Citizen Association's Mayoral Debate with Closed Captioning

Dr Chuck Ettie and I running for the office of mayor of the city of Kansas City Missouri. My name is Jim Glover and I'm proud to announce here tonight. My candidacy for mayor of Kansas City Missouri. My name is John Fairfield. My name is Dan Glaser. My name is Becky Nace. I'm Albert reader. I'm John David Cappo and I want to be here. My vision for our city over the next four years and into the future is a city that is fiscally responsible and fiscally strong. The leadership of this community for the last seven years has been tremendous. And I'm very happy very proud of of their leadership. I am most qualified. To lead Kansas City at this pivotal time in this historic development and my campaign is going to put the focus back on as I said in my commercial preventing crime. Helping small businesses and taking our children's schools to the next level. I am Mark Funkhouser and I want to be a. Mentor. I want to welcome you all to the students association screening for mayoral

candidates for the 2007 election in Kansas City Missouri organizations existed since at least 19 34 as a political nonpartisan organization. Our mission has been and continues to be to provide careful and thorough screening of candidates and recommending only those persons who have committed and demonstrated a commitment to open fair honest and accountable government. Now go ahead and vote the first candidate to come forward. Becky naifs. Good evening. My name is Becky nascent I'm running for mayor of Kansas City with a record of getting things done. My focus as mayor will be in four areas. Job creation accountability city

services and crime prevention. Much is said about tax incentives to attract business to Kansas City. But very little is often said about other incentives we offer. I'm currently working on a $200 million project. Their first instinct was to ask for a Teff. I offered other ideas and today this project is well underway without a tip. I've expressed my concerns about the direction the city is going in the past. And here's the evidence. Over the past 10 years population growth was only 1.5 percent. Our unemployment rate is 6.3 percent compared to a national average of four point six percent. But the next statistic troubles me the most. The number of residents who live and work in Kansas City has decreased by 15000 over the past

10 years. Building a city where people want to live and work is the fundamental job of your city government. Now we've made positive steps in that direction. Our downtown has been revitalized and we're receiving worldwide attention for our efforts. At the same time our citizens recently gave the city an F on the citizen satisfaction survey. This is unacceptable and it contributes to our lack of growth. Being responsive has always been a top priority for me. I've handled over 11000 constituent requests for service in my eight years in office. My office has regular contact with 250 neighborhood presidents business leaders and labor leaders in the process. I learned how City Hall works and I learned how to make it work better for you

as mayor I'll continue that same level of personal service and create a climate where responsiveness is the norm not the exception. As mayor I assure you our finances will be well managed in our city services will improve crime and lack of education is interconnected. The city has a vital role to play in this job creation creates stable families and stable families produce good students. A student who lives in a stable home outperforms more transients students good students with bright futures rarely commit crimes. This is a key first step. I have a reputation for giving a straight answer and keeping my word. I speak up for what I believe in and that's created a bond of trust between me and the public. Thank you. I look forward to your questions.

Becky Mike Burke second council district. My question has to do with finances in the City star recently. You stated that in order to remain competitive and grow Kansas City must replace the regressive earnings tax with productivity based revenue streams. Could you elaborate on what you would replace the earnings tax with. I would be happy to and I think we cannot fail to address this issue at short sighted if we don't because it's discussed in every grocery store beauty salon and in my office this morning when a company who wanted to locate a manufacturing firm in Kansas City visited with me and the first question or concern they brought up was the tax. There are groups that are working on this issue. Financial experts economists all agree that that the earnings tax is an impediment to future growth. In Kansas City and St. Louis now there is not a magic bullet. There is no replacement tax that

I feel is workable at this point but I will continue to have those discussions because I think it has a negative impact on this city. We know how much we gain and tax but we have no idea what we've lost. But I do know this that people consider tax when they decide where they're going to buy a house and sometimes which job offer they're going to accept. So we need to keep discussing this and I intend to do that because Wilmer My name is Dan Vecchio and I'm from the 5th District. There are two areas that I think I'd like your thoughts on. One is how you would resolve debt management. The city is and also how you would enhance or stimulate economic development. Thank you. Those two go hand in hand and in the past the city has not had a policy for debt management and it comes at a cost we're about four years ago I presented a 20 year financial forecasts

