EDITOR:
Buckle up, folks. We’re inside of 30 days before the primary and the gloves are off. I like to watch and stay informed at the local level and can’t sit quietly for this one.
The incumbent candidate for Platte County Recorder of Deeds, Christoper L. Wright, has gone off the rails again. Fancied as one of the “chosen” candidates by the Republican Central Committee, let’s review the credentials. Chris Wright – a misguided opportunist that was allowed to speak at a State Tax Commission hearing last year by the commission. Remind me, what does his office have to do with the taxing process? Nothing.
He has spent county funds to involve his office in anti-human trafficking seminars. He is currently working with the mayor of Platte City on efforts to install stationary beacons that would register a lost pet that is “chipped.” Although I think any reputable citizen can agree that human trafficking is bad and something that helps find lost pets is good, again—remind me, what do these things have to do with his county office of the recorder of deeds? Again, nothing.
He seems to have spent his time and your money on an expensive seal personalized with his name to hang in his office, an even more expensive and larger mahogany seal personalized with his name to hang outside the office, ordered an expensive office chair office custom embroidered with his name, office employee uniforms embroidered with the custom seal that includes his name, as well as an extensive wardrobe for himself of multiple of these embroidered clothing pieces (polo shirts, jackets, hoodies, etc.) with the embroidered seal customized with his name all paid for out of county funds i.e. your tax money.
Early in his term, a vehicle was transferred to the office from the sheriff’s department, obviously for office business. The vehicle is rarely used and currently sits in the employee parking lot adjacent to the county building, having not moved for months, presumably rotting away while employees are directed to use their personal vehicle and file for mileage. This is an obvious waste and mismanagement of taxpayer funded resources. He had never paid a cent of taxes, personal or real, in the county prior to taking office. And is quoted in The Landmark as not even knowing he won because he himself had assumed he would lose.
More recently he can be heard yelling and pounding his fist during a commission session meeting discussing draining the swamp of all incumbents…confusing because he’s seeking re-election. So, which is it, Chris? Drain the swamp, including you, or do we now want incumbents in office? I can’t keep up.
From what I have heard, his self-touted digitization efforts cost way more than he initially said, and the process has not gone as great as he tells everyone. Regardless of how he tries to hoodwink the public, the fees he references that have paid for this project are taxpayer dollars. These are the fees that are paid by citizens that pay to have documents recorded in his office. Anything paid by a citizen is a taxpayer dollar no matter how he tries to make it sound otherwise.
I know I’ve heard all that I need to from this man. This isn’t leadership and I’m not fooled by his tactics to distract me from the facts which are: he’s done nothing to speak of since being elected, he has yet to submit a budget for his office, his personal tax status is questionable, he shows up for work about as much as the commissioners, on the rare occasion that he is at work even when it is busy he is doing everything but what the taxpayers are paying him to do as he has not bothered to learn the basic functions of the office since assuming the position in January 2023, and his bedside manner leaves much to be desired. Not impressed.
And by the way, who pays the bill for the replacement furniture, personalized with his name, when the office changes hands? Who pays the bill for all the replacement of the office furniture and employee uniforms with the logo personalized to him? You and I; the taxpayer. I assume he will take his extensive wardrobe with his personalized logo on it with him when he departs the office; does he intend on reimbursing the county for the taxpayer money he used to purchase them? I doubt it. If reelected, can he actually stop grandstanding in things that have nothing to do with his office’s official duties, actually show up for work and finally start to do the job and be a good steward of taxpayer funds and resources? Again, I doubt it. It turns out, Chris is the scam.
--Nathan Trussoni
Platte City
