Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Varmit]

I would still like an answer from Liz or any of her minons as to why she lied about EK recieving funds from the county?

I would also like to know why it is that our commissioners seem unable to meet with the citizens of their respective districts without the aid of an EK sponsored faciliator?

[Patriot]

Parents.  Elk Konnected claims to engage the citizens, yet most generally spends their energies engaging our youth.  Even one of their earliest Kommunity Konversations was centered around the education and future of our children.

Elk Konnected, LLC...

1.  Routinely uses a county employee, on county time to do work for their company, using the county employee's official title as justification.  (Note, it was EK who petitioned the government to create this position, and the majority vote to create it included two county commissioners who are/were official members of EK).
2.  Links with the ECCEF (a private, tax exempt organization created by one of EK's founding and current members) to bypass and avoid qualifying for their own tax exempt status.
3.  Routinely uses county resources to produce their advertising materials.
4.  Funnels local and state taxpayer money to pay for membership/consulting dues in another private community organizing company.  A company that employs one of our elected officials.
5.  Causes taxpayers to pay mileage to a county employee for distributing their private advertising and attending their private meetings even when that employee is a member of their private company instead of paying for this themselves, again using the county employee's official position/title as justification. 
6.  Routinely markets or 'brands' themselves using events provided at the expense of others, with no credit extended to the actual providers.
7.  Has used a county emergency service (reverse 911) as a personal event notification service rather than establishing their own service.
8.  Has made use of a taxpayer provided official government website to host a page dedicated to themselves to the exclusion of all other groups and organizations in the county.
9.  Had to be chastised in public for the actions in 7 & 8 above before ceasing those activities,
10.  Routinely makes almost exclusive local use of state directed liquor tax monies for their activities, inferring (if not outright saying) those funds are derived only from Flint Oak, when in fact those funds are also derived from the sale of any alcoholic beverage by the drink at any establishment anywhere in the county.
11.  Generally operates on a model of controlled public consensus to create an artificial sense of public support.
12. Approaches outside (albeit justified) criticism with loud cries of negativity and then avoids, for protracted periods, actually confronting their own inadequacies head on.   Or either orchestrates or condones attempts by their supporters at public shunning or hostile humiliation of their critics.
13. Preys on the emotions of citizens by saying that their work is a solution to a shrinking population by instilling 'good' memories in our children who will someday return to Elk County.  In spite of a total lack of evidence that this will make a difference and, in fact, not even produce measurable results  for at least 15 to 25 years.  In reality, this will not happen even then if there are no jobs and infrastructure is lacking.
14.  When asked, provides conflicting answers about their interaction with government.  First they say take no tax money, then say they do.  Only one can be true.  Their leadership provides information that seems incoherent at best, untruthful at worst. 

All this under the careful watch of an official who was elected to help manage our county and who also is a founder and current senior steering member of the private company, Elk Konnected.  Whose private community service work coincidentally began with the founding of the ECCEF at about the same time as election to public office.  Has the ECCEF ever received taxpayer money from Elk County sources?

Which raises the question... 

Do the actions of this private company (and its leadership) that is so prone to business shortcuts, appearances of impropriety, word-smithing, endless victim/martyr cycles, avoidance of criticism and continual self praise possess a value system that sets a good example for the children with whom they so closely align and interact at every opportunity?  Do we really want our children learning, by example, that shortcuts, government handouts, personal entitlement, victimhood and rejection of criticism are the best ways to achieve their life dreams and desires?

Citizens, and parents, stay connected.  Never expect that which you don't inspect.

[mtcookson]

I asked at the court house to see the oath our people take and I do not remember reading anything about faithfully discharging the duties of Elk County Commissioner or any form of allegiance to Elk County. They use a generic oath for all employees or so I was told.

Just found this while searching some other statutes:

75-4308. Oath required for public officers and employees. Before entering upon the duties of his or her office or employment, each person to be employed by the state or any agency thereof or by any county, city or other municipality of the state including any school, college or university supported in whole or in part by public funds collected under any tax law of the state or any municipality thereof shall be required to subscribe in writing to the oath set out in K.S.A. 54-106.

54-106. Form of oath to be taken by officer. All officers elected or appointed under any law of the state of Kansas shall, before entering upon the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation, as follows:

"I do solemnly swear [or affirm, as the case may be] that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Kansas, and faithfully discharge the duties of ______. So help me God."

Elk Konnected, LLC...

1.  Routinely uses a county employee, on county time to do work for their company, using the county employee's official title as justification.  (Note, it was EK who petitioned the government to create this position, and the majority vote to create it included two county commissioners who are/were official members of EK).

Would that not, in itself, be an immediate conflict of interest meaning they would need to recuse themselves from the vote?

Doing some looking around at Kansas Statutes I found some Conflict of Interest statutes, that are also listed on Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission website.

If I understand some of these correctly, it appears for some of this they might be required to file documentation noting substantial interest before being able to vote on actions. Wonder if they're are required to file these for some of this and if they have...

