Next Mayor 2019

[johnmatrix]

For the boards sanity I will scale back some of my responses. This should be a happy place that hopefully encourages more users and discussion. I am sorry if I have derailed this place.

[Riverite]

Just because you feel like something should be done, doesn’t mean it should or it wouldn’t be detrimental. Within Kansas City it may feel like a lot is happening but nationally it’s not. Kansas City is great because of its culture and ingenuity, but it isn’t blowing up compared to outside the Midwest. There is a real chance for the City to move up and become recognized for how great it is, but barreling everyone that’s trying to help because it isn’t happening exactly the way you want is foolish. Also Kansas City is affordable in many places, doesn’t need to be in all areas.

[kboish]

I'm not following this race very closely, it seems to me that we have two good options and I don't really care that much, but just so I'm clear on the current rag dynamic: is the poster people were lambasting as a racist elsewhere basically the only person rooting for the black guy to win? Or have I got something twisted?

This site while informative on new projects is a haven for big money in Kansas City. Many are associated with developers in town so have skin in the game. If you'll notice I have a different opinion on some issues but they never address said points. Instead they go for character assassination IE: Racist, Bot, Etc. It's much easier for them to do this than admit being wrong because thats potential free money they will be losing once the political tide turns and they are beginning to with Justus down in the polls. Again notice how there's been a few polls released and somehow said poll is a Republican conspiracy. Why the hell would a Republican pollster slant polling for Lucas who IMO is a far left politician?

Im sure some people on this site are developers or associated with, I would be surprised if anywhere near half were. Lots are just development nerds. My guess as to why people have an issue with Lucas, and this is my problem with him too. He keeps saying he wants to make more affordable housing, but he has no idea how to do it, and just feels like companies that are looking to do it will make it for him. He is basically virtue signaling everyone who feels like Kansas City has an affordability issue. He also clearly has no idea how cities work, because when they Justus says she wants a department of transportation, he makes a wise crack like a kid about pot holes. I think ultimately he would be fine, but he has no fresh ideas and would probably slow the City’s growth. I don’t even live in Kansas City I’m not in development. So there is a refutable point to why someone may not like him. Lucas isn’t far left he is just unimaginative

If anyone has any question as to whether or not there is currently a problem with the way transportation is being done in the city (which includes potholes, btw), just go look at yesterdays Transportation and Infrastructure meeting and subsequent discussion during the legislative session about the same issues. Not good.

[flyingember]

Im sure some people on this site are developers or associated with, I would be surprised if anywhere near half were.

Posting, well under 5%.
Reading, probably most city departments and developers with active projects. If they don't have someone reading all the major sources of news and discussion they're doing things wrong.

[DaveKCMO]

Kansas City is great because of its culture and ingenuity, but it isn’t blowing up compared to outside the Midwest.

This is reflected in our economic data. No time to pump the brakes, like we typically do.

[WSPanic]

I'm just happy to hear I'm part of a haven for "Big Money" in KC.

Not all heroes wear capes.

[johnmatrix]

Just because you feel like something should be done, doesn’t mean it should or it wouldn’t be detrimental. Within Kansas City it may feel like a lot is happening but nationally it’s not. Kansas City is great because of its culture and ingenuity, but it isn’t blowing up compared to outside the Midwest. There is a real chance for the City to move up and become recognized for how great it is, but barreling everyone that’s trying to help because it isn’t happening exactly the way you want is foolish. Also Kansas City is affordable in many places, doesn’t need to be in all areas.

I'm not sure that it can be.

[FangKC]

KCMO needs all the current development going on because there were decades of moribund urban growth. Sure it went on in the suburbs, but the core didn't see redevelopment like many other cities. It lagged. There were projects here and there, but a core city can't survive if you only put up one big office building a decade.

It got to the point that downtown was regularly losing jobs, not gaining them. It still has a problem attracting private employers. Much of the growth (or I should say stemming the loses) came from government jobs being moved downtown. Even after Power & LIght was developed, AMC left, and AMC participated in redeveloping the P&L District with Cordish (Empire and Midland theaters).

There are many who constantly criticize use of incentives. I do at times. They often don't understand how incentives work. They also don't realize that downtown was on life support around 2000. When I moved here in 2002, I wondered "where is all the Big Money? Why aren't local civic leaders investing more?" Downtowns are often what outside investors look at when measuring a city.

KCMO has a history of doing one project to "save downtown" and then pumping the brakes as DaveKCMO says.

It always shocks me how some KCMO natives are so negative about their own city.

[johnmatrix]

KCMO needs all the current development going on because there were decades of moribund urban growth. Sure it went on in the suburbs, but the core didn't see redevelopment like many other cities. It lagged. There were projects here and there, but a core city can't survive if you only put up one big office building a decade.

It got to the point that downtown was regularly losing jobs, not gaining them. It still has a problem attracting private employers. Much of the growth (or I should say stemming the loses) came from government jobs being moved downtown. Even after Power & LIght was developed, AMC left, and AMC participated in redeveloping the P&L District with Cordish (Empire and Midland theaters).

There are many who constantly criticize use of incentives. I do at times. They often don't understand how incentives work. They also don't realize that downtown was on life support around 2000. When I moved here in 2002, I wondered "where is all the Big Money? Why aren't local civic leaders investing more?" Downtowns are often what outside investors look at when measuring a city.

KCMO has a history of doing one project to "save downtown" and then pumping the brakes as DaveKCMO says.

It always shocks me how some KCMO natives are so negative about their own city.

Yeah theres no arguing the development has changed downtown for the better but as you said the jobs have kinda staggered. Some of us are negative because we've seen this movie before city leadership promises something, we increase taxes, said promise falls flat.

