TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! STRIKE THREE!!! JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE REJECTS ANOTHER APPOINTMENT BY EXEC FRANK WHITE AMID HISTORIC COURTHOUSE IMPASSE!!!
Under the radar and unbeknownst to most local voters, there is a historic battle between Jackson County Executive Frank White and the Legislature currently underway. Moreover, Exec Frank White is losing this fight.
A quick roundup of the situation:
Exec Frank White was rejected by the Legislature over his appointment of a new COMBAT director. The move was unprecedented and possibly the biggest public slap in the face that any politico in Kansas City has endured in 2017.
As a follow-up, Exec White's attempt to install an interim director was also rejected by the Legislature which added insult to injury.
And now . . .
STRIKE THREE . . . EXEC FRANK WHITE'S EFFORT TO APPOINT AN INTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER WAS REJECTED BY THE JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE!!!
Technically, the order was rescinded but that's because Exec White didn't have the votes and confronted a Legislature that is completely unified against him.
We previewed this fight over the weekend and now . . . Insiders inform us that the debate is far more important than anti-crime programs because the budget is on the line nearly every week at the Courthouse.
JaxCo Insider: "A lot of people don't realize it but that kind of institutional knowledge is very difficult to replace. The County is collecting and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every week and if we don't have qualified people minding the store. Financial disaster isn't as faraway as most of us would like to think. Check around, Jackson County is probably already very close to tapping their emergency resources against Missouri State requirements."
A bit of historical perspective from a Courthouse Insider:
"This is a level of fighting that we haven't seen in decades. Mike (Sanders) never let things get this bad and never faced three rejections in a row from the Legislature. This has a lot in common with Bill Waris and Victor Callahan fighting tooth & nail with one another."
And here's what makes it worse . . .
EXEC FRANK WHITE WASN'T EVEN IN ATTENDANCE FOR THIS SMACKDOWN FROM THE LEGISLATURE AND THERE ARE GROWING COMPLAINTS THAT HE'S OFTEN MISSING IN ACTION FROM THE COURTHOUSE!!!
Behind the scene, Exec White's chief of staff Caleb Clifford is taking a great deal of heat and blame for the standoff betwixt Exec White and the Legislature and a nearly complete breakdown in communication.
While Mr. Clifford seems content to serve as a lightning rod for the Executive, the legislative shut out now confronting the White Administration threatens to impact the finances of Jackson County.
Developing . . .
Here's what you missed:
ReplyDeleteFrank should already start thinking about reelection. He is going to get a challenger this time and so far he has been a nightmare for Jackson County.
Said it before, he would have been happier staying on the legislature and mostly behind the scenes. Letting the Chief of staff run the county is always a bad idea.
DeleteCOMBAT can run itself but the CFO's office can't do the same. What sucks about this is that we're all going to see the result in our taxes.
DeleteFrank inherited this mess. If the jail isn't Mike's fault then it is because of years of neglect. We need to build a new one. As for the "break down in communication", Frank needs to start communicating with the media more and making his case against his detractors on the Legislature. They are up for reelection also and none of them have the same kind of name recognition. Frank White isn't out yet and he still has the potential to do a lot of good for the County. I think people would rather stick with him than any of the current officials who are trying to block his appointments.
DeleteCaleb
ReplyDeleteLol the name says it all
Mr. Clifford is not a "lighting rod" or even a lightning rod. Caleb Clifford is a steaming pile of fly-covered shit, and somehow Caleb has convinced Frank White that the smell of roses fills the air. Frank White must have no self-esteem at all? With the exception of Caleb Clifford's hiring and continued employment with Jackson County, every fuck-up attributed to Frank White was a Caleb Clifford production. For example, email traffic proves that Caleb Clifford and not Frank White tried to force our elected sheriff from his office.
ReplyDelete7:53 AM
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see a real nightmare, just wait until Dan Tarwater or Victor Callahan become County Executive. The old boys will have control of the county contract machine again.
If Frank White had only asked Jean Peters Baker before he "stole" Caleb Clifford from her, Jean would have told Frank why she was in the process of firing Caleb. He was a disruptive and insubordinate force in the Jean's office, and he continues his ways under Frank White.
ReplyDelete@ MKCC Every problem the county has had has only gotten worse under Frank White. First, he denies there are problems. Then he denies the problems are that bad. Then he runs from his responsibilities, like being a no-show at the Legislative meetings.
ReplyDeleteHe still thinks the biggest problem isn't what's happening in the jail, but that people are finding out about it. The county hires a consultant, an expert, and the guy announces that the Jackson County Jail is one of the worst in the country. Frank's reaction is to deny there's a crisis and to say it ain't that bad.
How Frank didn't get booted out on his ass for calling one woman's rape in that jail "old news" is amazing? So much for being a nice guy. A month later a guard got attacked in there because inmates were running free instead of being locked in their cells, the exact same way that woman wound up getting raped because an inmate was allowed to roam the halls.
On top of that, Mike Sanders might have put the deal in place to buy that Rock Island trail, but Frank signed off on it. What a waste of millions of dollars. Frank bought it, and the county is stuck with it, and that's money that could have been better spent on something else like the jail.
