• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

Strange voting at Parkville

Landmark Digital by Landmark Digital
September 24, 2021
in Letters to the Editor
Parkville City Hall

Parkville City Hall

8
SHARES
196
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

EDITOR:

Would someone help me understand two recent votes in the City of Parkville?

RelatedNews

Tax credits that make homes affordable

Local GOP insiders have conspired to blacklist

Words about Randy

1) At the Sept. 7 Parkville Board of Aldermen meeting, the board voted 5-3 to award a $264,780 contract to McClure Engineering for the design of the ball fields in Platte Landing Park. One of those nay votes was cast by Ward 1 Alderman Tina Welch. At the Feb. 2 board of aldermen meeting, she voted against approving an application for a $1 million partnership grant from Platte County to help construct the ball fields. Yet, as a member of the Parkville Finance Committee she voted yes on Aug. 30 to approve the contract with McClure. Why? I asked her by email to explain her vote on Aug. 30. I got no reply.

2) At that same Sept. 7 board of aldermen meeting, Aldermen Dave Rittman and Brian Whitley voted to approve the contract with McClure. Why were they allowed to vote on this? They both serve on the Executive Committee of the Parkville Economic Development Council. McClure Engineering is also a member of this same Executive Committee, represented by Mike Kellam as vice-chair. Does anyone see a conflict of interest here? Parkville Municipal Code (Section 107.050) states that “the appearance of fairness and impartiality is as important as actual fairness and impartiality.”

Public Works Director Alysen Abel would say that McClure already has a three year professional services contract with the city (dating from October 2019) as one of 13 on-call consultants. McClure has the most experience of the 13 in ball field design and that is why the city chose to use them. This begs the question, did McClure join the Economic Development Council before or after October 2019? How important is it that Rittman and Whitley did not recuse themselves? Without their votes in favor, the result would have been a 3-3 tie. Since Mayor Nan Johnston was curiously absent from the meeting, there would have been no one there to cast the deciding vote. So I guess the matter would have been at least temporarily postponed. Now McClure has been given the green light to design their vision of the future of Platte Landing Park.

–Elaine Kellerman

Parkville

Tags: Brian WhitleyDavid RittmanNan Johnstonparkvilleplatte county
Landmark Digital

Landmark Digital

Related Posts

45 Years Ago–July 4, 1980

by Ivan Foley
July 2, 2025
0

Platte County Fair schedule set: carnival, queen contest and other events are planned. Grandstand show each evening, Pony Express, demolition derby, and more activities are planned at the Platte County Fairgrounds in Tracy. The Platte County Sheriff’s Department has received...

30 Years Ago–July 6, 1995

by Ivan Foley
July 2, 2025
0

Laurie Everett, newscaster for KMBC-TV Channel 9 of Kansas City, served as celebrity emcee of the Zed Martin Day parade on Saturday in Platte City. She was assisted in announcing the entries by Platte City residents Bill Brown and Jim...

15 Years Ago–July 7, 2010

by Ivan Foley
July 2, 2025
0

Interstate 29 travelers in Platte County may notice a slower pace of traffic and increased police patrols around mid-day Thursday. President Barack Obama will be in Platte County on Thursday. The president is scheduled to arrive at KCI aboard Air...

Power outage

Electric bills, Luke Duke slide and such

by Guy Speckman
July 2, 2025
0

I don't like pointing out when I'm right, but a study was recently reported on by the New York Times that in nearly every case studied the cost of data centers was partially eaten by “regular” consumers or utilities that...

Next Post
City of Riverside lands a big one; Schneider’s job security

City of Riverside lands a big one; Schneider's job security

Popular News

  • Golf course at Creekside

    Nine-hole golf course planned at Creekside

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Chick-fil-A coming to Metro North Crossing

    31 shares
    Share 12 Tweet 8
  • Construction worker fatally struck by vehicle on Barry Road

    51 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 13
  • Free food, drink ready for July 4th celebration

    17 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 4
  • Buffy Smith named chief of staff for Sam Graves

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Online
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved