Next Mayor 2019

KC topics that don't fit anywhere else.
shinatoo
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by shinatoo »

im2kull wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:10 am
shinatoo wrote: Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:23 am What a stupid issue to pivot on. So many issues facing this city and your going to change your vote over the name of a street?
It has nothing to do with the literal significance (or insignificance) of the name change, and everything to do with the disregard for the people's (and their constituents) opinion. Why would ANYONE vote for someone who won't represent them?

Besides, if they can't get such a minor, "stupid" issue correct.. Then how are you going to be able to trust them to run a city.. With all its complex, major issues??

A: You won't trust them, because they've shown their incompetence.
If you aren't going to vote for someone if they don't agree with you on every single issue then you will have no one to vote for.

I didn't call the renaming issue stupid, and I don't think it is, I said it's a stupid issue to pull your support of someone over. To say it more clearly, pulling your support from a candidate over the renaming of a road is stupid. Voting for changing the name of a road is not a sign of incompetence.

As for trust, exactly my point, look at the major issues and how they voted and make your choice based on that. Don't decide on minor issues. Politicians can make choices on minor issues that you disagree with and still be strong, competent, leaders on major ones. You are not going to be 100% on board with anyone but you. Any candidate that tells you otherwise is lying to your face.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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So back to Steve Miller. What's the pitch? I received his flier in the mail but all it touts his is construction law experience and time on the highway commission. What are his ideas, his vision for the city? I haven't heard that and perhaps incorrectly my sense of him is that he represents the Carriage Club/University Club Old Guard Kansas City, not the newly vibrant urban core and surrounds.
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normalthings
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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smh wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:28 am So back to Steve Miller. What's the pitch? I received his flier in the mail but all it touts his is construction law experience and time on the highway commission. What are his ideas, his vision for the city? I haven't heard that and perhaps incorrectly my sense of him is that he represents the Carriage Club/University Club Old Guard Kansas City, not the newly vibrant urban core and surrounds.
His writings during his time at MODOT make him sound like a serious Hyperloop supporter. However, he also appears to be a proponent of alternative transit types such as Bird and Uber.

He has recieved big donations from a number of the bigger businesses and developers. A quick glance showed a few names who were anti-streetcar(at least originally). He also is a big proponent of Public-Private Partnerships as the critical path to improving the city.

Steve Miller has also called for the STL and KC to work together in Jeff. City to achieve a common urban agenda.
Last edited by normalthings on Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:23 am, edited 5 times in total.
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smh
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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:?
normalthings wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:09 am
smh wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:28 am So back to Steve Miller. What's the pitch? I received his flier in the mail but all it touts his is construction law experience and time on the highway commission. What are his ideas, his vision for the city? I haven't heard that and perhaps incorrectly my sense of him is that he represents the Carriage Club/University Club Old Guard Kansas City, not the newly vibrant urban core and surrounds.
His writings during his time at MODOT makes him sound like a serious Hyperloop supporter.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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smh wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:28 am So back to Steve Miller. What's the pitch? I received his flier in the mail but all it touts his is construction law experience and time on the highway commission. What are his ideas, his vision for the city? I haven't heard that and perhaps incorrectly my sense of him is that he represents the Carriage Club/University Club Old Guard Kansas City, not the newly vibrant urban core and surrounds.
Politics is all about connections and influence. That’s why I was a big Jason Kander fan. All of the many city council people running don’t seem to have a large sphere of influence. If Miller can get Tim Kaine and his other buddies in Congress to approve streetcar expansion, or if Miller can get MODOT to give more money to build a better Buck replacement bridge over the river, I think it’s worth him getting a vote. Does Cannady or Lucas or Justus have any power beyond local politics? It doesn’t seem so.
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normalthings
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by normalthings »

beautyfromashes wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:23 am
smh wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:28 am So back to Steve Miller. What's the pitch? I received his flier in the mail but all it touts his is construction law experience and time on the highway commission. What are his ideas, his vision for the city? I haven't heard that and perhaps incorrectly my sense of him is that he represents the Carriage Club/University Club Old Guard Kansas City, not the newly vibrant urban core and surrounds.
Politics is all about connections and influence. That’s why I was a big Jason Kander fan. All of the many city council people running don’t seem to have a large sphere of influence. If Miller can get Tim Kaine and his other buddies in Congress to approve streetcar expansion, or if Miller can get MODOT to give more money to build a better Buck replacement bridge over the river, I think it’s worth him getting a vote. Does Cannady or Lucas or Justus have any power beyond local politics? It doesn’t seem so.
Our republican and democrat congress people wrote letters of support for the most recent expansions and tried to help get us money. This includes Roy Blunt who sits on the Appropriations-Transport Sub Commitee and Committee on Transportation.

