Nostr notes by kurtcroix

People really out here trying to look rich on paper? Must not ...

2026-08-20T17:39:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…l7da
_________________________

People really out here trying to look rich on paper? Must not understand the tax code.

You might run a test to see what happens if the user exits the ...

2026-08-05T19:07:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…4x47
_________________________

You might run a test to see what happens if the user exits the app before that happens to decide if there needs to be some bigger "warning don't close the app until this is complete" popup bc the one right now is rather small. If it had a time estimate even better.

Seems to work

2026-08-05T19:04:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…xvdm
_________________________

Seems to work

I am looking at the event Id on shosho. Go look at all my past ...

2026-08-05T18:28:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…p4y2
_________________________

I am looking at the event Id on shosho.

Go look at all my past streams on there. First, there should be a new naddr per stream. Then after the stream finishes there is an updated stream event which changes the state to ended and updates the other tags. If I'm not mistaken it's download and recorded, which allow download and playback

Also, you are reusing the same naddr when new streams are ...

2026-08-05T18:15:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…glc6
_________________________

Also, you are reusing the same naddr when new streams are started. So the stream I had last week is now overwritten

I just DMd you, but the streaming bug I previously reported still ...

2026-08-05T18:11:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…kx0x
_________________________

I just DMd you, but the streaming bug I previously reported still appears to be active. The stream isn't being republished with the links to the recording so shosho doesn't show them as replayable/downloadeable

🔴 I’m live now: Live stream ▶ Watch: ...

2026-08-05T18:10:10Z

In reply to naddr1qq…xahj
_________________________

🔴 I’m live now: Live stream

▶ Watch: https://poster.place/naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzpuu2078q3r48yl33dwvsmg5um7x3xdftt7sft9q3zjurlmaykel6qyv8wumn8ghj7ur0wd6x2u3wwpkxzcm99aex2mrp0yqpqwps8q6nxvtzvd3nje3nxcckzdchupewk

quoting
naddr1qv…pewk

I may have lost, but thanks to the support of over 1/3rd of the ...

2026-08-05T17:56:56Z

I may have lost, but thanks to the support of over 1/3rd of the Republicans, we were able to put the people in power on notice: the people of Ray County welcome Sunshine and updated processes. I look forward to see what Mrs. Church will implement to close out the decade.

As I said during my campaign, none of the projects I worked on during my campaign were specifically for the campaign, albeit at an elevated pace, so if you want to continue supporting the efforts I made, stay tuned.

I'm going to take a couple weeks to enjoy the company of my wife and twins, catch up on farm chores, and refactor my tech stack before going right back into the work that we, as citizens, can do to keep our government in check and working for us.

God is good.

I want to be able to go lower, not higher. Look at ...

2026-07-30T01:30:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…4nyd
_________________________

I want to be able to go lower, not higher.

Look at naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzpuu2078q3r48yl33dwvsmg5um7x3xdftt7sft9q3zjurlmaykel6qqgrsvpcx5enzcnrvvukvvekx9snwy9tfy9
There are no recording/download tags. So shosho won't register the replay like it does for:
naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzppwlsg4gvkvll05pg0d3u8sm7tgk97nql359ce23t937vl8awjvlqqjr2vfe8yunsvty94nxzwfn956r2ety95ukyven94skxvtzvscngv34xvmns4vwkkr

Mobile

2026-07-30T01:26:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…ax72
_________________________

Mobile

🔴 I’m live now: 7/29 Ray Co Commissioners' Mtg ▶ ...

2026-07-29T13:54:03Z

In reply to naddr1qq…xahj
_________________________

🔴 I’m live now: 7/29 Ray Co Commissioners' Mtg

▶ Watch: https://poster.place/naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzpuu2078q3r48yl33dwvsmg5um7x3xdftt7sft9q3zjurlmaykel6qyv8wumn8ghj7ur0wd6x2u3wwpkxzcm99aex2mrp0yqpqwps8q6nxvtzvd3nje3nxcckzdchupewk

quoting
naddr1qv…pewk

Nostr event nevent1qqs8c7dqf4vp9dqjdmaqvn0dywvq4vpj2x74lrta40gmd0z03s3nsjqzyrec5luwpz82wflrz6uepk3fehudzv6jkhaqjk2pz99c8lh6fdnl52l5mz0

2026-07-21T17:24:50Z

Today I passed my Professional Architect cert and I already have ...

2026-07-15T17:42:43Z

Today I passed my Professional Architect cert and I already have one fromanother cloud provider. Go read our responses and then you can decide who you want to "modernize" the county systems.

If you checkout my website (kurt-croix.github.io/podstr) I have already built and deployed all of the software needed to leap frog Ray County from being one of the most corrupt county governments in Missouri to the most open and transparent.

The sheriff's removal by the AG was just a symptom, the entire culture of our government officials and the courthouse has become rotten underneath our noses.

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/news/two-vie-clerk-seat

Admission of violation of the law from a county official and ...

2026-06-27T01:53:41Z

Admission of violation of the law from a county official and candidate, that she deleted later that day.

She claims I'm committing a smear campaign, but I received the documents of the sunshine request exposing this information 15 minutes before she accused me of "election interference" because I thought it was unethical for her to even be in the room during that process.

Folks, this is what the people in the courthouse are doing in broad daylight, imagine what they are doing behind closed doors.

Nostr doesn't need government institutions, govt institutions need Nostr if they're going to be considered legitimate.

Nepotism or Negligence: $50k decision As we just celebrated my ...

2026-06-22T15:08:50Z

Nepotism or Negligence: $50k decision
As we just celebrated my first Father's Day yesterday, I found it timely to share this story which implicates my opponent for Clerk Lyndsey Church and/or Julie Chowning the current Collector and the only candidate running for Collector.

On June 4th I submitted a Sunshine request for the information around the RFP for the Ray County janitorial contract which is around $50k annually.

