Questionnaire responses from candidates for Unified Government Commission, at large, 2nd District

Unified Government Commissioner at large, 2nd District:

Thomas (T.J.) Reardon

Daniel Serda

Harold (Hal) Walker

Following are questionnaire responses we have received from the candidates, in alphabetical order.

Thomas (TJ)  Reardon

1.    Name and office sought

Thomas (TJ) Reardon

Unified Government Commissioner at Large, District 2

2.    Age    60

3.    Occupation

Editor for http://rottenpolitics.com an informative web page informing taxpayers-voters of political corruption, city graft and greed with nearly 4,000 hits-readers a day. My campaign post is RottenPolitics.com.

4.    Education    K-State

5.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong:

Catholic Democrat, American Legion, Taxpayers League.

6.    Reasons for running

•    Stop political corruption, graft and greed that has cost taxpayers billions over decades.

•    Reduce city budget that has increased from $79 million in 2000 to 2012 budget of $279 million. ($200 million budget increase divided by 55,000 homes) = high taxes.

•    To address fair taxation, equal representation of the public, transparency of public information and government records.

•    To force UG to carry out failed promises for areas of KCK annexed decades ago and also the ‘hold the line’ on property taxes lie it promised to get government unification passed: safety, streets, sidewalks, fair utilities, sewers and fair government. Thus: I support police, firemen, city employees, and BPU employees - I do not support city or BPU executives or top level political appointments.

•    To stop the sale of the BPU and to insure efficient management and operation of the utility to reduce BPU rates for its owners, who are KCK taxpayers.  

7.    What is your top campaign issue?  

•    Stop political corruption, graft and greed that has raised property taxes to extortion levels and forced people out of their homes.

•    Term limits a must.

•    Expose the bankers and bond brokers who have scammed tens of millions as ‘transaction fees’ and so, added to the size of all outstanding bond debt. Get their hands out of the public’s pocket and back in their own.   

•    Stop secret, backroom, never publicized business negotiations that are the cause of our $4 billion debt. Source of funds for all money spent on UG political campaigns should be made public.

•    Tax abatements must stop. Are taxpayers finally waking up to the fact that their tax money pays off the bonds?

•    I will accept no political contributions. It’s the only way to owe no political favors except to voters.

•    Make public every bond issue, re-issue, and where proceeds went, that was/is part of the almost $4 billion bond debt.

8.    There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

Executive and administrative salaries. Insider no-bid contracts. Tax abatements.

Unrealistic spending.

10.    If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office. If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?  

Change: The same old Wyandotte County corrupt, revengeful, and greedy politics that started with unification of city and county governments.

•    If we unified city and county – Why do we still pay city and county taxes?

•    Why do we still have city and county boards?

•    Why do we still have city and county officials?

Answer:  Greed!

What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?  

The differences between my opponents and myself are simple, loyalty, dedication, determination and honesty. My political disagreements of corruption, and proven political misuse of public funds proves my desire for political reform benefiting us taxpayers, rate payers and voters and my determination and dedication has lasted 12 years and counting.  I keep some 4,000 people informed daily through rottenpolitics.com that persistently fights for the people’s rights and to curb political corruption, graft and greed is what transparency means to me.  The cities refusal to my rights of freedom of information forced me to get thousands of people to sign petitions to cause a grand jury investigation into political corruption, graft and greed. The people wanted nothing more than a fair grand jury investigation into politicians and executives of this city. People just wanted to know where their money goes and how is it-spent etc.?

As a result, I was indicted for 60 crimes, jailed and an expensive court trial was pursued. Result? Hung jury. Nine of twelve jurors voted to acquit, or not guilty.

You the public paid tens of thousands to lose the first jury trial. Now you will pay to satisfy their vengeance in a second trial, which begins in March.

The huge expense of millions charged to taxpayers proves lack of concern for us taxpayers and our hard-earned funds. Some 1,200 taxpayers-voters signed each petition to cause political corruption investigations and now taxpayers-voters are forced to pay for two jury trials to hide results of two investigations the people wanted and signed the petition to get.

Good honest people were refused their lawful rights.

Is this the type of action you want if you tried to expose political corruption?  This could have been you, your children or family members who suffered as I have just for exercising citizens’ legal rights to know how government abuses all of us.  

I say that as a precinct committee man for over ten years, my oath of office, and the oaths of office of every elected or appointed public official demands that we serve the public, work for the public, defend the public and insure their safety.  Seriously, without us, the taxpaying public, who pay for everything in this city, we would have nothing. There would be no streets, public buildings, utilities or any safety.  I can tell you that the police and firemen take the oath of safety seriously, just as I do and as do the city and BPU employees.  

