David Rainey Resigns from P&Z Board Over Chapel Ridge

The Platte County Citizen reports on David Rainey's resignation from the Platte County Planning and Zoning Board over Chapel Ridge:

“I want to be part of the Planning and Zoning Commission, but if our reasoning and judgment is not going to be respected, then why do it?” Rainey said. “How many hours did we spend between those two meetings? It was six or seven hours to make those decisions and if the Commission isn’t going to respect that, then I felt I wasn’t needed.”

Learn more about what happened on Dec. 2:  Jason Brown helping out his donor buddies.

Is Jason Brown truly this ignorant?

Lee Stubbs writes:

I asked [Jason Brown] about the Platte County Land Use Plan approved in March 2010. "The Land Use Plan is just one tool of many; it’s a guideline that’s already four years old,” he said. “Perhaps that document needs to be looked at again.”

Wow.  "Already four years old."  And Jason Brown has called himself a "constitutional conservative"?  Shhh, don't tell Brown, but Russell Kirk's seminal Conservative Mind  traced "conservatism" back to guiding documents thousands of years old. (Not that it matters since Jason Brown probably doesn't read  books and is historically illiterate.)  Why, even the US Constitution is over 200 years old!  Definitely needs to be tossed out à la Jason Brown's outlook.   And what about property law, much of which can be traced back to ancient Roman and Anglo-Saxon common law.  Toss it out.  In fact, let's toss out all our laws and guidelines and Jason Brown can just personally decree ad hoc laws that best serve his donor and developer buddies. (It's basically what he did on Dec. 2.) "Four years old."  Wow.  I know four-year-olds wiser than Jason Brown.

Updates:

Stubbs also quotes Brown: "You don’t buy Jason Brown. I have never traded votes for favors or money and I never will. Period.”  Umm, Brown's donor list begs to differ (see here).  So does JE Dunn.

Confidential Corruption Tips

If you know of any suspicious behavior of Jason Brown, others in Platte County government, or people in the real estate / developer industries that led to the highly suspicious and highly irregular passage of Chapel Ridge by Jason Brown single-handedly, please send confidential tips to: southplattecountyvoice@gmail.com. Your anonymity will be protected.   Thank you!

Jason Brown & Chapel Ridge to cost taxpayers $136,750,000

If people think the corruption surrounding Jason Brown's JE Dunn contract costing taxpayers $350,000 is bad, the Chapel Ridge Ponzi scheme is even worse, as it could cost taxpayers $136,750,000 over a 20-year period.   This deal in the short-term will enrich Jason Brown's donor buddies and Brian Mertz and his investors,  and in the long-term taxpayers will pick up the tab.  Shame on Jason Brown.

Related Info:

"Jason Brown Helps Buddies Out, at Expense of Platte County"

Jason Brown Helps Buddies Out, at Expense of Platte County

Well, folks, we had the county commissioner meeting today and Jason Brown single-handedly rammed the PR version of Chapel Ridge through, after making a couple cosmetic conditions of reducing a handful of houses along Countrywood and moving a fence by horses back 20 feet.

Beverlee Roper voted against Chapel Ridge.  Jason Brown, using his power of presiding commissioner, voted twice and voted in favor of Chapel Ridge.   (Duane Soper had recused himself because of his involvement with Wells Bank investment in Chapel Ridge.  Jason Brown should have recused himself too, but didn't.)

In other words, among the 15 votes on Chapel Ridge so far (6 from first P&Z hearing, 7 from second P&Z hearing, and 2 from this county commissioner hearing), there have been 14 votes against Chapel Ridge, and one person has voted in favor of it and decided it.  Doesn't sound very fair, does it?

The whole hearing was a farce.  Jason Brown (by his own admission) had secret meeting last week over Chapel Ridge (to make a few minor concessions, for appearance sake).  Some contractors were standing in the back of the room in favor of Chapel Ridge, who were probably being paid by the hour by the developer or someone else to stand there.  (Obviously they weren't too interested in the meeting.  At one point, while the contractors were horsing around, they knocked a picture off the wall.)

Nonetheless, a huge turnout against Chapel Ridge showed up, and we would like to thank everyone for taking time out of their day to show up.  The majority of people at the meeting were opposed to Chapel Ridge.

What now?  This will probably be challenged in court.  This decision has corruption and cronyism written all over it.

Why did Jason Brown turn against his constituents and vote in favor of something so at odds with the surrounding area and so unanimously opposed by people living in this area?

Simple answer:  Jason Brown is in the pocket of Platte Valley Bank (financing Chapel Ridge and set to make millions off it) and other developers and real estate interests.  (See donations list below.)  A letter was sent to Jason Brown on Oct. 2 asking him to recuse himself from voting on Chapel Ridge because of a conflict of interest (i.e. Jason Brown being in the pocket of a handful of people benefiting financially from Chapel Ridge), but apparently Brown had to help his buddies out, even if it costs him politically, as it will.  Already a Republicans Against Jason Brown committee is forming for his re-election next year. Brown will probably be challenged both in the Republican primary and the general election, and we won't forget this.

In the meantime, send an email to Beverlee Roper (beverlee.roper@co.platte.mo.us) and thank her for looking out for south Platte County.  And maybe send an email to Jason Brown (jbrown@co.platte.mo.us)  and thank him for siding with a get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme against the legitimate interests of his voting constituents.

Who Owns Jason Brown?