From: Ken Fudge
Columbus
There were three candidates to replace the resigning city councilman Frank Jerome. David Bush said he was approached by local Republican party chair Barb Hackman and Mayor Jim Lienhoop.
As soon as I read that, I knew Lienhoop’s and Hackman’s hand-picked candidate was David Bush and the other two candidates had zero chance of being selected by the Republican Party.
Now Bush is a new city councilman despite showing no signs of ever being involved in politics or city government before. I have never seen Bush at a city council meeting or any public meeting I have attended.
He’s also shown little interest in even voting. According to voter records, Bush voted in just one primary election and that was the Republican one in 2015 when Lienhoop ran against Mayor Kristen Brown.
Bush is also a member of the church Lienhoop attends, St. Peter’s Lutheran.
I only had to follow the money trail to see why I believe Lienhoop hand-picked Bush.
Bush is the son-in-law of John McCormick. McCormick, on behalf of Kenny Glass, donated $3,000 to Lienhoop’s campaign in 2015. That money had to be returned because it was illegal for Lienhoop to accept a campaign donation of more than $2,000 from a business. McCormick then personally donated $3,000 to Lienhoop’s campaign.
After being elected, Lienhoop appointed McCormick to the Columbus Park Board. McCormick was one of the board members who voted to purchase Lienhoop’s aunt’s property contingent upon appraisals and an environmental assessment.
It appears this city council replacement isn’t an attempt to bring in new thought or a fresh perspective, but merely a reward for political support and money and a continuation of the same good old boy politics. It is a disservice to Columbus citizens and the democratic process.
In the opinion of this citizen, this is another glaring example of the cronyism and political patronage that is eating away at our local government under the leadership of Lienhoop. People are being rewarded for political support and campaign donations and it gives a whole new meaning to the campaign slogan “In with Jim.”
Council members need to be independent checks and balances to the mayor. It’s pathetic that the local Republican Party selected someone from the mayor’s inner circle rather than someone independent. We desperately need a check on the mayor’s liberal, big government, tax-and-spend agenda.
In a city that touts diversity and claims to be “welcoming,” I see a very different, ugly underbelly. One that stifles independent thought and opinion and one that only welcomes “going along to get along” and cheerleading today’s city administration.
This year all city officials are up for re-election.
We need a mayor that serves all the people of this community and the common good not just the wealthy and powerful. We need a mayor that is fiscally conservative, transparent, allows public comment and actually listens.
Lienhoop says the tone starts at the top. The tone he has set is poor ethical leadership.
Lienhoop needs to go. Columbus deserves better.
