PARRY IRONY: Mag publisher slams council members who okay big handout

COLUMBIA, 3/15/10  (Beat Byte) --   Talk about gratitude!

 

At tonight's Columbia City council meeting, council members will approve Bill R56-10 on their Consent Agenda (items for automatic approval), authorizing, among other contracts, a $15,000 payment to editor and publisher Fred Parry's Inside Columbia Magazine in support of Parry's 2010 Wine and Food Festival. 

 

But in a strident editorial for this month's Prime Magazine, Parry (left) urges voters to oust incumbent Columbia City Council members Karl Skala and Jerry Wade, both of whom approved the big payment.  The main reason for Parry's dismay:  Skala and Wade don't support businesses! 

 

"The opportunity to retire City Council members Jerry Wade and Karl Skala and send them back to private life offers so much hope for the future of our community that I'm counting the days like a child anticipating Christmas," Parry writes.

 

Parry is also behind a mass email that helped turn lawyer Glen Ehrhardt into a fledgling political operative.  Blind cc'd on March 10th to a Parry-sized audience, and re-cc'd by Ehrhardt, the email urges local business owners to:  

 

1)  Attend a March 15th Bob McDavid mayoral candidacy fundraiser. 

2) Create A Dialogue With Your Employees: Talk with your employees about the importance of voting in the April elections and how public policy decisions often impact the local business climate and ultimately their livelihoods. Make sure your employees understand the cause and effect nature of inappropriate public policy decisions.

 

3)  Bring The Election To Your Employees:  Invite local candidates to visit your business for a tour and let these candidates engage your employees in a Q&A session.

4)  Give Your Employees An Hour Off To Vote

 

"It’s time for a change on Columbia’s City Council," Parry writes.  "For the first time in its 104-year history, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce has endorsed a slate of candidates in Columbia’s City Council races...Just in case you missed it, the chamber has endorsed these candidates:

Dr. Robert McDavid    Mayor of Columbia
Gary Kespohl              Third Ward City Council
Darryl Dudley              Fourth Ward City Council

Parry also offers to take campaign donations for "any of these candidates.  Feel free to mail or drop by your contribution to my attention at the address below.  I will make certain that candidates promptly receive your donation."

 

Parry concludes by urging his contacts to "forward this email to as many like-minded business owners and managers as you possibly can.  It is critical that we get our employees to the polls on April 6."

 

City Council agreement with Parry's Inside Columbia magazine, p. 4

Parry editorial in Prime Magazine  (click animated magazine image -- go to page 46)

PROMINENT DOWNTOWN LAWYER: Targets city council candidates

COLUMBIA, 3/14/10  (Beat Byte) -- A prominent downtown Columbia lawyer and one-time mayoral candidate hopeful is taking center stage in an opposition effort to target city council and mayoral candidates. 

 

In a 14-point Sunshine Law document request, Rogers, Ehrhardt, and Weber partner Glen R. Ehrhardt -- who earlier signed on to a Facebook-driven effort to recruit him as a candidate for Columbia mayor -- wants over a decade's worth of documents from Third Ward councilman Karl Skala, who is seeking re-election in April.

 

Among the requests:  Any and all emails to or from Skala during his tenure on the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission; any and all emails or written correspondence between Skala and city staffers; any and all travel requests and expense reimbursements. 

 

"Bill, I recognize that some of these requests are overlapping and that some may take more time to respond to than others," Ehrhardt (above, left) writes in a February 19 letter to city manager Bill Watkins.  "As this request is being made on behalf of a citizen of of Columbia and as it relates to a publicly-elected official, request is hereby made that any fees or other costs be waived." 

 

Skala (right, Missourian photo) tells the Heart Beat he had been working on the document request while resisting the temptation toward cynicism: That his opponents were merely trying to tie up his time and resources. 

 

But Skala's attitude changed after Ehrhardt mass-forwarded an email from Inside Columbia magazine publisher Fred Parry urging local business people to vote out "some members of the city council" who have "repeatedly expressed anti-business sentiments" during votes on such projects as the Landmark Hospital and Maguire Blvd. extension, both of which Skala voted against.

 

From: Glen R. Ehrhardt [mailto:gehrhardt@.....]
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:32 AM

To: Roughly 50 people, including Boone County sheriff Dwayne Carey;

former statehouse candidate and business owner Kat Cunningham;

REDI honcho Bob Black; attorney Matt Darrough; developer David Atkins;

and former statehouse journalist Scott Charton 

 

Subject:  Please Read -- Important information on Upcoming City Council Elections

 

Everyone,

 

Please take the time to read Fred Parry’s email below and to share with your employees, friends and others.  This election is very important to the future of our community and EVERY VOTE WILL MATTER!!!

