Who does she work for? Time to retire..........

Subject: A Few Straightforward Questions as Your District 1 Constituent

Dear Karen,

I’m writing to you now as your constituent in District 1. For over twenty years I’ve been actively trying to develop property in Topeka. Back in September 2003, I signed a letter alongside Mayor Harry Felker, Vic Miller, Dean Ferrell, and others supporting the Master Land Use Plan for the 600-acre Commerce Park and the needed interchange. I signed that letter simply as “Henry McClure – Developer.” I’ve been in this game a long time.

What I don’t like is how you consistently play the victim. You’re the one who chose the rough business of politics. I don’t believe you have a clear concept of what it’s like to be a real estate developer or broker here. We don’t get paid unless we actually close deals. That means we live with real financial risk, years of carrying costs, zoning battles, and partnership complications.

That lack of practical understanding shows in repeated decisions. I’m one of the best historians on the malfeasance at Go Topeka. I still remember City Councilman Bill Haynes profiting an extra $4,500 per acre on his land — property that wasn’t even near the Commerce Park — purely because of his position. I also remember being told a Bark Park was “economic development.” At the time I owned a restaurant right next to the future Bark Park site, so that one hit particularly close to home. I was equally aggravated that the city never recorded the development agreement and TIF for College Hill. That agreement could have been used as leverage to force the current owner to bring his properties up to code. All of this has happened under your watch.

I think you represent the Chamber and Go Topeka far more than you represent the residents of District 1. You push for more sales tax to fund the fire department and affordable housing projects, yet you’ve misused the sales tax revenue you already have. Go Topeka has managed $125 million — and Topeka still looks like a dead town. At the end of the day, who takes responsibility? Who do we blame?

The same pattern continues today with economic development. BioRealty spent over four years trying to make the ASTRA Innovation Center work. They bought the buildings and invested their own money but still couldn’t get it done. Now we’re apparently moving to another attempt in the Link Building with another $9.5 million in sales tax dollars for a different group. After watching the last professional effort stall, I have to ask: what exactly has changed? Go Topeka couldn’t help close the last deal in four years — why would this one magically work?

On a more local note, I also don’t recall you discussing with your District 1 constituents why you planned to vote no on the Maverick deal. That project would have brought real benefits to the district. I don’t believe you had any business voting it down.

I’d appreciate straightforward answers on these matters. The people in District 1 deserve to know where you stand and whose interests are really being served.

Sincerely,

Henry McClure MCRE, LLC District 1 Resident Topeka, Kansas

 

Effective mayors in council-manager systems excel as facilitators, vision-setters, and promoters rather than micromanagers.

In Topeka, Kansas's council-manager form of government, the mayor serves as the chief elected officer and a key political/policy leader, while the city manager handles day-to-day administration and operations. The mayor has no direct administrative powers but wields significant influence through leadership, agenda-setting, recommendations to the council, veto power on certain ordinances (per state law), voting rights, appointments to boards/commissions, presiding over meetings, and acting as the city's public face and intergovernmental representative.

This structure emphasizes the mayor's role in vision, advocacy, and policy guidance rather than direct execution. According to Topeka's municipal code, the mayor is explicitly responsible for providing leadership, encouraging development programs (physical, economic, social, cultural), actively promoting economic development, and representing the city.

Here is a comprehensive list of positive actions a mayor can take to help grow the city (population, economy, quality of life, and attractiveness for residents/businesses), grouped by category:

1. Policy Leadership and Agenda-Setting

• Recommend legislation and measures to the City Council on growth-related issues, such as zoning reforms, incentive programs (TIFs, CIDs, RHIDs, STAR bonds, PILOTs), infrastructure investments, and streamlined permitting for "shovel-ready" projects.
• Help set council agendas and introduce ordinances/resolutions focused on economic development, housing, workforce training, and infrastructure.
• Champion long-range plans (e.g., downtown master plans, land use/growth management, housing strategies) that promote sustainable, mixed-use development and address population stagnation.
• Support fiscal responsibility in budgeting to maintain low taxes/regulatory burdens while funding key growth initiatives like roads, utilities, and amenities.