The response contained the newspaper posting and the accepted bid. The bid was published in the Richmond Newspaper's Friday edition, before the Tuesday @ Noon deadline. This only gave potential bidders 4 days or 2 business days to respond, which violates MO statute 50.660's "due opportunity for competition, including advertising the proposed letting in a newspaper" clause.

This is also a violation of MO statute 105.454. Section 3 states "No elected or appointed official or employee of the state or any political subdivision thereof, serving in an executive or administrative capacity, shall... Participate in any matter, directly or indirectly, in which he or she attempts to influence any decision of any agency of the state, or political subdivision thereof in which he or she is an officer or employee or over which he or she has supervisory power, when he or she knows the result of such decision may be the acceptance of the performance of a service... to him or her, to his or her spouse, to a dependent child in his or her custody or to any business with which he or she is associated." Julie Chowning is the Collector for Ray County and on both 5/21 & 5/28 you can she is at the commissioners meeting directly influencing the commissioners decision to give her husband the contract before it is signed which is why I initially submitted the Sunshine Request.

May 21 (starting at the 30 minute mark) https://shosho.live/live/naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzppwlsg4gvkvll05pg0d3u8sm7tgk97nql359ce23t937vl8awjvlqqjx2desvgukzepc95enqd3s956rswrp94sk2dp3943rsdp5xd3nqv3kvsukzyltkn4
May 28 (starting at 37 minute mark)
https://shosho.live/live/naddr1qvzqqqrkvupzppwlsg4gvkvll05pg0d3u8sm7tgk97nql359ce23t937vl8awjvlqqjrxerp8qcnqcmr95mrzcnx956rwet994snqefh956rydrzvd3kxcf4vgmnxl3pn29

Once I did some more searching, I noticed on the county website that this RFP was posted on the county website May 5th, however I don't believe most of the county knows that they are posting bids on that site or that there is a specific resolution or previous publication stating that that would be the primary source for bids in Ray County. The posts are not accompanied by an author nor are they posted in a way to verify who or when exactly it was posted. Also, this was not included in the response from Lyndsey Church, the Custodian of Records who is also the daughter of the Owner of the company that won the bid. Also, in the recording of the meeting for May 21, you can hear reference to multiple options which were presented in the bid, which was not included in the response to my request. This improper fulfilment of my Sunshine Request seems negligent, as I have other examples.

Here are the rest of the docs I received in response to my sunshine request.

If anyone wants to see a much shorter version of my platform: ...

2026-06-19T15:08:54Z

If anyone wants to see a much shorter version of my platform:

quoting naddr1qq…hpl7

Candidate Questionnaire — Kurt Croix

Name: Kurt Croix

Age: 33

Address: Rayville

Highest grade completed | Present employer

I graduated with Honors from Mizzou with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics.

Present employer: Senior Software Engineer at a cyber security company.

Relevant political or work experience

Financial: Built a public dashboard transforming the 327-page 2025 county budget into an interactive dashboard ( https://tinyurl.com/n4pp3syx). Will implement Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automate receipt data extraction and eliminate manual errors.

Administrative: Daily work managing massive, highly complex systems as a software engineer at a major cybersecurity firm; will bring precise project management, system organization, and rigorous documentation to the Clerk’s administrative duties.

Legal: Well-versed in the Missouri Sunshine Law and professional regulatory compliance from industry experience.

Why are you running for Ray County Clerk?

I am running to change a culture of stonewalled Sunshine requests and evasive answers; I will implement three key transparency improvements:

Meeting Transcription: Automated workflow that transcribes, summarizes, and publishes commissioners’ meetings as an un-editable podcast so working citizens can stay informed ( https://kurt-croix.github.io/podstr/).

Open & Searchable Records: Built a searchable file explorer to replace unsearchable files, allowing citizens to search county records ( https://tinyurl.com/5dczst7c).

Digital-First Presence: I will establish an online bulletin board so public notices are accessible from any phone or computer.

Biographical information

Christian; husband to Ky; father of twins; software engineer; regenerative farmer.

Lived in Ray County since 2022.

Currently employed as a Senior Software Engineer.

What do you see as the biggest responsibility of the Ray County Clerk’s Office, and what experience has prepared you for that role?

Record keeping and Sunshine Requests. By default, ALL data produced by county government belongs to the public; official communications or documents generated by elected or appointed officials (e.g., Planning & Zoning or LERF boards) should be systematically open.

To protect sensitive data, will implement filtering software that scans documents for legally confidential information before publication.

While full transition to transparent, digital infrastructure may take time, I possess the IT expertise to work with the county technology department to deliver this incrementally. (See https://tinyurl.com/3e63dkyt for more details.)

How would you approach maintaining transparency and public access to county records and information?

I will implement modern data protocols so open county records are secure, permanently archived, and easily auditable. I will utilize secure, open-source publishing protocols, Nostr and Blossom, to apply unalterable digital signatures to every document; any post-publication tampering is instantly flagged.

For closed/confidential records: encrypt files locally, restrict access to authorized personnel only, and back up to high-durability, secure cloud storage with off-site redundancy.

Demo: https://tinyurl.com/5dczst7c

Elections are one of the clerk office's most visible responsibiliies. What steps would you take to help maintain voter confidence and communicate clearly with the public during elections?

I observed our local election process during the April election. The mechanics are straightforward and secure and I do not intend to disrupt the core processes that work well.

My priority for maintaining voter confidence is absolute transparency and communication. I will be fully accessible to any citizen with questions or concerns about election integrity and am open to practical, secure adjustments based on public feedback to ensure everyone feels confident in their vote. I would publicize when elections are occuring more.

Are there any changes or improvements you would like to see within the Ray County Clerk's Office? If so, what would they be and why?

