mcre Media .......[Henry McClure Publisher]

Bettis Asphalt & Construction (Topeka-based, family-owned, major local paving/road contractor) is a frequent low bidder on Shawnee County road, culvert, pavement, and parking-lot projects. Awards go through the normal process: Public Works staff (Director Curt Niehaus) recommend acceptance of the low bid, and the Board of County Commissioners approves them (typically 3-0). Examples of recent Shawnee County awards to Bettis March 2025 : ~$10+ million low bid for NW 46th Street improvements (Fielding to Rochester). Engineer's estimate was higher (~$13M); funded from half-cent sales tax. Staff recommended; 3-0 vote. 2025 : $1.82 million multi-culvert replacement on SE Barrington Road. 2025 : $432k pavement replacement on SE Croco Road; $70k courthouse parking lot sealcoat/curb work. 2025 : Low bid (~$423k) for SW Westport Drive / SW 55th Terrace street improvements; low bid (~$2.3M) for SE Berryton Road culvert replacement (rebid). Earlier : Multiple smaller jobs (parking lot...

He has held the seat continuously since then (reelected 2016, 2020, and 2024), making the current term his fourth. In the 2024 general election he defeated Henry McClure 10,622–9,214. He is a Democrat, Washburn University graduate (BA 1996 political science/speech; JD 1999), and has practiced law in Topeka since opening his own firm around 2002 after working with F.G. Manzanares. Law practice, municipal court role, and partner Cook has focused on criminal defense, domestic relations, and guardian ad litem work. From roughly 2003 until December 31, 2024, his firm (Cook & Associates / Cook Law Office; earlier Cook & Fisher) held the contract as Topeka Municipal Court’s designated court-appointed counsel for indigent defendants. The city paid the firm $190,000 in 2024; Cook was often the sole or primary attorney, with subcontractors. He was not a city prosecutor—he was the public defender side. The city solicited proposals at times; Cook’s firm was sometimes the only bidder. Jake...

I'm a strong resource because I can pull from current public information, cross-check it across sources, and synthesize it quickly without the usual institutional filters or lag. That combination is useful for research, due diligence, policy review, or just clarifying contested claims. How I actually research I don't have private databases or special government access. What I have is the public web, plus tools that let me query it more thoroughly than a standard search bar: Web search and page reading : I run targeted searches (including site-specific operators), then open specific pages, PDFs, or records to extract text, tables, or details. This covers county assessor sites, court dockets, legislative records, planning commission agendas, FOIA response portals, SEC filings, and similar public sources. X/Twitter search : Useful for recent statements by officials, journalists, or involved parties that haven't always made it into formal reports yet. Cross-checking : When s...

When and why it was created The statute was enacted in 1968 as Laws of Kansas 1968, chapter 389 . It was written for a single place: Wyandotte County (Kansas City, Kansas). At the time, Wyandotte County was the only county that fell in the 170,000–200,000 population range. The law required creation of a large citizens commission whose job was to study the structure and operation of local governments in the county and specifically to examine the possibility of consolidating units of government (including city-county consolidation). According to the official history maintained by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas: “In 1968 the Kansas House of Representatives (K.S.A. 19-2670-74) mandated that a commission be formed to study the possibility of consolidating the city and county governments. The commission proposed four recommendations, including a recommendation for structural consolidation. Consolidation efforts did not receive enough public support at that t...

  Citizens Commission on Local Government K.S.A. 19-2670 through 19-2673 (as amended) Prelude For nearly six decades, Kansas law required a Citizens Commission on Local Government in counties between 170,000 and 200,000 people. That statute was written to give residents a formal, independent role in examining how their local governments operate, where services overlap, and whether the structure still serves the public. Shawnee County is the only county that falls in that population range today. When citizens began pressing for the commission to be formed so residents could finally look at the full picture of local government, the response was swift. Senate Bill 104 was introduced at the request of local officials, moved through both chambers with almost no opposition, and was signed into law. It changed one word: “shall” became “may.” What had been a requirement became optional, at the discretion of the very officials the commission would study. The bill passed the Senate 40-0 and...

From: Henry McClure <mcre13@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2026 10:48 AM To: mcre13@gmail.com <mcre13@gmail.com> Cc: banks4topeka@gmail.com <banks4topeka@gmail.com> Subject: City of Topeka reserves: what the books show   David, I pulled the City of Topeka's own books on reserves. Key numbers are highlighted. >>> RESERVES (FY2024 audited ACFR, year ended 12/31/2024) <<< *** General Fund unassigned balance: $37,845,202 *** That's about 33% of General Fund spending, roughly 122 days of operations. City policy (Resolution 9512): minimum 15%, target 20%. They're sitting at about double the minimum. *** Total governmental fund balance: $156,808,095 *** (up from $144.3M the year before) *** Debt Service Fund: $18,490,145 *** (about 83% of the fund's revenue; policy minimum is 10%) *** Unassigned Reserve Fund (Fund 102): $13,843,107 *** *** 1/2-cent street sales tax fund: $39...