Weekend Wrap: Saturday, March 18

Advocacy groups call for city attorney’s dismissal

Three Columbia advocacy groups jointly sent a letter to the city council this week calling for the dismissal of city attorney Nancy Thompson, accusing her of failure to uphold the city charter and for contributing “a continuing culture of deafening silence from city government.”

Representatives for Hold CoMo Accountable, CoMo For Progress and Race Matters, Friends said they sent two letters to city leaders as part of their grassroots effort to solve persistent problems with government transparency and accountability. They held a news conference Monday via Zoom.

The first letter, to Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and the rest of the city council, called for the dismissal of Thompson, alleging that Thompson consistently advises the council and city leaders to evade open records laws and avoid almost every attempt at transparency. As a result of her actions, the city council is also unable to uphold its core duty of overseeing the city manager, including a full performance audit of the city manager’s office, the groups wrote. The second letter was addressed to City Manager De’Carlon Seewood and outlined many of the same grievances as the letter to the city council, but it also urges Seewood to help forge a new path for Columbia by embracing transparency and accountability in city governance.

You can read the letters here, and here.

Oscar winner is Hickman grad

Winner of the Oscar last week for best international film – “All Quiet of the Western Front” – was produced by Daniel Dreifuss, an alumnus of Columbia’s Hickman High School. Dreifuss was a foreign-exchange student who graduated from Hickman in 1996. He was born in Scotland, raised in Brazil, and makes his home in Los Angeles. He’s been a regular attendee of Columbia’s annual True/False Film Fest. He also produced the film “No,”

Which earned an Oscar nomination in 2013.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” is an anti-war Netflix film based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque of the same title about the journey of a young German soldier who enlists in the army, dreams of becoming a hero, and encounters the realities of war.

Monkeypox scare apparently over; COVID largely unreported

There are currently no active cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in Boone County, according to Columbia and Boone County health officials. Boone County reported its first case on Aug. 30 and have confirmed seven cases in the county since then. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say cases nationwide have decreased to about one new case per day. In August, the nationwide average was about 400 cases daily. The CDC recommends vaccination against mpox for anyone exposed to the virus.

There were a total of 149 cases of COVID-19 reported between March 2-7 in Boone County. But health officials say people are using home testing, or not testing at all, while they suffer though a case of COVID, and therefore it is not tallied at the health department. The health department continues to recommend vaccination and boosters for COVID, much like seasonal flu vaccines.

Planning commission OKs travel-trailer park

The city planning commission approved rezoning last week that would allow for a new travel-trailer park on Route B just north of the U.S. 63 interchange in northeast Columbia. The land was annexed to the city zoned for agricultural use. The commission recommended a change to “mixed-use corridor” on behalf of owners SAP Holdings. It als recommended approval of a conditional use permit for a maximum of 80 trailer sites. The proposal will now go to the city council for approval.

Minchew is new chair of Salvation Army’s advisory board

The Salvation Army’s local leaders announced this month that business leader Randy Minchew has been elected to serve as the organization’s advisory board chair. He will serve a one-year term for the 11-member board.

“I am a fairly new board member, but working to address poverty issues has been a passion for many years,” Minchew said. “The Salvation Army provides amazing service to our neighbors facing poverty and my goal is to help us do even more.”

The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need. In Columbia, The Salvation Army manages Harbor House, Boone County’s only homeless shelter serving adults with children, as well as men and women. They also run two thrift stores; a baby pantry; other services for people facing poverty; Columbia’s Christmas Parade; and local recognition of Unsheltered Persons’ Memorial Day.

Police release report from Nov. 2021 incident that led to officer-involved shooting

Columbia police under pressure from the public finally released a heavily-redacted investigation report from the incident outside a Fifth Street nightclub downtown that led to police fatally shooting Quillan Jacobs in November 2021. Officers’ reports and video that was included indicates Jacobs was holding a black semi-automatic handgun in his right hand when he was shot. The report indicates police recovered 10 bullet casings belonging to Jacob’s gun. Five people outside the club suffered gunshot wounds. Another shooter, Todd Duron Nesbitt Jr., was arrested and charged by police. The officers involved in the fatal shooting were exonerated by a special prosecutor from St. Charles county last May after a Highway Patrol investigation.

Anthony Willroth of the city watchdog group Hold CoMo Accountable that pressured police for the report noted that a new Missouri law known as SB26, or the police officers’ bill of rights, prevents the city from releasing their internal affairs investigative report.

"This represents the minimum for transparency and we don't understand why something like this couldn't have been released sooner,” Willroth said. “We appreciate the sympathetic tone of the release, but we still feel it dances around a few major questions. It's not immediately evident from CPD's video that footage of the second officer to shoot Quillon is included. Finally, as long as SB26 is the law of the land and internal affairs records are considered sealed, we still have no way of knowing officers are being held to any level of accountability."

Confusion on marijuana tax

The constitutional amendment that made marijuana legal for adult recreational use granted municipalities the authority to levy a 3% sales tax on purchases in approved by voters. Both the city of Columbia and Boone County have the question on the ballot for the April 4 municipal election. But vague wording in the amendment passed by voters in November fails to make clear if the tax would “stack” meaning in the city of Columbia purchasers would pay both the city tax and the county tax for a total of 6%. Columbia attorney Dan Viets who was instrumental in drafting the amendment says that was not the intention, and that purchasers were meant to pay just a one time 3%. The Missouri Department of Revenue isn’t taking sides and the issue will likely have to be settled in court.

Boone County fire district will have bond issue on ballot

The Boone County Fire Protection District will ask voters on April 4 to authorize the sale of $8 million in bonds to finance replacement of a fire station on Route K. Officials said no increase in taxes will be required to service the bond debt. Here’s the ballot language:

“Shall Boone County Fire Protection District, Boone County, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $8,000,000 for the purpose of acquiring real property; constructing, improving, renovating, repairing, furnishing and equipping new and existing fire stations and additions thereto; and acquiring fire trucks, vehicles and other firefighting and emergency apparatus, equipment and communication systems and technology?”