and expressed my concern that by 2008 we would have difficulty providing basic services because of the debt requirements that we had. We needed a policy then and we need one now. We are working on that and we're going to going to incorporate that with the new budget process as well as a policy for incentives to make that work. How do we get our finances in order. All these things are and are connected and they all have to take place. In addition to some discipline on the part of the council every economic development deal has merit but we have to make choices you make choices on pie back. You have a bundle of projects and you have to decide in TDA has the same problem you have more requests than you have money. The same thing happens with economic development incentives. We have to be selective. We have to pick and choose and moving forward we have to look beyond our

four or eight years in office to the impact that our decisions today have on future councils and having debt policies and a new budget process will accomplish that. Ms name Jana Blofeld from the 4th District. And your response to question number two where you were asked what areas can we provide fewer funds out of the budget and presumably to fund some of your priorities. You talk about duplication of efforts due to a lack of communication. Can you elaborate on that please. Yes and we all have heard the horror stories about you know one department comes out. Tears up the road to fix a pipe and then another department comes out a month later and tears up the road to fix something else. It's those types of lack of communication in fact a situation happened not long ago on a funding priority that I had I had made available to do combined sewer repair

almost seven million dollars. My paycheck appointee brought to my attention that city staff had brought to them a request for $4 million for this same project that I'd already funded. This was going forward and had my PAJA person not asked me to explain the project. I wouldn't have realized that city staff forgot what they said that I had given them the gift of seven million dollars. This is a lot of money and they forgot and they duplicated the request. This money could have been tied up and unavailable for other priority projects. They're still not the level of communication that we need to have and as such there are duplication of efforts. We have the same people looking at the same data and collecting the same data throughout the city the Focus report Center for the city you name it these neighborhood planning reports are done over and over and over again.

And citizens are tired of going through the same process and not seeing results because different people are duplicating the efforts. These are just a few but it happens throughout city hall. I now present to you Janissary which. Is Janice Ellis. And why does my life's experience and Journey make me qualified to provide strong leadership and a vision and a vision. At this pivotal point in Kansas City history I will not recite the elements on my resume. What you have before you and which outlines my extensive educational experience my 30 year career

in the public and private sector nine years in the highest level of city government and 21 years in business 15 in the corporate environment six and the nonprofit environment rather I would like to share with you those challenges that have shaped my life my heart and my soul. As a native daughter of the South I have firsthand experience in dealing with race and gender issues. As one of seven children growing up on a small farm in Mississippi. I know poverty and hard work firsthand as a single mother raising two sons alone. I know what it means to work two jobs to make ends meet. And dealing with the trauma of an absentee dad. I have been a small business owner and I know what it means to make payroll

for employees who are counting on you and no matter what jobs I've held during my career my passion and concern for public policy has been steadfast as evidenced in my writing for radio or newspaper since nineteen seventy four and I've written about those issues at this national state and city level. I believe that that snapshot of who I am and the vision that I have for the city to ensure financial viability continue economic growth spreading to the neighborhoods promote regional connectivity makes me uniquely qualified to provide leadership at this point in time. Thank you. Many of the candidates have served in Kansas City government previously. Can you tell us how you overcome that maybe perceived disadvantage by the

voters in that you have not yet served in the in as an elected official of the city. OK. A couple of things. One in looking at that whole dynamic. I you know I think we would be better served and not getting stuck in a small thought process of it has to be grown here. And let me just give some illustrations a couple of things of the top 50 cities in the nation 27 of the mayors never served in the council. Twenty four of them never held political office seven or eight of them have made the cover of Time magazine as moving their city forward. And I think we have to look at Great leaders who really did not start necessarily at. Serving at the precinct level or our lower level of office and actually brought talents

and experience to bear that serve the city well with fresh leadership fresh ideas. I think the fact that I have nine years of government experience eight of which in the mirrors office one of which in the council eight of which where I had to deal in a strong mayoral mayoral form of government developing the budgeting system prepares me well to serve. And I think the fact that I've been in the Kansas City area over 20 years and I've written about issues impacting this community for a great period of time prepares me. I can think of a number of great leaders. Ron Reagan for example who never served as mayor of San Francisco Los Angeles or even Carmel for that matter and became governor of California and then went on to be president of the United States. Our current president George Bush actually was governor for one year. I mean one term and into his second term he became president the United States. He was not

a legislator before he became governor I think it's what you bring to the table in your life's journey in terms of experience training and so on. Kevin Thomas 5th District several of the other candidates have discussed what they believe their role would be with respect to working with the candidate in Missouri school district. I would invite you to address and elaborate on that topic if you'd like to do so. I fundamentally believe that to maximize economic development we would be shortsighted to continue to think that if we don't improve the educational outcomes of our namesake district that we will miss the mark. I think that the mayor has a great opportunity to use the bully pulpit first and foster a spirit of cooperation with the school board and administration to try to improve educational outcomes.

