The Red Bridge folks are upset again and seemingly can't catch a break. Their latest press release laments the road that's ahead of them and the fact that the fate of their neighborhood seems inescapable.
They're picking on Councilman Sharp with their latest petition which is somewhat smart since they wouldn't want to make the universally beloved Cathy Jolly mad. Still, it might be a lot harder to smear Sharp since he has been one of the strongest voices on the council and in the end it seems the project is inevitable.
Mayor Funky might seek some traction in this instance to take away some support from Sharp but it's important to remember that these folks couldn't deliver South KC to Mayor Funky in a close election and their meetings have now dwindled to less than a dozen people. Still TKC supports all kinds of neighborhood activism and I suggest going after the architectural firm rather than their representatives who might have a chance to help them in the future. Here's the latest information on the state of the new road designs from the Red Bridge Group:
Indications have been mounting that the Red Bridge Road project team, led by the engineering firm Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation (BWR), intends to skew their study of the road away from a park-and-neighborhood friendly road and toward a wide-and-destructive highway-style road . . . However, the BWR team has released a draft public opinion survey so skewed and manipulative that it leaves no doubt they are actively promoting the supposedly discarded "BridgeZilla" design.Honestly, I wish Red Bridge folks good luck on this one but fighting road development is a touch stance to take in Kansas City . . . Also, if I remember correctly, Mayor Funky promised these people sidewalks and yet they don't seem to be holding him accountable for his pre-election promises that have gone out the window, while Sharp is by all accounts pretty accessible.
The 1st year the council people are on your side, after that your screwed.
ReplyDeleteTake for instance, Jim Rowland. Nice guy first year when he was a councilman and he started backing up development after his first year.
He's got a plush job as the new Sports Authority because the other one was murder because he stopped at 10pm at a car wash to wash his car or was he trying to pick up a ho?
Ken Bacchaus, plush job, works at JE Dunn, I think he's a PR person.
And so on. But their are a few who are just plain stupid, for instance, Chuck Eddy.
Then their are the ones who go to jail because they did nothing wrong.
Councilman Sharp has been a supporter of the Friends of Red Bridge and I don't think we are picking on him. Certainly we are not smearing him. Rather, we are providing a means for our members to let him know that we hope that he exercises leadership on this issue before it's too late. The Councilman has other issues on his plate now like the Bannister Mall project and the struggle with the billboard industry (who are attempting to get some more billboards in before the recent ban takes effect). So, we are being a bit of a squeaky wheel now in order to make sure that our issue gets the attention that it deserves. This is a crisis situation.
ReplyDeleteAs for our meetings. We haven't had any in a long time, but at the Sept. 8 bus tour of Red Bridge Road (conducted by the road-study team), at least 23 of our members participated, which I considered a great turnout considering the number of people there.
You need to understand that above all else, Sharp is a politician. He may be a loud voice on the council, but that doesn't make him right and it doesn't mean he has the neighborhoods' best interests at hear.
ReplyDeleteWe are going after the architectural firm, not anyone on the city council. I got the Friends email and you mis-read it, Tony. We can only hold them accountable thru our representatives.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Tony, opposing road development in KC IS always a touchy issue--but that's even MORE reason why we need to stick to our guns when we think roads are being put in the wrong places for the wrong reasons, with poor designs. That's the problem now, once any plan is put out for a new road people think, "Oh well, it's a done deal" and they go along with it. With this attitude urban sprawl will NEVER be controlled and our neighborhoods are toast! I am getting active with the South Metro Opposition Coalition (SMOC)opposing the road proposed for southern Johnson County and northern Cass County. It would eat up a lot of green space unnecessarily. I'm sure that will be a hard fight too but I mean to stick with it and part of the reason is the GREAT example set by Friends of Red Bridge over the past few years. I have to believe that citizens can still make a difference. They just have to be pretty thick-skinned and hardheaded to do it!
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