TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! CORRECTING RUMORS AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH MO REP. LEONARD JONAS HUGHES IV!!!

I was lucky enough to get a phone call from Missouri State Representative Leonard Jonas Hughes IV yesterday and the nearly hour long conversation changed my perception about his chances in the upcoming Mayoral race.

I know him as Jonas because not too long ago my brother helped him campaign for his first term in office. Years later, Hughes has won re-election again and again and he's one of the fastest rising stars among Kansas City's African-American political elite. Think about this long and hard: It's likely that he will be the youngest man in the Mayor's race when he steps on stage with the rest of the candidates.

The most important part of our conversation was simply going over his motivation to run for Mayor.

He isn't backed by any other elected official or club.

He's not running as a "decoy," his campaign is an honest attempt to seek the office of Kansas City Mayor.

The idea for a Mayoral Run was his own.

"Why do I need any other motivations than my own?," Hughes asks. "That should be good enough, it's a bit condescending and doesn't acknowledge everything I've accomplished."

From there Hughes talked about a bevy of Kansas City issues ranging from a high tech approach to sewer repair and then covering different strategies to encourage International business in Kansas City. Within a few moments of talking to Hughes I quickly realized that so far he's the only candidate bringing any energy or enthusiasm to the Mayoral race.

"The future of Kansas City is bright if we can move past this gridlock and so many negative feelings now dominating City Hall," Hughes said.

Thinking about the way the Mayor's race breaks down I was almost ashamed of myself for not taking the Candidacy of Hughes more seriously from the outset.

The Northland is now split three ways between Mike Burke, Deb Hermann and the last few dudes in their garage supporting Mayor Funky. The Primary will now be decided South of the River . . . And in that area, The Eastside is the most significant voting bloc.

Now . . .

No one can deny Sly James has fund-raising skill and political acumen but Hughes has proven he can get thousands of votes on the Eastside. Like it or not, it's a matter of fact that the young man is a more experienced elected official than James. Furthermore, it only takes one significant bloc of votes for a candidate to make it past the primary in such a crowded field. If the folks who have voted for Hughes in the past, cast their ballot his way again his odds just keep getting better. The more I thought about it, the more Hughes seems even more viable as a contender who MUST be taken seriously.

There's more news to related to the Hughes campaign that I'll save for later but as of this writing it's obvious to me that this well-qualified elected official isn't being given the respect he deserves not only by potential voters but also from the media.

Developing . . .