In my role as president of partnership for children I have worked with the school administration and the school board for the last three years and training parents on how to. Become more involved in their children's education. We received a one million dollar grant from the Kauffman Foundation. We trained over six thousand parents and we we've worked with a school board. Been set said I think we're at a place that the next mayor has stopped on helping to improve educational outcomes. Otherwise I think our economic development will forever be undermined if you go on line in some of our informational websites about Kansas City. What you see is that our namesake district lost its accreditation. I think when we market Kansas City and the assets of Kansas City I think we need to have a plan and articulate that plan to future corporations

and and people who would like to relocate here and tell them how we're going to address improving educational outcomes. And personally having come from Mississippi and a very difficult educational environment and having achieved what I've achieved I think I would be morally derelict not to work with the school board to help achieve improve educational outcomes not just for the district but for other districts in the Kansas City area. That may be approaching a stage where they're having trouble. And I believe that I can be an example of how it can be done. Janice Jim Rice first district in your questionnaire you state that you believe that we must gather all possible resources from various levels of government and to bring them to bear to improve community policing in Kansas City. Could you expand on that for a bit. Yes. As president of partnership for children we collect a lot of data and

and over the last six years there is this sort of idea that overall violent crime and so one was declining in Kansas City. Well yes and no overall maybe yes. But in terms of young people between the ages of 14 and 20 it has steadily increased since 1985. And I think what's very critical in terms of our economic development our quality of life safe neighborhoods. We have to figure out how to systemically address crime and the whole issue of safety. And I believe that policing community policing is part of it. I also think though that in order for us to address this systemic Glee we've got to have an ongoing conversation between the police department neighborhoods

business schools. We know we have so much data that show for example that if you have quality after school programs for children between the ages of 10 and 14 middle school kids the most eclectic group of our kids that if you have good quality afterschool programs you achieve two or three things you improve educational outcomes you improve the safety profile of community and you protect those children. So I think community policing will be very good not only in terms of the neighborhoods but in this presence downtown and the downtown revitalization effort in making us feel more safely. Because only 30 percent of Kansas City fans feel safe. I would like to introduce to you. Jim Lehrer.

Certainly is a pleasure to be here with you tonight as introduce. My name is Jim Glover and I'm proud to announce here tonight my candidacy for mayor of Kansas City Missouri. When elected mayor or as mayor I want to focus on a number of things but I've got to tell you the budget is first. We need a budget that ensures that basic city services and infrastructure maintenance go on in this city whether we have a recession whether we have good times. People of Kansas City deserve to expect from their council from their city consistent basic city services for our neighborhoods and we should not deferred maintenance during good times. We should make sure that the budget is work so that infrastructure maintenance is carried on and that we get a little bit ahead of the game. Now during my career I've done many things to help achieve this. I was the first person

on the council my second term to point out that we needed more than 10 million dollars for infrastructure maintenance from the general fund. This was before payback. We were only contributing 10 million dollars from the general fund and I said that was nuts and it was I introduced a resolution. We also created the infrastructure citizen's infrastructure committee and we raise the amount raised percentage of funds voted in the general fund to infrastructure maintenance right down Kansas City streets. They're full of potholes. We need an enterprise fund kind of like the water fun water department kind of like the airport fun that dedicates revenue to maintaining the streets maintaining the streets services maintaining that street trees around them maintaining our street lights and stoplights so that those systems do not fall and disregard and

