William …
One other thing regarding the Jeff Barnes statement in 2008 in the ASHI reporter
It was heavily slanted. The facts about who introduced Bills and when were accurate BUT left out a few things. Barnes indicates they sent invitations to over 250 inspectors in Kansas to get a group consensus. He may have HOWEVER, we went to them and we had ABOUT 25-28 inspectors present (maybe 20-21 were ASHI and the rest were NACHI or NAHI). Anybody could stand and talk BUT when it came time to vote ONLY members of the Barnes Group **(KAREI) **were allowed to vote.
When the licensing came up there was ANOTHER state group in Kansas called KARCI (Kansas Association of Residential & Commercial Inspectors). They were made up of NACHI, ASHI and NAHI inspectors and their Board and Officers were from all 3 groups. THEY were NOT in FAVOR of licensing and fought it VERY effectively because we had some very strong IN’s.
My Sister-in-Law was Pres of largest Realtor Board in KS and on the NAR’s National BoD; my best friend in school was LAW PARTNERS with the Attorney Patterson; our VP of KARCI went to church with Patterson and shared a Duck hunting blind with him; I had done Home Inspections for the XO and Pres of the KC home builders association AND they thought licensing was UN-NEEDED and lent us their lobbyist to help get us into meetings with strategic legislators; I had helped 2 of Representative Sloan’s friends with bad construction issues AND shown him exactly what we could AND could NOT do in an inspection. He was ready to back down; the graphic artist that did all my flyers AND worked with me as a part-time inspector had a sister INSIDE the Kansas state Realtors Board in Topeka (we knew what they were doing almost before they did).
On top of ALL that I had served on ASHI’s national Legislative committee, was a registered lobbyist in Kansas AND when the REA’s had told the legislators about the HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of problems that Home Inspectors caused … I wrote the 3 BBB’s in KS, the state AG’s office, and several consumer groups like HADD and ASKED them for confirmation on HOW MANY complaints they had filed on Home Inspectors in KS. The AG’s office had 2 complaints in 4 yrs; THE Kansaas BBB’s had 7 complaints in the past 3 yrs AND the consumer groups had NONE. But (because I’d asked them) … They had hundreds of complaints against REA’s, remodelers, property managers, etc, etc. WE showed legislators the REA’s were BS’ing them.
BUT good old Jeff Barnes and 3 other local ASHI inspectors in Wichita with **NO EXPERIENCE in ANY thing having to do with leadership, politics, etc **incorporated themselves AND called it KAREI (Kansas Association of Real Estate Inspectors), got the KC chapter of ASHI to sign their members up in KAREI, then started telling the friendly REA’s and legislators they were the OFFICIAL voice of Home Inspectors in Kansas AND they were willing to play. **Wham the rest of us got locked out. **We talked AND wrote letters AND appeared at hearings AND were able to UNDO some of the CRAP the Barnes crowd got us into because they had no experience BUT nobody else was EVER allowed into the drafting of the Bill, etc.
Barnes talks about ANNUAL meetings of his group KAREI … During the 13 yrs they’ve been in existence the ONLY thing you can call a meeting is either him OR Kerry Parham from Wichita show up at an ANNUAL meeting of the Kansas City ASHI chapter AND during lunch tells the crowd what they are doing. THERE is NEVER any voting, etc … Barnes or Parham simply make decisions and do it.
The training school in Leavenworth run by ASHI members Tom Lauhon and Miki Mertz seems to somehow be connected into what goes on in KAREI.
Hope that helps a bit understanding what went down.
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