Thayer Taxpayers Association Blog

This should come out Friday.

The Winds Of Change Sweep Through Thayer City Hall.
by John Hutchison

The power of the incumbency and people's natural resistance to change were outweighed Tuesday, April 3, by the enthusiasm of a fired-up grassroots populism as mayor Allen Deckard and two long-time aldermen were swept out of city hall at the ballot box.

The Oregon County Clerk's office confirmed Wednesday that in the mayoral race, Merle Williams received a total of 312 votes. Allen Deckard received only 129 votes, and Gary Clark received 10.

In the race for Ward I Alderman, Joe Barbee defeated Buddy Rogers with a total of 120 votes to Rogers' 93.

For Ward II Alderman, Junior Brewer won with 128 votes, over incumbent Bob Grimes' 91. Although Johnny Jewell pulled out of the race due to plans to relocate, he received 17 votes, and there was one vote cast for a write-in.

The next regularly-scheduled Thayer city council meeting is set for April 10 at 7:00 PM at Thayer City Hall.

Labels: election, grassroots, mayor's race

Election polls open at 6:00 AM tomorrow.

As Larry the Cable Guy would say,

Labels: election, grassroots, mayor's race

. . . because the purpose of this blog isn't really to make endorsements of political candidates.

Yes, those are Christmas lights.

Labels: election, grassroots

. . . for the big "Candidates' Forum" hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, but a total of about five audience members, all of whom were CoC members and/or Deckard supporters, and one candidate (Deckard) had shown up by then.

I wasn't going to get into a confrontation with him in front of only his supporters, so I didn't ask the question.

I left instead.

But on the way out, I had some fun.

After exiting the building, I put "Vote For Change" flyers under the wipers on all the Missouri automobiles on the way to my car.

I'll try to post pictures of it soon.

UPDATE: See those little white flyers under the windshield wipers on the cars?

They are these:

Labels: Allen Deckard, election, grassroots, mayor's race

. . . came out in the free affiliate of the Allen Deckard Mouthpiece yesterday.

I'm using it, with some of my added commentary, in a new flyer distributed strategically around town.

(I know it's hard to read here, but you can get the gist of it.)

One thing I didn't mention in my commentary is that Deckard apparently thinks we have forgotten that he was a member of the city council prior to becoming Mayor, so any "sad shape" the city was in financially was as much his fault as the previous mayor's.

Labels: Allen Deckard, election

It will depend on whether or not the Quill and/or the Allen Deckard Mouthpiece show up to cover the event.

If they do, I'll ask it. If they don't, I won't.

If I ask it, I don't want to cover the forum in the Hill 'n Holler. I'm not comfortable writing articles in which I am a part of the news. It feels too much like conflict of interest and self-promotion.

If they do cover the event, I'll ask it and not cover the event.

Anyway, here's the question:

This question is for the incumbents:

While you have been in office, I have seen Bob Grimes and Allen Deckard team up at a city council meeting to ambush and berate a citizen for having the audacity to talk to his state representative.

I have seen you, Bob Grimes, express a desire for people to "shut up," just because they want to hold their government accountable, and you have told at least one citizen to "get a life" when she tried to hold you to doing only what the council voted to do. Then you whined to her, "Why won't people just leave me alone and let me do my job?"

And you, Mister Mayor, complained about "what kind of people we have [in Thayer]." You have repeatedly called citizens of Thayer "lowlifes" behind their backs, and as recently as yesterday, when you thought I couldn't hear you, you referred to me as (pardon the language, folks; this is the mayor's word, not mine) "dumbass." Again, you did not have the courage to say it to my face.

I have even received an anonymous threat of violence, simply for going to council meetings and letting people know what happened there. And oh, yes, Mister Mayor, I know EXACTLY where it came from.

And you, Buddy Rogers, have been so afraid of making waves that you didn't stand up to them and put a stop to it. That makes you as much a part of the problem as they are.

So my question is a two-parter.

1. What is it about citizens being informed and holding you accountable that makes you so angry?

2. And I remind the three of you that I and other citizens like me are your employers. Now let me ask you -- if YOU had an employee that treated you the way you treat US, wouldn't you fire him?

Labels: Allen Deckard, Bob Grimes, Buddy Rogers, election, informed citizenry, mayor's race, threat of violence

According to Ozark Radio News, there will be a candidates' forum Wednesday at 3:00 at the Thayer Fun & Friends Senior Center.

Unclear at this time if all candidates will appear.

Labels: election

1. The Thayer City Council meets tomorrow night at 7:00 at Thayer City Hall. Come witness the monkeys.

2. Early voting for the April 3 mayoral and aldermanic elections is already going on, although the Thayer radio station has made no mention of it, even though I asked them to.

3. I am hearing that Johnny Jewell pulled out of the race for alderman. Again I have heard nothing about this from Thayer's illustrious radio station. If true, that would leave Junior Brewer and incumbent and sometimes meeting attendee Bob Grimes as the only candidates, although I have to believe ballots are already printed, due to early and absentee voting. So Johnny Jewell might win anyway.

Labels: election, mayor's race, Thayer City Council