6A
Wednesday, September 14, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Retail construction growth spurs debate
City Commission considers guides for construction
By Carlos Tejada
Kansan staff writer
Retail construction in the growing city of Lawrence has gotten out of hand, said John Nalbandian, city commissioner.
"We have to remember how unacceptable the current situation is," Nalbandian told the other commissioners at a Lawrence City Commission meeting last night.
The commissioners last night discussed a resolution based on an analysis of Lawrence commercial land-use done by Kirk McClure, associate professor of urban planning. The intent was to set a non-binding guideline for retail space policy in the future. At the end of debate, the commission moved to reconsider the resolutions at an October meeting to be announced.
McClure's study said growth could be controlled if three market conditions were met:
Rental rates must not increase faster than the rate of inflation, thus becoming more costly and turning retailers toward new and
cheaper retail space
A vacancy rate of 5 to 8 percent would permit easy turnover and discourage more construction.
The rate at which vacant retail space is rented to tenants should not be too high, or demand will encourage builders to increase the supply by building more space.
The study also said if those three conditions existed now, Lawrence's current retail space had the capability to meet demand until the year 2000.
Dave Corliss, assistant to the city manager, drafted a resolution that would use the study as a nonbinding guideline for all action the city would take concerning retail space in the future.
The commission moved to send the resolution and the study to a steering committee that would consider it and bring back its thoughts to a commission meeting in October.
Dale Willey, president of Dale Willey Pontiac-Cadillac-GMC Truck, 2840 IowaSt., spoke during the public discussion portion of the meeting. He said the city should be careful regulating retail space, even if the proposal before them was only a guideline.
"If I work hard to do things and try to grow, I don't want someone to tell me I can't," Wiley said.
After spending the day listening to professors, students in the residence halls, scholarship halls and fraternity houses got the opportunity last night to talk to them one-to-one.
Students chitchat with professors
By Ashley Miller Kansan staff writer
The three living organizations participated in "Meet-A-Professor," a program that allows students to meet faculty members outside of the classroom.
Kami Thomas, assistant director of student housing, said about 80 professors participated in the program this year, about 20 more than last year.
"We had an excellent turnout this year for faculty." Thomas said.
Thomas said some professors were planning to continue meeting with the group that they spoke to last night by eating dinner with them once a month and stopping by to talk to the students.
Karen Symms Gallagher, the new dean of education, said she participated in the program because she wanted to meet and talk with students.
"It helps me as a dean to see what works and what doesn't work for students." "Gallagher said."
No freshmen attended the meeting with Gallagher in Gertrude Seilards Pearson-Corbin Hall, but she said the program still was a good idea.
"I not sure it's just freshmen who need information," Gallagher said.
"In a big institution like this, I think it's important that students see we're human," Gallagher said. "We have families, too."
Gallagher also said the program allowed students to see how professors live.
Six students came to see Gallagher. Kathryn Kretschmer, director of New Student Orientation, said the program's informal setting was designed to help new students adjust to college and learn to talk to professors.
"We feel that one of the most important things students can do their first year is meet faculty," she said.
Kretschmer said students could ask any questions at the meetings, not just questions about the professor's area of study. Students were also encouraged to visit with any of the professors in the program.
Kretschner said the program used to be part of the Hawk Week activities, but the orientation office decided to set the date later in the school year so that students had college classroom experience before speaking to professors.
Although fraternities participated in the program, sororities did not, said Bill Nelson coordinator of greek activities and assistant director of the Organization and Activities Center.
He said most women already lived in a residence hall and spoke with a professor there. They were not allowed to live in their sorority houses their freshman year, he said.
Karen Symms Gallagher, dean of education, spoke to a group of women last night at Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin Hall as part of "Meet A Professor" night. The program is a way for students to meet professors outside the classroom.
Treasurer accuses opponent of 'vile' tactics
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — Democratic State Treasurer Sally Thompson yesterday accused her Republican opponent in the November general election of resorting to "vicious and vile" tactics in an effort to discredit her and detract from her "excellent record."
employee she fired.
Thompson said she was "shocked and dismayed" by a television commercial aired by the campaign of her opponent, Randy Duncan of Salina, in the Topeka market Monday night.
The ad implies Thompson is hiding information from the public about the value of the Municipal Investment Pool, which Thompson manages, and a lawsuit filed against her by an office
Thompson called it an example of the "pitifully negative campaign" Duncan intends to conduct and called Duncan, an advertising novelty salesman, "a man lacking in conscience (who) realizes he can't beat me on the issues."
Duncan could not be reached for comment yesterday morning.
However, Kim Wells, the state Republican chairman, said that based on a description of the TV ad, "I've seen a lot worse."
"I think the performance of the investment fund is a legitimate issue, and I know (Duncan) intends to make an issue of it," added Wells, who said he had not seen the commercial.
Thompson said that there was only one true statement in the entire spot: that she was being sued in Shawnee County District Court by a former employee.
"I fired an unclassified employee, an employee who served at the pleasure of the state treasurer, and now he's suing me," she said. "It is the kind of thing Kansas business people face every day."
Thompson took her defense of the Municipal Investment Pool on the road today.