2. Economic Development Promotion

• Actively promote economic development by serving as the city's chief ambassador—meeting with businesses, developers, and site selectors to highlight Topeka's strengths (location, workforce, incentives, quality of life).
• Lead or support task forces (e.g., workforce development) and public-private partnerships to attract/retain jobs, expand the commercial base, and address labor shortages.
• Advocate for targeted incentives, sale-leasebacks, redevelopment of underused properties (e.g., malls, warehouses), and sectors like manufacturing, logistics, tech, and tourism.
• Push for improvements in regulatory climate, site readiness, and partnerships with organizations like Go Topeka, JEDO, and the Greater Topeka Partnership.

3. Intergovernmental Relations and Advocacy

• Represent Topeka in state/federal relations to secure funding for infrastructure, transportation, housing, and economic projects (leveraging the mayor's experience/connections).
• Advocate for pro-growth state policies, local control, and resources that benefit cities (e.g., via League of Kansas Municipalities).
• Build regional collaborations with Shawnee County, neighboring communities, and entities like Washburn University for talent retention and development.

4. Community Leadership and Engagement

• Provide visible community leadership by soliciting resident/business input, building consensus on a shared vision for growth, and addressing barriers like aesthetics, amenities, education, and negativity.
• Use the bully pulpit (speeches, press conferences, social media, YouTube) to celebrate successes, promote pride, attract talent/young professionals, and counter perceptions of decline.
• Support quality-of-life initiatives: parks, recreation (e.g., pickleball), arts/culture, housing affordability/diversity, and neighborhood investment to make Topeka more attractive for families and workers.
• Issue proclamations, recognitions, and support events that boost civic pride and highlight positive stories.

5. Appointments and Oversight

• Appoint (with council consent) qualified people to boards, commissions, and task forces that influence planning, economic development, housing, and infrastructure.
• Collaborate with the city manager and council to ensure alignment on priorities, performance metrics, and accountability for growth outcomes.

6. Symbolic and Ceremonial Roles

• Act as the ceremonial head to welcome new businesses/residents, host events, and market the city externally.
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive environment that supports diversity, young professionals, and retention (Topeka has seen some positive demographic shifts).

Effective mayors in council-manager systems excel as facilitators, vision-setters, and promoters rather than micromanagers. Success depends on building strong relationships with the council, city manager, businesses, and residents; maintaining transparency; and focusing on data-driven strategies (e.g., workforce skills, quality of life, infrastructure).

Topeka faces challenges like slow historical population growth, but opportunities exist in central location, state capital status, ongoing projects, and partnerships. A proactive mayor can significantly accelerate momentum by focusing on these levers. For the most current details, check Topeka's municipal code or official city site. 

What the Business Is About - BioRealty, Inc. (based in San Clemente, CA, with offices in Southern California, Texas, and Washington D.C.)

Summary of BioRealty, Inc. (BRI) and the ASTRA Innovation Center Project

What the Business Is About

BioRealty, Inc. (based in San Clemente, CA, with offices in Southern California, Texas, and Washington D.C.) is a commercial real estate development and investment firm specializing in facility + capital solutions. They focus on:

• Rehabilitating and redeveloping historic or underutilized buildings.
• Creating mixed-use innovation districts/centers that combine lab space, office/innovation space, collaborative areas, retail, and residential components (e.g., lofts).
• Delivering turnkey projects via long-term master leases, tenant improvements (TI), build-outs, and public-private partnerships.
• Working with economic development organizations (EDOs) to activate downtown areas with innovation hubs that support labs, tech, research, events, and mixed-use vitality.

In this proposal, they are pitching a two-phase redevelopment of the historic 627-635 S. Kansas Avenue buildings (including the old Woolworth, middle, and Wolfe’s buildings) into the ASTRA Innovation Center:

• Phase 1 — ~22,452 SF innovation center (primarily Level 1 + Lower Level) with lab spaces (up to 5+ labs), offices, pitch room, collaborative/shared spaces, etc.
• Phase 2 — Upper levels (2 & 3) for residential lofts, additional common areas, and retail.
• Key features: Flexible lab/office build-out, potential for expansion, historic preservation, and local contractor involvement.

They emphasize cost efficiency, faster timelines (7 months to open Phase 1), local Topeka-based team (Falk Architects, Senne Company, Lofts Topeka, etc.), and better value than alternative "Innovation Center 2.0" plans.