 

Glen R. Ehrhardt
Rogers, Ehrhardt & Weber, L.L.C.

 

(See next article below for Parry email details).

 

RELATED:   Sunshine Law requests and Council travel budgets

A Columbia City Council candidate's criminal tenants, Part 2

"Tough on crime" City Council candidate Gary Kespohl discusses his tenants and their crimes  

COLUMBIA, 3/11/10  (Beat Byte) --  For the second time in three years, Third Ward Columbia City Council candidate Gary Kespohl (left, Missourian photo) has staked his campaign on fighting crime. 

 

"Gary Kespohl stands with our crime fighters," his campaign website declares.  "Kudos to the men and women on the front lines of pub­lic safety in our com­mu­nity...."
http://gary4council.com/2010/02/25/gary-kespohl-stands-with-our-crime-fighters/

"We must keep our fam­i­lies and our neigh­bors safe from crime," reads another page.  "Since Jan 1, 2009, there have been almost 3,000 police calls to White­gate in Columbia’s third ward.  This is why I want to crack down on crime in Columbia."  http://gary4council.com/2010/02/23/crime-in-columbia/

 

But as the owner and manager of several dozen rental properties in Columbia and Boone County, Mr. Kespohl isn't cracking down on crime at all.   Columbia police officers and Boone County Sheriff's deputies have arrested and Boone County courts have convicted his tenants dozens of times in the past decade, for burglary, assault, sodomy, stealing, illegal immigration, child endangerment, drugs, resisting arrest -- even failure to register as a sex offender.  Mr. Kespohl has also filed roughly two dozen lawsuits against tenants for failure to pay rent and/or property damage during the same period, statistics that suggest flawed or lax tenant screening procedures.   

 

City policy regards landlords renting to criminal offenders as contrary to community safety.  So-called "nuisance rental property ordinances" that list crime as a "nuisance activity" join Columbia police department (CPD) programs like Crime Free Housing and Neighborhood Watch to reduce crime and criminals on rental property. 

 

To find out why Gary Kespohl is arguably enabling the very criminals he wants to fight, the Columbia Heart Beat interviewed him.   He did not answer every question, but he was generally candid, and did provide information about almost every tenant.  

Columbia Heart Beat (CHB):   Do you think landlords have any responsibility to reduce crime, and if so, how would you define that responsiblity?

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:   Do you screen your tenants for criminal backgrounds?  

 

Gary Kespohl:   We have every applicant complete an application for residency.   We check their names through Missouri Casenet and check their references, both personal and previous landlords.   If anything shows up of a criminal nature in the past 5 years, we have a sit down visit with the applicant and try to determine the circumstances under which the incident occurred. 

 

Many times we deny the person or persons occupancy with us based on this procedure.  In some cases, we have given the applicant a second chance and they have been very good tenants.  We have evicted 12 residents in the past 6 years who have had ongoing problems with the police or upon whom we have received an arrest report from the Columbia police department.   We do not get involved in their lives, only to the extent of helping them become better citizens of Columbia. 

 

 

CHB:   How do you define "nuisance property?"  

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:   You say that you strongly support our police and law enforcement officials.  But don't you think that by renting to criminal offenders, you're adding to the police burden?

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:  Do your leases incorporate the City of Columbia Crime Free Housing addenda?  

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:  For properties in city limits, Columbia police officer Tim Thomason sends letters to landlords whenever their tenants are arrested.  But several of your tenants were arrested multiple times, for multiple offenses.  Did you receive Thomason's letters?   If so, what corrective measures did you take?

 

Gary Kespohl:  Over the years I have received about a dozen letters from Tim Thomason.  Not nearly the number you said I should have received.  [Several of Mr. Kespohl's rentals are in the county, which doesn't have a similar program]. 

 

 

CHB:  Here's what arrest records show about tenants of your properties at 1304 and 1306 Lowe St.  What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Jamica Marie Kelly, 25, of 1304 Lowe St., first-degree child endangerment, first offense of DWI/DUI
David Paul Steinwand, 46, of 1306 Lowe St., possession of a controlled substance

 

Gary Kespohl:  Jamica Marie Kelly had a child endangerment charge in January 2003 and was asked to move. She moved in April 2003.  David Paul Steinwand was charged with drug possession and attempt to distribute.  We were notified by Tim Thomason of these charges and he was evicted. 

