I’ve heard a number of positive comments about last night’s meeting – specifically on conduct of the members and the audience. It was a welcomed change of atmosphere and tone from past meetings.
Good job to all that were there.
February 3, 2010
Duenweg Approves $6 million Bond for Wastewater Plant
From JoplinGlobe.com
February 02, 2010 09:22 pm
Duenweg voters have approved a $6 million bond issue to build a wastewater treatment plant. County Clerk Bonnie Earl said there were 112 votes in favor and 29 votes against the proposal.
Mayor Russell Olds said city leaders did not do an engineering or rate study to determine how much rate-payers would have to be billed to pay for the project because a study would have cost up to $100,000. Instead, city leaders wanted to know whether voters would support the project going forward before determining the exact cost.
The mayor said he told residents that based on initial discussions with the city’s engineering firm, the cost would likely be about the same as residents are paying the city of Joplin, which currently operates a wastewater treatment system.
Voters said they were concerned about the city of Joplin imposing a 30 percent surcharge on out-of-city users and they wanted to provide more of their services to be prepared for future growth of the town.
Quite a showing of support for a project that all residents knew was in the best interest of their city. Good job, Duenweg!
Intelligence Agency to Congress: Al Queda Attacks Only Months Away
Top intelligence officials told Congress today that attacks from Al Queda are only months way, according to a new report from Fox News. In the hearing, Director of National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said that Al Qaeda can be expected to continue and try to attack the United States until Osama bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, are dead.
The Fox News article is here.
February 2, 2010
Captain Phil Suffers Stroke
From E-Online:
Phil Harris remains hospitalized in Alaska after suffering a stroke Friday while offloading his vessel, the Cornelia Marie.
"Captain Phil is resting comfortably and is in the care of excellent doctors and nurses," reads an update on the Discovery Channel show's website.
Harris has been a fixture on the reality show since its debut. His health became a major storyline during the 2008 season, when he was sidelined after a blod clot passed through his lungs. Doctors said the pulmonary embolism could have killed him.
Harris has skippered the Cornelia Marie for nearly two decades, with sons Josh and Jake serving as deckhands in recent years.
Both are with Harris in the hospital, according to the network, and they "thank everyone for their heartfelt thoughts and prayers."
NTSB Blames Crew Reaction for Buffalo Crash
With today’s technology, crash investigators have more and more data to review to determine why a perfectly-flying airplane suddenly crashes. Their latest review of Continental 3407 relied heavily on that data to determine that the crew, not ice or weather, was a key ingredient that led to the crash. That crash killed 49 people in Buffalo, NY.
Quoting parts of the report, the NTSB found Capt. Marvin Renslow fought the plane's system to recover from a stall. The captain had three chances to prevent the crash and failed each time.
A NY Times article can be found here.
An link to the animation of the final two minutes can be found here.
Today Must Be The Beginning
Tonight’s council meeting will very likely set the tone for what is to be the future of Neosho. It’s no secret that the city is in a very severe financial crisis. But time is running out to work solutions for recovery. Now is not the time to relive history. Further inaction with distraction will almost certainly spell failure.
10,000+ people are looking for leadership from our city government. Leadership will move us forward. Forward is the direction we must go. That move forward will not be easy and the decisions our city must make will be very difficult for some to accept. But it must be done to save what remains of Neosho and to restore our city back to what it can and should be.
Now is when we can begin to correct the past actions that put us here. We all want what is ‘right’ for Neosho. My commitment to you for success has never been stronger. Working together with an understanding of what must happen is the key. Please help me and your other city leaders. It will take all of us coming together to move forward. Failure is not an option.
February 1, 2010
NCLB Deadlines May Be Removed
The Obama administration is proposing changes to the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) including a change in how schools are judged along with the elimination of the 2014 deadline for 100% compliance for academic proficiency.
I’ve said all along (as have many educators) that the 2014 deadline was nothing more than a feel-good statement for a few politicians in DC who want to talk about their approach to education. It was a great goal, but completely unattainable. They all knew it.
Someday, politicians will need to quit using education as a political football. After all, the goal of education is to teach our kids. Tweak it, make small changes, whatever. But to totally change education every time a new party takes over the White House isn’t helping a thing.
The full NY Times article is here.
January 31, 2010
Google Offers Too Much Underwear Info
Ever notice how Google will sometimes “help” you with searches by displaying what others have already search for on the same topic? Well, sometimes that can be just a little too much information.
