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Neil Sader pretends he's running in a "non-partisan" mayoral race in
Overland Park in April 2005. If it were so important for Sader to work so
hard to make local elections
non-partisan in recent years, why is Mr. Sader now doing so much to make this a
partisan race?
Sader was the subject of this recent letter to the Kansas City Star (Feb
12, 2004):
Nonpartisan
election
I am disappointed that Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is headlining a
major fund-raiser for Overland Park mayoral candidate Neil Sader (2/3, Metro
digest, “Mayor candidate lunch”).
Sader was an advocate of nonpartisan elections during his tenure on the
Overland Park City Council. In 2001, Overland Park voters overwhelmingly
approved of removing party labels from municipal elections. For the first time
ever, the city's voters will have the opportunity to choose a mayor without
the hassles of partisan bickering.
But now Sader, a Democrat, is holding a lavish fund-raiser with Gov.
Sebelius and other prominent Democrats to fund his supposedly nonpartisan
campaign for mayor. Sader's actions are hypocritical.
Nonpartisan elections are about abolishing partisan behaviors entirely,
not just removing party labels on ballots. Sader should know better.
Scott Paradise
Shawnee
Steve Rose in the Johnson County Sun chided Sader about his "True
Colors" (Feb 3, 2004). Rose suggested Sader "looks like a chameleon"
since he made this non-partisan race such a partisan one.
Let's review Sader's recent actions:
The 5th item in the Neil Sader's Nov 5, 2004 press release announcing his
intentions to run for Overland Park mayor was this:
5) Removing Politics from City Elections.
Neil led the effort to remove partisan
politics from city government by calling for and supporting
a public vote (which
passed by a substantial margin) to elect City leaders in
non-partisan elections.
The adoption of non-partisan elections emphasizes
individual qualities and
opens the door to participation by all in city government.
Overland Park had
been the only city in Kansas still clinging to the
outdated, closed door system
dominated by the political parties.
While Sader cannot be directly blamed for the contents of local web
sites, the Democratic activists seem to be aware of Sader's intentions. A web site that is all about building Democratic Party grassroots, including
support for the quite far left Howard Dean for the DNC Chair, shows several
items soliciting Democratic support for Neil Sader:
The Kansas Democratic
Party Calendar lists this fund raiser for Neil Sader:
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Submitted by fgorman
on January 31, 2005 - 10:55am.
Neil Sader – Candidate for Mayor of Overland Park Luncheon
With special guest Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius
Please join us…
When: Wednesday, February 16, 2005, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Brookridge Golf & Country Club
8223 W. 103rd St. (between Lowell and Antioch)
Donation: Hosts: $500 Sponsors: $250 Guests: $50
RSVP on-line at www.sader.com or send an email with your name and number
in your party to coordinator@sader.com.
Your reservation and check must be received by February 10.
Make checks payable and mail to:
Sader for Mayor
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Of course the "unbiased" Kansas City Star plugged this
"non-partisan" event as a "news" story. We know this
is a non-partisan race because the Star says it is!
Sebelius expected at Overland
Park mayoral race fund-raiser
www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/10796623.htm
The
Kansas City Star
Kansas
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be the headliner at a Feb. 16 fund-raiser for
Overland Park mayoral candidate Neil Sader.
The
$50-a-plate lunch will start at noon at the Brookridge Golf & Country
Club, 8223 W. 103rd St., Overland Park. The lunch is sponsored by a group
called Women for Sader.
The
group includes state Rep. Sue Storm, Johnson County political strategist Jean
Wise, outgoing Roeland Park Mayor Lori Hirons and Sally Finney, whose late
mother Joan Finney, was the first woman governor of Kansas
The
race in Overland Park is non-partisan. But Sebelius and Sader are both
Democrats. Sader will face fellow City Councilman Carl Gerlach in the April 5
general election. Gerlach is a Republican.
For
more information about the luncheon, call (913) 541-1366.
How many other groups get this type of "news" story from the Star
about a political event?
The Star fails to report simple facts about the "Women for
Sader" mentioned in this article (see below).
Sader prominently displays this event on his Sader
for Mayor web site, along with a picture of Democrat Governor Sebelius:
Here is the Sader for Mayor flyer about the Sebelius event:
What is known about the political leanings of the underwriters of this event
listed as part of the mailing and mentioned in the Kansas City Star article?