 

 

CHB:  Here's what the records show about tenants of your property at 4708 Pierre Street.  What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Candias Danyelle Burnett, 28, of 4708 Pierre St., peace disturbance, failure to wear a seat belt, speeding, two municipal misdemeanor warrants
Rickey Donell Carter, 50, of 4708 Pierre St., third-degree domestic assault

 

Gary Kespohl:  Candis Danyelle Burnett was not an original tenant but moved in with her mother during her mother's lease. She was evicted with her mother and boyfriend.  Ricky Donell Carter had no incidents on Casenet and his previous landlord gave him a good reference.  He was evicted for rent and possession along with his girlfriend and his girlfriends’ daughter.

 

 

CHB:  Here's what arrest records show about tenants of your property at 919 Sondra Ave.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

 

Rodney Allen Holcomb, 34, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court, third-degree domestic assault
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 34, of 919 Sondra Ave., third-degree domestic assault
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 34, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 34, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 35, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 35, of 919 Sondra Ave., two counts of failure to appear
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 36, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court
Rodney Allen Holcomb, 38, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court, out-of-county warrant
Gary Lynn Holcomb, 41, of 919 Sondra Ave., use/possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance
Tamera Lynn Davison, 39, of 919 Sondra Ave., failure to appear in court

 

Gary Kespohl:  Gary Lynn Holcomb was charged with drug possessions and attempt to distribute.  We were notified by the city prosecuting attorney by letter and evicted the tenant.  Tamera Lynn Davison was evicted for rent and possession in 2008. 

 

 

CHB:   Here's what arrest records show about tenants of your property at 1503 Tupelo Place.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Mark Allen Anderson, 32, of 1503 Tupelo Place, fugitive from justice
Mark Allen Anderson, 32, of 1503 Tupelo Place, failure to follow judge’s orders
Mark Allen Anderson, 33, of 1503 Tupelo Place, probation-and-parole violation
Cassandra Marie Collins, 35, of 1503 Tupelo Place, third-degree domestic assault
Cassandra Marie Collins, 36, of 1503 Tupelo Place, possession of under 35 grams of marijuana, second-degree property damage

Gary Kespohl:  Mark Allen Anderson was listed as a fugitive from justice for leaving the state of Kansas. His suits were the result of a divorce in Kansas. Mark has worked for the Special Business District for the past 10 years.

Cassandra Marie Collins' drug charge was incurred in 2004, after she rented from us.

 

 

CHB:   Here's what arrest records show about tenants of your property at 1507 Tupelo Place.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Corlet Isadore Spears, 28, of 1507 Tupelo Place, failure to appear in court
Chanel Roshan Taylor, 33, of 1507 Tupelo Place, third offense stealing
Chanel Roshan Taylor, 33, of 1507 Tupelo Place, probation-and-parole violation
Chanel Roshan Taylor, 33, of 1507 Tupelo Palce, stealing, probation-and-parole violation, two counts failure to appear in court

Gary Kespohl:    Corlet Isadore Spears had a $10 bond forfeiture for failure to appear.  Chanel Roshan Taylor's offenses occurred prior to her renting from us.  We background checked Chanel and visited with her and decided to give her a chance.  She had no incidents while renting from us.  [Court records conflict with this statement]. 

 

Finally, the following individuals gave a Kespohl-owned rental address during 27 separate arrests.  But Mr. Kespohl told the Heart Beat that he did not lease property to any of these individuals.  "They may have moved in with someone who was living there, but were unknown to us, or they simply gave the police an incorrect address at time of arrest," Mr. Kespohl explained.

Odis Robinson, 23, of 753 Demaret Drive, stealing
Odis Robinson, 23, of 753 Demaret Drive, out-of-county warrant
Odis Robinson, 23, of 753 Demaret, stealing, resisting arrest, first-degree
trespassing, first-degree robbery, two counts of failure to appear in court
Marcella Dean Henderson, 36, of 753 Demaret Drive, third-degree assault

 

Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 23, of 755 Demaret Drive, driving while intoxicated
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 22, of 755 Demaret Drive, misdemeanor warrant.
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 19, of 755 Demaret Drive, driving while
license is suspended or revoked
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 17, of 755 Demaret Drive, first-degree burglary
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 17, of 755 Demaret Drive, attempted first-degree burglary
Jeremy David Lee, 20, of 755 Demaret Drive, third-degree assault

 

Marvin Dawayne Porter, 24, of 757 Demaret Drive, out-of-county warrant
Lester Craig Cupp, 21, of 757 Demaret Drive, Apt. A, failure to follow judge's orders
Jason Edwin Cox, 25, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree assault
Jason Edwin Cox, 25, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree domestic assault
Thalessia Leanne Hayes, 21, of 757 Demaret Drive, misdemeanor warrant
Martin Vasquez Pedrosa, 23, of 757 Demaret Drive, immigration detainer
Martin Vasquez Pedroza, 24, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree domestic assault
Martin Vasquez Pedroza, 24, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree domestic assault
Thomas Lee Turner, 31, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree assault

 

Pepper Lynsey Rowe, 19, of 4616 Pierre St., driving while license is suspended or revoked, failure to appear in court, out-of-county warrant

Robert Michael Lengyel, 35, of 1304 Lowe St., leaving the scene of an accident
Larry Wayne Hollingsworth, 31, of 1304 Lowe St., peace disturbance.

