Clay Chastain Helps Kansas City Overcome?

A note from this town's most prolific transit activist regarding this latest effort to spark local change . . .

Activist Clay Chastain introduces Part I of "Operation Overcometh" - a grassroots initiative to fix Kansas City.

Last week I criticized Mayor Lucas for focusing on a non-priority - the idea of eliminating "conversion therapy" within the City. So far neither the mayor nor the City Council summoned forth any new vision to fix what is really wrong with our City... out of control homicides, crumbling roads, an anemic transit system, zero population growth, high taxation and water bills, etc. And what's on the City Council's table instead? Apparently, drawing a paycheck and doing next to nothing. Unless, you think talking about a new downtown baseball stadium, expanding the novelty streetcar system, more glitzy Plaza hotels, or protecting against "conversion therapy" is something! This is the definition of misplaced priorities and Kansas City's (on-going) inept leadership.

But a public figure criticizing public officials (over failed policy) rings less true, unless he can offer something better. And so...I put my ideas where my mouth is...

KC Community Activist, Clay Chastain presents his vision to fix Kansas City, Missouri - ("Operation Overcometh") - in 4 (brief) consecutive parts as follows:
Part I (October 21st): What must be overcome.
Part II (November 4th): The Vision that will overcome.
Part III (November 11th): How to pay for the Vision
Part IV (November 18th): The Vision's reward.

Introduction: No doubt some citizens (and members of the local liberal media) will close their minds to "Operation Overcometh" because I no longer reside in the City full-time. Understood. But for those who think on a higher plane and believe sincere ideas should be judged on their merits - not their source - thank you for how you think.

The truth we must all comes to grips with is...the City of Kansas City, Missouri is moving closer to a failed municipality. It is therefore time for all good people (including maligned activists) to come to the aid of their City. So, as a caring engineer, loyal supporter of KC for 39-years and an innovative thinker I seek to help my home town (the ultimate underdog) as follows:


PART I OF OPERATION OVERCOMETH:

What must be overcome: We are getting dangerously close to the likes of Detroit, St. Louis and Baltimore where people only come to visit their downtowns to be entertained. At the same time, few thinking parents, retirees or young professionals want to lay down their hat and live out their lives in these failed, blighted and crime-ridden municipalities. Mostly, that ruination has come after decades of crappy leadership that neglected the needs of average taxpaying citizen's in favor of chasing developers pedaling glitz - stadiums, entertainment districts, convention hotels, arenas, streetcars, etc.
When a city and its people endure on-going... high rates of murder, under-performing schools, high debt and taxation and poorly maintained infrastructure...they are enduring diminishing quality of life. Eventually desirable residents leave for greener pastures and never come back. Kansas City's pasture has not gained in population for nearly 70-years. In 1960 the City's population was 517,000. Today, it is 488,000. That state of population stagnation, despite the wave of glitz, has left our City, and its vast aging infrastructure, unsustainable. So we have to borrow. It follows then that population growth - not growth in glitz - is the measure of success for any city. And Kansas City, despite all the glitz, has not grown in 60-years and, is piling up debt to make up for it. If we don't curb the homicides, upgrade infrastructure and grow in population, we will continue to borrow, wallow and become America's next failed City because people don't want to live here. We must overcome that with a new way forward.

Internet searches reveal that the best urban places to live (and or retire in) are viewed as those with... low crime, good schools, low tax rate, job availability, nice climate and good public transportation. Good glitz, is no where on the list. No wonder Kansas City is not a mecca for growth. Evidently, today's urban dwellers care far more about safety, good neighborhood infrastructure, accredited schools and good public transportation than new... hip stadiums, shiny airports, cool entertainment districts, glamorous convention hotels or novelty streetcars. And so the focus of "Operation Overcometh" will be on new innovative ideas to jump start our City, make it a better place to live and give it a new attractive presentation (to the outside world) so it can grow, prosper and become "the City Beautiful" again.

Next Monday is Part II and covers Clay's ideas to overcome.

Sincerely, KC Community Activist, Clay Chastain
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Developing . . .