If you’re just joining us, you can find Chapter 1 on my timeline where we discuss the 'Wojtkiewicz Standard”.

The Wednesday
Memo | Chapter 2: From Boeing Security Clearances to the Brink of Change

By 1960, my father, Gene, had landed a position with the Boeing Aircraft Company in Wichita. It was a high-stakes environment where precision was the only standard.

Though he hadn’t been formally trained in graphics or audio-visual systems, he was a fast learner. He excelled so quickly that he earned high-level security clearances to help create presentations for Boeing’s SST program. At the time, they were in a fierce global race against the French Concorde to define the future of supersonic travel.

But life has a way of shifting your flight path.

In 1966, my father felt a deep calling to the ministry. We moved to Bolivar, Missouri, so he could attend Southwest Baptist College. It was a year that tested our family’s resolve to the limit. My mother worked for a local newspaper as a proofreader, while Dad balanced full-time classes with a part-time job in the press room with the same newspaper.

It was a "misery year." My brother and I were sick with the measles.  Dad realized that full-time college was an expensive hurdle we couldn't clear at that time and he struggled with the classes. We were at a crossroads—struggling to make ends meet, dealing with childhood illness, and searching for a way forward.

Even in the middle of that "rough 1966," I have fond memories of camping at Pomme de Terre Lake. It taught me early on: The system might be stressed, but you don't stop moving. Little did we know, the press room job was about to open a door we never expected.

Coming Friday in Chapter 3: The $1,500 Leap of Faith and the Lockwood Luminary.

#MondayMemo #PlatteCounty #WojoForClerk #SystemsNotPolitics #FastLearner #TheWojtkiewiczStandard

The Monday Memo | Chapter 1: Who is Russ “Wojo” Wojtkiewicz and Why Does He Deserve Your Vote?

I know voters often wonder: Who are these people asking for our vote? It’s a question that deserves scrutiny. Too often, we pick candidates based on a photo or a title without knowing the principles that drive them.

To understand where I’m going, you have to know where I came from.

I was fortunate to have grown up in a loving, hard working middle class family.  My parents sacrificed to give us great memories, taught us right from wrong and instilled moral principles to guide us.

My father’s story started in a multi-generational home in Omaha, raised by a single mother and immigrant grandparents who fled the turmoil of the Old World for the promise of the New. They were teenagers when they arrived in the late 1800s, eventually landing in Omaha with nothing but a drive to survive.

My father grew up in the shadow of the Depression, watching his mother work two jobs while his uncles helped look after him. They had very little, yet they still shared what they had with the hobos riding the rails behind their house in South Omaha.

That’s where the "Wojtkiewicz Standard" began: Work hard, take care of your own, and be charitable.

After a broken foot (which he hid so he could play baseball) briefly kept him out of the service, Dad was drafted into the Army in 1951. He ended up as a Staff Sergeant drilling recruits at Ft. Leonard Wood. It was on a weekend pass to Jefferson City that he met my mother at a Service Men’s Club.

That meeting changed the course of our family history— eventually leading me and my family here to Platte County.

Coming Wednesday in Chapter 2: From Boeing Security Clearances to the Brink of Change.

#MondayMemo #PlatteCounty #WojoForClerk #FamilyLegacy #TheWojtkiewiczStandard #SystemsNotPolitics

Life isn't just about hitting the campaign trail and knocking on doors. Life is about living and taking the time for some recreation. Look at what bounty the Lord gave today as I wandered in the woods! The elusive Morel! Count 'em - 11. Was a bit surprised they were already up but then that's why I ventured out to look before an afternoon of door knocking! Life is good from time to time!

I want to shout out to my great supporters who braved the cold, windy, Election Day yesterday to hold a campaign sign and hand out cards!  Due to their efforts, we gained several new supporters who pledged a vote, gave out a couple yard signs to new supporters and talked to a lot of old and new friends!

I wish to recognize the following volunteers who helped yesterday:

Rachel Kautz; Jason Reed; Kathy Place; Kathy Davis; Ronna Knetter and Phyllis Hartley.

Between them they covered through shifts in the day the polling locations at the Coves, Weatherby Lake, Platte City YMCA, Green Hills Mid-Continent Library, Thousand Oaks Oasis and Riverside Community Center.

While our Republican candidates did not fare well, the Homestead Act limiting assessment increases past and Weatherby Lake voters defeated two tax proposals.

Park Hill School Board will now have an extremely radical board that will no doubt push to put radical ideologies ahead of fundamental education of our students.  I expect many attempts at raising the district tax levies as well.  This will expose the urgency of why property tax reform is so badly necessary.

Republicans need to do a better job of getting out the conservative voter and turn the rising tide of left leaning office holders in Platte County.  That includes some tax and spend Republicans.  It is why so many of us have filed to replace current county office holders and bring solid conservative values to Platte County Government and be watchdogs of your tax dollars!