I am somewhat doubtful that Congress people from other states would be more willing to help us than our own. However, I agree that he could be able to get us more MODOT money.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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normalthings wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:30 am Our republican and democrat congress people wrote letters of support for the most recent expansions and tried to help get us money. This includes Roy Blunt who sits on the Appropriations-Transport Sub Commitee and Committee on Transportation.
That doesn’t seem like any big feat; every Congressperson since the beginning will push for funding in their own district, regardless of what it is even for. The hard thing is to get representatives from other districts/states to go along, and to influence others to get on board. A councilperson from KC isn’t likely to have any of that influence.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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beautyfromashes wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:51 am
normalthings wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:30 am Our republican and democrat congress people wrote letters of support for the most recent expansions and tried to help get us money. This includes Roy Blunt who sits on the Appropriations-Transport Sub Commitee and Committee on Transportation.
That doesn’t seem like any big feat; every Congressperson since the beginning will push for funding in their own district, regardless of what it is even for. The hard thing is to get representatives from other districts/states to go along, and to influence others to get on board. A councilperson from KC isn’t likely to have any of that influence.
That is my point. I don’t get how Steve Miller would have more congressional sway and power than our own congress people who sit on the relevant committees and who have something to actually give.

I agree Jason Kander has great connections - and supports the same general ideals as this board. However, even if Steve Miller can get money I have no doubt he will waste it on more highways and hyperloops (see MODOT experience)
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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normalthings wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:19 pm That is my point. I don’t get how Steve Miller would have more congressional sway and power than our own congress people who sit on the relevant committees and who have something to actually give.
You think getting Roy Blunt to push spending money in KC is difficult and that he wouldn’t do it for every single one of the candidates? Miller just brought Tim Kaine to campaign with him. He is a party leader who could have some good sway to other elected officials to help his friend Miller. That could be the difference between getting federal money, or being passed over. Influence. I can’t think of another candidate who has other federal political leaders that they could pull a favor from.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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I am reporting what I am observing. The Paseo is one of those emotional responses where residents feel another slight from City Hall. Everyone is correct about there being more important issues to care about. For some residents, the renaming was the last straw. These neighborhoods have gone decades being ignored, and having their needs met.

If you live east of Troost anywhere in the city, your neighborhoods are the last to have snow plowed. They are where people come from other parts of the Metro and dump trash and construction debris in alleys and on vacant lots.

There are homeless squatting in vacant houses and setting fires. On one block alone this winter, three vacant houses caught fire from squatting. The people who own houses on that block know it's going to take years to get the burned out shells demolished. In the meantime, try selling their house. It's value has plummeted because no one wants to live next to burned out houses. If someone calls 911 to report a squatter attempting to enter an empty house, the police might show up 30-60 minutes later.

There are homeless living in the wooded parks, and creating trash piles so extensive it takes 20 local volunteers a full day to clean it up. The City doesn't ever clean it up. It's volunteers. Break-ins by known metal thieves are so common that some have given them nicknames on Facebook.

At night, there is so much gunfire that it sounds like Syria. If you follow neighborhood Facebook pages, you know this.

Residents feel the City ignores all of their issues.

There was some polling done on the Paseo issue and the vast majority opposed it. Some council members even stated they did informal outreach to people living on Paseo. They were surprised how many opposed it. This is on a street heavily populated by people of color, whom they assumed supported it. Canady said so in Council the day of the vote. She reported that many living on Paseo didn't even know about it. No one had approached them, or sent out letters informing them of the proposed change and how it would impact them. No one had asked for their input.

Now imagine this. What do you think would have happened if the City Council had renamed Ward Parkway without consulting the people living on it--or informing them in advance how they would be affected? Try it. Rename Ward Parkway anything: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Franklin D. Roosevelt Parkway, or Ronald Reagan Boulevard. People would be upset. Some might be willing to punish any mayoral candidate who voted for it.

I have now lived in the Old Northeast for over 10 years--after living downtown for six. The Paseo issue appears to have lit a fuse under years of frustration with City Hall. Yes, many are saying they will vote based on that one issue. Why? Because they already know that most of the candidates won't do anything for them anyway if they get elected Mayor. So this issue just represents everything, and they are willing to punish over it. It's called "resentment politics" and it's how Trump got elected president. Film director Michael Moore was warning that Trump might win, and everyone rolled their eyes at him too.

There are many people who vote on one issue. Some vote against their financial interests just because of abortion. I grew up in a part of the state that is full of these one-issue voters.

Voters might not see the policy differences between any of the mayoral candidates. So when it comes down to voting for Jolie Justus or Scott Wagner, some voters will remember that Justus voted for the renaming, and then vote for Wagner. There may be an upset in which two candidates might be in a run-off.