"Women for Sader"
Underwriters of Katheleen Sebelius Luncheon for Neil Sader
for Mayor of Overland Park -- a "Non-Partisan" Election
| Name |
City |
Connections to |
Contributed to |
| Diane Alpert |
Leawood |
Democrat;
Mainstream |
|
| Joan Berkley |
Mission Hills |
"Republican
for Moore";
League of Women Voters;
Mainstream Coalition
Advisory Board; |
YesYesYes,
Mainstream,
NARAL,
Chris Biggs,
Kathleen Sebelius,
Dennis Moore,
Howard Dean,
John Kerry |
| Ron Beshears |
Leawood |
Democrat;
Sebelius Budget Efficiency
Savings Team (BEST) |
|
| Micheline Burger |
Olathe |
Democrat;
former chair JoCo Democratic Party;
Kansas VP Greater KC Women's
Political Caucus;
DNC Convention (2000) |
YesYesYes,
KS Dem State Cmte,
Chris Biggs,
Sally Finney,
Tom Sawyer,
Katheleen Sebelius,
Dennis Moore,
John Kerry |
| Barbara Cosner |
Overland Park |
"Republican
for Moore"; |
Mainstream Coalition,
Jim Slattery,
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Roberta Eveslage |
Lenexa |
Changes Political Parties: DRD;
NEA, ACLU,
JoCo Democratic Party Secretary
(2002); MAIN*PAC Director;
Mainstream Coalition VP (2003) |
Mainstream Coalition,
KS Dem State Cmte,
Kansas NEA,
Chris Biggs,
Lee Jones (Senate),
Dennis Moore,
John Kerry |
| Jeanne Gates |
Overland Park |
Democrat;
husband, Larry Gates, is chair of the
Kansas Democratic Party |
|
| Gloria Gershun |
Leawood |
Changes Political Parties: DRD; |
|
| Louise Hipsh |
Leawood |
Democrat; |
Mainstream Coalition,
Chris Biggs,
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Lori Hirons |
Roeland Park |
Democrat;
Roeland Park mayor;
chair, Planned Parenthood MoKan
PAC (2003); Bistate Committee (2004) |
YesYesYes,
KS Dem State Cmte,
Dennis Moore,
Emmanuel Cleaver,
Jean Carnahan,
Emily's List |
| Mary Holbrook |
Overland Park |
Democrat |
YesYesYes,
Kathleen Sebelius,
Dennis Moore |
| Ann S Isenberg |
Mission Hills |
"Republican
for Moore";
Mainstream Advisory Board;
|
KFUPE |
| Jackie Johnson |
Mission Hills |
Changes Political Parties: DRDRD;
Mission Hills Council;
Underwriter for ProKanDo event
in Mission Hills (2004); Kansas
Inaugural 2003 PAC, Chair;
DNC convention (2004) |
Dennis Moore |
| Sharon A Levitan |
Leawood |
"Republican
for Moore" |
|
| Margery Lichtor |
Mission Hills |
"Republican
for Moore" |
|
| Elaine S Mann |
Overland Park |
Changes Political Parties: DRD;
League of Women Voters,
president (2003) |
YesYesYes,
ProKanDo,
Dennis Moore |
| Shirley McKay |
Overland Park |
Democrat |
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Joan Napshin |
Prairie Village |
Democrat |
|
| Mary O'Halloran |
Prairie Village |
Changes Political Parties: DRD;
Former Iowa State Rep;
former Mainstream president;
Mainstream Candidate School:
"Craft Your Campaign Speech" |
Chris Biggs |
| Roshann Parris |
Overland Park |
Democrat |
|
| Pamela J Perilstein |
Leawood |
Unaffiliated voter; |
|
| Carol Sader |
Praire Village |
Changes Political Parties: DRDRD;
Former State Rep;
Neil Sader's mother;
former Mainstream president;
Bistate Committee (2004); personal
friend of Sebelus; appointed by
Sebelius to Racing/Gaming
Commission |
YesYesYes,
Mainstream Coalition,
Dennis Moore,
Jill Docking,
Judy Hancock,
Joan Ruff (Senate),
KS Dem State Cmte,
Bill Bradley,
Jamie Metzl,
John Kerry |
| Constance Shidler |
Overland Park |
Democrat |
KS Dem State Cmte,
Chris Biggs
Kathleen Sebelius,
Dick Gephardt,
Howard Dean,
Dennis Moore |
| Blanche E Sosland |
Mission Hills |
Democrat;
Mainstream Advisory Board |
|
| Ann Stern |
Leawood |
Republican |
YesYesYes,
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Sue Storm |
Overland Park |
Democrat;
State Representative, District 22;
Mainstream Coalition Endorsements,
including 90% rating in 2002;
introduced a bill to allow people,
regardless of their immigration status,
to attend a state college or university
and pay in-state tuition (2003)
introduced bill to force Catholic
priests to break confessional seal
in certain circumstances (2003) |
YesYesYes,
ProKanDo,
Chris Biggs,
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Sarah Finney Timm |
Olathe |
Democrat;
Candidate for Kansas Treasurer ('02)
Endorsed
by Mainstream Coalition;
Received $250 contribution from
Planned Parenthood MoKan PAC |
|
| Elisa Waldman |
Overland Park |
Democrat |
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Marjorie L. Webb |
Merriam |
Democrat;
Underwriter for ProKanDo event
in Mission Hills (2004) |
YesYesYes,
Kathleen Sebelius |
| Jean Wise |
Leawood |
"Republican
for Moore";
Former Leawood Mayor;
Mainstream Advisory Board |
YesYesYes,
Emily's List,
Kathleen Sebelius,
KFUPE |
Could this group of underwriters lean any farther to the political left?