In addition to the changes I've already presented, I would like to end the adversarial relationship the current administration has with the public. To achieve this, I will:

Respond to citizens’ Sunshine requests with all requested information instead of a subset.

Explore cost-neutral electronic payments for Sunshine requests.

Create an as-close-to-real-time expenditure dashboard.

Produce a monthly "red-flag" report highlighting any department trending more than 5% over projected spending.

Treat every day as if the State Auditor is coming tomorrow.

The county clerk works closely with commissioners, department heads and the public on a daily basis. How would you approach communication and collaboration in the position?

I view the Clerk’s role as inherently collaborative with the County Commission. Vital to that collaboration is ensuring strict Sunshine Law compliance and proper record-keeping to protect the county from liability.

At the same time, as an independently elected official, primary accountability is to the voters. Transparency must always be the top priority. To best serve both the public and the Commission, I believe maintaining clear, objective, and professional communication focused strictly on county business to ensure transparency, prevent misunderstandings, and foster trust.

Nostr event nevent1qqstnhw8s9tq6va3pnt6mc59etls5ptu3qkcc54ctx8rtmcawpgfxugzyrec5luwpz82wflrz6uepk3fehudzv6jkhaqjk2pz99c8lh6fdnl5hdjmu6

2026-06-19T15:06:34Z

If anyone wants to see a much shorter version of my platform:

Pretty neat considering I never thought I'd be on a ballot. ...

2026-06-16T17:06:44Z

Pretty neat considering I never thought I'd be on a ballot.

First time I've been memed or used to make an ai picture ...

2026-06-15T01:55:19Z

First time I've been memed or used to make an ai picture
Full article text: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Eg3GE7sVs/

The Collector accused me of election interference and the Clerk ...

2026-06-11T18:31:18Z

The Collector accused me of election interference and the Clerk reported me to the State:

Earlier this year the Clerk yelled at me in her office because I was running for her job, claiming I didn't know anything about elections, the budget, etc. Then in April I went to vote at Pisgah and asked the judges since I was running for Clerk if I could audit and watch their closeout process. Both the democrat and republican official agreed that was fine and so I returned that evening and watched them do teardown, which I saw how they closed out the electronic machine, put the ballots in bags and signed them. At no point did I touch a single ballot. Then I helped them put away the tables and chairs and all of their stuff.

This weekend while campaigning in Orrick, I happened to knock on one of the judges doors and they told me they were questioned by county officials about what I was doing that evening. I thought that was strange and brought it up during open comments today.

I immediately sent a sunshine request regarding all communications about this matter:

To which my opponent, Lyndsey Church, falsely responds by saying no accusations were made even though you can clearly hear in the video the Collector, her mother - Julie Chowning, say what I did was interference in an election:

This is egregious and blatant targeting of an individual.
This is circling the wagons.
This is their last effort to try to get me out of the election after re-assessing my property even though no new buildings have been built on it since I moved in.
This is lawfare.
This is the "good ole boys BS" phrase I hear from voters most while on the campaign trail.

I am not in their inner circle. They hate that I ask questions as a citizen. They know that if elected I will publish ALL of the county's open records online so you can know and see what is going on in your local government.

Why is it a bad pattern to ask a user if they want to create data ...

2026-06-03T12:14:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…w6uz
_________________________

Why is it a bad pattern to ask a user if they want to create data tied to their identity

Answered some questions from some local media outlets. ...

2026-05-31T12:49:13Z

Answered some questions from some local media outlets.

quoting
naddr1qq…wqdu

Tell us your first and last name, a little about yourself, and what makes you uniquely qualified for this elected position. (Name | Age | Address) (Share some biographical information on yourself, your career, years lived in Ray County, spouse and children’s names (if applicable), etc.) (Highest grade completed | Present employer) My name is Kurt Croix (33), and I have lived in Rayville, MO, since 2022. I am a Christian, a husband to my wife Ky, a father of twins, a software engineer, and a farmer. I graduated with Honors from Mizzou with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics. I am currently employed by Trellix as a Senior Software Engineer. I am uniquely qualified for this position because of my technical skills, which I will leverage to increase the openness and efficiency of our county government as County Clerk.

Why have you chosen to run for the office of Ray County Clerk at this specific time, and what specific improvements do you hope to bring to the office? (Why are you running for Ray County Clerk?) (Are there any changes or improvements you would like to see within the Ray County Clerk’s Office? If so, what would they be and why?)

Before I deciding to run for Clerk, I was submitting Sunshine requests to the county for information that I believe all citizens are entitled to. I asked for a copy of existing ordinances and court orders, but received only one—which merely detailed the time limits for public questioning at commissioners' meetings. When I requested information regarding the 2025 hack to see if citizen data had been compromised, my request was blocked, and no third-party audit was conducted. I repeatedly received false information or standard evasive answers like, “We’ll talk to our lawyer and get back to you” (which they never did). I am running to change this culture. My top three targeted improvements include:

Recording and Transcribing Commissioners’ Meetings: I already livestream the weekly meetings I attend using my phone and a tripod online. I offered to set this up using the county's existing equipment, but the commission declined, stating, “We are a small county.” I built an automated workflow that transcribes, summarizes, and publishes these meetings as a podcast so working citizens can listen anytime. These files are uneditable, ensuring permanent transparency. Notably, official meeting minutes have suddenly become more detailed since I began publishing these recordings.

Open and Searchable Records: By default, all public documents should be accessible unless explicitly closed under Missouri Sunshine Law. I built a working demonstration of a searchable database (click the (i) in the top right corner for a shortvideo demo). Currently, county minutes are published as unsearchable files. By publishing them in a text-based format linked to the official signed version, citizens could simply search a keyword like “bridge” to instantly find every time bridges were discussed, along with the corresponding meeting audio. The minutes are just an example of what I will apply across the board.

