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

  Steve Wade, Braxton Copley and Hotel Topeka A sourced timeline from Wade's hiring to Copley's retirement. The city manager who pitched the hotel was fired for cause, while the deputy who ran the $18.35 million project retires with praise. The pattern The city fired Wade for personal conduct but has held no one accountable for a hotel that cost $18.35 million and sold for $1 million in cash. 2022 to 2023: Wade and the purchase Sep 2022 Council hires Wade as city manager, 10-0 A 3-year contract at $200,000 a year. He had been the city's finance director and was Capital-Journal publisher from 2018 to 2020. May 30, 2023 Council votes 7-2 to bid on Hotel Topeka After a 90-minute closed session, with an $8 million cap. Ortiz and Valdivia-Alcala voted no. Wade was the city's public voice for the bid. Early Jun 2023 Wade: 'very careful with taxpayer money' He promised the city would stay at or below its threshold. Jun 6, 2023 Wade goes on leave, approved 10-0 Richard...

An Open Letter to the Topeka City Council, the City Manager's Office, and the Citizens of Topeka I'm writing to put the full Hotel Topeka story on the record in one place, so every taxpayer in this city can see what happened and ask the questions City Hall has not answered. The short answer The Deputy City Manager who ran this project, Braxton Copley, is retiring in 2027 with public praise. He was not fired. No one has been fired, censured, or held responsible in any way for what has become one of the costliest decisions in recent city history. Here's how we got here. 1. The purchase In June 2023, the city bought Hotel Topeka at auction for $7.6 million after an emergency meeting. The Shawnee County appraiser had valued the property at about $3 million. Two council members voted no. One of them, Christina Valdivia-Alcalá, said publicly that the process was rushed and not transparent. From the very first day, the city paid more than double the appraised value for a property ...

  Topeka interim city manager (effective Oct. 26, 2026). Compiled Oct. 22, 2026. Summary Michael "Mike" Webb (age 60 as of a March 2023 city announcement) was Edwardsville, Kansas city manager from May 2007 to mid-2023. Since then he has worked as a contract interim and consulting manager for small Kansas cities. Mayor Spencer Duncan named him Topeka interim city manager effective Oct. 26, 2026, after Dr. Robert M. Perez resigned Oct. 20; Deputy City Manager Braxton Copley serves until then. Webb holds an MPA from the University of North Texas and reports 35+ years in municipal management in Kansas, Texas and Arizona, including early-career work in Grapevine, Texas. Biggest gaps: his roles before 2007, birthplace, undergraduate degree, and Topeka pay figure and contract terms are not in public sources. Career Timeline Dates Role Source / confidence Unknown (early career) City staff, Grapevine, Texas (title not stated)...

 

From: Team Bowes <Bowes@teambowes.com> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2026 1:28 PM To: Henry McClure <mcre13@gmail.com> Subject: Fwd: Media Release: Governor Kelly Announces $12.9 Million in Broadband Acceleration Grants   Vi...