If you’re just joining us, you can find Chapter 1 (Who is Russ “Wojo” Wojtkiewicz…) and Chapter 2 (… the Brink of Change) on my timeline, where I discuss the ‘Wojtkiewicz Standard’ and the lessons that shaped my life and career.
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The Friday Memo | Chapter 3: The $1,500 Leap of Faith and the Lockwood Luminary

By late 1966, my family was at a breaking point. My father, Gene, realized that full-time college was not the path forward for our family’s survival. Between the bills, the sickness, and the exhaustion of working in the press room and the newspaper office in Bolivar, a change wasn't just needed—it was a necessity.

Then came what I can only describe as Divine Intervention.

The owners of the Bolivar paper my folks worked for also owned a struggling, 4-page weekly in Lockwood, Missouri—a small town of about 800 people. Koil and Molly Rowland, the owners, simply could not justify having multiple weekly newspapers.  They planted the idea seed and offered the Lockwood Luminary to my father. For the "princely sum" of $1,500 (yes, that is sarcasm), my father went into business for himself in early 1967.  After I was in business for myself, I found out how little he paid for the Luminary but in 1967, $1,500 was equivalent to $7,900 in the year 2000.  Still a small sum, but mortgages in 1967 were also $50 and homes only cost about $18,000!  And my Mother and Father simply didn’t have $1,500 in cash sitting around!

My Father moved us to a town where we knew no one, to run a business he had no formal training in, and started out in debt and from scratch. My father wasn't a "literary" type who dreamed of writing the great American novel. He was an administrative mind with a high-level technical aptitude and tons of “street smarts”.  Which is common sense and success through hard work and trial and error.

He was smart. And he was fearless.

That first year was incredibly difficult. I watched my parents persevere through times that would have broken many marriages. Dad didn’t let the local bank president talk him into buying an expensive press he couldn’t afford. Instead, he engineered a smarter way: he contracted the printing to a paper in Marshfield, Missouri. This move didn’t just save money; it connected him with a fraternity of fellow newspaper publishers who helped him master the industry.

By 1970, that "struggling" 4-page paper had become a 24-page weekly edition with a circulation of 3,000. It was the Dade County government paper of record.  The Christmas edition was printed in three colors: Black, Red & Green —a massive technical feat for a small-town shop in the late 60s.  How did the “government help”?  By constantly raising fourth-class postage rates on publications and demanding the publishers stamp and sort before delivering it down the street to the Post Office.  Essentially having the small business do the job the USPS was supposed to do!  Sound familiar? Government asking you to pay more for less service is a system I’ve been watching my entire life—and it’s one I intend to fix.

My father taught me that you don’t need a "government-funded" safety net to succeed. You need a plan, a willingness to learn the mechanics of the system, and the courage to keep the "presses" running when things get tough.

Coming Monday in Chapter 4: Three Colors, County Records, and the Secretary of State.

#MondayMemo #PlatteCounty #WojoForClerk #LeapOfFaith #SmallBusinessGrit #TheWojtkiewiczStandard #SystemsNotPolitics

 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