Kansas taxpayers stuck with fallout from Brownback's assault on Docking building

Bedbugs, fleas and mice tormented employees who languished in outmoded and deteriorating furnishings inside the Docking State Office Building.

The workers washed their hands with worm-filled water that flowed through rusty pipes, struggled to get comfortable with inconsistent temperatures in their office spaces and hoped to avoid getting stuck in the frequently faulty elevators.

For former Gov. Sam Brownback, the long-neglected conditions of Docking provided an excuse to demolish the historic structure with a Democrat’s name on the west side of the Capitol. The wrecking ball also would have taken out the heating and air conditioning systems in the bowels of Docking that serve the Capitol complex.

Brownback alienated legislators by discreetly orchestrating plans to build a new power plant and relocate more than 1,000 Docking employees. A review of long-term leases signed by the Brownback administration shows they contain severe penalties for early termination and commit the state to pay millions in yearly rent bills through the 2040s.

Read more: https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20190501/kansas-taxpayers-stuck-with-fallout-from-brownbacks-assault-on-docking-building/1
(Huthchinson News)

Brownback was petty in his plans for the Docking building since it was named for a Democratic governor.