Digital-First Presence: Citizens don’t have time to physically walk into the courthouse to read a bulletin board. While I will maintain the physical board, I will establish a Web based bulletin board so citizens can easily view 24-hour public notices (LERF, Emergency Management, etc) directly from their phones or computers.

The County Clerk handles complex administrative, financial, and legal responsibilities. What specific professional background and qualifications do you possess that prepare you to execute these statutory duties on day one? (Relevant political or work experience)

Financial: Managing county financial duties requires rigorous data management. Alongside my computer science degree, I hold a math minor and spent two years working on a team of data scientists at Mizzou. I have already built a public dashboard allowing citizens to easily explore the 2025 county budget , transforming a dense 327-page PDF into accessible dat - As Clerk, I will implement Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems to seamlessly extract data from receipts directly into our database, eliminating manual clerical errors and free up time.

Administrative: My daily work as a software engineer at a major cybersecurity firm involves managing massive, highly complex systems. I will bring that same level of precise project management, system organization, and rigorous documentation to the Clerk’s administrative duties.

Legal: While I am not an attorney, I am thoroughly well-versed in the Missouri Sunshine Law and possess a deep professional understanding of regulatory compliance through my career.

RSMo 50.530: The County Clerk serves as the county's accounting officer. What is your strategy for ensuring the county budget, financial reporting, and expenditures remain strictly compliant with state law?

Missouri law is crystal clear: the county cannot spend money that has not been formally appropriated. Before any department orders so much as a box of pens, my office will certify that funds are available in their specific budget line. If the line item is empty, the process stops until a formal budget amendment is approved by the Commission.

To ensure compliance, I will:

Publish (digitially) each separate version of the budget (or any document) if and when it is amended.

Provide real-time, digital financial statements comparing budgeted amounts against actual expenditures.

Implement a monthly "red-flag" report highlighting any department trending more than 5% over its projected spending.

Maintain a strict, impenetrable separation of duties between the Clerk’s office and the Treasurer’s office to prevent fraud and minimize clerical errors.

Treat every day as if the State Auditor is coming tomorrow. Every expenditure will require a verified paper trail (invoice, proof of delivery, and Commission approval). By acting as a disciplined gatekeeper, we keep Ray County out of legal trouble and in the black.

RSMo 51.150 requires the Clerk to maintain exact and regular accounts between the treasurer and the county. How do you plan to fulfill this duty to ensure absolute financial transparency and protect taxpayer dollars?

When the approval and payment process get blurred, taxpayer money is risked. My office will maintain a completely independent set of books from the Treasurer. We will not simply take their word for bank balances; we will independently record every receipt issued and every check authorized. Through frequent reconciliations, my office will instantly log debits to the Treasurer's account the moment a tax payment or grant is received. No money will leave the county treasury without an authorized check signed by the Clerk. Before any signature is applied, my staff will verify that the expenditure matches a specific court order or legal contract, ensuring taxpayer money is never risked.

The Clerk is the administrative backbone of the County Commission. How do you view the importance of keeping meticulously accurate and comprehensive journals of all commission proceedings and orders?

Accurate record-keeping is the fundamental backbone of county government. The automated transcription system of Commissioners' meetings that I built for my campaign shows how technology can enhance accuracy. As Clerk, I will utilize the county's existing audio equipment to implement speaker-identification software to improve these transcripts. This ensures that official transcripts and descriptions perfectly reflect exactly who said what, allowing votes to be flawlessly cross-referenced with my notes. Absolute accuracy prevents public confusion and protects the integrity of the record, as highlighted by past public clashes over minutes accuracy (such as reports in the Richmond Daily News: Commissioners, resident clash over accuracy

As the local election authority (RSMo 115.015), the integrity of the democratic process rests heavily on your office. What are your specific priorities for ensuring fair, accessible, and secure elections in this county? (Elections are one of the clerk's office’s most visible responsibilities. What steps would you take to help maintain voter confidence and communicate clearly with the public during elections?)

I personally observed our local election process during the April election. The physical mechanics of our current system are straightforward and secure, and I do not intend to disrupt the core processes that currently work well. My priority for maintaining voter confidence is absolute transparency and communication. I will be fully accessible to any citizen who has questions or concerns about election integrity, and I am entirely open to making practical, secure adjustments based on public feedback to ensure everyone feels confident in their vote.

Clerk is legally responsible for archiving crucial county ordinances, including complex planning and zoning orders. How will you modernize or maintain the preservation of these records so they are secure yet easily accessible?

TLDR: I will implement modern data protocols to ensure all open county records produced during my tenure are highly secure, permanently archived, and easily auditable by everyday citizens. For open records, I will utilize secure, open-source data publishing protocols (like Nostr and Blossom). This applies an unalterable digital signature to every document that traces directly back to my office as Clerk. If a file is tampered with or altered after publication, that change is immediately detected and flagged. For closed or confidential records, I will apply my professional cybersecurity background: files will be encrypted locally, restricted strictly to authorized personnel, and backed up to high-durability, secure cloud storage with off-site redundancy.

Technical Response: All open files will be published using the Nostr and Blossom protocols. The Nostr protocol ensures that each publication will have a signature that traces back to the Clerk. The Blossom protocol will ensure that each document is hashed when it is signed. If a file is changed after publication, that change is known and auditable by the public. These are widely used free and open source protocols. Running this server with off-site backup has negligible cost and the files will be mirrored to another Blossom server/nostr relay for free. As for closed records, I work at a cybersecurity company dealing with sensitive information daily. Closed records will be stored encrypted in an S3 bucket off-site that has 11 nines (99.999999999%) of data durability and is again, negligible cost. These will only be accessible by the officials that require them.

As the de facto custodian of records for the County Commission, what is your fundamental philosophy regarding public access to government documents and meetings? (What do you see as the biggest responsibility of the Ray County Clerk’s Office, and what experience has prepared you for that role?) (How would you approach maintaining transparency and public access to county records and information?)

