"Ok about the paper."

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BA 16 posts "Ok about the paper." Aug-20-08, 07:07 PM (CST) I was reading the Iola Register and I have been reading it and everything I read sounds like county commisioner Works is very upset with the city of Iola. I am not sure what is going on and would like to hear what everyone thinks. I do not know the man but it just always sounds like he has a chip on his shoulder. You would think with the changing of the county commisioners that he would not alienate an entire town. I know there is a lot more to the county than Iola but still. Anyways like I said I do not know him but I read the register and try to keep up with the minutes from the meetings and it always seems that it is (us versus them) with him. The one time I spoke with him he was very nice and seemed interested in what I was saying. I wonder if the ambulance issue has taken it over the edge. Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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Subject     Author     Message Date     ID    RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-20-08 1    RE: Ok about the paper. Ghost Aug-21-08 2        RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-21-08 5        RE: Ok about the paper. BA Aug-21-08 3            RE: Ok about the paper. jhawk Aug-21-08 4                RE: Ok about the paper. silentbob Aug-22-08 6                    RE: Ok about the paper. jhawk Aug-22-08 7                        RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-22-08 8                            RE: Ok about the paper. Kansborn Aug-23-08 9                                RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-23-08 10                                    RE: Ok about the paper. Mo Aug-23-08 11                                        RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-23-08 13                                            RE: Ok about the paper. Mo Aug-23-08 14                                                RE: Ok about the paper. Rooster Aug-24-08 16                                                RE: Ok about the paper. BA Aug-24-08 15                                        RE: Ok about the paper. BA Aug-23-08 12

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Rooster 248 posts 1. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-20-08, 10:48 PM (CST) LAST EDITED ON Aug-20-08 AT 10:49 PM (CST) I agree with your point of view about the man. His printed comments make it appear as if he honestly believes that the residents of Iola aren't part of Allen County. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Ghost 216 posts 2. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-21-08, 06:46 AM (CST) I don't think his comments, or anything about this whole matter is that big of a deal. Voter turnout should have been a prime indicator for this. What was it? About 20% of the registered voters cared enough to vote. Of those, just a tad over 10% voted to oust a sitting commissioner. Those approximate 400 people are a far cry from alienating an entire town. I'm the Ghost, and I approved this message. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Rooster 248 posts 5. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-21-08, 11:54 PM (CST) LAST EDITED ON Aug-21-08 AT 11:59 PM (CST) Taken from the Iola Register dated 13 AUG 08: Another gripe conveyed by McIntosh was the thought by many Iolans that they would be taxed twice — once the by county and again by the city — for ambulance service. To that, Works replied, “If Iola residents are going to be paying twice, that’s the city’s decision, not the county’s decision. We’re collecting our tax revenues to fund our EMS.” His comment makes it appear that the residents of Iola aren't entitled to use "HIS EMS" but they still must pay for it!! According to the Iola Register dated 19 JUN 08 (On the tax revenue issue.) A ruling by the Kansas Board of EMS likely will decide that dispute. He has made other comments in the past that make it appear that he feels that Iola residents just don't matter to him when it comes to ambulance service. I laugh ever time I read the comment that they are concerned about ambulance service for Geneva and that city along with township have a total of 172 residents. That number isn't even close to the cities of Moran, Elsmore, Savanburg or the townships they are in. It was 28.5% of those registered to vote in the county that voted with the majority voting in the republican party. It (the ambulance fiasco) was a big enough deal for 55% of those that voted in the 3rd District to oust the commissioner. That he lost because of the ambulance issue was also voiced by the setting commissioners at their meeting after the election. Maybe this ambulance fiasco was even enough to keep the one holding the 2nd District seat from seeking re-election. On the republican side there was 11 positions up for re-election and only 4 having two people seeking the position. On the other side, there was 7 candidates for 5 different positions. Guess many people don't feel the need to vote in the primary due to lack of candidates. Might even be that they don't like any of the candidates so don't bother to cast their vote. Isn't it a shame that the minority determine the course the county, cities, college, school boards are going to take? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