Kennes Lerod Scaife, 30, of 1503 Tupelo Place, probation-and-parole violation, no bond set
Remanda Ramee Parker, 19, of 1503 Tupelo Place, Apt. A, failure to appear in court

Calvin Bryant Pettey, 34, of 1507 Tupelo Place, first-degree child endangerment, first-degree statutory sodomy
Teresa Ann Allen, 24, of 1507 Tupelo Place, out-of-county warrant
Teresa Ann Allen, 23, of 1507 Tupelo Place, out-of-county warrant

 

Part One of this report:

http://www.columbiaheartbeat.com/2010/03/crime-free-housing-council-candidates.html

Crime-Free Housing? A council candidate's criminal tenants

"Tough on crime" City Council candidate Gary Kespohl discusses his tenants and their crimes  Part One

 

COLUMBIA, 3/9/10  (Beat Byte) --  For the second time in three years, Third Ward Columbia City Council candidate Gary Kespohl (left) has staked his campaign on fighting crime. 

 

"Gary is tough on crime," reads a page from Kespohl's campaign website.   "There were almost 3,000 police calls to Ward 3’s White­gate area alone since Jan­u­ary 1, 2009.   When it comes to keep­ing our neigh­bor­hoods safe, I stand with our cops in crime fighting."    

 

At the January 29, 2010 Muleskinners forum, "Gary Kespohl attacked opponent Karl Skala’s commitment to reducing crime" , the Columbia Daily Tribune reported.   "Kespohl put his foot down on the issue of crime when he offered support for downtown surveillance cameras and red-light cameras as law enforcement tools."   

 

But as the owner and manager of several dozen rental properties in Columbia and Boone County, Mr. Kespohl doesn't seem to be putting his foot down about crime at all.   Columbia police officers and Boone County Sheriff's deputies have arrested and Boone County courts have convicted his tenants dozens of times in the past decade, for burglary, assault, sodomy, stealing, illegal immigration, child endangerment, drugs, resisting arrest -- even failure to register as a sex offender. 

 

Mr. Kespohl has also filed roughly two dozen lawsuits against tenants for failure to pay rent and/or property damage during the same period, statistics that suggest flawed or lax tenant screening procedures.   

 

City policy regards landlords renting to criminal offenders as contrary to community safety.  So-called "nuisance rental property ordinances" that list crime as a "nuisance activity" join Columbia police department (CPD) programs like Crime Free Housing and Neighborhood Watch to reduce crime and criminals on rental property. 

 

Because most criminal tenants live in low-income neighborhoods, awareness of the problem has been slow to build.   But build it has.  Tenants with long and violent rap sheets renting from landlords such as Wayne Fenton in North Central Columbia -- where Mr. Kespohl sits on the neighborhhood association's board of directors -- captured the attention of the Columbia City Council in Nov. 2008: 

 

Nuisances put focus on arrests 

Homes of offenders draw scrutiny of city council

And over 100 people -- landlords, tenants, public officials, police officers, and interested citizens -- attended a December 2009 "Landlords Against Crime" summit at the Youzeum.  Renting to offenders was roundly condemned, and several speakers -- including CPD Crime Free Housing director Tim Thomason -- presented on ways to screen out criminal tenants. 

 

Ironically, Mr. Kespohl himself has been front and center on this issue.  He made cracking down on "nuisance properties" a campaign centerpiece during his 2007 city council run.  Touting his business acumen as a rental property manager, he warned on his campaign website against rental properties that "serve as the locations of perpetual nuisance activities" and advocated for an "improved police presence, increased enforcement of codes and the new nuisance property laws." 

 

But that didn't square with a former social worker who worked around Mr. Kespohl's rental properties.   Asking that her name be withheld from publication, she came forward during his first campaign. 

 

"I had no idea Gary owned these rentals.   When I did service coordination, this was one of the saddest areas I have ever seen," she explained.  "The properties are in poor repair, and renters reported that repairs were never made.  I worked with low income mothers who had gotten to the point that this was the only place they could live."  

 

Although this story surfaced late in the 2007 campaign and made its way to the Columbia Daily Tribune, sources there say that while Trib reporters wanted to run it, their news editors killed it, claiming that "every landlord has some problems with property and tenants." 
 