Here are two of my volunteers - Kathy Place on the left and Phyllis Hartley on the right.  Thanks All!  Look forward to a great Campaign Season!

 Easter - He Is Risen!

Today is Holy Saturday.  Sunday is the most holiest of days in Christendom - Easter.  The celebration of our Risen Lord and Savior.  It’s a time traditionally spent with family, enjoying large dinners and catching up.  Many attend church Saturday evening or Sunday morning and take in Easter Brunch at a local diner.  It is generally a joyous time celebrating when Jesus defied death, rose from the grave and embarked on finishing his ministry before ascending into heaven, saving us all from sin and an eternity in Hell.

I will be cooking dinner for my small family on Sunday.  The scratch egg noodles are ready for the broth.  The chicken is brining. Cooking brings me joy.  The weekend will be a needed break from campaigning or politics at all.  Perhaps take in some baseball or a March Madness Semi-final meeting with friends.

I had hoped to get to the forest again and search for those elusive morsels of God’s great earth - Morels, but the weather isn’t cooperating and we are still a week or so early for the season.  I felt blessed to have found 6 Morels last year.  The first time in about 45 years I had located any in the wild.  But then I had not gone out every year.  Just finding those few greatly lifted my spirits.  Walking in amongst God’s green earth, among the wildlife and flora is quite spiritual, relaxing and recharging.  Sure there lurks a slight chance of danger, but then that’s part of the excitement and fun, yes?  I feel like a walk in the woods is communing with God.  Escape to the woods is to me like being in a cathedral built by God. Quiet. Reverent.  The more you look, the more you see.  The noble birds of prey to the tiniest of insects.  All the wonders of life in all its forms.  All a wonder when you meditate upon this glorious place we live - Earth.

Praise God for this wonderful nation celebrating 250 years this year.  Our Judeo-Christian roots blessed this nation with the success, wealth and authority its citizens have earned and despite all who say otherwise, is still a beacon of Freedom and Opportunity!

May all have a Blessed and Wonderful Easter Weekend!  Be safe.  Enjoy the present as the past is done and the future has yet to arrive.  And send God a prayer of thanks.

Fiscal Friday: Citizens Deserve Better Transparency!

Several of your fellow Platte County citizens have filed to run for office to make our county government work for the hardworking citizen who pays their taxes and contributes to society.  As one of those who has filed, I am compelled to point out how the Clerk's office can be improved by my election.

Today, the County Administration Building is open—but the Clerk’s office is CLOSED. The reason given? To "process Senior Tax Credit applications." I sincerely want to know - WHY?

Senior Tax Credit applications ended on December 31st. That was over 90 days ago. Why the "crunch" now? The Clerk’s office has a staff of six full-time employees, including the elected Clerk. Why can’t six people manage applications during business hours?  What is efficient about closing the office and restricting citizen access to the Clerk’s office on such short notice?

Until we, the citizens, receive a more specific explanation for this closure, this appears to be a lack of competent leadership and a disregard for serving the citizens of Platte County.

Under my administration, the doors will stay open when at all possible, the systems stay on, and the taxpayers come first.

In my world, if a system can't handle a predictable load, you don't shut down the system—you upgrade the processor. On August 4th, Platte County has the chance to upgrade the leadership in the Clerk’s office.

#FiscalFriday #PlatteCounty #SystemsNotPolitics #WojoForClerk #OpenForBusiness #NoMoreSillySeason

 

 Fiscal Friday: The Audit of the "30% Club"

In four days, the filing window for a Platte County office will close. The names on the ballot will be set, but the numbers in the county ledger are already written in ink. As an engineer, I don't look at a budget as just a list of expenses—I look at it as a performance report.

If you were running a business or managing a household, would you approve these "specs"?

• A 30% salary increase for elected officials (including the incumbent Clerk).
• A meager 2.5% COLA for the hard-working county staff who keep the lights on.
• A 7% property assessment hike pushed through via a State MOU while the Clerk’s office remained silent.

As most engineers will tell you, a system that takes 30% more "input" while providing the same "output" is considered a failure or at least unjust expenditure of capital.  In Platte City, it is evidently considered standard government operating procedure.

I am running for County Clerk to end the era of “Apathetic Government."

1. I will fight for property tax rollbacks that are calculated to the penny, ensuring you only pay what is legally required—nothing more.
2. We will audit the office processes to find "friction" and waste. If we can do the job for a dime, why are we spending a dollar?
3. While others are caught up in "Email-Gate" and courthouse drama, I will be focused on the data.

By next Wednesday, the "rumor season" will be over and the real work begins. I’m ready to bring an engineer’s precision to the Clerk’s office. It’s time to stop the waste and start the recalibration.

Russ "Wojo" Wojtkiewicz Candidate for Platte County Clerk

#FiscalFriday #WojoForClerk #PlatteCounty #SystemsEngineer #TaxpayerAdvocate #August4 #NoMore30Percent