BA 16 posts 3. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-21-08, 10:50 AM (CST) I appreciate what you are saying about voter turnout and I am as disappionted as anyone with the lack of voting. I was wondering if it is just the way the paper quotes him that makes it sound like he is mad. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

jhawk 237 posts 4. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-21-08, 08:18 PM (CST) Yep, we can vote all the experience out and put people on the commission that has no clue how the county is supposed to operate.. You guys will really enjoy McIntosh as a commissioner, he is clueless. Maybe next you will write in Barnett, then, oh boy, commission meetings will be fun!! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

silentbob 13 posts 6. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-22-08, 09:09 AM (CST) Your stab at McIntosh was a joke. If...he is clueless...at least he is making an attempt to learn and understand by attending this meetings and asking questions that apparently some people don't want to answer or they themselves don't know. Besides why vote or campaign the Iola register will tell you who to vote for. They sure are tooting williams horn lately. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

jhawk 237 posts 7. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-22-08, 07:46 PM (CST) >Your stab at McIntosh was a >joke. If...he is clueless...at >least he is making an >attempt to learn and understand >by attending this meetings and >asking questions that apparently some >people don't want to answer >or they themselves don't know. > >Besides why vote or campaign the >Iola register will tell you >who to vote for. They >sure are tooting williams horn >lately. Williams is not who we are talking about. I say you put no experience in office, there is no telling what will happen with the county. I think ##### Works is a very good commissioner, too bad the rest of you people think he is not. Just wait until your newest, full of himself, county commissioner gets in there, let's see what happens then.. He used to be on the ACCC board, why did he quit that? Probably why ACCC has so many budget problems!! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Rooster 248 posts 8. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-22-08, 09:01 PM (CST) "I say you put no experience in office" Not sure exactly what you are leading to with that comment. None of the current three had experience being a county commissioner when they were first elected. None of the current candidates have experience either. Tom Williams had no experience of being a Sheriff or for that matter knowing and enforcing traffic laws before he was elected. Tom was elected because almost the entire county wanted Atkins removed and would vote for any person running against him, experienced or not. Can't say anything about McIntosh but believe he can't do any worse than the past three have with this ambulance fiasco. Not sure why he didn't continue seeking re-election to the board at ACCC. I do know the ACCC has always had budget problems, least ways I can remember them having budget problems as far back as 1984. As for Works, each to their own opinion. It is his comments in the paper that don't set well with many residents of Iola and most are tired of hearing we don't know the whole story. We don't know the whole story because the county three aren't being up front with the ambulance issue. As long as he ensures that Humboldt retains their ambulance, he has a good chance of remaining in office. If the ambulance in Humboldt is removed, you can bet that district will vote him out just like the voters did to Regehr. Then again, you are correct, some people just aren't good in the office they were elected to serve in!! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Kansborn 21 posts 9. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 12:14 PM (CST) "Tom Williams had no experience of being a Sheriff or for that matter knowing and enforcing traffic laws before he was elected." Rooster - you are sorely misinformed about much of your post. I can point out for a fact that Williams did have a lot of experience enforcing traffic laws. He was a police officer (lieuteniant) for many years before becoming a KBI agent. And, do you go to the county meetings? Do you know only what you read and hear or are you an active participant in the meetings? You might understand the ambulance situation more if you did more to find out. Those who complain and don't do anything are just complainers. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Rooster 248 posts 10. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 01:57 PM (CST) You need to understand a little bit more before you say I am misinformed and when you try to protect Tom. I do take the time to research things that I post about and kept them as factual as they can be based on the research I do. I know Tom Williams as an individual (have for about 24 yrs), knew his qualifications before he was elected to the position he holds. I was at his house the night he was elected, we exchange email and we visit in person as our time allows. Facts are that Tom was out of actual law enforcement (traffic laws) for 20+ years and the laws have changed almost every year since the 70's. Fact is that he worked as a KBI agent and they work as investigators, violent crimes solvers, not traffic violation enforcers. Most working people can't make the early morning meetings but I have been known to attend a meeting or two. Many of us would attend more if they'd be later in the day or early evening. I do talk to some of those elected officials every chance I get when I see them out and about in public. What more is there to find understand or find out about the ambulance service? I have researched the ambulance fiasco as much as what the 3 that screwed it up will allow. I have followed their minutes from there meetings since 2005 and all they have done is try to blame the city 3 for screwing the ambulance service up. A recommendation was made, (I posted those meeting minutes once before) and the 3 took it as they must fix the ambulance system that wasn't broken. The entire county was well served by the personnel providing the care and having the ambulance