But as a city council candidate, Gary Kespohl isn't every landlord, and his problem tenants stand out, so much so that one wonders how he and his family cope with the stress -- and the business risk -- of dealing with so many offenders, so much of the time. 

 

To find out, the Columbia Heart Beat interviewed Mr. Kespohl.   Though he did not answer every question, he was generally candid, and did provide information about almost every tenant.   To provide greater accuracy, we removed police and sheriff arrest records Mr. Kespohl disputed that we could not also confirm with another source, and cross-checked courthouse records at Casenet, where in many cases the tenant profile only grew more troubling.   

 

Columbia Heart Beat (CHB):   Many of your tenants had/have criminal histories.   Case in point:  John William Key, Jr. who was arrested while living at your 4700 Pierre Drive property for failure to register as a sex offender in 2005.   He had been arrested in 2002 for the same offense, and since 1986 had been convicted 14 times, of offenses ranging from burglary, assault, property damage, and in 1991 for 1st degree Felony Sexual Abuse.   As of April 2009, Key was still listed as living at 4700 Pierre, where it appears he's now fighting creditor lawsuits.  That address also shows on several of his convictions. 

Why rent to a repeat criminal offender like John William Key, Jr.?

 

Gary Kespohl:  John William Key, Jr. had various problems as a young man.  We investigated his background and talked to John and decided to give him a chance.   During his occupancy with us, he has worked for the City of Columbia and currently works for the Central Missouri Food Bank.  John has become a good citizen of Columbia and remains a tenant without incident.  John's name was not on the sex offense registry when we first rented to him, but a change in Missouri state law added his name to that list.

 

 

CHB:  Here's the rap sheet on Kenneth Charles Brunner, who listed your 4712 Pierre Street property as his address.   He's been convicted in each instance, several times just in the past three years, including for drug possession and being a "persistent offender," all while residing at your rental.  Why rent to a persistent offender like Kenneth Charles Brunner?

 

Kenneth Charles Brunner, 27, of 4712 Pierre St., third-degree domestic assault.

Kenneth Charles Brunner, 26, of 4712 Pierre St., driving while intoxicated - persistent offender

Kenneth Charles Brunner, 26, of 4712 Pierre St., driving while license is suspended or revoked

Kenneth Charles Brunner, 25, of 4712 Pierre St., second offense of driving while intoxicated

 

Gary Kespohl:  Kenneth Charles Brunner was never a signer on our lease.  He moved in with his mother during her lease and she paid all rents due.  He was evicted when we discovered his mother had moved to New Mexico.

 

 

CHB:  What impact, if any, do you think renting to offenders has on neighbors, particularly children? 

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:   Are you aware that if one of your tenants -- say John William Key -- were to re-offend on or around your property, you could be liable? 

 

Gary Kespohl:  Did not answer. 

 

 

CHB:  Here's what the records show about confirmed tenants of your property at 753 Demaret Drive.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

 

Jennifer Thomas, 27, of 753 Demaret Drive, failure to appear in court
Jennifer Thomas, 27, of 753 Demaret Dr., failure to appear in court, failure to follow judge's orders
Jennifer Thomas, 27, of 753 Demaret Drive, three counts failure to appear in court, failure to follow judge's orders

Jamica Lastar Washington, 29, of 753 Demaret, four counts of failure to appear in court
Alissha M. Vazquez-Gonzalez, 24, of 753 Demaret Drive, stealing, failure to display plates on auto
Manuel Secundino-Barrera, 21, of 753 Demaret Drive, resisting arrest, obstruction of government operation
Luis Alberto Aguila-Yarnal, 21, of 753 Demaret Drive, driving while intoxicated, failure to display proof of insurance, driving unlicensed vehicle, failure to stay in traffic lanes

 

 

Gary Kespohl:   Prior to occupancy, Jamica Lastar Washington had a rent and possession (eviction) lawsuit and a traffic ticket.  During occupancy with us, she had a traffic ticket and was evicted for rent and possession.  Prior to occupancy, Alissha Vazquez-Gonzales had a civil suit and a traffic ticket.  During occupancy, nothing. 

 

Prior to occupancy with us, Manuel Secendino Barrera had a DWI.  During occupancy, nothing.  Prior to occupancy, Luis Alberto Aguila-Yarnal had nothing.  During occupancy, he had a traffic ticket and a paternity suit. 

 

Prior to occupancy, Jennifer Thomas had a bad check charge.  During occupancy, she had a civil suit and a stalking charge.

