Chief Lanning gone...

[Maverick]

... good or bad?

[DCs_Dolly]

I think the question of whether or not Chief Lanning is gone goes much deeper than his performance as a public servant. The fact that he was fired without any basis or merit should put fear in the hearts of free men and women everywhere. When the legistlative branch of a government can arbitrarily step in and cut off the head of the judicial branch with no warning and no accountability we are asking for tyranny and corruption.

I find it odd that the Topeka Capital Journal printed that Lanning had been fired and then later printed the ACTING city manager as saying Lanning had resigned. It is my understanding he WAS fired but when the city was threatened with litigation they offered his position back to him to which he declined. I hope Lanning knows he still has a case and could probably collect unemployment on the basis of a hostile work environment.

I personally think Lanning was a great police chief, but opinions are like @#%$%^&$, everyone has one. For every upstanding, law abiding citizen who liked the Chief because he didn't back down and truly believed in the safety of his citizens; there is some dirt bag or socialite who thinks they should have special priviledge that probably didn't like the Chief.

Unfortunately, Good or Bad is a moot point--the Chief is gone. I sincerely hope that whoever replaces him has the same commitment to enforce the law whether you are Joe Q average citizen speeding through town or the Mayors son drinking and driving---the law is the law.

[Maverick]

No Lanning doesn't have much of a case and was not offered his job back. Kansas is an at will State and Holton does not have an FOP. He does however have a contract and he violated it when he lied to the City Administrator who is not "acting" but is the full time Administrator and has been for nearly a year. Lanning is a good law enforcement officer but a poor manager and is geared more toward the big city. The fact that he and his family did not support their community is enough to not renew his contract to me. As a tax paying citizen of Holton I have to wonder about sending my kids to school if the Chief of Police for that town won't send his kids there!! The vast majority of Holton feels the same way.

[DADDY CARP]

Our town has had superintendants, teachers and police who have chosen not to send their kids to our school. As for a lie to the city administrator, that remains to be seen. Chief Lanning did much to support the community of Holton including numerous kids programs, refereeing sporting events, and numerous other community services. As for his choice for his children, have you ever been the kid of a police chief? Do you know what it is like to be threatened because of what your daddy does for a living? I think every man should have the same priorities as the Chief did, protect his children first. In addition, it is every American's choice to send their child to a secular school if they prefer---Holton doesn't offer that.

As for Right to Work---you are correct, but this has absolutely nothing to do with discrimination, harassment and hostile work environment which are all matters for the Kansas Department of Labor.

At the end of the day, this definitely could have been handled better. By the way, it is clear from your post you are either the City Manager posing as someone from Abilene or someone close enough to have been at the meeting which I believe was a closed session. You should play your cards closer to your cuff!

[Maverick]

Nope neither, just a citizen that has had a problem with the Chief and schoolboard member, not sending their kids to this school. I've also heard Mrs. Lanning bad mouth this town with my own 2 ears! Hmmm if someone had threatened his children then ok but they were at a very young age when they moved here and I very highly doubt were ever threatened. I know of several law enforcement officers in the community that actually arrest people that still send their kids to the local schools. To me, as a tax payer, it is very important that my elected officals support the area. This was never done by this man or his family, I know them well. Yes he supported programs that he got paid for and finally, the last couple of years, started joining civic groups as he was becoming accustomed to "small town life" and realized the mistakes he was making by not being more involved in the community. Problem is it was too little too late in my book. As for the schoolboard member, well he lost my vote when he moved his kid to another school!

[DCs_Dolly]

Don't argue with you much about community leaders needing to participate in their community. I, too, had similar sentiments regarding the school board. I love our town but from time to time I've "bad mouthed" certain parts of it, especially to people I feel I can trust. It's human nature to discuss frustrations and sometimes we only look at those frustrations from our myopic viewpoint. I know the Chief will do well wherever he goes---he is a good man with a great work ethic, any town will be lucky to have him. I just hate to see anyone run out on a rail over small town politics. I'm not thrilled with the interum city manager, I'm not thrilled with the current direction our school district is headed (we've got a school lunch program in ruin because someone ran off with part of the inventory and the superintendant is making budget by cutting the kids' meals, we've got a middle school principal who has taken all the fun and joy out of learning that he possible can because it doesn't agree with his viewpoint--halloween parade, Christmas parties, Spirit Week and we can't seem to get any traction on building a school suitable for the growing population). With all that said,however, our town is still a piece of heaven compared to most and I wouldn't trade it (even with it's few flaws) for any other 'burg on earth. I do feel, though, instead of being an innocent bystander waiting to get run over that folks who have been wronged should speak up. Over time I'm sure all the facts will come out and I am big enough to admit that I probably don't have all of them and neither do you, only time will tell.