At a regional meeting of the Kansas Bankers Association in Dodge City, she said the fund is "sound, successful and making money for its members."
The Associated Press
Steineger's attorneys dispute plea bargain
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Defense attorneys for Mayor Joseph E. Steineger Jr. yesterday attacked the plea bargain reached by the key witness against him in his corruption trial—a former strip club owner facing obscenity and prostitution charges.
The defense began its case after U.S. District Judge G.T. Van Bebber denied a motion to dismiss the charges against Steineger, The U.S. attorney's office rested its case Monday.
The defense yesterday questioned the attorney for Patrick John "P.J." McGraw, an FBI financial analyst, an agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, an assistant
Wyandotte County attorney and a certified public accountant.
Mark Sachse, who is representing the mayor's top aide, Peter Adams, said his client would testify this week and that he expected Steineger to do the same. Steineger's attorneys, James Eisenbrandt and Thomas Bath, have not said if the mayor will take the stand.
The FBI agent heading the probe of alleged corruption in Kansas City, Kan., government testified Monday that McGraw, the chief prosecution witness, failed to tell authorities at first about bribes he allegedly paid for favors.
Special Agent Jeff Lanza was the final prosecution witness in
the joint federal trial of Steineger, 60, and Adams, 45. Each is charged with bribery, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Adams also is charged with aiding and abetting in the alleged scheme.
Under cross-examination by Bath, Lanza said McGraw failed to disclose any criminal activity in the agency's first official interview with him about alleged political corruption.
That interview, which also had involved McGraw's personal attorney, came after the FBI and federal and state prosecutors agreed to urge probation on pending, unrelated criminal cases against McGraw in return for his cooperation in the public corruption probe.
Baggage plagues candidates
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — In the governor's race, Democrat Jim Slattery wants people to remember he once had a life outside Congress, and Republican Bill Graves wants to convince voters the secretary of state's office is more important than they think.
Conventional wisdom is that Slattery's record as 2nd District congressman for 12 years contains some heavy baggage that may haunt him. Slattery is playing up his pre-Congress experiences, as the operator of a real estate business and as an Atchison County farm boy.
"He's got a voting record he's got to defend," said Pete McGill, a former state House speaker who remains active in GOP politics and runs the state's largest contract lobbying firm. "Graves has less political baggage and less political liabilities."
Graves' problem is the opposite of Slattery's according to insiders, because as secretary of state, he has been in the policy backwaters. But his pitch is that experience in the executive branch counts.
"Nobody cares who the secretary of state is," said state Rep. Ed McKechnie, D-Pittsburg. "The secretary of state is nothing more than a glorified clerk."
Slattery still was in law school at Washburn University in Topeka when he began his political career. He won a seat in the state House of
Representatives in 1972, serving there through 1978.
In 1982, he won the 2nd District seat. He has been re-elected five times.
Graves began working in the secretary of state's office in 1980, five years after leaving college. He was elected secretary of state in 1986 and re-elected in 1990.
Both candidates have records that are somewhat mixed.
Slattery's congressional voting record caused his critics to chortle with anticipation when he decided to run for governor. Even some Democrats find it maddening.
On some major issues — gun control, for example — voters can find Slattery voting on both sides.
He has voted for and against waiting periods on handgun purchases, and for and against bills banning specific numbers of assault weapons.
He said his different votes reflect the large differences in the contents of the legislation before him. But he also acknowledges that such subtleties may be lost on voters.
In 1993, Slattery voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement and for a broad-based energy tax, known as the Btu tax, both of which could hurt him with groups such as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"The KCCI is not very high on Slattery because of his votes on NAFTA and the Btu tax," McGill said. "The business community in general is going to be quite concerned."
Slattery said of his opponents: "I think they want to talk about the past, and I want to talk about the future."
A January 1993 audit criticized Graves for not compiling a central voter registration list, even though he had been ordered to do so by the Legislature.
Graves called the audit a "politically motivated report," but even some Republicans acknowledged it was damaging.
Even if Graves' record were perfect, many insiders still would consider him a political lightweight.
Consider: The secretary of state's office budget fluctuated wildly from year to year during Graves' tenure, because of two special projects, the 1988 state census and 1992 presidential preference primary. Even projects that would be small for some agencies dominate the secretary of state's office budget.
In fact, the 1994 budget for the office was about four-hundredths of 1 percent of the state budget.
"The secretary of state's office hasn't had to make a tough decision in decades," Slattery said.
Graves said, "I can easily argue that this is one of the most difficult agencies in state government, and we're making it look easy."
IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE LIED CENTER!
The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts
Lied Series
presents
Behind the Scenes
for KU and Haskell Students
at the
Lied Center
Wednesday, September 14
GET FIRST DIBS ON INDIVIDUAL TICKETS TO YOUR FAVORITE LIED SERIES EVENTS!
Check out the Lied Center...from the dressing rooms to the orchestra pit! (PLUS.)Where else can you get free popcorn and Coca Cola from 4:30 to 6:00!
BECOME A CAMPUS (CELEBRITY...GET INTERVIEWED ON KJHK!
Register to win season tickets to the 1994-95 New Directions Series!
CATCH THE NIGHLIGHTS OF THE UPCOMING SEASON!