Talk about the odd couple…
The photo of buttoned down new Overland Park city manager Bill Ebel in the Johnson County Sun gives the impression the city maybe hired a Brooks Brothers model. His wife Theresa‘s Facebook pic on the other hand looks more like she’s running an ashram.
The point being sometimes opposites attract.
Ebel was hired after an expensive “nationwide search” to find a replacement for departing OP city manager John Nachbar. Nachbar’s off to Culver City,California near Hollywood where there should be plenty of ashrams. And after all that fuss and muss, the search committee discovered Ebel a mere 63 feet down the hall running the planning department.
Imagine that – closer than a Chilean miner – and he even speaks English!
Maybe we should assign the searchers to find Big Foot. He might be in that lake near 95th & Metcalf. Wonder what they’d charge for that. Couldn’t be much, a couple scuba tank rentals, some fins and a set of night vision goggles.
Ebel went to West Point and boasts on his resume that his wife, Theresa Knipper Ebel, is from Shawnee. His predecessor, Nachbar was born and raised in Shawnee, too. Must be an incubator for leadership with expatriates like trash magnate Ron Deffenbaugh and putzy pol Phill Kline. Hey, it’s 100 years older than Overland Park.
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Theresa’s Facebook pics paint a portrait of an aging hippie.
In her profile photo – shot from behind – she’s in full-on yoga mode. In another, she’s wearing a faux leopard coat, funky hat, glasses and striking a paparazzi pose. Kinda like a bedazzled Dame Edna. Maybe she’s Barbra Streisand as Katie from “The Way We Were” to her husband’s Robert Redford as Hubbell.
My favorite photo is an audition-like pic of her cradling a bottle of Mad Housewife Wine. She may not the official spokesmodel for Mad Housewife Cellars Winery, but Overland Park sure could use a little personality.
I predict she’ll be cutting the ribbon later this year at the Grand Opening of Trader Joe’s on 135th St. She can stock up on TJ’s famous “Two Buck Chuck” wine (which actually sells for $3). By then it’ll be cheaper than a gallon of gas, so it’s all good.
Speaking of which, the Ebel’s can now afford A LOT of Two Buck Chuck or Mad Housewife chablis.
That’s because taxpayers will be paying Bill $175,000 a year plus bennies. Overland Park’s hardball negotiators also awarded him $12,500 in moving expenses.
To move from Lenexa.
So what
Nice facebook raid. I don’t know Ebel or his wife but they look like an interesting couple to me. Should she have pictures of herself in a K-State apron baking cookies? I have no doubt that West Point grads can attract interesting and intelligent women. I guess I am trying to get the point.
Wow…gathering “news” from FB accounts…brilliant!
Is that what this site is sinking to? Making snide comments based on pictures on a FB account? Where’s the Pulitzer? Where’s the picture of Tracy Thomas we can all mock? And if you don’t look like sh*t in it then I’m sure a little research can be done to find one where you do.
Nice!
Het Tracy, lets see a pic of you. I can’t tell if you’re a chick or a dude.
This could be FUN!!!
Tracy, Meet her. Then write an arcticle. I beg you.
Two of the finest people you’ll ever meet
You’re lucky to have ’em on your team, OPK. You’ll see.
Tracy, c’mon — you can do better than this.
ad hominem
Tracy,
Why would you attack a perfectly innocent person? Did the person you liked for the job not get it? OK, too bad. That’s how it goes. Just maybe they found the right guy. I think this article says a lot more about your character or lack there of than it does about Bill and Theresa Ebel. This couple have been and continue to be an inspiration to a lot of people, especially military men who are serving presently and have served in the past. Theresa would give you the shirt off of her back if you needed it!
You act like this job was handed to Bill on a silver platter. You would be terribly wrong. They both earned it by long, honest hard work, dicipline and persistence. They have paid their dues plus! Their friends and family would vouch for that. I would vouch for them, too!
Tracy, you might want to pull your skirt down a little because I think your insecurities are showing. I can surely see them!