I can’t say much more on this one.
Burger King and King of Beers Join Forces
Want more than a coke with your Whopper? No problem. Burger King and Budweiser and teaming up to offer you more drink options with your combo meal. For about $2 more than a regular combo, customers can chose from a variety of brews including Bud, Bud Lite, and Miller Lite.
The new burger joint, being called the “Whopper Bar”, will also offer an expanded menu of burgers and toppings. The first restaurant will open in Miami Beach’s South Beach neighborhood.
Sen-Elect Brown (R-Mass) Supports Abortion Rights
Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA), just off his big win in Massachusetts, has told ABC’s “This Week” that he disagrees with his party’s position on abortion rights. Brown does not agree that the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion should be overturned believing instead that question is best handled by a woman, her family, and her doctor.
As a fiscal conservative, Brown appears to be more moderate on social issues.
No-Bid Contract Canceled
As a follow-up to a post I made here last week, the Obama administration has now canceled a non-bid contract recently awarded to Checchi & Company Consulting for work in Afghanistan. The owner of the company, Vincent Checchi, was a contributor to the Democratic party and a supporter of Obama.
Obama was criticized for the awarded contract after pledging during his presidential campaign to “end the abuse of no-bid contracts once and for all”. Obama criticized the Bush administration for awarding such contracts to companies like Halliburton.
January 30, 2010
Leadership – Discussion of Ethics
You can’t discuss leadership without touching on ethics. Day 2 of leadership training at Mizzou included a discussion of ethics and the challenges an elected official can face that relate to ethics. Here are a few highlights.
First, ethics is simply the act of making judgments about right and wrong. As people make those judgments, they’ll use some basis for their decision. That basis may be to do what’s best for the greatest number. It may be to follow the highest principle. Or it might be as simple as deciding you’ll do what you’d want others to do to you. There is no right or wrong answer on what basis you may use and that basis may change based on the circumstances.
So what happens once you set your ethical base? Well, you’re then ready to take on an ethical challenge. If you’re lucky, it will be a right/wrong decision. Does the conduct violate codes of conduct? Does it violate personal principles and values? Is it against the law? These are easy ethical decisions to make. They are clear (or bright line) and easy to determine right from wrong.
You can usually use a few simple questions to answer the right/wrong decision:
The legal test – is this something that could put you in jail?
The stench test – does this just smell bad?
The headline test – would you like to read this in the newspaper?
The ‘Mom’ test – Would you want your mom to know?
But what happens when you have a right vs. right situation? Those might include situations that involve truth vs. loyalty, individual vs. community, justice vs. mercy. Those ethical situations lead to very tough choices and usually occur when two (or more) competing values are in conflict. They’ll usually result in a ‘bad’ outcome for one or more parties and quite often have no really ‘good’ choices.
Regardless of the position you’re in, it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be facing a situation that involves an ethical dilemma. How you handle that situation will tell a lot about you as a person and your understanding of deciding right from wrong. But you must do what you feel is right.
To finish, remember the words of Harry Truman - “Do your duty and history will do you justice.” Good luck.
January 29, 2010
Truman School Pushes Leadership Development
One day down, one day to go in my first of three leadership conferences being held at the University of Missouri. Sponsored by the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs, this week’s two-day course is focused on:
- Understanding Individual Behavior
- Motivating People
- Ethics and Leadership
About twenty five people from around the state are enrolled in the leadership academy. Attendees consist of council members, city administrators, police chiefs, and airport directors to name a few.
One interesting part of the conference was identifying the personality profile of each attendee using the Myers-Briggs method.
The course is co-sponsored by the Missouri Municipal League. A flyer for the program can be found here.
January 27, 2010
Beds See More Action in 4th Quarter of 2009
The company accomplished this largely on the basis of a 29 percent gain in net sales, which finished the quarter at $244.8 million, thanks to significant increases on both the domestic and international markets. This pickup produced a gross-profit increase of 46 percent, which helped offset increases of 31 percent in selling and marketing expenses, and 23 percent in general, administrative and other expenses.
For the full 2009 fiscal year, Tempur-Pedic posted a 44 percent increase in net income, to $85 million. Net sales fell 10 percent to $831.2 million, but the company was able to trim selling and marketing expenses by 11 percent. Cost of sales dropped 17 percent.
