Splitsville Trip Ruins Kansas City Mayoral Hopes For Council Lady?!?

So, TKC starts this week by way of scumbag gossip backed up by a very real Casenet searching which is, tragically, more work than any other "investigative" reporter in Kansas City would dare conduct. 

Facts first . . . 

Local media has been EXCEPTIONALLY & PATHOLOGICALLY POLITE by ignoring news of a Council lady's journey to Splitsville. 

This kind of genteel treatment of politicos wouldn't pass in any other American big city of note. 

A quick search of Casenet shows some interesting court entries for Kansas City 3rd District-At-Large Council Lady Melissa Patterson Hazley. Just to double check, TKC cross-referenced the dox with public campaign finance disclosure addresses in order to match the public ID.

A dissolution of marriage isn't a big deal and pretty standard for politicos. Finicky voters don't realize it but even cowtown politics puts a strain on relationships that most couples can't handle . . .  

But here's why all of this might be important to voters . . .  

As we've noted previously . . .

The goal for local leaders in the next mayoral election is to campaign for the first Black female mayor in Kansas City's history. 

Congressman Cleaver wanted to achieve this for colleagues when he left the office at city hall more than 20 years ago and it has been a dream of urban leaders for more than a generation. 

Behind the scenes, Council Lady Patterson-Hazley is/was seen as the most polished, educated and capable candidate to quickly ascend to the top spot at 12th & Oak with the help of local biz & urban leaders. 

She doesn't have the baggage of Council Lady Parks-Shaw and she appeals to middle-class white voters more than her 3rd District Council college Melissa Robinson. 

Council Lady Patterson-Hazley is educated, politically connected and good-looking which pretty much makes her a celebrity in our smallish world of porky rubes playing around with low-turnout KCMO elections.  

However . . .

Even a brief stint in the limelight revealed "personality" issues as her skills on paper didn't always match up her public performances. There's some worry that maybe a divorce thwarts her momentum . . . 

In early debates for a council seat wherein she eventually TROUNCED former councilman Brandon Ellington, her supporters found her speaking style lackadaisical and without ANY excitement or inspiration -- At least not matching their enthusiasm. Still . . . Bottom line: She garnered a double digit victory in her local political debut.

As for love lost in Kansas City politics . . . This might free her up for more campaign time and work on her public persona. 

Insiders offer this perspective . . .  

"Divorces or marital drama isn't a big deal in Kansas City politics. This isn't the 1950s" 

A case worth remembering . . . Claire McCaskill served as Jackson County Prosecutor when her husband at the time (1994) was caught smoking pot and she went on to become a U.S. Senator for Missouri. In fact, she even won reelection and it didn't matter that her old dude was killed in what authorities suspected was a drug deal gone wrong. 

Meanwhile . . . Insiders remind us that the Patterson-Hazley's divorce seems mundane by comparison just like 50% of all new marriages that end with couples parting ways. 

Another tidbit . . .  

Insiders told us that her former fella SEEMED OBVIOUSLY UNCOMFORTABLE at local political events and came off as overprotective and annoyed with endless hours of small town political glad-handing and backslapping that's necessary to earn citywide support amongst a diverse electorate.   

However . . .

TKC dares not speculate on the romances of our betters.  

What we feel confident about in our www.TonysKansasCity.com sneak peek at upcoming elections is that Council Lady Patterson-Hazley merits insider attention at the highest levels.

It might be cynical but the divorce-post-script could help the career of this ambitious council lady and change the course of local history. 

Developing . . .