in Moran best suited the needs of the eastern part of the county. Not to mention the fact that it is going to cost us taxpayers a small fortune to maintain the changes those 3 want to force upon us all. Talk about the city 3 not paying attention to those that elected them when it comes to a pool, what about those 3 not paying attention to those that elected them concerning the ambulance. The lack of representation by Regehr made those voters in District 3 (South Iola Twp., Bassett City, Iola City Ward 1, Iola City Ward 2, Iola City Ward 4) decide to remove him. While the paper isn't always correct, usually what is stated at the Commissioners' Meeting Minutes and printed in the paper is accurate. You can find almost the entire minutes written by Bruce Symes in the paper and on their web site. He does a pretty accurate write-up of what happened at the meeting. A condensed version of the Commissioners' Meeting Minutes can be found on the Allen County web page. The last couple of meetings with McIntosh being present have made some rather interesting reading. I don't complain, a person must learn to adapt and overcome. I voice my opinion to those that are elected in person , by email and even write them personal letters. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Mo 9 posts 11. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 05:13 PM (CST) I can also tell you that I have known Tom for 24+ years and you are dead wrong. Tom has a very strong background in law enforcement and he has turned the Allen County Sheriff's department around. He has made our new jail successful. A jail that most of you were so skeptical about when it was built. Tom is an honest man and a good sheriff. As far as the Iola Register, if you think that their reporting of the commission meetings is accurate someone has really pulled the wool over your eyes. What information do you have that tells you the ambulance service wasn't broken? Do you honestly think that all of this would have occurred just because the county commissioners woke up one day and said "Hey lets make the City of Iola miserable?" Whatever you believe, just make sure that you research the "facts" and not what you read in the newspaper or on Iola.com. I know that any of the county commissioners or Tom would be glad to talk to any of their citizens, that is why they are here. No person in politics is going to make everyone happy all of the time, it comes with the job. When is the last time that you did something to try and change any of the things that you sit on here and complain about Rooster? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Rooster 248 posts 13. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 09:24 PM (CST) Mo, please read what I actually post and not how you want it to read. I stated "the paper isn't always correct", continued with, "usually what is stated at the Commissioners' Meeting Minutes and printed in the paper is accurate." When I'm in doubt, I email the editor of the paper to ensure what was in print was actually what was stated. If you take the time to read the Commissioners' Meeting Minutes in the paper and then the online condensed minutes they approve you'll find they are the same. I do my research based on what is available to the public and don't use what is on Iola.com. As stated before, "I voice my opinion to those that are elected, in person, by email and personal letters." You seem to read into my post what you want me to say so you can complain about it. I never stated Tom didn't have a background in law enforcement, I stated/implied that he had been out of the normal traffic enforcement duties of a police officer by being a KBI Agent. Four years ago I believed enough in his abilities (not neccessarily his law enforcement experience) to bring the department back to the level it once was, maybe even better, so I took the time to campaign for him. What makes you believe the ambulance service was broken? I posted the Commissioners' Meeting Minutes where the two gentlemen stated that they were only making recommendations on what could be done. Nothing stated the 3 had to make changes. They could have just hired paramedics and left the ambulance in Moran, Humboldt and Iola. While it has made the residents in Mildred, Moran, Elsmore and Savanburg miserable it sure hasn't Iola. Iola will continue to have an ambulance (in fact 2) stationed at the fire station just as it has for the past 30 or so years. To complain is to express your dissatisfaction with what is going on. Susan Lynn wrote a nice article about how bad of a decision it was. Many county residents have complained about the ambulance being removed from Moran and their complaints fell on deaf ears. I've expressed my opinion more than once over the past three years and they continued doing what they wanted, not the will of the residents of the county, especially those in the eastern part of the county. I informed 2 city commissioners that they needed to do whatever it took to retain an ambulance at the fire station. We now have them and a ruling by the Kansas Board of EMS will decide the dispute over who retains all the tax revenue. ME TOO BA!! The freedom to do a little campaigning for or against a candidate is what so many of my friends died to preserve for the rest of us to enjoy. So in November, get out and vote!! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Mo 9 posts 14. