EDITOR:
I want to begin my letter with a little background about myself. I am a proud Patriot, and I love our great country. I served in the United States Navy for 10 years and then worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 17 years, before starting Engage Publications. We published the 169 North, I-29 North, I-35 North, and 152 East magazines for several years before COVID hit. I have met many like-minded Patriots in Platte County that I am proud to call friends.
Recently, I was told that the Platte County Commissioners were seeking applicants to fill a vacant seat on the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Board of Trustees. On Monday, May 12, I called and spoke with Scott Fricker, presiding commissioner, about this position. We had a nice conversation, and I was invited to attend the commissioner’s meeting on Monday, May 19, at 11 a.m. to meet with the three commissioners to discuss this board appointment.
Then on Wednesday, May 14, I received a text message from Fricker with the following text. “Hi Tom, this is Scott Fricker. I was just informed that you might be part of the Sovereign Citizen movement. Can you please address that for me?”
I replied, “I am not part of the Sovereign Citizen movement. I am a member of the Platte County Federated Women’s group and a Platte County Patriots group, and we are not part of the Sovereign Citizens movement.”
Fricker responded by asking, “Is Joshua Lehman part of the group?” I replied, “Yes.”
Fricker then stated, “I appreciate your interest in serving on the library board of trustees, but I’m afraid we’ll have to pass based on this affiliation.” Fricker also messaged, “Lehman is a part of that group and is a part of your group. He and his message is toxic and bad for conservatism in Platte County.”
I have been discriminated against based on my friendship with Joshua Lehman. Just because we are friends should not be a reason for my disqualification for this board position.
On Thursday, May 15, I emailed Platte County Clerk Pruitt with a Sunshine Law request to determine who it was that misinformed Fricker about my being a part of the Sovereign Citizen movement. I also requested a copy of the entire text message thread between myself and Fricker.
I received this response from the county clerk that, “There are no responsive chats or emails related to your request. This request will be considered closed.”
The response I received from the county clerk is false. I am looking at the text messages to and from Fricker, so them saying “There are no responsive chats” is not a truthful statement.
Fricker was acting in his official capacity as the presiding commissioner when he sent these text messages. As such, these text messages are covered by the Sunshine Law, as well as the identity of the individual that misinformed Fricker and defamed me as to my involvement with the Sovereign Citizen movement.
This experience has left me deeply disappointed—not just for myself, but for what it says about the state of fairness and integrity in our local government. Decisions about public service should be based on qualifications and character, not hearsay or guilt by association. I respectfully call on Commissioner Fricker and the Platte County Commission to answer for this discrimination, to correct the public record, and to reaffirm their commitment to transparency, fairness, and the constitutional rights of all citizens.
The people of Platte County deserve leadership guided by principle—not politics.
--Thomas A. Norris
Rural Platte County