Mark Sarvary, chief executive officer, said the positive quarter owed to a gradual improvement in the economy as a whole and Tempur-Pedic’s sales and marketing initiatives. Sarvary added that the company’s advertising campaign and productivity improvements point to a strong performance in 2010.
Consumer Confidence Rises in January
Both of the index’s component indicators, the Present Situations Index and the Expectations Index, also rose in the January survey—with the former gaining 4.8 points to 25.0, and the latter picking up 0.6 points to finish at 76.5. Lynn Franco, director of the The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center, noted that this marked the third month in a row that the overall index gained ground. However, “Consumers’ short-term outlook, while moderately more positive, does not suggest any significant pickup in activity in the coming months,” Franco said.
This month’s survey found increases in the percentage of respondents who felt that business conditions are “good” and “bad.” The participants’ assessment of the jobs market improved somewhat, with an increase in the percentage of those who felt that jobs are “plentiful,” and a decline in the percentage who said jobs are “hard to get.”
“Regarding their financial situation,” Franco said, “while consumers were less dire about their income prospects than in December, the number of pessimists continues to outnumber the optimists.”
Former Carthage Municipal Clerk Charged with Theft
Harrison was fired last year after the Highway Patrol was called in to investigate the suspected theft.
Police Chief Greg Dagnan was quoted in the Globe as saying “We’re relieved the justice system has started, even though this is just the beginning, and that the issue is closer to being resolved. The city has been very proactive in taking steps to make sure this won’t happen again in the area of the court and the Police Department.”
The full article is here.
Residental Home Sales Drop Again
Sales of new single-family homes in December 2009 fell 7.6% from November and declined 8.6% from December 2008, to 342,000. For the full year 2009, new home sales fell 22.9% from 2008.
The median sales price of new houses sold in December 2009 was $221,300. The average sales price was $290,600. Estimated new homes for sale at the end of December was 231,000. This represents a supply of 8.1 months at the current sales rate.
January 26, 2010
Always Need A Good Co-Pilot
I often say that there are no words that can describe the bond a parent makes with a child. Until you have kids, you simply can’t appreciate the love a parent can feel.
Every so often, my daughter and I will do things on a father-daughter day. Sometimes it’s just the two of us loading firewood. Sometimes it’s just the two of us grabbing a bite at Subway. But it’s a special time for us to share time together.
A few weeks back, my daughter asked me to take her flying. As a pilot for 20+ years, hearing my daughter ask to do something that I also enjoy as a hobby is a wonderful thing.
Although the flight didn’t last long, she was a great co-pilot. And while I pride myself on be precise in my control and operation of the airplane, she’s more interested in quick climbs and decents that tickle her belly like a roller coaster (my late grandfather called those ‘howdy doody bumps’). She’s also picking up the radio talk quite well, but is still a little shy to say too much. So far, just a “roger, two niner lima” is the most she’ll put thru the mic, but it makes my smile. I can even hear the smiles on the other end of the radio when ATC acknowledges that young voice.
So to those parents our there, make sure you spend time making an positive impression on your children. And remember to enjoy the pride that comes with being a parent. There's no other feeling like it in the world.
January 25, 2010
Montee Says “Duty of Board to Oversee Finances”
State Auditor Susan Montee held a conference call this morning to discuss the State’s audit of the Village of Leawood. During the conference call, Montee stated that the “ultimate responsibility” for oversight of Leawood’s finances rested with the Board of the city. She called the failure of the Board to do that oversight “very sad”.
Many things required by state law were not being done in Leawood, according to Montee. Those included simple tasks such as preparing and submitting annual budgets.
The Globe website has a link to the audio.
Obama Says Sweetheart Deals Will End – Really?
As a candidate for president in 2008, then-Sen. Obama frequently derided the Bush administration for the awarding of federal contracts without competitive bidding. Giving a commitment to do better, then-candidate Obama told a campaign rally audience in Michigan “I will finally end the abuse of no-bid contracts once and for all…the days of sweetheart deals for Halliburton will be over when I'm in the White House."
I guess what he said was ‘technically’ true. He hasn’t given any sweetheart deals to Halliburton since becoming president, but it appears he HAS given such sweetheart deals to HIS political supporters. Reports today indicate that the Obama administration did award in January a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to Checchi & Company, a company owned by a Democratic campaign contributor. Reports indicate the award was given without entertaining competitive bids.
So much for doing what you say. Unfortunately, regardless of the party, I’m not a bit surprised.
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