I would like to thank Mr. Hodge and all the folks at redcounty.com for giving me the privilege to bloviate on such a fine forum as this. It is a privilege that I will take full advantage of and if I come across as smug or all knowing, consider it a bad character flaw. I might even consider working on it one of these days...

To kick things, off I would like to talk a little about what's going on in my neck of the woods here in Gardner, KS, or as I refer to it as, "the other Southern JOCO."

First, I want to give thanks to the former vice president of the Gardner City Council, Mark Raney, for his service to Gardner. Mr. Raney will be moving outside of Gardner limits and has therefore resigned from his position. Raney was up for reelection this April and, as far as I know, the Mayor has yet to seat a replacement. (If the Mayor happens to read this, my Monday nights are free...)

I would also like to share my admiration for another Gardner council member, John Shepherd. In an article from the Gardner News on the New Year's resolutions of local leaders this was said of Shepherd.

Uncertainty is a given in 2009, according to John Shepherd, Gardner city councilman, but with that in mind Shepherd, a self-described conservative, vows to be even more discerning when it comes to spending tax dollars.
Shepherd said he would be looking at each item and carefully evaluating whether it was a want or a need.

"I'm already conscious but I'm going to be cautions with city money because the economy does concern me. I want to be certain that we can make ends meet at the end of the year," he said.

Read the full article here.

If Mr. Shepherd keeps this resolution he can be sure of receiving my vote and endorsement in future elections.

I look forward to partaking in redcounty.com and I am sorry if my first post was too blitheful for some of you. I promise my next post will be much more bloviating in nature.