Posted July 23, 2014in Civic Skinny
What do you do if you’re a politician picked up for drunken driving? How does it all play out? Here’s how it played out — sometimes minute by minute — when Tony Bisignano was stopped for driving erratically in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 30, last year. It’s a
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Posted July 16, 2014in Civic Skinny
Marty Tirrell Update: The Tirrell homestead in West Des Moines was sold last month at a sheriff’s sale. The sale followed a lawsuit filed against the sports-radio talker and serial defendant by Great Western Bank, alleging the Tirrells took out a $168,000 mortgage on April 1, 2011, and three years
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Posted July 09, 2014in Civic Skinny
Terry Branstad has been governor of Iowa for nearly 20 years. He was elected to four terms, sat out for a bit, was re-elected in 2010 and now is seeking his sixth term. Chuck Grassley has been in the United States Senate for nearly 34 years. He has been elected
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Posted July 02, 2014in Civic Skinny
The state of Iowa isn’t the only one having trouble collecting from wealthy architect but careless — if that’s the right word — landlord and businessman Kirk Blunck. His own lawyers have sued him. The Finley law firm went to district court last month saying that from 2006 through 2009
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Posted June 25, 2014in Civic Skinny
“As a community focused non-profit organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors, we value transparency,” Susan Ramsey of the Greater Des Moines Partnership told Cityview the other day. That, of course, meant she’s wasn’t going to answer the question. Sure enough, she didn’t. The question was: How much do
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Posted June 18, 2014in Civic Skinny
The circulation of The Des Moines Register is continuing its free-fall. Combined print and digital circulation of the Monday-Friday newspaper in the six months ended March 31 totaled 86,982, down 6.7 percent from the 93,304 of a year earlier. Two years ago, the figure was 101,915. Five years ago it
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Posted June 11, 2014in Civic Skinny
The state is nuts if it doesn’t try to settle the Chris Godfrey lawsuit right away. And the six present or former state officials who are defendants — who now are at risk for damages and legal fees — are nuts if they don’t demand the state settle. So say
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Posted June 04, 2014in Civic Skinny
Iowa’s elected officials have no trouble asking for money, but by and large they’re pretty stingy at giving it. Gov. Terry Branstad raised $1,157,436.36 between Jan. 1 and May 19, according to records at the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. He made one campaign contribution during the period —
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Posted May 28, 2014in Civic Skinny
Gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch received no significant Iowa money from outside Des Moines in the latest reporting period. Terry Branstad received carloads. That’s a major reason the Republican Governor has such a phenomenal money lead over his Democratic challenger. From Jan. 1 to May 19, Branstad raised $1,157,436.36, spent $748,677.06
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Posted May 21, 2014in Civic Skinny
What is the “appearance of a conflict” of interests? Attorney General Tom Miller is campaigning for Nathan Blake, the assistant attorney general running for the Iowa Senate seat being vacated by gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch. Blake is “ethical, very bright and able, committed to serving the interests of ordinary Iowans,”
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