On this cold winter night the Citizens Association listened to a litany of grumbling and just a bit of hope from Kansas City's 3rd district on 18th and Vine.
Here's a quick look at City Council candidates presenting tonight . . .
Dan Fowler - 2nd District In-District
Mr. Fowler has been involved in Northland politics for years and he has a comprehensive knowledge of City Hall issues which he demonstrated throughout his talk.
Dan Fowler said: "I'd like to continue my work to foster relationships with neighborhoods, business and city government with an emphasis on bolstering successful partnerships and increasing communication."
We didn't catch all of Mr. Fowler's talk but as a member of Forward KC for a number of years he seemed comfortable and at ease on the other side of the candidate screening process.
Now . . .
3RD DISTRICT TALK RAGED AGAINST INCUMBENT COUNCILMAN JERMAINE REED TONIGHT!!
All of the 3rd District candidates seemed to have a problem with the legacy of leadership in this embattled part of Kansas City.
Here's a quick overview . . .
Dee Evans -3rd District At-Large
Ms. Evans clearly holds an extensive knowledge of the 3rd District and spent most of her time detailing the challenges faced in the development of Beacon Hill.
Her emphasis for the evening:
Dee Evans said: "Bridging relationships between public and private institutions is the main part of my plan . . . I want that to be one of the top items on my radar."
She was able to answer every question the the CA threw her way and seemed to have more than a bit of confidence facing a crowded field. She focused most of her remarks on her longterm connection to the community in contrast to her 3rd District predecessors.
Jamekia Kendrix - 3rd District In-District
Ms. Kendrix was the surprise candidate of the evening and seemed to impress the members of the Citizens Association. Her talk focused on her experience with KC Public Schools and her education at Pembroke Hill.
Ms. Kendrix vowed to make increasing neighborhood capacity and voter turnout the main focus of her tenure and cited facts and figures to back up her claim . . . Basically she explained that the 3rd District doesn't vote and that's part of the reason this part of KCMO lacks a formidable political voice.
The candidate said: "As we begin to pull people together and help them to understand city hall policies and procedures that empowers communities to eliminate oppression and addresses historic racism."
Regarding Councilman Reed after talking with hundreds of 3rd District residents:
"The incumbent does not have a strong reputation in the community."
In her talk she noted that her father was a former drug addict and criminal and touted her ability to bridge the gap between public policy and community interests as her defining characteristic.
Rachel Riley - 3rd District In-District
Rachel Riley is one of 11 siblings the most authentic candidate of the night. She spoke from the heart and talked about devastating impact of drug violence on her community and on her life. She began her political involvement after losing a son in deadly wave of community violence. Addressing crime and job creation was the focus of her remarks.
Ms. Riley said: "Despite the recent reduction in crime. A lot of people are still out here dying and we're not doing much to address that situation."
Ms. Riley noted that of all the people she talked to during her signature collection process, only one had something positive to say about Incumbent Councilman Reed.
Her encyclopedic knowledge of the 24th St. Corridor might have been overlooked by the screening committee of the CA but this community activist candidate offered a nice glimpse of how politics works at a neighborhood level.
With that . . . The Citizen Association
Their endorsements are expected tonight.
Developing . . .
Clearly the folks at axiom have polished Dee Evans
ReplyDeleteCan Dee Evans hook us up with lethal execution drugs to bridge the gap?
ReplyDeleteRAGE
ReplyDeleteand no elBryan
Glad to see Dee Evans out and about! That last mental breakdown fixed at Research Med sure cut into her campaign schedule.
ReplyDelete10:15 Pat is that you blogging from the grave trying to protect your showhorse Q???
ReplyDeleteWell, that won't be confused with any MENSA meetings that's for damned sure.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, look what havoc just a lone MENSAN has caused this once fair city.
Oh well, back to listening to the new Dylan album.
Dee Evans is running at-large
ReplyDeleteAll black women candidates are running on the "Big and Brassy, Fat and Sassy" platform.
ReplyDeletewhat a sad, sad commentary on the state of kc political life when this is all I can find about an important civic group. there is shame in KC and it doesn't all belong to a blogger.
ReplyDeleteImportant civic group is an oxymoron
ReplyDeleteThis is a damn shame. Now, Jermaine Reed lives 5 mins from this venue and didn't bother to show up.
ReplyDeleteWhen one of the highlights of your council qualifications is your Pembroke Hill high school (I'm assuming it's high school and not middle or elementary) education, that's a little sad.
ReplyDeleteReed doesn't care whether he wins or loses a city council seat. He's already delivered big-time for Modest Miles with the East Patrol fiasco, had an undefined $60 grand a year job with Cleaver's Green Impact Zone, made about as many trips on the public dime to DC than anyone else at city hall, and will be well taken care of if he loses this time around.
ReplyDeleteHe's learned his lessons at the masters' knees:
Tax, tax; extort, extort; promise, promise; pay off, pay off; build your taxpayer-funded career.
Why should he mess with this group. Or with the residents in his district, for that matter.
10:40: You're giving Mensa meetings way too much credit. They're mostly people sitting around talking about how well they did on the test. In other words, they're boooooooooooring.
ReplyDeleteHow did each of them do in the physical fitness endurance test to see if their arm is strong enough to rubber stamp crap ordinances, tax schemes, tiff ripoffs for years?
ReplyDelete