Once again we see cronyism from our District Attorney Marc
Bennett, who has shown us that he will defend any Republican in office, by
blocking the recall effort towards Sedgwick Commissioner Richard Ranzau. He is
part of the Republican machine here in Sedgwick County. However the recall
effort will fight on. –SJ Otto
This is from the Recall Ranzau
organization:
On December 14, 2015, the office of District
Attorney Marc Bennett (R) unlawfully blocked our second Petition to Recall
Commissioner Richard Ranzau (R) for failing to perform his duties prescribed by
law, shielding Commissioner Ranzau from any accountability to the citizens he
was elected to serve. This decision only protects Commissioner Ranzau temporarily from the 12,000 + voters in the 4th District who have grounds to ask for his removal from
office. Our Recall Petition was properly and lawfully grounded on Commissioner
Ranzau’s publicly stated ideologies disavowing provisions of our State
Constitution; his refusal to contract for the protection and promotion of the
public health and welfare pursuant to his statutory obligations as a member of
Sedgwick County’s public health board; and his refusal to provide for county
inhabitants who by reason of age, infirmity or other misfortune, may have
claims upon the aid of society.
The Recall Electors had hoped for a fair,
unbiased and legally competent opinion from the office
of the District Attorney. However, instead of an impartial and objective
ruling, Mr. Bennett issued an
opinion which reads more like it was written by Mr. Ranzau’s personal defense
attorney. We believe the DA's office has played a highly questionable and
improper role in these proceedings from the beginning. It is now clear from
both opinions that Mr. Bennett believes his role is to act as judge, jury and
defense counsel for Mr. Ranzau.
In addition to engaging in improper fact
finding that Commissioner Ranzau had not in fact disavowed the State
Constitution with his public statements, the DA's office, with the stroke of a
pen, unlawfully and in violation of the State’s Constitution, negated the individual responsibility of Commissioner Ranzau and each
Commissioner to uphold the health and welfare of the county's children, the
poor, and the sick, effectively
granting each Commissioner immunity from the possibility of a recall for
failing to perform duties prescribed by law. It is DA Marc Bennett’s,
incredulous opinion that Richard Ranzau, as our County Commissioner, owes no
individual duty to provide for "needy residents" within the county, or act as a board of health.
Of
course, the #RecallRanzau Committee will not allow the DA’s partisan,
prejudicial, and legally unsound opinions to go unchallenged. We intend to
pursue this matter to the Kansas Supreme Court to see that voters in Sedgwick
County's 4th District enjoy their fundamental right to a recall ballot against
Commissioner Ranzau. It makes no sense to file a 3rd petition because as the
gatekeeper, DA Bennett is likely to block future petitions to remove Ranzau,
and will apparently go to even more absurd lengths to find reasons why a recall
against a sitting commissioner is legally insufficient. Taking this case to the
Supreme Court instead will ensure that voters in every county who prefer not to
remain silent, complacent and afraid have the unfettered right to recall
elected county commissioners in the future for failing to perform their duties.
This
Committee reaffirms its commitment to Sedgwick County’s working poor, needy and
it’s most vulnerable inhabitants. Sedgwick County deserves better than
Commissioner Richard Ranzau. It is outrageous that District Attorney Marc
Bennett would shield Commissioner Ranzau from the voters in the 4th District who have legal grounds to ask for the
opportunity to remove him from office. And it is a travesty that this Recall
is being blocked, not because Ranzau has done nothing wrong, but because our DA
believes he individually owes no duty to the citizens of Sedgwick County!
We Will
Focus. We Will Finish. We Will Not Quit.
#RecallRanzau
Lives On!
Committee To
Recall Ranzau, Inc.
Sandrine
Lisk
Esau
Freeman
Scott
Poor
Neva Thiessen,
Recall Elector
Mary
Dean
Mary
Ware
Shirley Benton
Kelley, Recall Elector
Tom
James, Recall Elector
Lyle
“Chip” English
Wendell
Turner
Lisa
Vayda
Billie
Knighton
Melody
Miller
P.S. Please Like
& Follow our Facebook page for updates on the imminent Supreme Court case
and future committee events.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RecallRanzau/
Pix from www.kake.com.
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