6th District at Large Candidate Stacey Johnson-Cosby

Two meetings were held in south Kansas City this week that Stacey Johnson-Cosby had a major role in. The first was South Kansas City Alliance. Stacey is the President of this political club. South Kansas City Alliance is following its standard operating procedure: only invite one side of an issue—the side they favor—to present their position. The issue is the proposed Kansas City ordinance to require yearly city inspection of rental properties. This will be on the ballot August 7th. The next meeting was of the Center Planning and Development Council, of which Stacey Johnson-Cosby is Vice President. They had a special meeting to discuss a project for which Stacey, a real estate broker, is the listing agent.

Some observations: If you are an organization having a candidate forum, don’t invite Stacey Johnson-Cosby because she doesn’t believe in debate or discussion. Stacey made her candidacy official in January, yet she still is Councilman Scott Taylor’s Public Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) representative and a real estate broker. This all seems to present many conflicts of interest. Councilman Taylor wants to lecture the City Council on ethics. He might start with his own PIAC representative.

Advertisements

Special Meeting About Land at 104th Street & Wornall Road

Wednesday, July 11, 2018, 7:00 P.M.
Trailside Center
9901 Holmes Road
Kansas City, MO 64131

From Center Planning:

A company named Seed Services is making plans to build a church on the vacant 6+ acres on the east side of 104th and Wornall.

There will be no rezoning issues. However, because there had been plans to build a triplex residential development on the property, they now need municipal approval for an amended Development Plan.

This meeting allows you to ask more in-depth questions about their proposed plan and how it will affect the community and traffic near 103rd and Wornall.

Please plan on attending on Wednesday, July 11th at 7:00pm at the Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, KCMO 64131. Tim Herndon of Wallace Engineering, one of the planners on this project, has supplied his email address and phone number as well. See his letter for that and other information.

Center Planning May Meeting

Center Planning and Development Council
Tuesday, May 29th, 2018
7:00 pm
Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, KCMO 64131

AGENDA

1) Mary McCall, our South Patrol community interaction officer (CIO) will give an overview of crime in our area. In addition, she will give us instructions on how each homes/neighborhood association can look up crime reports in their area.

2) Jim Ready, manager of the Regulated Industries Division of the Neighborhoods and Housing Services Department at City Hall will tell us what the law allows for liquor licenses and what authority they have in enforcement when problems occur. We understand John Harbrecker, supervisor, will also be able to attend. There have been concerns about the bar situation at 99th & Holmes, so we hope that many residents near that neighborhood will attend this meeting. Public safety is always an issue.

This will be our last meeting before the summer months. We will resume in September. Have a wonderful summer!

May SCC Meeting

Southern Communities Coalition Meeting

Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 7:00 P.M.
South Kansas City Patrol Station
9701 Marion Park Drive
Kansas City, MO 64137

Guest Speakers

Mr. Terry Riley, consultant, on behalf of Mr. Rick Kochuyt, applicant for the proposed Shell station with Dunkin’ Donuts at the location of the vacant UMB Bank building, 10321 Blue Ridge Blvd.

For the KC Water Department, a “rates presentation” featuring Mr. Terry Leeds, KC director, Mr. Hugh Woods, Sr., financial analyst, Mr. Sean Hennessy, chief financial officer, & Mr. Harry Ingels, “trouble shooter”.

Questions will be taken after each presentation.

The May meeting will be the last until September.

Hickman Mills Stays Losing

Apparently the Hickman Mills School Board members don’t realize that, as  the community’s representatives, their function is to vote the will of the people.  If they understood that, they would not have appointed a loser to fill the most recent vacant seat.  Shawn Kirkwood ran as an incumbent in 2016 and was rejected by the electorate.  If he had the drive to continue on the board, he could have run in either the 2017 or 2018 election; rather, he chose the easier (and more sure?) route of appointment.

Not only did the board appoint someone rejected by the community; but in doing so, they rejected two other highly qualified candidates.  Not only is Steven Ramsey qualified, but he is young and would bring a fresh perspective.  Sandy Sexton is also qualified and would bring some much needed diversity to the board, which appears to be a one-way street.

