Scott Fricker’s withdrawal from the race for Platte County presiding commissioner has a faction of the local Republican party scrambling. Some want to recruit another candidate, even though Republicans still have two other presiding commissioner candidates on the ballot in Gena Ross and Dale Brouk. Filing deadline is March 31.
Buffy Smith, chief of staff for Congressman Sam Graves, confirmed to The Landmark that she has been approached about running for presiding commissioner. Wednesday morning when I asked if she is considering it, Smith responded: “Thinking on it.”
Filing deadline is Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m.
Some of the folks in the Republican party leadership, most notably Tammy Thompson, chair of the Platte County Republican Central Committee, really became comfortable with Fricker as their man, which is a little surprising actually, given the defeats at the ballot box the county commission has seen with Fricker at the helm. Plus, there’s Fricker’s often-unhinged style that burns a lot of bridges with many folks.
Back in the summer of 2024 during Platte County’s $410 million jail tax campaign, Fricker was using his Facebook page to fire off insults in juvenile fashion at some local residents and business owners who opposed the tax. Strangely, the Platte County Republican Central Committee actually shared some of those freaky Fricker posts on their page. It was wild. And the opposite of smart. Fricker’s online emotions got so over the top that summer he was threatened with a defamation lawsuit over posts he made about open government enthusiast Jason Maki.
The jail tax, as we all recall, ended up getting obliterated 62% to 38% by voters. It would have been the largest tax increase in Platte County history and it was being proposed by three Republican commissioners who called themselves “fiscally conservative.” Based on their sharing of some of Fricker’s inflammatory Facebook posts, apparently the Platte County Republican Central Committee thought it was a great idea and also thought the juvenile behavior of the presiding commissioner was peachy keen.
Later in 2024, you’ll recall Fricker and the rest of the county commission campaigned hard against a children’s mental health tax. The tax question passed anyway, with 56% support. The county commission later, citing their legal authority to do so, chose not to implement the tax.
By the time 2024 was over, most folks with a clear mind could take a step back and see that the overly emotional and reactionary Fricker was not a horse to which you should hitch your political wagon. Too much shrapnel in the air. A lot of bridges hadn’t just been burned they’d been carpet bombed, and it doesn’t seem likely Fricker would ever win a countywide race again.
I’m not sure why some Republican leaders apparently have trepidation about Brouk. Maybe they’ll tell us more at a later time. He is a respected and influential businessman who I assume will have no trouble raising a good amount of campaign cash. Brouk also has a steady personality. If elected, I don’t imagine you’ll ever seem him flying off the handle with temper tantrums and embarrassing emotional outbursts the way Fricker has the past few years. He doesn’t seem the type who would try to bully folks inside the administration building. Some even-keeled leadership by whoever is elected to be the next presiding commissioner would be a major improvement for Platte County’s image.
Ross is viewed by many Republicans as a candidate who might struggle to raise cash, and some in Republican leadership positions have opined that Ross aligns more as a Democrat than a Republican.
Smith, if she decides to run, could be a formidable candidate.
Some Republicans in party leadership positions appear to be worried about the candidacy of Mary McKenna, viewed as a strong candidate for the Democrats in the race for presiding commissioner.
The Landmark can verify that Tammy Thompson, chairwoman of the Platte County Republican Central Committee, has described Democrat McKenna as a candidate who “can communicate, she is pretty, and she has name recognition.”
Some Republicans, and we can verify Thompson is among them, are worried whether Brouk would be able to defeat McKenna in the general election. Thus the attempted recruitment of Buffy Smith.
How has March Madness been going for you?
Florida, the team I really thought had the best chance to win, is already out. That’s one of the four teams on which I have some pizza money riding on futures tickets. Leaves me with three futures tickets remaining, and those futures are on Purdue, Illinois and Connecticut. Hoping one of those cashes in the national title so we’ll have some “play” money to have a Landmark pizza party among our distribution crew.
A lot of local college basketball fans are jumping on the train of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and for good reason. The Hawkeyes have many players with ties to this region, and their head coach had a very successful run as the coach at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville.
The Hawkeyes’ leading scorer, Bennett Stirtz, played at Liberty High School. Other Iowa players from our area include Cam Manyawu, who played at Staley High School; Tavion Banks, who played at Ruskin High School; Isaia Howard, who played at Guy Speckman’s alma mater Plattsburg High School; and Joey Matteoni, who played at Blue Valley Northwest.
Iowa will play Nebraska in a Sweet 16 game in Houston.
The Iowa and Nebraska fan bases all in Houston at the same time.
Houston bars, however much Busch Light you think you have, you do not have enough.
If all the Iowa fans are in Houston, who’s at home minding the feed store?
(Find Foley minding the store at The Landmark. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)
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