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 11:50 PM (CST) I have read all the commission minutes and all of the minutes in the newspaper. I also know that the Iola Register has a habit of printing things that are not the whole truth. There are things that people have quoted in the paper, like our new county commissioner that were not true and were printed just to scare everyone into believing what he wanted them to believe and the newspaper didn't bother to print any "editors notes or corrections". I must have missed all the county commission meetings that Susan Lynn attended that has made her any kind of expert to say what is going on. I believe the article that she wrote came mostly out of the mouth of a certain city administrator. This was once again an article to try and scare everyone into believing what she believes. I was present in the meeting when the Kansas Board of EMS "recommended" that the county consolidate its services. Everyone has just assumed that consolidate means that all the ambulances would be in one building. In all the people that you have talked to and all the research that you have done, you should have found that the county commissioners are required by law to ensure that "all" citizens in the county have access to an ambulance service. This means that in 6 months if the city of Iola decides that they do not want to provide this service any longer they can close the doors and the county is required to provide that service to those citizens. As long as those ambulances say "Allen County Ambulance" on the side the county is liable for anything that happens in those trucks. Would you take legal responsibility for somebody elses actions, if you had no control over them? I believe that there has been several people from the east side of the county that has attended the county commission meetings and I don't think that any of those people would tell you that they felt like their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. I have dealt with both the city commissioners and the county commissioners and we have a very good set of county commissioners. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Rooster 248 posts 16. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-24-08, 12:46 PM (CST) What law are talking about? The state only requires that a person or municipality obtain a permit to operate an ambulance service within the state. So any person can operate an ambulance in Allen County as long as they have a permit from the state. Allen County commenced operation of the ambulance service in 1977. The liability is there because of the contract between the county and city. Under KSA 65-6118 Chapter 65. PUBLIC HEALTH Article 61. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES creates the ambulance service taxing district. The tax issue is covered under KSA 65-6113 Chapter 65. PUBLIC HEALTH Article 61. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. If you read section (d) it appears that the county is required to reimburse any taxing district (City of Iola?) that provides ambulance services to such district with its proportionate share of the county general fund or special tax levy fund budgeted for ambulance services within the county. Not sure people assumed anything with the county wanting to make changes to the ambulance locations. If the one building concept wasn't on the agenda, then Allen County didn't require the grant money. The one building concept was why the grant was applied for, rejected and then granted to Allen County. That observation is based from various Allen County Commissioners' Meeting Minutes: "County commissioners, with the help of EMS Director Elaine Dugan, have been checking into establishing a centralized ambulance station — somewhere east of Iola along U.S. 54 has been mentioned as a possible location — and a state grant was sought last year to help fund the idea but wasn’t received." Elaine Dugan, EMS Director, discussed some changes in ambulance locations. "Higher level of care is what the commissioners and Elaine are striving for." If they wanted a higher level of care, the county could have hired paramedics to serve in Moran, Humboldt and added to Iola. Iola already had a RN. So much for a higher level of care when Moran was without their own ambulance service for almost a year from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, relying on the ambulance from the Iola Fire Station for that 12 hour period. Aren't recommendations just suggestions and not requirements? The two men made it clear they were just making recommendations and the 3 jumped on it as being gospel. The county operated ambulance service has worked well for 30 years so why all of a sudden is it in need of repair? Updating to paramedics would have given them the higher level of care they were seeking! The fact that the building is going to be built in Gas reflects that those attending the meeting about keeping an ambulance in Moran and the eastern part of the county had their request fall on deaf ears. Didn't follow your comments about the new county commissioner and the paper. I do know that the 3 aren't willing to release much info to the candidates and that is factual based on comments made by them. I took the article by Susan as her personal opinion about the changes the 3 were making. Letters to the forum allow people to express opinions the same as those that work at the paper, i.e. the ambulance service, pool, or a new K-12 school. I've never had a complaint about the actions of the county 3 until they tried fixing something that wasn't broken. This ill conceived idea has cost every tax payer in the county a small fortune and could end up being an albatrose for all of us. It is a done deal and while I might not like how it will be, I can live it. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

BA 16 posts 15. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-24-08, 11:30 AM (CST) I did not post this to say we do not have good commisioners. I understand that the role they were elected into is not easy. I am was wondering if the paper was just trying to make it sound worse than what really happens. I have experience with all three of the city commisioners and I think they do a fine job. I do not know the county commisioners and that is why I asked if it was all paper jargon that made it sound bad. As I read both of your posts it seems that both of you have done research and come out with different opinions. That is what makes America so great being able to agree about disagreeing. As far as the ambulance system is concerned all I can say (in my opinion) is that we have very qualified and good personell at the Iola Fire Department and they are who I trust my medical safety too as well as my families. If change is needed than I hope that we are able to keep the guys we have because they are all excellent at what they do. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

BA 16 posts 12. "RE: Ok about the paper." Aug-23-08, 06:10 PM (CST) LAST EDITED ON Aug-23-08 AT 06:30 PM (CST) I am glad to see this post has gotten so much attention. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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