Tuesday, September 2, 2008

John Toplikar is still an idiot





I've written before about the incredible lack of skills of John Toplikar and thus the saga continues. I was skimming the newspapers that piled up while I was on vacation last week and I came across something that caught my eye. John Toplikar is showing he is still an idiot and after all these years still doesn't understand the basic processes of government. I'm a conservative too but why do the hard core conservatives in his district love him so much? I'm probably one of the few conservatives in this county who don't think this guy is fit for office.


Chuck Kurtz, former editor of the Olathe Daily News and now staff writer for The Sun, wrote in the August 27th edition of The Sun about Toplikar's latest antics at a meeting of the Johnson County Commission on August 14. These are the things that make the "deadwood" media still relevant in my mind. Who else would cover this stuff? Thanks to Chuck for reporting it. You've come a long way since covering Olathe high school sports.



As reported, Toplikar baffled his fellow commissioners by offering a laundry list of last minute cuts to the budget that was ready for final approval after months and months of work. I guess Toplikar doesn't know how the budget process works OR he knows but likes to waste his colleagues time by offering them for purely political reasons. The article says his timing of late changes is something of a tradition for Toplikar. County Manager Mike Press and Dave Linstrom both indicated that commissioners do get active in the budgeting process but suggestions should be made early enough in the process so the entire commission can consider them thoughtfully. Apparently, Lindstrom knows how to do it and worked with Press to lower the mill for 2009. After all these years in public service is this guy still too stupid to know the process? His colleagues showed up to pass a final budget and he wants to move 1% from the arts to human services and cut magazine subscription costs in half. What an idiot. The article said he left fellow commissioners scratching their heads.



Am I being a little petty on our resident idiot servant John Toplikar? I don't think so. I think a guy who has served as long as he has should know when during the process to submit budget ideas. Some of the ideas looked interesting which is even more of a crime because his job is to make sure our money works the best for us and he blew it because he doesn't get it.



This article reminded me of when Toplikar was on the Olathe City Council and he would gratuitously remove seemingly simple items from the consent agenda and make staff and his fellow council members roll their eyes. This is just more of the same.



Toplikar isn't a smart man. He might be a decent guy, a man of good character and a guy who shows up and votes. We shouldn't put a medal on his chest for doing the minimum that mankind asks of one another. With this election cycle we are missing yet another chance to get this guy out.







Where did the month go? I forgot to put up Ms. August from the girls of KU. Here is Trinity and she is one of our own from Shawnee, Kansas. Go Jayhawks.

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