Hollister officials were clear the ballot language was only a draft:
Hollister City Government Draft of Tourism Tax Legislation.
Hollister Tourism Tax - Proposed Ballot Language
Hollister officials were clear the ballot language was only a draft:
Hollister City Government Draft of Tourism Tax Legislation.
Matt Blunt responds to questions about Eckersley firing
The clip above was posted by Tony Messenger earlier today. Read the Matt Blunt update below for background. Tony Messenger had the lead and promises a provocative post about Blunt's office tomorrow.
The purpose of the post below is to provide background and a working demonstration on how press offices work at the state level.
The purpose of the post below is to provide background and a working demonstration on how press offices work at the state level.
Taney County - Taxed to Death – Proposition A
Dead ducks - what many area poor will be without help this winter. The state predicts heating bills could triple this winter. The burden of taxation is taking a toll on Branson businesses as well (see Branson Edge for 12 Month Rolling Fund Totals. Taney County Assessor James Strahan predicts Taney County businesses and residents will face a massive increase when they get their property tax bills this year.
On November 5, 2007, six days from now, Taney County residents will have to ask themselves just how much more they're willing to take.
Hollister has a proposed 5% tourism tax on the ballot. Documentations on ballot language and distribution of funds has been requested. We have received a fax from the Hollister Chamber of Commerce in support of the tax. As one of five individual members on the Hollister Chamber roster, I'd hoped to hear different news other than....raise taxes please.
Hollister Alderman David Willard figures Hollister can't lose and voted to give voters the oppourtunity to decide if they want it or not. Ozark Mountain Newspaper correspndent Gary Groman reports %75 of the tax generated will help build infrastructure and %25 will be used for marketing Hollister as a tourism destination. Willard figures if residents vote against it, low taxation could generate tourism allowing Hollister to execute a higher value proposition. If the tax fails Hollister will be the only tourism area in the region without a surplus tourist tax.
The Taney County Times took a break from the award winning "snake oil reporting" last week (we bought five copies to encourage ethics). Documents regarding funding and the lobbying effort to pass the tax seem to have eluded the public. No filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission have been sent to the best of our knowledge and their high-tech money tracking tools.
Proposition A - the so called economic development tax would create a 90 million dollar bag of money for fun and games - fueling the personal pockets of a handful of Taney County residents.
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Groman had the audacity to ask me if I thought corruption was involved with the creation of the tax - to which I answer patently, thoroughly, by definition.
For Background see Branson Mediagate
www.dictionary defines corruption as follows:
1. lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
We caught them because they weren't very good at it. A series of reports from the Taney County Times and Branson Daily News gave a black eye to the Branson media visible to anyone paying attention. This isn't the media of Linda Morgan's day.
Reading the "a tax almost as good as chocolate" tipped us off something was very wrong. No one loves taxes that much, unless they're receiving gains on the backs of citizens - which was exactly what Vonda Sheets and Donna Clevenger did when they pretended to be reporters while representing a multi-million dollar power grab as Board Members of the White River Valley Historical Society. Though we can't seem to find the individuals funding the campaign to talk citizens out of their hard earned cash we did find both reporters on the White River Valley Historical Society's list of officers. They actually fought behind closed doors to raise taxes for themselves. Like we said, patently currupt - even worse - straight wicked.
Groman wants us to ignore the corrupt and underhanded methods used to illicit public support for a tax levy created by and for special interests and ignoring Taney Counties most needy. He's sat on the fence while those creating the tax made him look foolish on the front page of the paper. Then again, the Ole Seagull hasn't found a tax lately he didn't like.
The one time staunch conservative who hired Attorney Eric Farris to sue President Bill Clinton for sending troops to Bosnia hasn't found a tax he doesn't like lately. Yesterday we asked Seagull, "Have you broken your right wing?" Seems like lately he's been flying in circles tilted to the left ....
Proposition A encourages irresponsibility. It says, "don't show us what you did with that extra two million dollars we gave you this year have another 90 million."
And to the reporters who failed to disclose their masters.
To the community I'd like to apologize for the actions of our local press; we're trying hard to fix corruption within and return to a culture of integrity to regain public trust.
Kathryn Buckstaff slates four books
When Gannett closed the Springfield News-Leader Branson bureau Buckstaff found herself without a job.
