The Kansas City Star, Dec. 1
Gov. Eric Greitens bullies his way to firing the Missouri education commissioner. But for what?
That’s quite a strategy, governor: Get what you want. And to heck with the rules, honesty or fair play.
This is not how any governor should attend to public education in his state.
For weeks now, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has repeatedly taken pages out of the playbook of dirty politics with the goal of shoving Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven off the state board.
Friday, Greitens finally succeeded. The board ousted Vandeven in a closed-door 5-3 vote.
A new pawn in the governor’s scheme, former Raytown alderman Eric Teeman, was installed on the board shortly before the vote. A seat opened up when Claudia Onate Greim suddenly announced her resignation late in the day Thursday.
There’s little doubt that her decision was made under duress. Greim, in her resignation letter, rightly noted that removing a state leader as important as the education commissioner should be done after thoughtful, independent study. She’d previously cast a vote to retain Vandeven, stalling the firing at 4-4.
Teeman provided the fifth vote needed to send Vandeven packing.
The last-minute maneuvers came after weeks of other questionable moves by Greitens to pack the board, presumably with people willing to show Vandevens the door. The governor made filling board seats a game of musical chairs, appointing 10 people for the eight seats, engaging those willing to do his bidding.
Along the way, a lawsuit was filed, questioning Greitens’ decision to kick a new appointee off the board before he was even confirmed after it became clear that John T. Sumners of Joplin wasn’t going to take his marching orders from the governor.
After all this turmoil, Greitens quickly stepped up to take a victory lap on Friday. In a statement he claimed a win for kids, teachers and families.
How so, governor? From the start, you’ve been pretty vague about what this is all about anyway.
Tell us, what is the plan? What was so wrong with how Vandeven and the other board members have performed their duties?
So far, you’ve offered little beyond vague comments about helping students succeed and supporting schools. Do you really want Missourians to just make assumptions, based on the fact that you accepted a lot of cash from national school-choice proponents?
Vandeven politely framed the matter when she noted, with sadness, that public education should not be politicized.
It’s fine, Gov. Greitens, if you want to put your choice for education commissioner in place. But play fair, and tell your constituents what you’re aiming to accomplish. Don’t rely on an elaborate political play to circumvent good government practices.
The whole debacle is a sad statement on Greitens’ disrespect for process, for the voters of Missouri and mostly, for all children enrolled in public schools.
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The Jefferson City News-Tribune, Dec. 3
A half year later, officials mum as DeBrodie’s killer still not brought to justice
Is justice being done in the case of Carl DeBrodie, a developmentally disabled man who lived at a supported living facility in Fulton? Do authorities have leads in the case? Is there a suspect? Will charges be filed?
The 31-year-old was reported missing April 17. His badly decomposed body was found in a container filled with concrete.
DeBrodie enjoyed being outdoors, driving the riding lawn mower, go carts, fishing and baseball. He liked watching Westerns, “Cops” and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” going to see the fire trucks and going to the firehouse. He loved visiting his grandparents in anticipation of the big meals they would cook for him.
In this forum back in May, we lamented Mid-Missourians were struggling to make sense of such a senseless crime. Who, after all, would kill a disabled man? And how could he go unaccounted for for so long before he was reported missing and subsequently found?
Area residents have many questions about the case, yet few answers are forthcoming. Last week, we published a story from the Fulton Sun in which Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Wilson declined to update the public on the case. He also would not release information gleaned from DeBrodie’s autopsy.
The story reported, under Missouri law, autopsy results are public record. However, if the autopsy is part of a criminal investigation, results may be released only when authorized by the prosecuting attorney.
“As this investigation is ongoing, I am not going to answer specific questions about the case at this time,” Wilson said. “Suffice it to say that our office continues to work with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies regarding the investigation.”
We understand that releasing sensitive information could compromise a case. But we also believe in a case with this much public interest, the public has a right to know how the case is going. We would argue it’s also in the best interest of investigators.
Law enforcement can’t always solve crimes on their own. They need help from the public. And keeping the public abreast of the case is one way to let the public know that help still is needed.
At least half a dozen agencies have worked the case. But, as far as we know, we’re not much closer to solving it than when DeBrodie’s body was found.
Our hope is that investigating agencies will redouble their efforts, and keep the public informed as much as possible without compromising the case. And if you have any information could help with the case, please contact authorities.
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The St. Joseph News-Press, Nov. 30
Voter fraud found here
Events last week in federal court establish what is a rare occurrence but one that cannot be denied: voter fraud occurred at least six times in Northwest Missouri since 2010.
A 55-year-old Cuban national, formerly of St. Joseph and currently living in Kansas City, Missouri, falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote in Buchanan County on Nov. 5, 2009.
In court, he admitted to casting a fraudulent ballot in six elections from 2010 to 2014 for federal, state and local candidates. This included the 2012 presidential election.
One person out of tens of thousands in the region does not equate to rigged elections. But we should guard against ever allowing a fraudulent vote to count out the legitimate vote of a local citizen.
You will find those who contend fears of voter fraud are overblown and not reason to tighten voter standards. Fortunately, this argument was rejected last year when nearly two-thirds of Missouri voters approved allowing for implementation of photo voter ID.
In the case of the Cuban resident who falsely claimed U.S. citizenship, it was not immediately clear how the fraud was perpetrated. However, possessing a fraudulent ID would be one means to accomplishing that.
This is why authorities are well within their rights to request supporting documentation for government-issued photo IDs. The following are required in Missouri:
? Proof of name, date of birth and place of birth based on one of the following: U.S. birth certificate; U.S. passport; U.S. certificate of citizenship, naturalization or birth abroad; or a photocopy of a certified U.S. birth certificate accompanied by a U.S. military identification card or U.S. military discharge papers.
? Social Security number (verbally or by presenting the card).
? Proof of Missouri residential address based on one of the following: utility bill, paycheck, government check, mortgage document, voter identification card, property tax receipt, housing rental contract or bank statement.
The integrity of our elections demands we take reasonable steps to establish that all voters are eligible to vote. Asking someone to provide verify their identity and residency is not too much to ask.
As a reminder: Anyone who lacks a driver’s license or the documents to get a government-issued photo ID (Missouri nondriver license) can get assistance by contacting the Secretary of State’s Office toll-free at 866-868-3245 or by email at showit2vote@sos.mo.gov. One copy of any document needed will be provided at no cost.
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