[Maverick]

DCs_Dolly wrote:

Don't argue with you much about community leaders needing to participate in their community. I, too, had similar sentiments regarding the school board. I love our town but from time to time I've "bad mouthed" certain parts of it, especially to people I feel I can trust. It's human nature to discuss frustrations and sometimes we only look at those frustrations from our myopic viewpoint. I know the Chief will do well wherever he goes---he is a good man with a great work ethic, any town will be lucky to have him. I just hate to see anyone run out on a rail over small town politics. I'm not thrilled with the interum city manager, I'm not thrilled with the current direction our school district is headed (we've got a school lunch program in ruin because someone ran off with part of the inventory and the superintendant is making budget by cutting the kids' meals, we've got a middle school principal who has taken all the fun and joy out of learning that he possible can because it doesn't agree with his viewpoint--halloween parade, Christmas parties, Spirit Week and we can't seem to get any traction on building a school suitable for the growing population). With all that said,however, our town is still a piece of heaven compared to most and I wouldn't trade it (even with it's few flaws) for any other 'burg on earth. I do feel, though, instead of being an innocent bystander waiting to get run over that folks who have been wronged should speak up. Over time I'm sure all the facts will come out and I am big enough to admit that I probably don't have all of them and neither do you, only time will tell.

Are you discussing Holton in this? If so the City Manager in not Interm he is permenant and has been since he was hired almost a year ago. I am unfamiliar with the school not having inventory and cutting school lunches. I'm usually pretty up to date on the going ons but this has me scratching my head.

[DCs_Dolly]

Yep, I'm talking about Holton and my understanding (which could be wrong) was that they brought some guy over that used to be with the roads and bridges to be the acting city manager until they found someone to fill Brad Mears' shoes (which are pretty big shoes to fill, Brad did a good job). Ask any of the kids what their lunches were like, especially if they had late lunch. I believe almost $8,000 in inventory came up missing at the end of the year (last year, not this year). Check it out!

[Maverick]

DCs_Dolly wrote:

Yep, I'm talking about Holton and my understanding (which could be wrong) was that they brought some guy over that used to be with the roads and bridges to be the acting city manager until they found someone to fill Brad Mears' shoes (which are pretty big shoes to fill, Brad did a good job). Ask any of the kids what their lunches were like, especially if they had late lunch. I believe almost $8,000 in inventory came up missing at the end of the year (last year, not this year). Check it out!

The Streets Superintendent was the interm Administrator for a short time but they hired Rodden almost a year ago to be the fulltime administrator. He came from Seneca and before that someplace in Iowa. I know the school lunchs are poor and a new facility may help alot of that.

[DCs_Dolly]

The new facility will help a lot but that has little to do with the lunch budget and missing inventory. I definitely understand the problem with rising commodity prices and that it's hard to feed kids on less that $2 per day. I do know that there are government subsidies for this or budgets could be better planned. Heck, I'd even be willing to have my kids pay a little more to ensure a better meal (but I know not everyone can afford that). We finally resorted to just packing a lunch for the kids because the meals go so terrible the last two months of the school year. It stands to reason that if the community can bond together to build a weight room (which I am for...so don't misunderstand me) that we can bond together to ensure proper nutrition.

As for the City Manager, I guess I thought Rodden was the Street's guy---my mistake! It just seems like we've made a lot of bad decisions here lately. In addition to the issue with Chief Lanning we've got all the money that was paid out to widen Vermont in hopes of bringing more jobs to our community and the city got left holding the bag (am I naive to think that we could have told the business requesting the wider street to show us some tax base before we made our investment in them). I know hind site is 20/20 and nobody's perfect but it seems like we are the Titanic heading towards the iceburg...folks are asleep at the wheel. I don't claim to have all of the answers but I do know if I ran my business the way our city and school budgets are ran I might as well put a 'Closed for Business' sign on it. I don't have the stomach for politics so the only way I can make a difference is to vote, make my voice heard when necessary, etc. If nothing else, you've been interesting to toss thoughts back and forth too! Best Wishes!

[togoodtoplay]

I had worked with Chief Lanning when he was here in Salina. I know he is a true professional with the highest degree of honor and integrity. He leaves the Holton Police Department with that in tact!! While I have not spoke to him for several months, I know his wife works in Topeka and they send their children to a private school. Not because of anything against the public schools but because the school they attended had an after school program and they did not have to ride the bus and sit at home alone. I know that in the past, other city managers have contacted him looking to hire him to there city’s. He is well known and respected within the Kansas Chief’s Association and sat on several committees. It would appear that small town politics did catch up to him and he will move on to much better things I’m sure. As for the Holton Police Department, the next chief I’m sure will play the politics much better. You know, law enforcement by who you are or what you do…two sets of laws. It would appear that since the Mayor couldn’t make her son’s DUI go away, she made the chief disappear. Shame on the city manager and the counsel.

