The Prairie Village City Council voted 8-4 to send a $22,900 donation to its Sister City in Dolyna, Ukraine for the purchase of drones. The western Ukrainian city of about 21,000 lies 300 miles from the capital of Kyiv. Dolyna officials want the drones, which are capable of delivering explosives in military operations, for humanitarian purposes.
Councilman Cole Robinson justifies the drone donation as “$1 per resident” of the northeastern Johnson County city. The Ukraine discussion begins at 04:17:00 in the live stream.
We contacted supporters of the Dolyna donation and asked if they saw an irony in giving taxpayer money to Ukrainians while denying their constituents an opportunity to vote on a $30 million new city hall. City officials say a tax increase to pay for the new city hall is unlikely and, therefore, believe residents should not have a say. However, the city has not published any data demonstrating that a tax increase won’t be needed, and none was provided when The Sentinel requested it.
A combative response was received from Councilman Ron Nelson. He dodged our question, preferring to level accusations:
“Maybe you should examine the paper’s (The Sentinel’s) biases and the issues about its support of communism after condemning it.
After asking the councilman for examples to back up his charge of bias and his reference to communism, he responded:
“Come on. Are you serious? Every article “the Sentinel “ has ever “posted” was intended to be biased.”
After a second effort seeking specifics, the councilman again offered another charge:
“You aren’t a ‘journalist.’ You’re a propagandist.” Councilman Nelson added: Maybe you should check out the public documents instead of selective items from Dan (apparently a reference to Prairie Village resident Dan Schoepf). Maybe talk with Ian (Councilman Ian Graves), Wes (City Administrator Wes Jordan), or me. As Graves joined Nelson in supporting the Ukraine aid, we asked the councilman if the pair were “free from bias”. His response:
“No one is free from bias. Sometimes it’s obvious, other times not. Sometimes, everyone knows but you and your biased circle.”
Councilman Graves did not respond to our question, but he posted a warning to his followers on the “Nextdoor” community app:
Here is the single question Graves labeled as “bizarre” that we posed to all those who voted in favor of Dolyna aid: Do you see any irony in your eagerness to support Dolyna, while at the same time refusing to allow your constituents a chance to vote on the proposed Municipal Complex; a story we covered earlier this month? A link to our earlier story on the municipal complex was included with the question.
Following his post, Councilman Graves first limited opportunities to respond, then moments later, closed any discussion on his topic.
Among the eight supporters of the Ukraine funding, only Council Member Inga Selders offered a lucid response to our question:
“It is my belief that the City of Prairie Village has an obligation to stand in solidarity with our sister city of Dolyna. The war has profoundly deepened our connection, strengthening it beyond a mere fair-weather relationship. That is why I voted in favor of allocating the proposed funds for humanitarian aid and medical supplies.
“With respect to the City Hall project, I am supportive of bringing it to a public vote.”
Council Member Lori Sharp opposed the Ukraine aid:
“I voted no on sending $22,900 of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. My focus is to the city of Prairie Village and its residents.”
And on the issue of the proposed municipal complex:
“It’s ironic that the PV City Council will give $22,900 to Ukraine but won’t spend about the same amount to let its own citizens vote on a $30M City Hall. Inga Selders and I requested, in writing, to add an agenda item to discuss the church building and potential possibilities for repurposing it. We followed the correct procedure to get it placed on the agenda but were ignored. We as two council members of the governing body were denied the opportunity to have our voices heard which changed the trajectory of the City Hall project completely.”
David Hicks – The Sentinel
David Hicks grew up in southern Missouri and graduated from Mizzou with a degree in political science. He has worked as a congressional staffer, broadcaster, government bureaucrat, columnist, campaign worker, and small business owner. He and his wife live in Bonner Springs.