By default, ALL data produced by our county government belongs to the public. This means official communications or documents generated by elected or appointed officials (such as the Planning & Zoning or LERF boards) should be systematically open. To protect sensitive data, I will implement filtering software that scans documents for legally confidential information before publication. While fully transitioning the entire county to this transparent, digital infrastructure may take time, I possess the precise IT expertise required to work alongside our existing technology department to deliver this to Ray County incrementally. Refer to Q7 for more detail.

The Missouri Sunshine Law mandates timely responses to public records requests. What specific processes will you implement in your office to ensure requests from citizens and journalists are handled promptly, thoroughly, and without unnecessary obstruction? How will this work with the county's own Sunshine Resolution that only allows the county to charge 1/2 the rate of the lowest-paid employee in the Clerk's office for research?

When an office proactively maintains a public, searchable database where records are open by default, the Clerk's office ceases to be a bottleneck. By giving citizens and journalists direct access to information, the need for formal Sunshine requests will drop dramatically. Requests will be limited to highly specific historical records or complex items. This naturally aligns with the county's Sunshine Resolution regarding lower research fees (from the prior admin), as my office will rarely need to spend paid hours manually digging for basic information.

How will you handle situations where a requested record might fall into a gray area between "open" and "closed" under the Sunshine Law, and will your default position be to favor public disclosure?

My default position will always favor public disclosure. If a record falls into a gray area, it will be treated as an open record unless a specific, clear statutory citation under Missouri law mandates that it must be closed. The burden of proof should always be on hiding information, not on sharing it.

In your view, what are the most significant challenges a County Clerk faces in maintaining perfect compliance with open meetings and open records laws, and how will you overcome them?

The primary barriers to perfect compliance are technical and behavioral. The technical challenges are easily solved with automated recording, transcription, and indexing. The behavioral challenge requires training county staff to be mindful of what information is genuinely confidential versus what is public. I will implement automated tools to scan for sensitive information prior to publication, provide clear training to departments, and conduct routine internal audits to ensure "confidential" flags are never being abused to hide public information.

The County Clerk plays a vital role in local MEC (Missouri Ethics Commission) compliance. What do you believe your role is to ensure all elected and appointed county officials file their required personal financial disclosures accurately and by the statutory deadlines?

As the local election authority, the Clerk has a strict statutory obligation to ensure state ethics laws are upheld. I will implement a proactive, automated notification system to give local candidates and elected officials clear reminders of their personal financial disclosure and campaign finance deadlines. If a discrepancy, missing filing, or irregularity is discovered, I will act immediately, impartially, and transparently—notifying the candidate of the error, assessing any legally mandated late fees, and reporting unresolved non-compliance directly to the Missouri Ethics Commission as required by law.

How will you manage reporting of campaign finance documents for local candidates to ensure strict adherence to state ethics guidelines?

See my answer to question 12.

If you discover a discrepancy, a missing filing, or an irregularity regarding a local official's or candidate's MEC requirements, what immediate steps will you take to address the issue and enforce compliance?

See my answer to question 12.

Ultimately, the County Clerk is a public servant tasked with following the statutes above all local political pressures. Can you describe a time when you had to enforce a strict rule or standard despite significant pushback, and how you handled the situation? (Statutory Oath of Office / RSMo 51.070)

Working in cybersecurity, I frequently have to enforce strict security protocols, telling users or developers they cannot use a specific tool because it violates policy or compromises data. When individuals push back due to convenience, I firmly point them to the governing documentation and standards. In public service, the Missouri Revised Statutes serve as that ultimate standard. I will hold my ground against local political pressure unless a higher state authority or a court order dictates otherwise.

When reporting funds received by cash only, how will you record those transactions to assure that ALL cash is accounted for? Do you have a plan to modernize and start using bank cards?

Recently, I went into the Clerk’s office to pay for a Sunshine request, and the office lacked the change to complete the transaction. Later, when their research yielded no records, they couldn't even process my refund TWICE. Our current system is deeply outdated. I will immediately modernize this office by introducing cost-effective point-of-sale terminals (such as Square) to securely accept credit and debit cards. For any remaining cash transactions, funds will be immediately entered into a digital ledger, and a system-generated receipt will be printed instantly to ensure a flawless, auditable paper trail.

The county clerk works closely with commissioners, department heads, and the public on a daily basis. How would you approach communication and collaboration in the position?

I view the Clerk’s role as inherently collaborative with the County Commission. A vital part of that collaboration is ensuring strict compliance with the Sunshine Law and maintaining proper record-keeping procedures to protect the county from liability. At the same time, as an independently elected official, my primary accountability is directly to the voters. The rights of our citizens and the transparency of our government must always be the top priority. To best serve both the public and the Commission, I believe maintaining clear, objective, and professional communication is essential. Keeping our interactions focused strictly on county business ensures the highest level of transparency, prevents misunderstandings, and fosters a government that the community can fully trust.

Anything else you would like the citizens of Ray County to know.

Ray County is where I have put down roots, and I want to improve this county so that when my children come of age, they can build their lives and careers right here. The first step toward that future is to implement systems to ensuring we, as citizens, actually know what is happening inside our courthouse. Throughout this campaign, I have spoken to countless residents who had no idea our county government suffered a cyber attack in 2025. Currently, to get a detailed copy of our county budget, you have to physically bring a USB drive to the courthouse rather than accessing it online,yet it took me just five minutes to publish it on the internet for free. Public meetings are frequently unannounced and held at times when working citizens cannot attend. I know I am not originally from here, and my unwavering push for transparency has been labeled as adversarial by the current administration. However, I would be asking these exact same tough questions as a private citizen.

