Town of Parker, Town Council 2023 Voting Record

Up for Re-Election Nov 2024

John Diak, Councilmember (Republican)

Laura Hefta, Councilmember (Republican)

Todd Hendreks, Councilmember (Unaffiliated)

Well, folks, gather around because I've got a yarn to spin that's so outlandish, you'd think it was ripped straight from comedy night at the Pace Center, except it's happening right under our noses in the charming council chambers of The Town of Parker. Now, if you believe that the illustrious council members, all six of them, holding hands in unanimous decision-making 843 times, are just a stroke of serendipitous unity, I've got an oceanfront property in Parker to sell you.

This miraculous miracle of thought begs the question, are we witnessing the pinnacle of political telepathy or a farce masquerading as democracy? The math wizards have crunched the numbers, and the probability of this "unity" is about as likely as spotting a unicorn at the Tailgate bar. It's not just unlikely, it's cosmically improbable even after too many tequila shots at Tailgate. And let's be honest, when was the last time anything in government was that harmonious without a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink?

Let's take a stroll down memory lane to a little place called Bell, California, where the term "public servant" went sideways. Now, while they weren't necessarily toasting each other over unanimous council votes, the heart of the matter is the same, when accountability takes a nap, democracy gets mugged in the back alley.

So, what's the solution for our good citizens of The Town of Parker? It's not rocket science. We need a Town Council that's more like a box of chocolates, a conservative mix of free thinkers where you never know what you're gonna get. Otherwise, we might as well swap out council meetings for reruns of "Friends", because that's how chummy the vote counts are looking.

To bring this tale to an end, unless we want our local governance to be a rubber-stamp fiesta (like what we have now), we need to usher in a new wave of council members this November who actually ponder the word 'No' as more than a mythical concept. Otherwise, we're just watching a badly scripted play where the ending is as predictable as a sunrise, and let me tell you, that's not the democracy we signed up for or should receive from our elected officials.

Here are the statistics for the 2023 voting records through 12/4/2023 of the Parker Town Council:

Joshua Rivero

Total Votes: 140

Yes Votes: 139

No Votes: 1

Missed Votes: 20

Brandi Wilks

Total Votes: 147

Yes Votes: 146

No Votes: 1

Missed Votes: 13

Todd Hendreks

Total Votes: 123

Yes Votes: 121

No Votes: 2

Missed Votes: 37

John Diak

Total Votes:

Yes Votes: 142

No Votes: 2

Missed Votes: 16

Anne Barrington

Total Votes: 153

Yes Votes: 152

 No Votes: 1

 Missed Votes: 7

Laura Hefta

Total Votes: 145

Yes Votes: 143

No Votes: 2

Missed Votes: 15

Jeff Toborg (Mayor, Tie Breaker)

Total Votes: 0

Yes Votes: 0

No Votes: 0

Total Across All Members:

Yes Votes: 843

No Votes: 9

The probability of achieving 843 unanimous 'Yes' votes among 6 differing council members, under the assumption of each vote being independent, is astronomically low, effectively approaching zero*. This would suggest pre-determined outcomes on votes.

 *Analyzed by a statistical resource (not opinion).

These vote records were pulled directly from the minutes of the Town Council meetings in 2023. I omitted all the “come to order” votes and the “adjourn” votes from the count.