75-4301a.   Governmental ethics applicable to local governmental subdivisions; definitions. As used in K.S.A. 75-4302a, 75-4303a, 75-4304, 75-4305 and 75-4306, and amendments thereto:

(a)   "Substantial interest" means any of the following:

(4)   If an individual or an individual's spouse holds the position of officer, director, associate, partner or proprietor of any business, other than an organization exempt from federal taxation of corporations under section 501(c)(3), (4), (6), (7), ( 8 ), (10) or (19) of chapter 26 of the United States code, the individual has a substantial interest in that business, irrespective of the amount of compensation received by the individual or individual's spouse.

75-4304. Same; making or participating in certain contracts prohibited; exceptions; abstaining from action. (a) No local governmental officer or employee shall, in the capacity of such an officer or employee, make or participate in the making of a contract with any person or business by which the officer or employee is employed or in whose business the officer or employee has a substantial interest.

(b) No person or business shall enter into any contract where any local governmental officer or employee, acting in that capacity, is a signatory to or a participant in the making of the contract and is employed by or has a substantial interest in the person or business.

(c) A local governmental officer or employee does not make or participate in the making of a contract if the officer or employee abstains from any action in regard to the contract.

(d) This section shall not apply to the following:

(1) Contracts let after competitive bidding has been advertised for by published notice; and

(2) contracts for property or services for which the price or rate is fixed by law.

(e) Any local governmental officer or employee who is convicted of violating this section shall forfeit the office or employment.

75-4305. Same; filing of report of interest if statement of substantial interest not filed; abstaining from action. (a) Any local governmental officer or employee who has not filed a disclosure of substantial interests shall, before acting upon any matter which will affect any business in which the officer or employee has a substantial interest, file a written report of the nature of the interest with the county election officer of the county in which is located all or the largest geographical part of the officer's or employee's governmental subdivision.

(b) A local governmental officer or employee does not pass or act upon any matter if the officer or employee abstains from any action in regard to the matter.

75-4306. Penalties for violations; severability. (a) Violation of K.S.A. 75-4304 or 75-4305, and amendments thereto, or failure to make any disclosure of substantial interests required by K.S.A. 75-4302a is a class B misdemeanor.

Edit: Another part of the local conflict of interest laws:

Local Level Conflict of Interest

Although the Commission is the enforcement agency for the state level conflict of interest laws and the Campaign Finance Act, the Commission's jurisdiction under the local level conflict laws is advisory only. Pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4303a(b) and Opinion 1994-25, the Commission lacks jurisdiction to hear and determine complaints under K.S.A. 75-4301 et seq. Violations of the local level conflict laws are handled by the appropriate County or District Attorney or the Attorney General's office by criminal complaint.

[Patriot]

Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

[Ross]

Makes me wonder if perhaps our County Commissioners realize that perhaps they may have violated the law?
Can we hear frm County Commissioner Hendricks on this one?
You know Everyone knows you are reading this, don't you?

[kshillbillys]

Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

You're right Patriot.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
How's that analogy Ross?

[Warph]

You're right Patriot.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
How's that analogy Ross?

"You can lead a Horse to water, but you can't make it drink"

Meaning:
People, like Horses, will only do what they have a mind to do.

Origin:
Proverbs give richness to language and, to some extent, define a culture. 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink' might be thought to encapsulate the English-speaking people's mindset better than any other saying, as it appears to be the oldest English proverb that is still in regular use today. It was recorded as early as 1175 in Old English Homilies:

Hwa is thet mei thet hors wettrien the him self nule drinken
[who can give water to the horse that will not drink of its own accord?]

There are other pretenders to the throne of the oldest English proverb; for example:

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
(mid 11th century in English; 5th century BC in Greek)

When the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
(late 9th century in English; Bible, Luke Chapter 6)

Whilst the above were spoken in English earlier than 'lead a horse to water...', they derive from either a Greek or Biblical source and so can't claim to be the 'full English'. Either that or, like the 11th century proverb 'full cup, steady hand', they haven't stood the test of time.

The proverb 'lead a horse to water' has been in continuous use since the 12th century. John Heywood listed it in the influential glossary A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue:

"A man maie well bring a horse to the water, But he can not make him drinke without he will."

It also appeared in literature over the centuries in a variety of forms; for example, in the play Narcissus, which was published in 1602, of unknown authorship, subtitled as A Twelfe Night merriment, played by youths of the parish at the College of Saint John the Baptist in Oxford:

Your parents have done what they coode,
They can but bringe horse to the water brinke,
But horse may choose whether that horse will drinke.

It wasn't until the 20th century that 'lead a horse to water...' got a substantial rewrite, when Dorothy Parker reworked it from its proverbial form into the epigram 'you can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think'.

[Ross]

Parents.  Elk Konnected claims to engage the citizens, yet most generally spends their energies engaging our youth.  Even one of their earliest Kommunity Konversations was centered around the education and future of our children.

Elk Konnected, LLC...

