EDITOR:
On Monday, Dec. 16, the Platte County Commission board has officially disenfranchised the voters of Platte County. This three-person board voted against implementing the Children’s Services Fund tax levy decisively approved by the voting public of Platte County in the November election. There is much to say about the comments made by these three commissioners and their supporters at this meeting. But for today, it will be enough to explain the patently obvious and duplicitous flaws in their reasoning and the transparently anti-democratic efforts of these commissioners and how it is therefore appropriate for the citizens of Platte County to begin considering avenues of recourse, including a recall of these county commission seats.
After listening to more than 1.5 hours of testimony justifying the voters’ obvious desire to implement this tax levy, the commissioners read out their prepared statements of rejection, clearly demonstrating they were never interested in considering the majority voice of the public. The number of speakers in favor of the tax significantly outweighed the speakers against (same as the voters in the poll booths in November). But the commissioners responded as if not a single word was spoken to them.
Among the several fallacious reasons given for denial, Dagmar Wood (whose term will expire at the end of this year) cited “a lack of transparency and oversight,” ignoring the repeated assertions from public organizers that this is, in fact, not true and detailed the oversight systems that would be in place. She also referenced the alleged fraud uncovered in the Lafayette County Children’s Services Fund system, conveniently ignoring the fact that the potential fraud was uncovered. When fraud is uncovered, it means the systems of fraud detection worked. She also talked out of both sides of her mouth, citing the primacy of existing support services- such as Synergy Services and Beacon Mental Health, etc.- while simultaneously denigrating and grossly mischaracterizing the nature of those vital services and the children who use them.
The crowd laughed and booed when commissioner Joe Vanover stated mental health care should be provided and received through insurance and private means only. The crowd laughed harder when he said the word “easily.” Anyone who has attempted to receive or provide mental health care through insurance knows exactly why the crowd laughed.
Most egregious, however, comes from commissioner Scott Fricker. In the commission meeting and in the media since, Fricker has been twisting voter turnout statistics to justify paternalistically reinventing the will of his constituents. “I represent all 112,000 people in this county, not just the 30% who voted for this,” he states. So… let’s talk statistics then.
Approximately 72,000 Platte County citizens are registered to vote. That is approximately 64% of the total 112,000 county population. That is the percentage of people who are eligible to vote to decide EVERY election issue that comes before the county (including the election of commissioners). The November 2024 election had a Platte County voter turnout of 81% of those registered voters. The ballot measure to levy the Children’s Services Fund tax won decisively, earning roughly 32,000 votes. Yes, that is only 30% of the total population of Platte County. But the “no” vote (totaling under 25,000) was only 22% of the total Platte County population. When considering voting matters, total population compared to votes cast per issue is completely irrelevant.
To make this concept even clearer: Donald Trump won the votes of only roughly 22% of the total United States population. Compare this to the 30% of Platte County citizens who wanted the Children’s Tax Fund. A higher percentage of people in Platte County wanted the Children’s Fund than the percentage of people in the United States who wanted Donald Trump as president.
The fact is, whoever is registered and shows up to the polls on election day wins the day. Donald Trump and the Children’s Services Fund included. (And by the way, the only people who ever care about whether we “really live in a republic and not a democracy” -as some public commenters stated in Monday’s meeting- are the people for whom the voters are currently not giving them what they want…).
Scott Fricker knows this. Scott Fricker knows he is misrepresenting voting statistics and is using this misrepresentation to justify the commission’s disenfranchisement of Platte Countians to retain their power and enact their preferred agenda. Mr. Fricker, Mr. Vanover, Ms. Wood and their supporters are imposing the will of 22% of the population onto 112,000 citizens over the majority voters who elected to implement this tax levy.
We have more than enough justification to consider a full-chested recall of these corrupt county commissioners. They are the ones restricting our rights, freedoms, and access to life-saving services.
Mr. Fricker, you may believe the citizenry you claim to represent are simply misinformed, duped, perhaps even a bunch unintelligent rubes. But I am here to tell you that this is not true. We see you. We know exactly what you are doing. You and your supporters will not condescendingly scold us like we’re a room full of naughty, misinformed children. You aren’t fooling anyone. You want to play this game right out in the open now? Alright then. Let’s play ball. Best of luck, because American democracy is on our side.
---Kate Acton
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