Steven Alan Ramsey for School Board

The Hickman Mills board of education is about to select a replacement for the latest resignation.  They have five candidates to choose from and it will be very interesting to see the outcome.  One of those five previously resigned, so it is difficult to see how he would actually bring stability to the board.

One of the candidates, Steven Alan Ramsey, seems very promising.  He and his four siblings went through the Hickman Mills schools and his mother was a very active volunteer.  He’s young and a professional, having earned his law degree at Norte Dame.  He was a law clerk for the state Supreme Court, worked at the Department of Health and Senior Services, and served in the attorney general’s office.  Currently, he is an assistant Jackson County prosecutor.

He seems to have the kind of level-headed professionalism that is sorely needed on the school board.  Did I mention that he’s young?  When was the last time anyone under 30 was elected?  Fresh ideas and young thinking might be just the thing to turn this district around.

Red Bridge Road Design Concepts

Notice of Community Meeting
Thursday, April 26, 2018
5:00—7:00 P.M.
St. Peter/All Saints Episcopal Church
100 E Red Bridge Road
Kansas City, Missouri 64114

There will be a short presentation on completed studies at 5:30 P.M.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri invites you to a community meeting to learn about design concepts for Red Bridge Road between Wornall & Holmes.

For more information, contact Parson + Associates at 816.216.6571 or gina@parsonkc.com

Center Planning April Meeting

Center Planning and Development Council
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
7:00 pm
Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, KCMO 64131

AGENDA

1) Perry Allen, Project Director, will tell us about the widening of I-435 from State Line to Three Trails Crossing. We understand no additional right-of-way will be necessary. There will be major changes in bridges and interchanges at Wornall and Holmes.

2) Hugh Woods, Senior Financial Analyst and Harry Ingels from the Water Department will explain the changes in our water bills. Specifically: Will the rates continue to rise? Are they leveling off? When can we expect rates to decline? These men will answer our questions and concerns.

April SCC Meeting Agenda

Southern Communities Coalition Meeting
Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 7:00 P.M.
South Kansas City Patrol Station
9701 Marion Park Drive
Kansas City, MO 64137

Guest Speakers:

• Mr. Terry Riley, consultant, on behalf of Mr. Rick Kochuyt (H&R Block Plaza), applicant for proposed Shell Station with Dunkin Donuts at end, at the location of the vacant UMB Bank, 10321 Blue Ridge Blvd.
• Mr. Jeffrey Williams, director, City Planning & Development
• Mr. Joseph Rexwinkle, Development Management Division manager

Still Losing

It appears as though Freedom, Inc. was able to re-elect their three candidates to the Hickman Mills Board of Education Tuesday. While I’m not opposed to Freedom, an organization not unlike other political organizations in KC, I am opposed to a School Board whose members don’t have a clue. From their answers at a recent forum, they believe the way to gain accreditation is to support the superintendent and continue with the 5-year plan begun by the previous, unsuccessful superintendent. In other questioning, they seemed to be okay with the fact that “there may have been some mismanagement of funds” from the last $19 million bond issue because of the change in superintendents last spring. It seems like that’s an issue they should have addressed before hand. It’s not the superintendent who’s responsible for spending. The superintendent hires a CFO to oversee the district’s dollars. Then its the board, itself, who is ultimately responsible; which means any mismanagement of funds lies at the feet of the board.

But then these are the same people who approved a board policy requiring them to give prior notification before they visit any of the schools so they can then be escorted through those schools. If this isn’t board manipulation by the administration, I don’t know what is; and they can’t even see that.

They also seemed to be unaware that Hickman Mills employs ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers in order to help those students who come to the district not speaking English. Of course they also seemed to think that only comprises 7 or 8 different languages when, in fact, it’s considerably more.

Also at that recent forum, in response to a question about the district’s pre-kindergarten program, the current board president said she could speak to that question because that’s the building she visits. THE building she visits? As in she doesn’t visit them all?

This is a board that appears to not understand who is ultimately in charge. It is no different than the board of a corporation that hires a CEO. What organization would not fail if it simply approved or “rubber-stamped” everything that CEO suggested? This district will never turn around until it has a fully aware and engaged board.