Had Kander stayed in the race, many would have voted for him -- not because of any specific policies in his platform, but because he had the greatest name recognition. It is very possible that a smart insurgent candidate might win.

We are development nerds that pay attention to all these policy differences, but most don't.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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re: Steve Miller's out-sized influence... I would argue that Jolie Justus has as much influence due to her eight years in the State Senate and striking several bipartisan wins, as well as serving as Minority Leader near the end (not to mention being head of a practice at the city's largest law firm). She has been endorsed by Kander, and will likely be endorsed by Mayor James.

At the end of the day, he has no name recognition and hasn't done particularly well in the forums I've seen. And do you run into any likely voters who support him?
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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I guess you could claim ‘friend-of-a-friend’ influence with Justus and Kander. I don’t think that is seen very often. Justus does have state experience from her time in the Missouri Senate, though I don’t know that in her role in the Democratic minority that she got much done. Missouri was, unfortunately, pretty red at the time. Her influence dies at that level though. My main problem with her is a fumbled and disjointed KCI bid process. Why are you a supporter of hers?
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by DaveKCMO »

beautyfromashes wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:44 pm Why are you a supporter of hers?
I have disagreed with her one item in her entire first term on the council, but we are in total agreement on everything else.

I also believe she's one of the most authentic politicians I've ever met, and a nice contrast with Mayor James but without the wild policy swings some of the other candidates might bring.

Can't say that about any of the other Councilmembers running, and I don't get that authenticity from any of the rest (and I've met them all).
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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DaveKCMO wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:53 pm
beautyfromashes wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:44 pm Why are you a supporter of hers?
I have disagreed with her one item in her entire first term on the council, but we are in total agreement on everything else.

I also believe she's one of the most authentic politicians I've ever met, and a nice contrast with Mayor James but without the wild policy swings some of the other candidates might bring.

Can't say that about any of the other Councilmembers running, and I don't get that authenticity from any of the rest (and I've met them all).
Can I ask what your one disagreement was? She went along with Shields on the Westport moratorium. I’ve seen her do that a few times when Shields is trying to kiss up to both sides of an issue. They both seem pretty political instead of just stating a belief and fighting for it.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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You may not ask.
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beautyfromashes
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by beautyfromashes »

^ Ok, fair enough.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by flyingember »

Too many candidates haven't made an effort to be citywide. You can't get elected mayor by focusing only on one district.
Wagner, Taylor, Reed, Canady all have this problem to some degree.

Miller may not be bad for some things, but he's not someone people will recognize outside of small circles. He'll split the northland vote from union recognition and will hurt Wagner

It feels like it will be Justus vs Lucas. It feels like they've tried to be the most generally accessible and not focus just on the needs of their district.

Glynn doesn't have enough name recognition but he feels like he's at least trying

Chastain, well I don't need to say anything to this group
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

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FangKC wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:59 pm I am reporting what I am observing. The Paseo is one of those emotional responses where residents feel another slight from City Hall. Everyone is correct about there being more important issues to care about. For some residents, the renaming was the last straw. These neighborhoods have gone decades being ignored, and having their needs met.

If you live east of Troost anywhere in the city, your neighborhoods are the last to have snow plowed. They are where people come from other parts of the Metro and dump trash and construction debris in alleys and on vacant lots.

There are homeless squatting in vacant houses and setting fires. On one block alone this winter, three vacant houses caught fire from squatting. The people who own houses on that block know it's going to take years to get the burned out shells demolished. In the meantime, try selling their house. It's value has plummeted because no one wants to live next to burned out houses. If someone calls 911 to report a squatter attempting to enter an empty house, the police might show up 30-60 minutes later.

There are homeless living in the wooded parks, and creating trash piles so extensive it takes 20 local volunteers a full day to clean it up. The City doesn't ever clean it up. It's volunteers. Break-ins by known metal thieves are so common that some have given them nicknames on Facebook.

At night, there is so much gunfire that it sounds like Syria. If you follow neighborhood Facebook pages, you know this.

Residents feel the City ignores all of their issues.

There was some polling done on the Paseo issue and the vast majority opposed it. Some council members even stated they did informal outreach to people living on Paseo. They were surprised how many opposed it. This is on a street heavily populated by people of color, whom they assumed supported it. Canady said so in Council the day of the vote. She reported that many living on Paseo didn't even know about it. No one had approached them, or sent out letters informing them of the proposed change and how it would impact them. No one had asked for their input.

Now imagine this. What do you think would have happened if the City Council had renamed Ward Parkway without consulting the people living on it--or informing them in advance how they would be affected? Try it. Rename Ward Parkway anything: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Franklin D. Roosevelt Parkway, or Ronald Reagan Boulevard. People would be upset. Some might be willing to punish any mayoral candidate who voted for it.