[DCs_Dolly]

Nice comments...togoodtoplay! I hope David gets to see some of these and know that there are MANY of us who feel he did a GREAT job! It is sad to think that one or two folks can jeopardize a man's career, his family and his future. It's good to know that he has many friends outside of our small town he can count on! Hats off to you!

[Maverick]

That mayors son never got a DUI, but nice try!

[DCs_Dolly]

Any American citizen with a good lawyer can get out of just about anything, look at OJ for goodness sake. In other words, I could get pulled over for a DUI, ticketed for a DUI (or speeding ticket, or failure to yield, or anything else) and with a good lawyer it could magically disappear through the process of diversion or some legal loophole. So when you say he never got a DUI do you mean that nothing ever went on his record as a DUI?

Don't misunderstand me, I think folks (especially kids) should be able to make mistakes without being drug through the muck. I definitely don't want this to be a discussion of somebody's kid--that is a personal family matter that should remain as such. It just seems funny how all of this stuff with the Chief went down. There doesn't seem to be any legitimate merit for his dismissal other than a personality conflict or because he wouldn't be somebody's puppet. The city would have us believe that "it's time for a change" and Maverick indicates that lies were told. Who knows? In the end nobody will ever know the whole truth because each side (including me) has already formed an opinion that won't be easily swayed. Like I said earlier, just hope that David knows there were many who supported him and that he moves on to greener pastures with very little negative impact to his family.

[DADDY CARP]

I do believe that I just finished reading an article in the News Paper stating that someone is either seriously injured or KILLED in this country every 1.6 hours or 96 min. That is a chance it could be one of your family before you can even finish a 2 hr. movie. Since drinking is a choice just as firing a weapon, and driving a vehicle after becoming full of drugs or alcohol is no different than loading, pointing towards a crowd and pulling the triger. There is a chance you might miss with either........Problem is both are knowingly pre meditated acts with the possible outcome known before the 1st step of action is taken. Any parent who does not use any and all means to keep their son, daughter or self from comitting this type of act, but rather choses to hide, cover-up or excuse it, is lower than WHALE-SHIT on the bottom of the ocean floor and one of the lowest forms of parent you can find. How in the Hell can a town knowingly place, allow or keep someone of this characture in a public office to govern and control, you and your children, When they display no acceptance for the most basic of responsibilities. We are dealing with similar here in our area and we are dealing with it quite firmly. Don't matter who or what you are, "Do the crime, do the Time"! I hope you get these irresponsible idiots weeded out of your city gov. and replace them with persons who stand for right and will take the responsibilitys and apply them. Best wishes to the city of Holton, I know some of what your are going through especially if it is a neighbor or friend you have to take a stand against. Just remember either: right or wrong.....Grey area is only an excuse not to do right!

[2much4me]

Lanning didn't have a contract; they send their kids to Catholic school (is there one in Holton?); the mayor's son DID get a DUI; and Lanning's wife is from Johnson County so she did make fun of Holton. Why not? There is no code enforcement there... cars in yards, trashy decorations, dogs barking and running everywhere, cats out of control, little kids left at the pool with no parent,... I am glad they can get out of there and leave all the losers behind.

[Dyob75]

This is all too much fun. I can’t help but remember the lyrics from that great old TV Western that goes,“Who is the tall dark stranger there? Maverick is the name. Riding the trail to who knows where, luck is his companion gambling is his game…”
I love how Maverick narrowed the possibility of who he/she is by revealing too much inside knowledge.
Failure to submit is not a DUI. Maverick is right. However, it does kind of mess up one’s driving rights for a time.
If the city manager agreed to an out of court settlement with the chief then reneged on it, and if it costs the taxpayers of Holton even more money, then his competency should be called into further question.
One of the last lines in the song Maverick goes,“Riverboat ring your bell. Fair-the-well Annabelle…Passage to New Orleans…” goodbye city manager!

[DCs_Dolly]

2much4me---I love your spirit in support of the Lannings but easy on the name calling. Not everyone from Holton is a loser and not everyone who lives in Holton is "from" Holton.

LOL to Dyob75---you are a hoot! Loved the post and yep, Maverick is a clear victim of "loose lips sink ships"----or will be!

[2much4me]

Sorry, DCs_Dolly, didn't mean to lump you all together. You are right, there are some people worth saving in that town. It is just frustrating to listen to all these people talk like they know the Lannings when they don't. Some of the comments about their family have been presumptuous and just plain mean. If you don't agree with someone fine, but why does Holton have to try and ruin people's lives? I understand they just built a new house. How sad to have to leave it. Assuming they do not want to stay where they are not welcomed (and haven't been from day one).

[Dyob75]

Well, 2much. There is someone in Holton who thought so much of Dave, his wife and children, and still does, that he verbally spanked some folks for being naughty to them. Wink, wink.:-)