Second Ward candidates rely on Web

The attached image is remarkable for two reasons: The web addresses you see in the bottom right-hand corner of each handout are the only means of contact on either document. No phone, no office hours, no address, not even an e-mail. If someone wants to talk, donate, gripe or otherwise hassle their chosen candidate, they’ll [...]

Robison endorsed by Police Officers Association

Sixth Ward City Council candidate Rod Robison has been endorsed by the Columbia Police Officers Association. Robison, who had donated his time working as a teleserve volunteer for the Columbia Police Department for eight years, has listed public safety as one of his top issues. On his website, Robison lays out his thoughts on curbing [...]

The case of the mysterious TIF flier

It didn’t seem like an intrusive question to me, but when I asked an inconspicuously dressed gentleman at the League of Women Voters candidate forum why he was passing out anti- tax increment financing fliers, he told me he wasn’t allowed to say. Does that seem odd to you? It certainly seemed odd to me. [...]

Tonight, I met one of my heroes

The name matched, but I wasn’t sure it was him. It seemed too good to be true. Could this man, this local legend, really be there, at the League of Women Voters candidate forum? In the same room, breathing the same air as I was? I didn’t know for sure until I chased him down [...]

Columbia’s Daily Dish [March 18, 2009]

A smattering of links about Columbia’s growth and development. • Columbia City Council considers using eminent domain for museum (Columbia Missourian) — Even as representatives of the State Historical Society negotiate buying the property that is home to Bengal’s Bar and Grill and surrounding land, the Columbia City Council is considering whether to use eminent [...]

Mizzou’s going to Boise! I’m from there!

I hate to step on the sports desk’s toes on this one, but I reckon I’ve got as many random personal connections to Mizzou’s first-round tournament game against Cornell as you can have without actually being on the team. (If you have a high-tolerance for self-indulgent nonsense or, for some reason, want to see what’s [...]

Second Ward candidate forums

Columbia residents hoping to get to know the Second Ward City Council candidate Allan Sharrock and Jason Thornhill will have three excellent opportunities in the coming weeks as community organizations host candidate forums. League of Women Voters Where? Columbia Public Library, Friends Room When? 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, March 19 Columbia Muleskinners Where? [...]

Tomorrow’s Council Meeting Looks Stimulating

As many of you know, every item on the City Council agenda is backed up with a packet of paperwork covering background information as well as recommendations and relevant documents. Before every meeting, the city puts all of these packets together for City Council members and local media. They can also be found online. This [...]

Cosmo Park: A regional resource?

I went to Cosmo Park this morning to interview folks for an upcoming story, and I noticed something unexpected: Almost everyone I talked to hailed from somewhere other than Columbia. Families I met at the playground said they came from as far away from St. Louis and from nearby towns like Harrisburg and Pilot Grove [...]

Archived comments show more of Sharrock’s views, motivation

Second Ward City Council candidate Allan Sharrock posted on columbiamissourian.com 22 times between Dec. 20, 2007 and Dec. 3, 2008. Sharrock said the comments should not be taken at face value, as he was often playing “devil’s advocate” and trying to spark conversation. Tounge-in-cheek as they may be, the posts are tied together by a [...]