I have now lived in the Old Northeast for over 10 years--after living downtown for six. The Paseo issue appears to have lit a fuse under years of frustration with City Hall. Yes, many are saying they will vote based on that one issue. Why? Because they already know that most of the candidates won't do anything for them anyway if they get elected Mayor. So this issue just represents everything, and they are willing to punish over it. It's called "resentment politics" and it's how Trump got elected president. Film director Michael Moore was warning that Trump might win, and everyone rolled their eyes at him too.

There are many people who vote on one issue. Some vote against their financial interests just because of abortion. I grew up in a part of the state that is full of these one-issue voters.

Voters might not see the policy differences between any of the mayoral candidates. So when it comes down to voting for Jolie Justus or Scott Wagner, some voters will remember that Justus voted for the renaming, and then vote for Wagner. There may be an upset in which two candidates might be in a run-off.

Had Kander stayed in the race, many would have voted for him -- not because of any specific policies in his platform, but because he had the greatest name recognition. It is very possible that a smart insurgent candidate might win.

We are development nerds that pay attention to all these policy differences, but most don't.
Where is this polling that says a "vast majority" were against the renaming?

And while I agree that Kander had good name recognition, he was also the candidate that had put himself out there the most. He ran for statewide office and made his views know via social media all the time. People know who he is and what he believes. Sometimes that's better than reading a policy platform from a candidate I've never heard speak that's full sunshine and unicorns - which is what a lot of the candidates put out there.
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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by FangKC »

The neighborhood paper did a poll. Canady did an informal poll.
...Here’s a heads up for the backers of this pandering piece of municipal legislation, as has been noted so many times before, the voters, those are the people who elected you by the way, are overwhelmingly opposed to this measure. Our own Northeast News poll last week showed a 93% opposition and a scant 7% approval for the measure.

Similar numbers were brought forward by the Mayor and Councilwomen Hall and Canaday, as you might recall, who recorded 80-85% opposition in constituent conversations they had been involved with.
...
What about the Mayoral appointed Martin Luther King Committee that met and actually did engage the public? The results of their committee showed re-naming The Paseo the least popular among three options explored, the first being naming a terminal at the new, single-terminal airport after Dr. King. The committee’s second choice was to re-name 63rd street in honor of Dr. King.
...

http://northeastnews.net/pages/no-means-no/

...As for the overwhelming opposition to the ordinance, Mayor Sly James, Councilwoman Heather Hall and Councilwoman Alissia Canaday all expressed concern that the conversations they had with constituents were at least 80% against re-naming the Paseo.

Based on those responses, The Northeast News launched a Facebook poll last week to see where our readers stood on the matter. As of 4pm on Wednesday Jan. 9, 2019, over 395 votes had been cast. The outcome is a whopping 93% oppose the re-naming of The Paseo and a scant 7% supporting the measure.
...
http://northeastnews.net/pages/editoria ... re-naming/
Faelber is one of the neighbors leading the charge against the change. So is Michael Stringer, who runs the Real Northeast Facebook page.

"We've taken a couple different online polls, and it's like 95 percent of our population does not want to see this renamed," Stringer said.

After engaging members of the community, Mayor Sly James' MLK Advisory Group did not pick The Paseo as its first or even second choice to honor the civil rights icon. Instead, the airport and 63rd St. emerged as front runners.
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/th ... g-the-name
Part of that debate came from Councilwoman Alissia Canady who argued this was all political and African-American voices weren't being heard.

"While I respect Dr. King, while I want to honor his legacy, I'm not willing to do it at the cost of the people who are going to be directly impacted by it," Canady said.

She pointed out only 100 of 1,800 people living along The Paseo signed a petition in favor of the name change.
https://fox4kc.com/2019/01/24/kansas-ci ... r-king-jr/

I also recall seeing the issue discussed on one of the KCPT talk shows. I think it was Eric Wesson of The Call newspaper who said that one of the reasons Mayor James put together the MLK Advisory group was because local pastors were gathering signatures to put the issue on the ballot. Mayor James feared the renaming would be soundly defeated at the polls, because the pastors were having difficulty getting enough signatures.
Only one of the nine members of James’ advisory group spoke at the hearing. Eric Wesson, columnist for The Call newspaper, told the committee that public testimony the group took over its series of hearings showed “overwhelming” support for the airport.

“The will of the people was the airport,” Wesson said.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 71835.html
...
It appears that time has run out on an effort to place a proposal for renaming The Paseo for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the November ballot.

It has almost no chance of meeting the Aug. 28 deadline for a spot on the ballot, election officials said Tuesday. That’s because organizers have yet to present the required 1,709 signatures — 5 percent of the total 2015 mayoral vote — to the city clerk.
...
https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 71835.html

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Re: Next Mayor 2019

Post by WSPanic »

LOL, 95%?

OK, good scientific polls happening there.
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