My oppenent currently works in the Clerk's office, her mother is the Collector and her family holds the janitorial contract for the county. If you prefer to maintain the status quo or vague promises to “focusing on efficiency, accessibility” are enough, then my opponent is your candidate. But if you want a Clerk who has already proven his dedication by building the actual systems needed to give you the information you have a legal right to, vote Kurt Croix for Ray County Clerk.Candidate Questionaire

Nostr event nevent1qqsv4409dxwmsam3f5e3slwueutk79yl70cnhkulkw8qe8u54wdzk7gzyrec5luwpz82wflrz6uepk3fehudzv6jkhaqjk2pz99c8lh6fdnl5fz977p

2026-05-31T12:13:56Z

Answered some questions from 2 local papers

Tbf, there is also an option for 1k sats in some places

2026-05-27T15:44:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…xj49
_________________________

Tbf, there is also an option for 1k sats in some places

#permaculture #nevent1q…0u0q

2026-05-15T16:29:41Z

#permaculture

quoting
nevent1q…0u0q
24 members of Richmond FFA came to the farm this morning to learn about Regenerative Agriculture.

We need this generation to learn that farming isn't about growing plants or raising livestock, it's about caring for the soil. If you do that, then regardless of what your farm produces, you will be more resilient and independent.

“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man.”
- George Washington

"The small landholders are the most precious part of a state"
- Thomas Jefferson

24 members of Richmond FFA came to the farm this morning to learn ...

2026-05-15T16:29:02Z

24 members of Richmond FFA came to the farm this morning to learn about Regenerative Agriculture.

We need this generation to learn that farming isn't about growing plants or raising livestock, it's about caring for the soil. If you do that, then regardless of what your farm produces, you will be more resilient and independent.

“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man.”
- George Washington

"The small landholders are the most precious part of a state"
- Thomas Jefferson

I created a dashboard and budget explorer for the Ray ...

2026-05-13T23:01:10Z

I created a dashboard and budget explorer for the Ray County's budget for '25: https://shorturl.at/kk6xK

The budget explorer let's you drill down into each fund, to the accounts that make it up, to the transactions that occured for each account. Also, the raw data is freely available now: https://shorturl.at/kD3Q0

If elected to Clerk, I will make this data available in real time, so we don't have to wait until the year is over to find out who's over spending.

I used to work on a team of data scientists and built data mining algorithms for 2 years as a researcher for the University of Missouri when I was an undergrad, so this was a fun little evening project refreshing those skills. I had to reverse engineer the 300+ page pdf that the county provides to get the raw data before even doing anything with it unfortunately.

Today's Commissioner's meeting is available on most podcast apps or here: https://shorturl.at/OgSv7

Summary: The county commission opened with an invocation and the approval of previous meeting minutes. Key discussions focused on rising medical costs for county inmates, prompting officials to explore discount programs and alternative options to manage high prescription expenses. The commission reviewed ARPA fund management, noting a total receipt of $4.4 million in federal funds. A major update came from Great River Engineering regarding the Homestead Village wastewater treatment facility. Following a $202,000 bid approval, officials emphasized expediting invoices to ensure project completion by the September 30th deadline. The meeting also covered county jail maintenance and security camera upgrades before concluding with a motion to adjourn.

Nostr event nevent1qqs2e9ytezl0tl8uvdxzdc0xlsw60vzwlz88w75v0a6nz8cng92nj9gzyrec5luwpz82wflrz6uepk3fehudzv6jkhaqjk2pz99c8lh6fdnl5mcxgnr

2026-05-09T00:05:48Z

May 6th Commissioner's meeting: https://shorturl.at/2sbx3 The ...

2026-05-08T21:13:26Z

May 6th Commissioner's meeting: https://shorturl.at/2sbx3

The commission decided not to implement the free tool I built for planning and zoning over 3 months ago because "we're not ready to move forward with something new" even though P&Zs reaction to the tool was "I'm excited about anything that makes my job easier".

Summary:
The county commission addressed several administrative and zoning matters during this session.

The board approved a resolution recognizing the National Day of Prayer and tabled the approval of previous meeting minutes and invoices until the following day.

A significant portion of the meeting involved a public hearing for a B2 commercial rezoning request on a 0.85-acre parcel currently operating as a used car lot. Following discussion regarding the size of the lot and enforcement concerns, the commission voted to remand the request back to the Planning and Zoning Board for further review and to allow the property owners to present their case.

Other discussions included potential asphalt projects in partnership with the City of Richmond and updates on road and bridge issues. The commission also decided to hold off on implementing a new planning and zoning software tool.

PS: if you were looking for the podcast in the past couple weeks, sorry it was down, the host had a bug and I didn't realize until this week.

Gm

2026-05-03T12:13:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…2hen
_________________________

Gm

I fixed it, thanks

2026-05-02T01:47:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…vv0v
_________________________

I fixed it, thanks

We make our own bubbly water in this household! Lol

2026-05-02T01:44:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…c834
_________________________

We make our own bubbly water in this household! Lol

In the paper again... Small lies in public likely mean bigger ...

2026-05-02T01:41:15Z

In the paper again...
Small lies in public likely mean bigger ones are going on in closed meetings and records. For example, was public PII implicated when the county was hacked last year? Their answer was "no, just trust us" and refusal of multiple sunshine requests regarding what was breached.

#grownostr #accountability

I went to my commission about banning these. Their initial ...

2026-05-01T00:34:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…5qhu
_________________________

I went to my commission about banning these. Their initial comments were "we don't know anything about this , let us research and get back to you".

The next time I brought it up their response was "we don't use them, it's the municipality".

Then when I came back because the sheriff told me, yes they were using them they just said they aren't interested in banning them and I don't have $11k to get an issue on the ballot.

Good on you mate!

@nprofile…2szn this started on Shakespeare @nprofile…9r8f I ...

2026-05-01T00:19:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…trmf
_________________________

Derek Ross (nprofile…2szn) this started on Shakespeare
Russell (nprofile…9r8f) I have had the nmail functionality working sporadically on this, but I need to figure out what the gap is so for now it's using resend for email.

