Presiding Commissioner’s race shaping up to be a doozy

Will Platte County Presiding Commissioner Jason Brown seek re-election to a second four-year term this year? No one not named Jason Brown knows. Well, I suppose maybe family and close friends know, but the rest of us don’t. He won’t say. I talked to Brown Tuesday evening and he reiterated what he has been saying the past several weeks: he will make an announcement when he is good and ready. “I have made a decision and I will let everyone know at the same time in a press release,” he said. He didn’t say when that press release would be issued, but I’m assuming it will be soon because the filing period for County and State offices opens Feb. 25. So, even though we don’t know if Brown, a Republican, is running, we do know that two other Platte Countians plan on filing to have their names placed on the ballot. Last month, former Platte County Second District Commissioner Jim Plunkett, also a Republican, announced his candidacy for the post. And then late last week, District 14 State Rep. Ron Schieber — yep, another Republican — announced he was throwing his hat into the ring. We already did a story on Plunkett and we’ll get back to him and Brown in a sec, but let’s talk about Schieber for a bit. Schieber, 53, is a two-term state representative, whose second term expires this year. When I talked to him earlier this week, he said that he decided a few months ago, before he made the decision to run for presiding commissioner, that he would not seek re-election to his state rep position. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Platte County in Jefferson City,” he said. “But I’ve got a six-year-old and a seven-year-old at home and I need to be closer to home.” Schieber is the father of five daughters, lives in southern Platte County with his wife and spent seven years on the Park Hill School District’s Board of Education. He said he has great respect for Brown and Plunkett, but he said a change is needed. “I plan on bringing a different leadership style to Platte County and a better sense of long-range planning that what we’ve seen,” he said. Of the potential crowded Republican primary ballot in August, Schieber said: “We like competition in business and in sports. Why not competition in politics?” So, if Plunkett and Schieber make good on their declarations — and I’ve seen candidates say they are going to file and then don’t or file and then withdraw — then this race is shaping up to be one of the most interesting Platte County political dramas we’ve seen in a while. I say that fully expecting Brown to seek re-election. He is not a man to shy away from a fight, which he will no doubt get in the wake of the Chapel Ridge vote controversy and a few other issues the past few years. Stay tuned. WINDMILL CREEK IS BACK Pop quiz time: who remembers Windmill Creek? Anybody? Well.... it was a 178-lot residential development at the southwest corner of the I-29/Hwy. 92 intersection at Platte City proposed by local developer Bill Mann about four or five years ago. Anyway, with all the recent City of Platte City activity on the City’s east side a little north of there, it looks like Mann wants to get in on the action. City officials say Mann wants to renew the plat process, which he began back in 2009. A preliminary plat was OK’d by the City in 2010, I believe, but it has since expired. City Administrator D.J. Gehrt says there appears to be one notable change of plans at this point: the City may have to negotiate with Mann to bring sewer service to proposed area. Timber Creek, a private sewer company, had originally said it would dig underneath I-29 and get sewer lines to the area, but Gehrt said they may not be willing to do so now. This bears keeping an eye on, as does the City’s ongoing process to acquire a 38-acre chunk of land at the southwest corner of the I-29/HH intersection. We’ve covered this like a glove up to this point and we’ll update you on the latest in coming issues. Again: stay tuned. NO MORE FREE INK In this space last week, I couldn’t help myself and responded to ongoing assertions from a Platte County R-3 School District patron who has spent the better part of the past year or so telling anyone who will listen that R-3 officials are basically lying about facility capacity, enrollment projections, test scores, etc. He has not only questioned R-3 officials ethics, integrity and professionalism, but mine as well. I was not surprised when I heard he did it again after I published my comments. So, I think his days of free ink in this newspaper are over, at least until the preview story for the R-3 Board of Education election, for which he has filed. While I’m obligated to profile those candidates for our readers, even then, I’ll have to think about it. HAPPY 23RD As this issue’s publication date is my son’s birthday, it’s my duty as a loving dad to give my first-born a shout-out: Happy birthday, Mitch. A father has never been prouder of a son. Thanks for reading. Lee Stubbs is owner/publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached by e-mail at editor@plattecountycitizen.com or by calling 858-5154. Follow him on Twitter @leejstubbs.