After a week she started clearing out stacks of paperwork.
When I heard the city of Branson's contracts with HCW went into the trashcan I gasped.
She carries a great deal of our culture and history in file cabinets somewhere in Hollister (we share the same polling location and I always see her on election days).
When Buckstaff's phone stopped ringing she went into a state of shock. It was a double whammy - insider credentials pulled and bills starting to stack up.
The Chamber of Commerce clipped her off the free-market and she looked as happy as a bumblebee in a field of daisies snuggled in her new position. Buckstaff's job is to write positive stories about Branson. It's the kind she likes to write and said she was relieved to be on a 9 to 5 schedule.
She's relieved no more breaking stories will wake her at 2 A.M. - relieved faxes from an editor altering her written creation will no longer keep her locked down under the pressure-cooker.
Now that she's left the news business, Buckstaff has committed to writing four books s. A series of three mystery novels and an autobiography will fill her early mornings and nighttime hours.
(Photo shot by Darin Codon Sept 9, 2007 Branson Convention Center)
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt Update
Sex, Scandal and Money - It's everything the evil media wants in a story and this post is about Missouri's top officials journey to seduce the press this week.
To keep up to date on long-form political rants and reports read Southwest Missouri News where we post the top political stories in the region and state daily.
Political Hit of the week goes to Gannet's Springfield Newsleader report by Tony Messenger.
The saga beginning with Messenger's sunshine request for e-mails from the Governor's office opened up Pandora's box. Here's an excerpt.
Around the time Blunt, Martin, and spokesman Rich Chrismer were publicly telling the press that e-mails are not public records, Eckersley says he was privately pointing Martin and anybody who would listen to the governor's e-mail retention policy. That policy says e-mails are public records and indicates a schedule for how long they are to be maintained — at least a year in most cases. It's clear from the public statements made by Martin, Chrismer and Blunt that the policy wasn't being followed.
Eckersley read the policy. He read the contradictory public statements. He didn't understand why nobody would listen to him.
Now he does. They didn't want to listen. Within weeks of pointing out the governor's own policy to those he worked with, Eckersley was shown the door by the governor's chief of staff.
"I kept pushing it," Eckersley says now. "There's no question in my mind that I was retaliated against as a result of that."
Through a spokeswoman, Martin refused to comment for this column, but the state has plenty to say about Eckersley and his firing in documents provided to the News-Leader.
Messenger did a great service to the journalism community as Attorney Jay Nixon ran with the story clarifying the law on e-mail and the availability of digital documents under the Sunshine Law.
The Republican's didn't sit idly gripping the master dialogue by broadcasting a paid stocker video clips of Jay Nixon using a state vehicle for campaign trips. Missouri republicans rehashed pounded this with all their might. To summarize, Nixon promised to reimburse the state for using state resources to campaign, which he did with a $47,000 check. Missouri's Auditor Susan Montee stated unequivocally that state resources are not for rent.
Everything I ever needed to learn about public relations I learned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After a storm of bad publicity, the agency started releasing "top 10 stories of the week". The FBI is one of three agencies with direct posting privileges to Branson Agent. These stories are published as soon as they're released on the website.
Blunt's office issued a bundle of press releases over the wire yesterday. Here's a partial list:
Blunt Honors Vietnam Veterans
Blunt Provides Tools to Help Young Missourians Reach Full Potential
Gov. Blunt Celebrates Expanding Access to Health Care
Gov. Blunt Announces Ten Illegal Immigrants Detained
Gov. Blunt Directs Campus Security Task Force Co-Chairs to Review NWMSU Shooting
That was yesterday. This morning Blunt appeals to a social conservative base stating his displeasure with an Iowa ruling regarding gay marriage.
The lawsuit guarantees Blunt's office policies will remain in the public eye....
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Little note for new readers out there. For months I've been challenging Taney County Officials to release information as the Sunshine Law demands - in the form they were created. Sparing details, it's abundantly clear documents can be requested in the form they were created - but hey - I'm a forgiving man, as long as they say they're sorry and correct their mistakes - we'll play nice.
Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley turns 50
Guests were asked to bring gifts for children in lieu of presents for Presley. No count as of today but the 50 toys goal was easily met.
Hollister Hillbilly Halloween
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