poor maintenance. I plan to use the office tomorrow to promote the economy of this city. I also wish to be an ambassador for the city when Home Depot in midtown said no to the developer not only said no but said Don't call me again. I flew to Atlanta and turned a 15 minute meeting with the vice president and took a four hour meeting and Home Depot is open. Thank you. Councilman Glover Tom Becker a fourth district. Maybe you've already answered the question I was wondering what the revenue stream is that would support the enterprise on the streets. The important thing for that is that we have general funds right now dedicated in the general fund but they're not dedicated for streets it can be raided. My concept would be to dedicate a portion of the revenue to. Our current revenue to a street

utility started off say how much do we need to do this. How much do we need for maintenance and then go out to the voters and make sure its dedicated so it can't be used for something else. And once you set up a system like that I think the voters will respect that and will respond with other resources. You know there's a cynicism in Kansas City. I mean what I said about writing the straight fun is not news to the voters of the city. They realize that we're not we haven't for a long period of time devoted the money that we need to to trim our trees which ought to be our trees ought to be part of the street system. And to fix or stop lights and street lights. Mr. Lever Pat O'Neill fourth district there continues to be has been and continues to be discussion about taking mass to ambulance under the control and direction of the fire

department. Is that an idea with merit. No I had a dress at a long time ago and my position was no I don't see any reason why we should do it. The fire department is busy enough running the fire department and mast I think is doing well with the restructuring. It's done very well and I would say that the merits of appointed commissioners of the Massport. And no I don't advocate that change. Councilman Glover Janet Blofeld from the fourth district we've made a lot of progress in turning our downtown around in the last eight years. What do you see as the vision for this city as the next big step that we need to take to become world class in the next four to eight years. You know I think I said it I support downtown.

I think we need to move forward with what we've done on downtown and build especially on the courters project. A lot of the Cornish project the entertainments on power and light sound really footings for more growth but become a world class city in my book. We have to have world class neighborhoods and we have to devote the money that is necessary to continue fixing the catch basins fix the streets trim the trees keep our neighborhood parks in good shape and make sure that everyone living in the city feels like they're living in a world class neighborhood. That sounds pretty basic and it may be. Well it's exciting to me. And. I'd like to introduce it this time Alvin Brooks.

I've decided that I'm going to run for this office because of my experience. I came into city government if you will although the police department is separate from city government but it's still in a sense it serves the city. I was a police officer in Kansas City Missouri. I left there with just a small stench. I should stand for the school district after the civil disorder in 1968 I was appointed director of your election the first African-American to serve as a department here and serve the government. And after that I became an assistant city manager I was really direct for 16 years assistant city manager of seven years. Of those seven years I have assistant city manager at that time I was respond with so many departments in terms of liaison between those department heads of those departments and the city manager I had the fire department the fire department the health department the Transportation Department and collaborating with those directors and go on with budgets and all of the kinds of things that

would be approved by the city. So I think further that Ive been on the streets of the city. I have decades on the streets of the city Ive been from north to south east to west not to get elected in 1999 as a city councillors are not to get elected as mayor I was seven. But I there because as a volunteer as well as starting the ad hoc group against crime as well as as a police officer and these kind of things have taken me to those to the schools to the to the churches to the center got to the mosque and Ive been really criss cross this community all over it. I think that with that background that experience I think the hard decisions are going to have to be made because it is going to be somewhat of a lackluster period come the next mayor is not going to be at all. I think that. But I'm willing to accept that challenge take on that challenge and do the kind of things that the citizens of this community would be proud of. What I'd like to do is take a few moments and tell you about our past seven and a half years of accomplishments which I've been a part of the

leadership of this community for the last seven years has been tremendous. And I'm very happy very proud of being a part of that leadership your company that we made during that period of time. I think we've made great strides in terms of our physical infrastructure. I think that we have seen downtown come to what we have been talking about. It should be I think by the end of 0 8 we will see a kind of a renaissance if you will it's in the making now that will come to fruition at that particular time I think further that there are the things that we can do from our physical infrastructure now to our human infrastructure. I think the same kind of commitment and dedication that we had to make downtown what it has become has to also take place in neighborhoods. I think that's a must. I think we have to understand that regardless what our persons who come from around the country to visit Kansas City delegates to conventions and conferences and they all

