If you’re playing along at home, here’s how your scorecard for Parkville Mayor Nan Johnston should look now:
*Criminal convictions: One DWI. Two years probation.
*Ethics violations: Five. Found to have committed four in a 2020 ruling by the Missouri Ethics Commission (others were in essence plea bargained away) and found to have committed one in a 2021 ruling.
In typical Nan fashion, in a Kansas City Star article she blames her latest ethics conviction on a company she hired to do her paperwork. Of course she does.
By now you’ve noticed when troubles hit Nan, she has a two-step reaction: 1. Blame others; 2: Try to discredit the messengers.
According to the Star, Nan Johnston told them:
“I engaged a firm specializing in campaign finance to handle the filing of my campaign financial disclosures,” Johnston said when reached for comment. “And that is why the report was filed because they filed it in error.”
Here’s a reminder: Nan obviously knew she had legal bills that would need to be listed on the report because those legal bills were for her representation in her initial ethics violations case with the MEC.
Seems like that would be important enough to be sure it gets listed on the report.
Sure, the Major League Baseball regular season can get monotonous and even a bit boring, but playoff baseball is always on-the-edge excitement. Close to the same level as the NFL.
If sports are your thing, the tension-filled MLB playoffs are yet another reason to love the month of October, you guys. If sports are not your thing, go ahead and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte.
Not-so-happy Major League Baseball note: Jayce Tingler, a Smithville High School graduate who still has a home in the area, lost his job as manager of the San Diego Padres last week. Tingler, who had guided the Padres to the playoffs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, was fired after the Padres’ brass felt his team underperformed in 2021, sputtering late in the season and missing the playoffs. Tingler’s fate was apparently sealed during a somewhat stunning freefall that saw the Padres go from a one-game lead for the National League’s second wild-card spot on Sept. 9 to being eliminated from playoff contention with seven games left.
The Padres fired Tingler last Wednesday, three days after they finished 79-83 and in third place in the NL West, 28 games behind San Francisco. General manager A.J. Preller said Tingler–who just a season ago was second in the voting for National League Manager of the Year–would be offered a job elsewhere within the Padres’ organization.
Tingler’s career record as a manager is 116-106 overall in two seasons. That’s a mighty fine record for a fired manager but not good enough for the high expectations his club had this year.
Not to go full sports talk mode on you, but wow, how ugly was that Chiefs game Sunday night? Fugly.
A lot of weaknesses were exposed in that shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are no slouches, of course, so the Chiefs didn’t lose to a bad team but that’s not enough to overlook the shortcomings of the home team.
Remember when Ivan Foley told you he thought the Chiefs defense would be better this year? Ivan Foley was wrong. Big time. I overestimated the quality of talent the Chiefs have on the defensive line. More importantly than yours truly overestimating the talent level is that the Chiefs front office obviously overestimated the talent as well. The Chiefs front office guys get paid handsomely to make those decisions. I just do it as a side gig for funsies.
I thought the D-line had the tools to at least get a somewhat consistent pass rush this year. Not even close. And it hasn’t helped to play Chris Jones (who did not suit up Sunday night due to injury) out of his natural position. Everybody but the Chiefs’ coaching staff has now seen enough out of safety Daniel Sorensen to know he needs to be on the bench in favor of Juan Thornhill. Sorensen was getting torched badly against the Bills. Hide the women and children. Sorensen won’t wanna let his kids and grandkids ever see that game tape.
And we love the guy, but our all-everything quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not playing well right now. You already have heard my feelings on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the wasted first round draft pick to grab him in 2020. That draft pick could have been used on some defensive help.
In Platte City, the Rising Star Splash Pad and Playground is still open. So when the weather is cooperating, you can head there and cool off. The equipment is activated via a red button with a hand on top.
Run through the sprinklers or whatever. Just don’t drink from the hose.
City officials say the splash pad will close at the end of October. Usage has been high, city officials tell me.
The technology experts on staff here at your favorite newspaper–that would include Tech Guy Schneider and Chris Kamler–are fascinated by my lack of appreciation and lack of interest in fantasy films and science fiction movies and such. So much so that they’ve issued a challenge, and it’s a challenge we’ll turn into a good cause.
On an Oct. 21 episode of Landmark Live, Tech Guy Schneider and Kamler will be playing clips from sci-films and fantasy features and Marvel movies and other ludicrous stuff that I find nonsensical and don’t spend time watching. The challenge is that I will be asked to identify from what movie the scenes occur. For every incorrect answer, I must throw $5 in a bucket for charity. When I get one right, Kamler must throw $5 in the bucket.
Should be fun. Or embarrassing. And potentially expensive.
(Working in advance, Ivan Foley will go ahead take the blame for future Nan Johnston ethics violations and criminal convictions. Email him at ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)