 

 

CHB:  Here's what arrest records show about confirmed tenants of your property at 755 Demaret Drive.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Stacy Hope Mathis, 45, of 755 Demaret, third-degree domestic assault

Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 23, of 755 Demaret Drive, driving while intoxicated
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 22, of 755 Demaret Drive, misdemeanor warrant.
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 19, of 755 Demaret Drive, driving while license is suspended or revoked

Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 17, of 755 Demaret Drive, first-degree burglary
Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares, 17, of 755 Demaret Drive, attempted first-degree burglary

 

Gary Kespohl:  Prior to occupancy, Stacey Hope Mathis had a civil suit.   [No comment on Edgar Eduardo Riojas-Olivares.]   

 

 

CHB:  Here's what arrest records show about confirmed tenants of your property at 757 Demaret Drive.   What do you want voters to know about the individual circumstances here?

Lester Craig Cupp, 21, of 757 Demaret Drive, failure to follow judge's orders

Thalessia Leanne Hayes, 21, of 757 Demaret Drive, misdemeanor warrant.

Jason Edwin Cox, 25, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree assault
Jason Edwin Cox, 25, of 757 Demaret Drive, third-degree domestic assault

 

Gary Kespohl:  These individuals never signed a lease, and if any of them were living in the unit, they were unknown to us.  They may have moved in with someone or gave the police an incorrect address.  

 

Editor's note:  Casenet shows criminal convictions for Jason Edwin Cox, Lester Craig Cupp, and Thalessia Leanne Hayes, all residing at 757 Demaret Drive. 

 

NEXT TIME:  Mr. Kespohl discusses more tenants, explains how he screens his rental applicants, and answers questions about Columbia's Crime Free Housing program.

TRIB INTERVIEW TURN DOWN: Gets mayoral candidate big response

COLUMBIA, 3/5/10  (Beat Byte) --  Mayoral candidate Sid Sullivan's decision to turn down the obligatory "endorsement interview" with Columbia Daily Tribune publisher Hank  Waters has received a big response from readers and journalists alike.  Sullivan (left, Missourian photo) explained his decision both in letters to Mr. Waters; the Columbia Heart Beat; and the Columbia Missourian:

 

Why I declined to be interviewed by Hank Waters

Mr. Sullivan cited Mr. Waters' behind-the-scenes leadership of a move to use eminent domain on two downtown landowners for a new State Historical Society museum.   A museum board member, Waters "carefully orchestrated Trib editorials" about the matter while failing to disclose his behind-the-scenes involvement, practices Columbia Missourian columnist and journalism school professor George Kennedy also condemned, and that Sullivan views as tainting the entire editorial process. 

 

Kennedy also weighed in on Sullivan's decision.  Agreeing that "when a publisher acts as a power broker, he owes the public more disclosure than Hank deemed necessary," Kennedy wrote "somewhat reluctantly, I rise in Hank’s defense," recapping the 80-year-old publisher's long career. 

 

Ironically, Kennedy noted that -- just as Sullivan refused to engage with Waters -- Waters, in turn, was refusing to engage with Kennedy.  "I called [Hank Waters], and once he figured out my purpose, he said I should put him down for a 'no comment,'" Kennedy wrote.   "He does intend to publish Sid’s letter, he said.  And he did confirm that it’s rare for a serious candidate to refuse to meet with him." 

 

Like him or not, Waters' contributions to journalism undeniable

by George Kennedy

Other responses to Sid Sullivan's decision

 

It seems like we have skipped over what might be the REAL issue here. Perhaps it's not about the interview process, but about not being roped into the back room power plays. 

 

Hank Waters has become our own little hometown Hearst (or our hometown Rupert Murdoch for the younger people) who evidently abuses his position as a publisher and journalist. I applaud any politician willing to distance themselves from this bad influence.

 

When I purposely canceled my subscription many months ago, the woman at the Circulation desk asked why.  I mentioned not wanting to financially support Hank because of his involvement in things like the eminent domain issue.

 

She said she didn't think there was any such issue and would have somebody get back to me. No one ever did.

-- Greg Baka, Columbia

 

 

This matter of press-public-electoral process is central to a healthy civic life and the free flow of sound information, discussion, and debate. 

 

Good government and a healthy electoral process are immeasurably strengthened in accuracy and justice by an independent, responsible, thoughtful, and scrupulously self-questioning free press.  The Tribune and we, the readers, should hold this newspaper always accountable to these highest standards.

-- Catherine Parke, Columbia

 

 

Good for Sid Sullivan!   Someone finally stands up to Hank Waters, the bully of our local press, during elections in particular.  I talk to many people who feel the same way.  They are very frustrated with the Tribune's one-sided editorials and complete LACK of investigative reporting.  Of course, you wouldn't expect Mr. Waters paper to question his involvement in the eminent domain issue last year.  