1.  Routinely uses a county employee, on county time to do work for their company, using the county employee's official title as justification.  (Note, it was EK who petitioned the government to create this position, and the majority vote to create it included two county commissioners who are/were official members of EK).
2.  Links with the ECCEF (a private, tax exempt organization created by one of EK's founding and current members) to bypass and avoid qualifying for their own tax exempt status.
3.  Routinely uses county resources to produce their advertising materials.
4.  Funnels local and state taxpayer money to pay for membership/consulting dues in another private community organizing company.  A company that employs one of our elected officials.
5.  Causes taxpayers to pay mileage to a county employee for distributing their private advertising and attending their private meetings even when that employee is a member of their private company instead of paying for this themselves, again using the county employee's official position/title as justification.  
6.  Routinely markets or 'brands' themselves using events provided at the expense of others, with no credit extended to the actual providers.
7.  Has used a county emergency service (reverse 911) as a personal event notification service rather than establishing their own service.
8.  Has made use of a taxpayer provided official government website to host a page dedicated to themselves to the exclusion of all other groups and organizations in the county.
9.  Had to be chastised in public for the actions in 7 & 8 above before ceasing those activities,
10.  Routinely makes almost exclusive local use of state directed liquor tax monies for their activities, inferring (if not outright saying) those funds are derived only from Flint Oak, when in fact those funds are also derived from the sale of any alcoholic beverage by the drink at any establishment anywhere in the county.
11.  Generally operates on a model of controlled public consensus to create an artificial sense of public support.
12. Approaches outside (albeit justified) criticism with loud cries of negativity and then avoids, for protracted periods, actually confronting their own inadequacies head on.   Or either orchestrates or condones attempts by their supporters at public shunning or hostile humiliation of their critics.
13. Preys on the emotions of citizens by saying that their work is a solution to a shrinking population by instilling 'good' memories in our children who will someday return to Elk County.  In spite of a total lack of evidence that this will make a difference and, in fact, not even produce measurable results  for at least 15 to 25 years.  In reality, this will not happen even then if there are no jobs and infrastructure is lacking.
14.  When asked, provides conflicting answers about their interaction with government.  First they say take no tax money, then say they do.  Only one can be true.  Their leadership provides information that seems incoherent at best, untruthful at worst.  

All this under the careful watch of an official who was elected to help manage our county and who also is a founder and current senior steering member of the private company, Elk Konnected.  Whose private community service work coincidentally began with the founding of the ECCEF at about the same time as election to public office.  Has the ECCEF ever received taxpayer money from Elk County sources?

Which raises the question...  

Do the actions of this private company (and its leadership) that is so prone to business shortcuts, appearances of impropriety, word-smithing, endless victim/martyr cycles, avoidance of criticism and continual self praise possess a value system that sets a good example for the children with whom they so closely align and interact at every opportunity?  Do we really want our children learning, by example, that shortcuts, government handouts, personal entitlement, victimhood and rejection of criticism are the best ways to achieve their life dreams and desires?

Citizens, and parents, stay connected.  Never expect that which you don't inspect.

Elk Konnected, LLC nor County Commissioner Hendricks have nothing to say?
Don't either one want to deny anything?
We know both are represented on the forum and are reading this thread, right?
They have both posted to this thread, where are they now?
So it must all be true, huh? How is that good for Elk County's image?
Which tends to put an LLC and County Commissioners in an abusive light, do you think that presents a good image?
How can that possibly be good for Elk County's image?
Especially a non-responsive County Commissioner, how's that for Elk County's image?
At the last Elk Konnected, LLC Community Conversation didn't David Whetstone representing Elk Konnected, LLC said something about being open and honest dialog?
Where is it? The honesty and openess, the dialog, that is?

[Patriot]

Goodness!  We're blessed with a meeting full of prepared/rehearsed 'answers' to mis-quoted questions, 3 or 4 posts here attempting to 'explain' Elk Konnected's non-answers (oh, and belittle the questioners) and now the crickets take over. Those in the 'know' run away from any criticism and those who blindly defend them become mute.

What?  Did something hit too close to home?  Or are we seeing the ostrich effect? 

Stay connected citizens, get informed voters, cover your wallets taxpayers.  Grenola meeting audio may be coming soon.

[Ross]

Aw, heck them followers just had no idea what they were following and maybe it's just to hard to accept the truth.
People often blindly foollow even if they don't understand what they are following.

Perhaps they need more time to absorb all the latest information.

But for our County Commissioner to hide after coming out is just inexcusable and just shows the lack of leadership our poor county has to deal with. And no real answers ?  ?   ?   ?   ?

I still think the following applies very well to the Elk Konnected, LLC situation, don't you?

In my opinion the lack of definitive answers regarding Elk Konnected, LLC reflects the reality that they don't really want to have a Community Conversation that is an open, honest dialog.  It would be nice to have some clarification. Do they or don't they want to communicate?

" There are always individuals or very, very small groups of individuals who try to distort facts by subjectively using them out of context, or in the case of imperical data, changing parameters of a statistical analysis so the numbers will fit a predetermined outcome with no names to support the data.

When these individuals try to hide behind a cloak of anonymity, then others must ask why ? "