m a fan of all chickens. Smart chickens, dumb-as-dirt chickens, free range chickens, uptight chickens. . . I play no favorites.
Not sure I’d want my neighbor with a half dozen of them running around his yard, but still. Long live chickens. At least till supper time.
Between the Lines advice to county commissioners:
1. Don’t try to reinvent the constitution.
2. Everybody stay in your lane. The county commission is the county commission. The county commission is not the health board. The county commission is not the library board.
3. Using Fox News talking points is allowed, but not mandated, by the constitution.
4. It’s ok to occasionally step out of your echo chamber.
5. The general public you serve is just as smart as you. Not less.
(Talk Ivan Foley off the ledge when his computer crashes at deadline. Do it by email to ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)