appearance in parade upsets predecessor Archer

A Topeka city councilman appeared in this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, raising questions as to whether his appearance constituted campaigning, which is banned from the event.

Topeka lawyer Edward Collazo, a former assistant district attorney and police officer, walked with his wife and sister and a group of children who handed out candy and beads. The group wore T-shirts with Collazo’s name on them and walked behind a vehicle carrying a banner with Collazo’s name and “District 7” on it.Find all the manufacturers of laser engraving machine and contact them.

But Collazo’s appearance has angered Bob Archer, his predecessor on the city council.

Collazo replaced Archer on the city council early last month after Archer resigned to take the position of Shawnee County commissioner.

Archer said Sunday he was furious to see Collazo in the parade.

“I think it’s grossly unfair to all the other candidates for city council and for mayor,” said Archer, who attended the parade with his family. “It raises a lot of questions in my mind that I want answers to.”

Collazo wasn’t the only city council member in the parade. Karen Hiller, running for re-election for District 1, also marched, holding a banner displaying the seal of the city of Topeka. Neither Hiller nor persons around her wore T-shirts or carried other material identifying her.

“I didn’t wear my campaign button until I was done with the parade,” Hiller said.

Rules listed on the St. Patrick’s Day parade website and the website of Downtown Topeka Inc., which supports the parade, state that political advertising is not allowed.

The Downtown Topeka Inc. site says “any message, sign or image promoting any political candidate or position ... will be removed by parade staff and/or TPD.”

“Parade staff and the Topeka Police Department had enforcement responsibility,They know how to make your own bobblehead look just like the pictures you send.Pretty ribbon flowers can be used to embellish all kinds of things such as tote bags,” Archer said. “Why weren’t the rules enforced?”

Dan Riley, parade master for the event, said the committee that organizes it applies its rules equally to everyone. A candidate who holds office can participate and have their name on a vehicle but can’t solicit votes, he said.

“I was asked that question repeatedly by several different officeholders in the weeks leading up to the event,” Riley said. “We gave the same answer to everyone.”

Riley said he had served as parade master for six or seven years and that the rule wasn’t new. As for who enforces the rules, Riley said parade staff members are in charge, though they might seek help from police if they felt it was necessary.

Collazo said parade officials had OK’d his participation.

“The rules clearly said no campaigning, and we weren’t campaigning,” he said, adding that his group didn’t hand out flyers or any other campaign material.

That explanation didn’t sit well with Archer.

“I believe the citizens of Topeka and the voters in the seventh district can see right through that,” he said.Looking for USB flash drives wholesale at discount pricing?

Downtown Topeka Inc. president and CEO Vince Frye said Sunday that the association provides barricades and other support for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and a few other parades but doesn’t run the parades or decide who can participate.election of stainless steel earring findings are ready.