I say do not sell the BPU!  Why sell the only thing in this city that makes money?  Utilities would go even higher, good people would lose their jobs and loss of income to our city would cause taxes to go higher.  The BPU must be restructured, modified and become efficient using the employees it has now and revamping the executives.

11.    Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?  

Precinct committeeman man, over 10 years.

BPU, [2005 -2007] Lost.

City Council at Large [2009] Lost.

Daniel Serda

(Note: Information from press release)

1.    Name and office sought

Daniel Serda

Unified Government Commissioner at Large, District 2

2.    Occupation

City planner and KU faculty member

3.    Education

Undergraduate degree in political science from Harvard University, a master’s degree in city planning and a Ph.D. in city design and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

4.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

Service on the boards of various nonprofit and civic organizations, as well as public bodies on both sides of the state line.

Unified Government Planning Commission member.

5.    Reasons for running/campaign issues:

- Broadening the benefits of economic development throughout Wyandotte County

- Enhancing Public Safety and Quality of Life

- Strengthening Neighborhood Vitality

- Making local government more transparent, accessible and accountable to citizens and taxpayers

We’ve made tremendous strides in the past decade. I’m proud to call Wyandotte County home. But we have much more work to do, particularly in finding balance between our ongoing community challenges and opportunities. I’m committed to pursuing new, leading-sector development opportunities while supporting established small businesses. We need to be more careful in targeting incentives while expanding our tax base and reducing our local property tax burden. We need to continue providing new housing opportunities, but we also need to reinvest in the housing stock that gives our neighborhoods their amazing character.

For information visit http://danielserda.com/.

Hal Walker

1.    Name and office sought

Harold T. (Hal) Walker

2nd District-at-Large, Board of Commissioners, Unified Government of Wyandotte County-KCK

2.    Age

62

3.    Occupation

Attorney-at-Law

4.    Education

B.A 1972; J.D. 1975; Kansas University

5.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

Turner Community Connection (TCC), an NBR—President;

Argentine Neighborhood Development Association (ANDA), an NBR;

   Vice President;

K-State Research and Extension Council-Wyandotte County, Immediate Past          

   President;

Wyandotte County Historical Society; Past President; Ex Officio Board Member

Master Gardener Board of Directors- Member

American, Kansas and Wyandotte County Bar Associations- past member

6.    Reasons for running

   My personal desire to see economic growth and development in all communities and neighborhoods of Wyandotte County combined with my legal education and more than 23 years as chief counsel and city attorney of the Unified Government uniquely instills my candidacy with the political, practical and legal knowledge to serve as a member of the governing body without dependency upon staff and administration for the information to make knowledgeable decisions in the best interests of the citizens, the constituency that deserves experienced and qualified leadership.

7.    What is your top campaign issue?  

  Real reductions in the citizen cost of taxes and public utilities most notably by the Unified Government and also through development of  a coordinated county-wide approach involving all taxing entities participating in joint efforts to  reduce in real dollars the total net cost to the taxpayer pays each year and every year during my four year term.

8.    There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

Budget cuts equate to reduction in expenditures which mean either a reduction through attrition or retirement incentives the total cost of personnel. My first choice would be to offer incentives that induce early retirement and combined with normal attrition, reduce the total number of employees My second choice includes me among the school of thought that believe the citizens should decide, whether by survey or advisory mail ballot, which services have priority and implement their wishes. The customer is always right.    

9.    If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office. If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?  

   I would have continued to seek location of new companies with job opportunities similar to the growth of the Legends and vicinity but  would have created opportunities for improvement and reinvigoration of the existing Fairfax Industrial District and sought to create manufacturing and all classes of industrial/office style park locations that compare with what Riverside is doing. Recent efforts at the end of the Reardon administration to initiate a task force come eight years too late.

  As the chief counsel during all of the development at the Speedway and Legends through my retirement, I feel that I share a small part of that success. Generals may get credit for victory but the boots on the ground make it happen.

10.    What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?  

    I have not been fully informed through the electronic or print media to date of either opponent’s platform. The principal difference is or will be that I know how to get the job done through consensus building and understand the operational mechanics that are employed to promote or hinder commissioner initiatives.

   I have reviewed Mr. Serda’s webpage or we clearly share some goals. He appears to have forgotten to address the concerns of other area in the second district.

  We also differ in our commitment to economic development approach. We do continue to need retail throughout the entire community but this also has to be combined with all levels of industrial/ office park location to compete with the surrounding communities. These are the jobs that pay family-sustainable salaries.

11.    Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?   

I ran in 1983 for the Turner School Board but withdrew prior to the primary for family health concerns that no longer exist.