Why They Came to Topeka

BioRealty entered Topeka specifically to partner with Go Topeka and JEDO (Joint Economic Development Organization) on a long-planned innovation center project:

• They first presented a master lease concept in January 2020.
• They purchased the buildings (~$1.5M investment) and performed due diligence/partial design based on commitments from Go Topeka.
• The project is framed as fulfilling an originally agreed arrangement: BioRealty develops/rehabilitates the historic downtown buildings; Go Topeka provides pre-lease tenancy and incentives (~$5.7M package originally) to anchor the innovation center.
• Goal: Activate iconic, strategically located historic assets in downtown Topeka, create an innovation hub/district, generate economic activity, and demonstrate successful collaboration between local EDOs and out-of-town developers.

The December 2024 letter is a detailed follow-up/response to the December 11, 2024 JEDO board meeting. It addresses miscommunications, reaffirms commitment, proposes two master lease options (with or without county lease guaranty), and pushes for a decision to move forward with a simplified, accelerated Phase 1.

In short: BioRealty is a specialized real estate developer that came to Topeka to execute a multi-year public-private deal to transform historic buildings into a modern innovation center — part of Go Topeka/JEDO’s broader economic development strategy for downtown revitalization. 

Karen Hiller 

Subject: A Few Business Realities on the Innovation Center Efforts

Dear Karen,

I know you care deeply about economic development in Topeka and are often one of the most vocal voices on these issues. Because of that, I wanted to share a few practical observations about the innovation center projects in the hope they might be helpful.

As you know, BioRealty spent over four years trying to deliver the ASTRA Innovation Center on Kansas Avenue. They purchased the buildings, invested their own time and money, worked with local partners, and repeatedly updated Go Topeka and JEDO. Despite that professional effort, the project did not move forward. That’s a clear sign that even an experienced developer struggled to make the numbers and the partnership work.

Now it appears we are preparing to launch a similar effort — sometimes referred to as “BioRealty 2.0” — this time in the Link Building, with a proposed $9.5 million commitment of sales tax dollars to another group. I’m genuinely curious how we expect this new attempt to succeed where the last one, led by professionals who actually bought the property, could not.

Go Topeka was unable to help BioRealty close the deal over four years. What exactly will be different this time that will allow success in the Link Building? Have the market conditions, leasing economics, construction costs, or partnership terms suddenly become much more favorable? Or are we simply hoping for a different outcome with the same approach?

These are not small dollars. Taxpayer money is finite, and downtown redevelopment projects are complex, expensive, and risky even under the best of circumstances. Before moving forward with another large commitment, it might be wise to take a hard look at why the first effort stalled and what concrete changes have been made to address those problems.

I’m happy to discuss the real estate and development side of these projects in more detail if it would be helpful. Sometimes the view from the development trenches is a little different than it appears from the meeting room.

Best regards,

Henry McClure MCRE, LLC Topeka, Kansas

What are your thoughts on congressional financial disclosures and spousal business scrutiny? Share in the comments.

Explosive Investigation: House Oversight Probes Massive Wealth Surge Tied to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Husband

A significant political controversy is unfolding in Washington, D.C., as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has initiated scrutiny of Tim Mynett, the husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). The probe focuses on a dramatic reported increase in the value of companies linked to Mynett, raising questions about financial transparency and potential influence.

The Core of the Inquiry

According to financial disclosure forms filed by Rep. Omar, two companies in which her husband holds ownership stakes—eStCru LLC (a California winery) and Rose Lake Capital LLC (an international investment/venture capital firm)—saw their reported valuations skyrocket from approximately $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024.

Chairman Comer expressed deep concerns in a formal letter to Mynett, noting that the companies do not publicly disclose their investors or funding sources. This opacity has fueled speculation that unknown parties could be funneling large sums into the businesses to secure indirect influence with the congresswoman.

Comer requested a broad range of documents, including financial statements, investor information, SEC filings, travel records (including to countries like Somalia, Kenya, UAE, and Nigeria), and communications related to the companies’ operations.

Jurisdiction and Oversight Rationale

When questioned about pursuing this through the Oversight Committee rather than the House Ethics Committee, Chairman Comer clarified the boundaries:

“The Ethics Committee has jurisdiction over members of Congress. The two businesses in question are owned by Ms. Omar’s husband. So the Ethics Committee does not have jurisdiction over a spouse, only a member.”

This distinction allows the Oversight panel to examine the spouse’s business activities directly.