Development can only take us so far. This place kicks ass because the cost of living is so wonderful, I'd like to see us advance more with UMKC (not really a city government issue) but I'd like to see become a good university. Every big city has atleast one and it draws people in from all over I feel KC doesn't really have that. Also what happened to becoming a Tech city? Feels like that vision has started to fade more and more.

[normalthings]

Yeah theres no arguing the development has changed downtown for the better but as you said the jobs have kinda staggered. Some of us are negative because we've seen this movie before city leadership promises something, we increase taxes, said promise falls flat.

Development can only take us so far. This place kicks ass because the cost of living is so wonderful, I'd like to see us advance more with UMKC (not really a city government issue) but I'd like to see become a good university. Every big city has atleast one and it draws people in from all over I feel KC doesn't really have that. Also what happened to becoming a Tech city? Feels like that vision has started to fade more and more.

Huge growth in tech offices in similar cities shut us up. Our failure to build a high quality area university is a direct cause. These are just two of the many ways that KC is falling behind similar cities.

Our continued focus on the suburbs will only continue to hold us back. These neighborhoods are not dense enough to financially support themselves in the long term. It’s downtown and the pre-1960 urban core that foot the bill for the suburbs. Yet, the city wants to add tens of thousands of these homes in Northland.

Downtown and the core in general need to understand that their fates are closely intertwined. Investing in our urban core neighborhoods, aka the ones actually dense enough to support themselves, is one of the key steps to fixing our city. Investing in downtown, the job center of the urban core, and transit to downtown, opens up countless cultural and economic opportunities to the core as a whole.

I understand your frustration with downtown investments. I just hope that the energy could be focused on the true cause of our worrisome condition - the suburbs.

To keep this on topic... We have one candidate who is mostly focused on one issue in one part of the city and who in many ways seeks an “us vs. them” fight between downtown and the core. The other candidate very publically acknowledges the needs to grow together and the need to build a better city for everyone. I know who my pick of the two is.

[johnmatrix]

Yeah theres no arguing the development has changed downtown for the better but as you said the jobs have kinda staggered. Some of us are negative because we've seen this movie before city leadership promises something, we increase taxes, said promise falls flat.

Development can only take us so far. This place kicks ass because the cost of living is so wonderful, I'd like to see us advance more with UMKC (not really a city government issue) but I'd like to see become a good university. Every big city has atleast one and it draws people in from all over I feel KC doesn't really have that. Also what happened to becoming a Tech city? Feels like that vision has started to fade more and more.

Huge growth in tech offices in similar cities shut us up. Our failure to build a high quality area university is a direct cause. These are just two of the many ways that KC is falling behind similar cities.

Our continued focus on the suburbs will only continue to hold us back. These neighborhoods are not dense enough to financially support themselves in the long term. It’s downtown and the pre-1960 urban core that foot the bill for the suburbs. Yet, the city wants to add tens of thousands of these homes in Northland.

Downtown and the core in general need to understand that their fates are closely intertwined. Investing in our urban core neighborhoods, aka the ones actually dense enough to support themselves, is one of the key steps to fixing our city. Investing in downtown, the job center of the urban core, and transit to downtown, opens up countless cultural and economic opportunities to the core as a whole.

I understand your frustration with downtown investments. I just hope that the energy could be focused on the true cause of our worrisome condition - the suburbs.

To keep this on topic... We have one candidate who is mostly focused on one issue in one part of the city and who in many ways seeks an “us vs. them” fight between downtown and the core. The other candidate very publically acknowledges the needs to grow together and the need to build a better city for everyone. I know who my pick of the two is.

Nice write up man. You make a good point about the suburbs which I haven't put alot of thought into. One thing that I was a little disappointed with both candidates was a few debates ago was about building a baseball stadium downtown. Speaking of the burbs we can't let the Royals go to KCK. Adding an additional 1-2 million people downtown every summer would be huge.

[johnmatrix]

Jolie goin negative again. Dave at this point how do you dispute the data? Candidates in the lead don't act like this unless they are Trump. She's been pretty invisible from everything sans debates.

[DaveKCMO]

Jolie goin negative again. Dave at this point how do you dispute the data? Candidates in the lead don't act like this unless they are Trump. She's been pretty invisible from everything sans debates.

I don't know why you'd expect me to argue with you at this point.

[flyingember]

Jolie goin negative again. Dave at this point how do you dispute the data?

What data? You make a statement without providing any to back up your claim.

[johnmatrix]

Jolie goin negative again. Dave at this point how do you dispute the data?

What data? You make a statement without providing any to back up your claim.

No. The Polls I have posted showing Lucas in the lead the past 2 months which were dismissed because Remington Polling leans right.

[flyingember]

Jolie goin negative again. Dave at this point how do you dispute the data?

What data? You make a statement without providing any to back up your claim.

No. The Polls I have posted showing Lucas in the lead the past 2 months which were dismissed because Remington Polling leans right.

No, it was because Lucas paid for the polls.

[johnmatrix]

What data? You make a statement without providing any to back up your claim.

No. The Polls I have posted showing Lucas in the lead the past 2 months which were dismissed because Remington Polling leans right.

No, it was because Lucas paid for the polls.

They must be pretty accurate because Jollie hasnt released any polls and has gone negative.

[flyingember]

No. The Polls I have posted showing Lucas in the lead the past 2 months which were dismissed because Remington Polling leans right.

No, it was because Lucas paid for the polls.

They must be pretty accurate because Jollie hasnt released any polls and has gone negative.

Where has she gone negative? You make a statement without providing any information to back up your claim.

[johnmatrix]

No, it was because Lucas paid for the polls.

They must be pretty accurate because Jollie hasnt released any polls and has gone negative.

Where has she gone negative? You make a statement without providing any information to back up your claim.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/n ... 47418.html

[WSPanic]

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