The county has now also under-assessed the Plaza by hundreds of millions and that's going to cost the county millions in property taxes. Frank strikes out again.
Frank has essentially turned over running the county to un-elected, un-qualified little prick. You want Frank talking to the media? Have you gone to legislative meetings on the rare occasion when Frank shows up and talks? It's embarrassing. It's obvious he doesn't know what he's doing. He needs a PR team to send out written statements for him.
The legislators screwed up. They need to make up for the mistake they made making Frank White the county executive in the first place. Now they need to keep the pressure on him to either start doing the job or just go away.
What no comments from Tracy
ReplyDelete8:53 a.m. It's still on Frank. Caleb's messes are Frank's. A good county executive wouldn't let his chief of staff run amok. If Frank can't see Caleb is the problem, then Frank is the problem.
ReplyDeleteNice fuck up you've got your hands Jackson County Dumb-o-crats.
ReplyDeleteYou mean to tell me that a baseball player who couldn't even get a job with his former team isn't able to lead and manage a multi-million dollar complicated operation?
ReplyDeleteWho knew?!
8:56 Because what is going on right now ain't a nightmare? Frank needs to go.
ReplyDeleteClifford really has convinced Frank White that the latter is not up to the job. It does seem to be a lack of self-esteem on Frank's part.
ReplyDeleteTony you are a moron for believing Caleb's self-serving story, as well.
#CalebCliffordisadick
ReplyDeleteDifferent Branches of Government
ReplyDeleteThe Constitutional Home Rule Charter provides for a separation of the legislative and executive functions. The heart of the Charter is a strong-elected Executive, accountable to all the voters, who has the power to appoint the administrative officers of his government, the power to veto legislation, and both the responsibility and the means at hand with which to operate an effective, efficient County government. The Legislature is given broad legislative power and is so construed as to be truly representative of all of the people of Jackson County.
Why did Angie Jefferies accept a trip to the Colorado vacation home of Kansas City developer John Huffman, who has business before several offices of County Government?
ReplyDelete@ 10:00 AM
ReplyDeleteSecond time I've seen this person's name in a week. Who's Angie Jefferies? I'm no county insider, just an old taxpayer that's wondering what the hell is going on at the courthouse that my taxes help support.
10:30 Do you have access to a computer other than the one sitting in front of you? Obviously the computer sitting in front of you does not have access to the Jackson County web site, or your are stupid so there is no hope for you.
ReplyDelete#calebcliffordisadick
ReplyDeleteCaleb is a Deadbeat Dad who is being sued for child support. The little prick could not find a condom small enough for a snug fit I guess.
ReplyDeleteSection 3. The director of each department shall organize and manage the department, subject to the coordination and supervision of the county executive, and shall appoint and assign functions and duties to such other officers, assistants and employees as may be provided.
ReplyDeleteSection 4. The county executive shall assign all duties and functions to department directors to coordinate the work of the departments, and be responsible for capital improvements and purchasing. As purchasing agent, the county executive or their designee shall perform such services as are required by this charter or law.
THE CHARTER DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR A CHIEF OF STAFF TO ACT IN THE PLACE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE
To me this seems like a bunch of crooks who have chosen up sides to fight. I seriously doubt there is one high up person in Jackson County with any integrity. The county mostly flies under the radar of the average citizen, that's why it attracts so many worthless people.
ReplyDelete^^^^^ No one is more worthless than Frank White.
ReplyDeleteAll hat, no cattle. When people finally get enough, it will make a fine epitaph for the JaCoMO/KCMO afro-prog political machine.
ReplyDeleteHey what does Calvin Williford have to say about all this nastiness. He ran a straight up no corruption Skippy Sanders operation?
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that every time someone attacks Caleb for good reason, Frank White draws him closer out of loyalty. Its like a domestic violence situation.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say that Frank is in the office more than Skippy Sanders ever was. If you wanted to meet Skippy you had to go to Starbucks or a poker game.
ReplyDelete11:40 is a lower life form
ReplyDeleteCould it be Frank is debt free with the true political underground? They don't whack anyone anymore they just destroy a person whether that person was good or bad. Politics runs both ways.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why anyone would want these jobs. Anyone who takes one of these jobs would have to be really hard up for work, especially the job as Director of COMBAT, which seems to have been the starting point for all these political games. That position only pays like $85K a year. That's hardly enough to for a job that has suddenly become the epicenter of Jackson Co. political antics.
ReplyDeleteDennis Dumovich... the seemingly most worthless HR director ever is the one who is belived to have said Troy Thomas had verbally resigned. DD seems to have sold him out because Thomas was on his ass for his constant mistakes and his mostly incompetent staff. TT was only expressing exasperation at Caleb texting him during the legislative meeting while he was hiding out in his office and Frank was nowhere to be found. Ed Stoll and Mark Trosen are now in charge of delivering a budget and I doubt they have no idea what they are doing. It’s funny that Fred Siems AND Shelley K. were seen in the courthouse the same day. Let the musical chairs begin.
ReplyDeleteFrank get rid of Caleb Clifford and save yourself and most importantly the county. Do your low in real work and highly paid job.