Unfortunately the publisher of the Tribune and his followers are way too smug to sense the community's wariness of his "confluence" of interests.   As a community, we can only vote with our pocketbooks and cancelled subscriptions. -- Traci Wilson-Kleekamp, Columbia

 

 

I find Mr. Sullivan's "in your face" independence intriguing, and certainly an asset for an important electoral position.  -- Pat Etienne, Columbia

 

 

I'm not convinced this is a smart strategy.  I certainly understand it.  When one feels they haven't been treated fairly in the past, there's a natural instinct to no longer subject themselves to more abuse.  I also understand the pre-emptive strike logic:   If Sid doesn't think he's going to get Hank's endorsement, then maybe he thinks it's better to turn down Hank's interview request.

But to me, this always comes across as someone being a little immature and not able to face their harshest critics.  Whether it's George Bush not wanting to meet with the NAACP or Sal Nuccio not wanting to meet with anyone, I don't know that it's necessarily going to win you over more voters.

I more admire someone like Karl Skala knowing he's walking into the lion's den at The Chamber and handling all their tough questions.   Politics is a rough sport and I think more voters will be turned off than appreciate Sid's decision.
-- Brian Ash, former 6th Ward City Councilman, Columbia

 

 

Mr. Sullivan is accurate in his assessment of Hank Water's contradictory justifications for his 'interests' in civic matters.   The only consolation is that the citizens of Columbia are well aware of Mr. Water's prejudices and have learned to temper them into any argument that he prints.  We the public simply use Mr. Water's perspective as a benchmark -- left of center, irrational, opinionated and subjective.   We defer to the content experts on these topics rather than to Mr. Waters and his amazing technicolor ink pen. -- Christina Fey, Columbia

 

 

I applaud Sid for standing up to power and giving his reasons for doing so.  Mr. Waters interviewed me in 2004 when I ran for Mayor of Columbia.  At the interview, we had a very long discussion; he seemed to have read most of the materials I had sent him; and, with one minor exception, his editorial endorsing Mr. Hindman very accurately reported what I had said and stood for, in so far as Mr. Waters understood what I said and stood for.

 

I find it sad that Mr. Waters has either declined so far, so fast in his journalistic skills or has chosen to do so.  -- John G. Clark, J.D., CPA, Columbia

 

 

I've been on the other side of the desk, and while I didn't get the endorsement, all those years ago when I went crazy and ran for office, I didn't feel the questions or the eventual discussion of the candidates and endorsement was unfair.  Sid comes off like he's trying to hide something, just as [mayoral candidate] Sal Nuccio does.  I'm VERY uncomfortable with candidates, and Nuccio's not the first, who avoid all public forums like this.  What is he afraid of being asked?

 

As for the influence of Hank, I think of two things.  "Don't pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel."  And, having worked on several campaigns, there are those who feel that not only does his endorsement NOT win you the race, but some even think Hank's endorsement can harm you. -- Darren Hellwege, KBIA, Columbia

FROM NYC: To the UK, Columbia rock band on a roll

COLUMBIA, 3/4/10  (Beat Byte) --  On the overseas release of their second album, "It's Frightening," six piece Columbia, Missouri-born rock band White Rabbits is getting some heady play in the U.K. 

 

"White Rabbits thundered and crashed their way to the end of a European tour with a dramatic set at the ICA that had more in common with a herd of stampeding cattle than anything rabbit-like," said the Times of London in a review March 1.  "The six-man group hails originally from the University of Missouri in Columbia, but are now based in Brooklyn, New York, which has proved to be a suitable location for launching their highly percussive brand of indie rock into the world.  Here to promote their impressive second album, It’s Frightening, the band threw themselves into the performance with an intensity that was all-consuming." 

 

The new album, the band's second, "is by far the best release since before the Christmas slump and at only half an hour long leaves you wanting more," writes reviewer Leigh Sanders for the Daily Echo, a U.K. newspaper staple since 1888.  "A top album." 

 

"With their thumping new single 'Percussion Gun' doing exactly what it says on the tin, New York-based White Rabbits are rapidly adding to their fanbase and whipping them into feverish expectation over sophomore release, It’s Frightening," writes reviewer John Johnson for The List, Scotland's largest events and entertainment magazine. 

 

Johnson interviewed White Rabbits band member Greg Roberts, who says the band toured for two years with their first album, Fort Nightly, which Roberts said took the band nearly a year to complete.  A band in the tradition of Radiohead, Madness, and The Specials, Roberts describes White Rabbit's sound as "reggae, dub, ska [reggae sub-genres].  Just anything with interesting rhythms; Ethiopian, West African, girl group, R&B, rock, just something different."