Additional Context and Background

• Prior Issues: Reports highlighted Mynett’s history with eStCru, including a 2021 investor lawsuit alleging unfulfilled promises of high returns, which was settled after litigation. The winery reportedly faced financial difficulties in 2023 before the valuation surge.
• Broader Scrutiny: The inquiry ties into wider concerns about fraud in Minnesota’s Somali-American community and potential links to federal funds, though no criminal charges have been filed against Omar or Mynett.
• Omar’s Response and Amendment: Rep. Omar has described the scrutiny as a partisan “political stunt.” In April 2026, she amended her financial disclosures, attributing the high valuations to an accountant error that failed to properly account for liabilities and debts. The revised filing significantly lowered the reported asset values (to a combined range as low as the tens of thousands), and she has maintained that she and her husband are not millionaires. Critics, including Comer, have questioned the timing and nature of the correction.

Note: Financial disclosures for members of Congress use broad ranges and reflect spousal assets; they do not always equate directly to personal liquid net worth.

Why This Matters

This case highlights ongoing debates about financial transparency for elected officials and their families, the challenges of valuing private companies, and the potential for conflicts of interest in public service. Rapid wealth changes among politicians and spouses often attract intense bipartisan (or partisan) attention, especially when businesses lack public investor transparency.

The story continues to develop, with the Oversight Committee demanding records and the public awaiting further responses from Mynett and Omar. House investigators are expected to continue pressing for clarity on the sources of the reported growth.

Stay tuned for updates on this high-profile probe. Transparency in government and family business dealings remains essential for public trust.

Sources include official House Oversight releases, major news outlets, and public financial disclosures. This post presents verified facts from the time of the initial investigation while noting subsequent developments.

What are your thoughts on congressional financial disclosures and spousal business scrutiny? Share in the comments.

#IlhanOmar #JamesComer #TimMynett #HouseOversight #FinancialTransparency #USPolitics

(Many thanks)====== From Carolyn +

Great editorial about the city council meeting. Got some good responses. The bottom line is public involvement. Because in theory in the United States, we have self government. Motivating people to get involved is the problems facing us. We have mistakenly assumed that the people in leadership are doing their jobs. People need to know, which historically has been the role of the press, and we know the press in Topeka is not adequate. They should be informing us. 

After reading your editorial on Facebook today, I googled which governmental body decides school boundaries and I found out that was the school board. Not only do we know nothing about the Supreme Court judges that the governmental authority places in office currently we also know nothing about the school board members until after an election. 

Anyway, thanks for writing that. For several years, I’ve been trying to get together some people to go have a meeting with the state legislature about some education issues, but I need more information and teachers have no time.

Henry McClure

785.383.9994 

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A Reflective Evening at Topeka City Council

Last night I spoke during public comment at the Topeka City Council meeting, and I walked away with a clear realization: I can no longer simply walk in and wing it. The energy in the room hit me harder than usual, and it stirred up some deep emotions about our city.

As someone who grew up in Topeka and whose family has roots here going back generations, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much (or how little) has truly changed. My grandfather played a small role in the events surrounding the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. That ruling was supposed to ensure every child could attend a quality school in their own neighborhood. Yet here we are, decades later, still operating 72 bus routes in USD 501 at a cost of roughly $400 per day per route. Multiply that across the school year and it adds up fast.

I’m not an education expert, but it feels like we’ve moved from the simple principle of neighborhood schools to something more like a demographic science project. Dr. Anderson and the leadership seem focused on balancing numbers of white, Black, and Brown students across buildings rather than ensuring every child has a strong school close to home. The core question remains: How is this better for the kids or the community than what Brown aimed to achieve?

Topeka’s struggles run deeper than one issue. I hear candidates for governor talking about the “swamp” in Topeka, and moments like last night make it hard to disagree. We keep hearing proposals to raise the sales tax, and while I’m not personally opposed to supporting important services, I am deeply opposed to the lack of transparency around where that money actually goes. What happened to the $125 million? Where did the funds for projects like the hotel deal, AT&T, Wolf’s Camera, and others end up? How have those investments made daily life better for Topeka families?

When budgets fall short, the pressure rolls downhill to real estate taxes and our schools. It’s a classic butterfly effect — poor decisions at the top create ripple effects that make it harder for families, businesses, and neighborhoods to thrive.

I had an emotional moment at the podium. I don’t feel like I was the best version of myself up there, but the feelings are real and shared by many longtime Topekans who love this city and want better for it — and for the next generation, including my own daughter.

We can do better. That starts with real transparency, accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent, and a renewed focus on practical outcomes over experiments. I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak and even more committed to showing up prepared and contributing constructively going forward.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen positive changes in our schools or local spending that I’m missing? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.

— Henry McClure Topeka, Kansas