Community-powered road condition reporting: Part 3 of projects ...

2026-04-30T22:32:33Z

Community-powered road condition reporting: Part 3 of projects I'm doing to give the public a sample of things I can provide if elected Ray County Clerk.

FtheRoads.com - F is for Fix

A lot of our roads are getting neglected, and even when we report them to the Commissioner's, nothing happens. Using this tool to report your road issue means your report is public, is automatically routed to the right road district and can't simply be deleted or modified by anyone but you.

CAVEAT: The email routing being correct assumes the emails I was given for special districts and the GIS boundaries are accurate.

I'm interested to use this in a government application

2026-04-19T17:42:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…d2w6
_________________________

I'm interested to use this in a government application

https://ray.countyrepublicans.com/ A Nostr client for my local ...

2026-04-19T12:45:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…alfn
_________________________

https://ray.countyrepublicans.com/
A Nostr client for my local republican party.

The RSS has it, you saying it's not on the Nostr event? Kk ...

2026-04-17T19:45:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…qvd2
_________________________

The RSS has it, you saying it's not on the Nostr event? Kk I'll check

@nprofile…2szn am I doing something wrong or do descriptions ...

2026-04-16T13:49:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…hrkp
_________________________

Derek Ross (nprofile…2szn) am I doing something wrong or do descriptions just not show up on the podstr interface?

Commissioner's meeting 4/15: ...

2026-04-16T13:40:49Z

Commissioner's meeting 4/15: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BYWORImRADpKic61tLKql

I started recording as soon as I entered the building because of an altercation last week, so skip ahead a bit.

Summary:
The county commission meeting opened with the approval of minutes and a brief update on facility concrete improvements. A key discussion focused on Child Abuse Awareness Month. The commission agreed to draft a proclamation, designate Wednesday, April 22nd, as "Wear Blue Day," and engage local schools. Additionally, the commission issued a public notice reminding attendees that conversations in the courtroom may be recorded. Later, officials opened bids for the Homestead water project but found that none were submitted. Staff were directed to contact potential contractors and extend the bid deadline. The session concluded with a review of the upcoming schedule.

For a detailed description check out the app in any podcasting app.
Full transcription visit the episode page: https://kurt-croix.github.io/podstr/

"Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers ...

2026-04-12T18:44:43Z

"Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice"
Isaiah 10:1-2

Made the front page! ...

2026-04-10T22:30:21Z

Made the front page!

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/news/residents-continue-raise-transparency-road-concerns

Automated transcription and summaries of Commissioner's ...

2026-04-10T21:51:09Z

Automated transcription and summaries of Commissioner's meetings: Part 2 of projects I'm doing to give the public a sample of things I can provide if elected Ray County Clerk.

Each time I livestream the commissioners meeting, it is reposted an hour later as a podcast. Now you have transcripts, and 2 summaries (one high level and one in detail). No longer do we have to wait around for a document that isn't searchable or accurate.

April 8th short summary:
The county commission addressed several infrastructure and administrative issues. A significant discussion occurred regarding a planned office bathroom renovation, with employees raising concerns about potential asbestos, lead paint, and a lack of temporary facilities during construction. The commission agreed to investigate these newly raised issues. Road maintenance was also discussed, highlighting a need for more grader operators and ongoing training. The commission considered raising the Eagleton Civic Center rental fee from $175 to $225, with $50 allocated to the Senior Board, but tabled the decision pending a formal written agreement defining maintenance responsibilities. Other topics included bridge inspections, a road agreement with Missouri Conservation, and resolving a vendor billing dispute.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/73E6hyS4J3aQ9vzASph5JM?si=0Gmow10fRbK5gA2L_F9bDg

Thoughts on the colors? I can't tell if it's just my ...

2026-04-07T19:41:23Z

Thoughts on the colors? I can't tell if it's just my colorblindness or if the blue on red makes it hard to read. #asknostr

If someone figured out a way to require zaps be kyc'd I would ...

2026-04-04T16:45:31Z

If someone figured out a way to require zaps be kyc'd I would gladly fund my entire campaign on them.

These Spotify pods start as @nprofile…fkdx live streams , get ...

2026-04-03T03:22:30Z

These Spotify pods start as Shosho – Live Stream on Nostr (nprofile…fkdx) live streams , get converted to @podstr pods and I'm working on transcription rn.

quoting
nevent1q…qmg7

Ray County Commissioner's Meeting 4/2:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2af3CP10FT7lQDEVC1gYtY
(Actual meeting starts 13:50)

The Commissioner's acknowledge they're violating state statute 49.265 for the 3rd time by closing the building on Friday without publishing in the paper (https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=49.265)

I notify the Commissioner's that per state statute, MO is a 1 party state and I will not be removing any broadcast or stream of these meetings going forward (I offered to set this up for them for free months ago and they declined).

I notify the Commissioner's that I will be building a site for folks to easily submit and track requests to the county for road maintenance.

Bri Rock discussed some other road issues specifically about training the new workers after all of the turnover that dept has had lately.

Bryan Couch discusses the report from the break in at the Eagleton Center.

Motion is modified on the demolition of the Henrietta overpass.

Another citizen asks some questions about the Henrietta bridge.

Bri Rock asks about county treasury for roads.

Papers get signed.

Break is taken to look at construction, meeting is closed later.

Derek Ross (nprofile…2szn)

Ray County Commissioner's Meeting 4/2: ...

2026-04-02T21:23:16Z

Ray County Commissioner's Meeting 4/2:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2af3CP10FT7lQDEVC1gYtY
(Actual meeting starts 13:50)

The Commissioner's acknowledge they're violating state statute 49.265 for the 3rd time by closing the building on Friday without publishing in the paper (https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=49.265)

I notify the Commissioner's that per state statute, MO is a 1 party state and I will not be removing any broadcast or stream of these meetings going forward (I offered to set this up for them for free months ago and they declined).