 

And, of course, Columbia gets a big mention.  "The band itself came together in Columbia, Missouri, which is a university town," Roberts said.  "I had been playing in a punk band with Alex, and working at a record shop with Steve, and grew up with Matt and Jamie in St. Louis.  I've known Jamie since I was six years old, actually. We grew up on the same street.  Anyway, we had all either finished school or were simply ready for a change of pace, so we jumped in our van and drove East."

IN COLUMBIA: An iconic sculpture shows artistic side of Black History

by Mike Martin for the Columbia Business Times

 

When Parkade Center Manager Ben Gakinya asked me to write about what black history means to me for a mall collage in honor of Black History Month this February, Mary McLeod Bethune—who overcame her parents' slavery to establish an all-black women's college and become one of the country's greatest educators—came to mind.

 

Remembering Bethune reminds us that black history in the United States isn't just about struggle.

 

It's also about triumph, particularly the flourishing of ideas, culture, art, science and education that marked a decades-long interlude between slavery and segregation. The Harlem Renaissance exploded onto the American scene, and a larger Black Renaissance nationwide gave America doctors, lawyers, preachers, teachers, painters, writers, politicians, philosophers and educators where enslaved field hands had stood before.

 

Immortalizing that period—from about 1870 to 1930—became the life's work of sculptor Isaac Scott Hathaway, (right) who left a masterpiece at Douglass High School in Columbia: a bronzed ceramic bust of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

 

Hathaway sculpted dozens of black leaders with exquisite care. His sculpture reminds of that intellectual and spiritual renaissance and the way it lighted for subsequent generations, one of which would include America's first black president.

 

Chosen calling

 

Legend has it that 9-year-old Isaac was touring a Cincinnati museum with his father in 1883 when he discovered a terrible truth: Black history didn't exist.

 

"I was looking for a statue of Frederick Douglass," Hathaway told his father. "My teacher said only the truly great are perpetuated in stone and bronze, and Frederick Douglass was a great man."

 

"That may be," his father said. "But we’ll have to grow our own sculptors."

 

Working feverishly to grow into that role, Hathaway studied at the New England Conservatory and eventually graduated from his first art studio—a converted chicken coop—to important and fascinating commissions.

 

In 1904, Kentucky attorney William Marshall Bullitt, who went on to become U.S. attorney general, hired Hathaway, a Lexington, Ky., native, to create the largest plaster crime scene model ever used in a court of law up to that time.

 

Eight years later, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum hired Hathaway as its official sculptor. Pathe, the black-and-white movie newsreel company, captured Hathaway molding a reproduction of the human fetal brain and advertised the film as "the first motion picture of a black professional at work."

 

Through the Isaac Hathaway Afro Art Company, he hand-produced limited edition busts of prominent African Americans. At the height of Hathaway's fame, President Harry S. Truman commissioned Hathaway to create 50-cent coins "commemorating the life and perpetuating the ideas of educator Booker T. Washington and scientist George Washington Carver."

 

Today, Hathaway sculptures memorialize prominent African Americans such as NAACP founder W.E.B DuBois, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and Bethune in the Isaac Hathaway Art Institute at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff and the Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum in Lexington.

 

Back to school

 

As a 2005 school board candidate, I visited once-segregated Douglass High School, where principal Brian Gaub (left, with bust, Columbia Tribune photo) showed me what he called "one of the nation’s oldest pieces of African-American art."

 

I hadn't heard of Hathaway, but I instantly recognized something special—a nearly 3-foot tall, masterfully detailed bust of Douglass that had been in the building "for as long as anyone could remember," Gaub said.

 

We carefully moved the glass display case away from the wall and saw the inscription: "Isaac Hathaway, 1918" and © —the international copyright symbol.

 

Frederick Douglass High school was built in 1916 when Hathaway was teaching in nearby Arkansas, but how the bust —one of only three he made—ended up in Columbia remains a mystery.

 

To confirm its authenticity, I sent pictures to Pennsylvania State University African-American art expert Joyce Henri Robinson; Howard University art history Professor Tritobia Hayes Benjamin; and Henri Linton, curator of the Hathaway Museum at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff.

 

"It was probably commissioned by someone connected to the high school," Linton told me. 

 

Hathaway biographer Odelia Walker sums up the great artist's life: "Sculpture records the deeds of nations and individuals. Isaac Hathaway understood this and created for us a heroic record of distinguished African Americans. In the process, he left a legacy for and about all races."

UPCOMING HATHAWAY EXHIBIT:

http://www.mosaictemplarscenter.com/exhibits/capturing-greatness.aspx

http://www.mosaictemplarscenter.com/pdfs/MT_CaptureGreat_Bro_484.indd.pdf