What’s Your Agenda
Boasting that your source is a Facebook account is not only in poor taste, but unprofessional. What’s your angle? Do you know Bill or Theresa? If you did, you would know that Bill is not only a highly dedicated professional, but that his “mad housewife” is an awesome and supportive mother who likes to have fun. Your article should be found liable, if not for an unwarranted attack on both Bill and Theresa’s character, but the apparent jealousy you have for a great family. If you still stand by your accusations, then maybe you should take one of Theresa’s yoga classes. I promise…..in the end you’ll be less stressed and might just have a new best friend.
About Tracy Thomas
This article is awe-inspiring trash. One can see from your in-depth investigative reporting that you care for what you write about. You spent an exuberant amount of time researching your topic, as you were able to show, since you cited Facebook as a source. It leaves one to wonder how someone as talented as you hasn
Really?
The only part of this “Article”, and I use that term very loosely here, is that yes, opposites do attract.
So, Theresa likes to go out and have fun whether in dress up or not or by enjoying yoga. Have you ever tries yoga Tracy? I have not myself, but the many I know who do say it is very relaxing and great for stress. Which sounds like you have a lot of now from reading these past responses. And like everyone else…Facebook as a cited source? Are you serious. I can tell you really took the time to research your information. How about the pictures of Theresa and her family? The ones that clearly show that they love and care for each other very much. Here’s an idea Tracy, go out and some fun yourself instead of sitting at home and trying to berate an individual who goes out and lives their life to the fullest. Maybe relax with a glass of wine. May I suggest a glass of Mad Housewife.
Go back to writing in your journal and keeping your thoughts to yourself. Dumb-Ass.
No depth…
Dear, “Fringe Facebook Reporter.” It appears KC confidential may be asking nothing more of it’s staff, than what I have read, which is just snippets of information with no depth. I daily read, a lot. From Newspapers all over the Country. I see I’ve been miss nothing here…
Just “Fringe Reporting.” Nothing more, nothing less.
Oh no you didn’t!
Tracy, The Ebel family are nothing less than giving, loving, meraculous joy spreaders! Bill and Theresa have the life we all inspire to have and got here with a lot of hard work. Every day that I have known Theresa she wakes up asking herself, ‘Who can I give to today?” She is fun, spunky, intellegent, and it is no wonder she landed such a catch as Bill. They may seem opposite but I guarantee you their goals are the same. They have raised four self-sufficent children that understand the need to be contributing members of society. This family has more class than a chauncy writer that judges people by a FB profile page. I feel absolutely priviledged to know Theresa and her family…. perhaps you should do the same.
Chill out, thin-skinned friends of Theresa!
I love that the Ebels have such loyal friends. Really. But these comments are rather defensive and off point, if you reread the post. I didn’t attack her, I shared exactly what SHE had shared on her Facebook page! Until she was muzzled by the Thin Skinned Overland Park Welcome Wagon–or—let me guess, her West Point trained husband???? Her own support group made her delete her personality. How Stepford is that??? Welcome to Overland Park–where being different is not allowed. My post illustrated this perfectly.
I like couples who are not clones. Sounds like they have a wonderful marriage. I give people enormous space to be themselves. I like eccentricity, and I am sure I will like Theresa. And Bill. It was the readers who freaked out at sharing her public mirror, Not I. Not one image was invented, just shared. Don’t kill the carrier pigeon. This is why Facebook can be dangerous to job seekers.
Next: I’d like to meet Theresa, and would love to take a yoga class from her. I am recovering from a crippling disability, and yoga is just what I need. But after I tried to friend her on Facebook, well before the article, she took her Facebook page down, or actually renamed it. She was muzzled. I know the name but will not divulge it here. So will someone please call me or send me the info so I can attend?
As for mentioning the preposterousness of a so-called “national search” by OP, and then paying $12,500 in moving expenses from Lenexa–well, that is political commentary. It’s not personal or directed at the Ebels, for heaven’s sake. It’s directed at the stuffy OP search committee. It’s a waste of taxpayer money to pay a search committee, when you SHOULD just interview within the building and see who should be promoted. Exposing waste and shining a light on these excesses–that’s what I do. For free. From Shawnee: the nurturing ground for JoCo leadership, for 150 years.
this is not journalism…this is what journalism has come to
You must be a liberal….muzzled???? Na…just kinda creepy that “so called” writers like you would be stalking peoples social networking sights like facebook..get a life…I’ve never read kcconfidential…never will again…people like you need to be muzzled!! LOL