I notify the Commissioner's that I will be building a site for folks to easily submit and track requests to the county for road maintenance.

Bri Rock discussed some other road issues specifically about training the new workers after all of the turnover that dept has had lately.

Bryan Couch discusses the report from the break in at the Eagleton Center.

Motion is modified on the demolition of the Henrietta overpass.

Another citizen asks some questions about the Henrietta bridge.

Bri Rock asks about county treasury for roads.

Papers get signed.

Break is taken to look at construction, meeting is closed later.

Howdy y'all, my name is Kurt Croix and today I'm publicly ...

2026-03-22T15:16:07Z

Howdy y'all, my name is Kurt Croix and today I'm publicly announcing my candidacy for Ray County Clerk. I've lived here for four years and the lack of transparency in the courthouse has concerned me.

My slogan is "Proof, not Promises", so I'll be dropping projects on the lead up to the election that show what I'm going to do to fix these transparency issues. The first is a podcast feed of the Commissioner's meetings. I've been live streaming them and automated the conversion to a podcast feed so you can listen to them at any time. They're not the greatest quality, because I'm just using a phone, but if you elect me, I will use the AV setup in that room to produce a higher quality stream.

You can listen in your browser here: https://kurt-croix.github.io/podstr/episodes and I'll include some instructions below on how to add it to a couple popular podcast players.

As a Software Engineer, I can solve a significant amount of our county's problems that stem from being stuck in the 20th century. Be on the look out for more projects I release that will focus on bringing sunlight to our courthouse and county processes.

Github

2026-03-10T00:02:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…neg3
_________________________

Github

@nprofile…6htm did you have a way to do this?

2026-03-09T21:41:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…m6tw
_________________________

Arjen (nprofile…6htm) did you have a way to do this?

Figured out how to automatically upload streams from ...

2026-03-09T21:34:58Z

Figured out how to automatically upload streams from Shosho – Live Stream on Nostr (nprofile…fkdx) to Derek Ross (nprofile…2szn)'s podstr. Now I just need to figure out how to trigger GitHub actions from a Nostr note.

Croix4Clerk: CommissionersMeeting_2026_3_4 Episode webpage: ...

2026-03-07T04:43:43Z

Croix4Clerk: CommissionersMeeting_2026_3_4

Episode webpage: https://croix4clerk.podbean.com/e/commissionersmeeting_2026_3_4/

So I manually downloaded the stream from Shosho – Live Stream on Nostr (nprofile…fkdx) , turned mp4 into mp3, and then uploaded to podbean. I could probably automate this in an hour if I decide I want to pay the $30/month in hosting fees.

Using full foss tools, I got the commissioners meeting live ...

2026-03-05T14:13:46Z

Using full foss tools, I got the commissioners meeting live streamed, from an old android phone, and converted to mp3. Looks like amethyst won't let me upload an mp3 directly so I'll have to find a different server to use to upload that. #asknostr wasn't there a tool where you could convert an npubs feed to rss so it could be listened to in a podcast app? I thought Gigi (nprofile…jgy8) maybe made it.

Also figured out if I leave my camera blocked, the audio only ...

2026-03-05T13:40:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…f40a
_________________________

Also figured out if I leave my camera blocked, the audio only streaming still works.would be cool to be able to select a photo so people watching wouldn't just see black. I could make some GitHub issues with feature requests if you'd like

Hey, so I figured out it's just a ui bug. The first video is ...

2026-03-05T13:33:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…jpwr
_________________________

Hey, so I figured out it's just a ui bug. The first video is correct. The second video shows 0 seconds but when I download it it's the correct video, which it looks like the metadata is associated with the 3rd video.

That's illegal

2026-03-05T01:08:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…547q
_________________________

That's illegal

I can only see one of the replays unfortunately. Also would be ...

2026-03-05T01:08:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…s23g
_________________________

I can only see one of the replays unfortunately. Also would be also cool to continue a stream if the connection is lost within 5 minutes or something

Today the county commissioners will be approving their budget ...

2026-03-04T14:14:39Z

Today the county commissioners will be approving their budget during the meeting today. I'm going to attempt to live stream the meeting on Shosho – Live Stream on Nostr (nprofile…fkdx) in about an hour. We'll see if it it works over 5g since they denied me access to the wifi.

Is there any easy way to make my pfp look better without editing ...

2026-02-25T02:04:11Z

Is there any easy way to make my pfp look better without editing the photo myself? Shows up really bad on most clients. #asknostr

Go to their site and contact them was the last I heard.

2026-02-25T00:34:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…4ddc
_________________________

Go to their site and contact them was the last I heard.

Can I search through my data?

2026-02-24T21:28:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…wfz7
_________________________

Can I search through my data?

Thanks, very excited to see how I can use Nostr to solve normie ...

2026-02-24T20:32:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…xpag
_________________________

Thanks, very excited to see how I can use Nostr to solve normie problems.

Howdy, long time Nostrich, first time Doxxed. I'm running for ...

2026-02-24T19:33:06Z

Howdy, long time Nostrich, first time Doxxed.

I'm running for my County Clerk office and my platform is based around the Blossom and Nostr protocols to solve problems we have around Sunshine Laws (MO specific version of FOIA) and a lack of transparency for the people.

I also would like to explore using Simple Proof (nprofile…xr9w) for our elections.

I will be streaming our county commissioners meetings using Shosho – Live Stream on Nostr (nprofile…fkdx). Hopefully I will transcribe them using one of the many AI clients I've seen on the feeds.

I plan to use a client like Derek Ross (nprofile…2szn)'s Plektos to create calendars for tangential entities like the LERF board to post their events so folks can more easily see and attend them.

#introductions