Of the 30 "Women for Sader" listed above, why are so few from
Overland Park, which where Sader is running for office? Only 9 of the 30
supporters (i.e., 30%) listed above can vote for Neil Sader for Mayor of
Overland Park.
What was done in recent years to make JoCo and Overland Park elections
non-partisan?
Neil Sader and Democratic activist mom, Carol Sader push for non-partisan
JoCo Elections
The alternative news source, The Pitch, accurately reported who was
behind the Johnson County "Yes Yes Yes" campaign in their Nov
2, 2000
article:
Yes! Yes! No!
Johnson County's political parties need to stand up and
be counted.
BY BRUCE RODGERS
Supporters of all three questions include ... groups such as the League
of Women Voters and the Mainstream Coalition. Their arguments center
around the premise that nonpartisan elections make for better government
. . .
More people will get involved and file as candidates. Nonpartisan
elections "will permit residents to participate from the perspective of
running for county commissioner," says former state Representative
Carol Sader. "It helps surface a new breed of leaders,"
adds her son Neil, an Overland Park city councilman. Since both
politicians are Democrats, Republican opponents of nonpartisan elections, such
as Sun newspaper columnist Steve Rose, think it's just a "stealth"
way for Democrats to get elected.
. . .
Neil Sader admits that some issues, such as sprawl, have a partisan
element, as did "the issue of raising the excise tax on developers. The
Democrats held firm (in raising the tax)."
. . .
Partisan politics creates conflict and divisiveness. "Tensions
are made worse because of party labels," says Neil Sader. Jack
Halligan, a Democrat turned independent and Sader's colleague on the Overland
Park City Council, agrees. "It reinforces stereotypes and discourages a
discussion of important issues based on facts."
Carol Sader was the largest single contributor to the "YesYesYes"
initiative, giving a total of $1735 from three contributions, according to
records available at the Johnson County election office. The YesYesYes
group only reported 14 page-by-page summaries and never did report a grand
total of all pages, which is $6889. As an individual, Carol Sader contributed
25% of all YesYesYes funds. Neil Sader contributed $50 to this YesYesYes
initiative himself.
Neil Sader's Contributions to Democratic Candidates
www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/kansas_overland_park_66214.asp
Neil Sader as Attorney Representing the Shawnee County Democratic Party
(from Topeka Capital Jouranl, March 27, 2003)
The
Shawnee County Democratic Party and its nominee to fill the vacant county
treasurer's post are questioning the constitutionality of the appointment
process in a lawsuit filed Tuesday with the Kansas Supreme Court.
"We felt that
this was the fastest route to have a determination made," said Neil
Sader, an Overland Park attorney representing Larry Wilson, the party's
nominee, and the Shawnee County Democratic Party.
Related: OP Councilmember Sader Forgets Who Funded His
Campaigns
http://www.nbrhd.net/news04/nw040401SaderEmail.htm This
article by Bob Phillips, who authors the NeighborhoodNet web site, shows
details of contributions to Neil Sader by Larry Winn, III and the law firm Winn
represents, Polsinelli Shalton and Welte. [Oddly, in 2004 Larry
Winn, II was a "Republican for Moore" even though as a
"Republican" he contributed to Democrat Kathleen Sebelius for
Governor in 2002]. Bob
Phillips asked these questions:
Are the people and corporations who reside outside of Kansas really
backing a candidate who they think will best serve Overland Park? Why is it
Neil Sader depends for over half his money from contributors outside of the
City?".
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