leave and say you've got a great town a great Kansas City. But unless the people right here in River City Kansas and Missouri feel that way and we don't have a great town. So what we have to make sure that the kind of things that are taking place with the same kind of vigor and the same kind of talent has to take place in neighborhoods. What I mean by that is the kind of things that the city services that are great now a lot better than certainly they were when we came into office seven and a half years ago. But they've got to be improved upon. People have got to see change within their respective communities. And I think they're seeing it now. But I think it's got to take place and I think the mayor of 0 7 to 11 has got to be that person to see that that takes place. Another thing I think of when we talk about human infrastructure. It's involving citizens in what we do. We've got to be a transparent government. We've got to be able to touch people where they are. I think

there is somewhat of a disconnect not no reflection upon anyone but I think that citizens around this country can say in particular no different is a microcosm of what America is all about. I think that we have to be able to connect with our citizens that they know what we're doing and we take the message to them. These are the kind of things that I must look after Also I think I'm concerned about is that is that time. Oh OK. All right. OK. Thank you. OK. OK. Question and Answer. CARLSON Mike Burke second district. My question is regarding maintenance. We've made great strides in the last few years using debt financing and bonds to find out some of our deferred maintenance projects at the same time we have decreased the amount that we spend on routine maintenance in the city budget. How would you foresee

balancing debt financing. With our ability to pay and maintain maintenance levels as they are. Well I think first of all one of the good things is happening at the present is that there has to be more money to do that. I think the way that we have been able to balance a budget is make sense. I think it makes good fiscal sense I think is prudent. I think that that the citizens would approve of that. But I think that we have there has to be more revenue to continue that and I think that with what weve done in terms of bringing on external auditors to audit those business who have not paid earnings tax and business tax and sales tax that that will bring in estimated from three to four million dollars. I think that you can you can divert some of those funds to do those kinds of things. I think further I'm aware of the fact that the last try to change that indicates weve got to have a plan to look at incentives to look at at managing their look at the whole the bond that whole structure and I think that that I'm

looking forward to be a part of see that that takes place and then I think that we can a much more efficient way and deal with the whole question on issues. How do you balance that out. It has to take place I think Dr. Funkhouser is report on incentives going on on tiff. Is this somewhat of a roadmap. I didn't totally agree with everything but auditors are kind of bitter sweet. You love them when they say things that youre doing good and you kind of do the other when things are a tiny challenge you but you did not say in that report that we were not doing things right. It just told cautioned us a watchdog and I think that we need that. So I think that thats the way that we deal with it. Would you please elaborate on your plans for managing Kansas City's debt and also for stimulating Kansas City's economic development. Let me deal with the last part of that question first. I think that my my whole point to you you continue continue what you have complete the projects that you have and at the same time other projects will come on line I think but you have to end up the next

administration has to begin to look to neighborhoods for that same kind of economic stimulus. You have to look to that and with regard to to how do you deal with that I think again I would have to we have to put together a program in keeping with the with the charter and I think that when you look at this this will all come to pass. When you put all of that together I don't I don't have a plan right now that because it may conflict with what we would put together as a whole as accounts of the whole with the input from the management. And I suspect input from citizens I think citizenry having input in this the industry the developers ought to have an input into this and this isn't something that we ought to put together in a vacuum. I think it has to be citizen participation and I think it has to be those who are developers. I think that those are lending institutions. I think that all of those need to come to the table and have input into it. But the buck stops with the with the 13 of us as to what we put into place.

I noticed that you support the smart moves transit plan. Yes sir. What steps would you take to encourage the Kansas side municipalities to participate in regional funding of smart moves. An interesting question a difficult situation because you know in order to really do some things and its different I think were part of a group that that when we went to we went to Cincinnati one year this year we went to Minneapolis-St. Paul and they got some things going where they can collaborate and cooperate much better than we can because St. Paul Minn. is all in one state. You dont have to go to the legislature legislature one time here weve got to go to to pick as well as Jefferson said and sometimes that just doesn't work out too well. I don't see us moving on this or this transportation issue smartish Unless of course we can get the our counterparts on the Kansas side both the cities that are affected their mayor their city council people as well as their state legislators and the governor involved in this whole piece is taking place on the eastern side of the state of Kansas as well

as in West Side the state of Missouri. So I would see that that coordination of collaboration between the two states and those entities that border the the area that would be most affected by this I think it has to come about I think over time I think it takes leadership to pull all of that together and I think that we still rely up on Mark witer back Regional Council to be that conduit for that kind of thing that at least an intermediary to try to bring the force together and I think that it can be done. I hope its not as one of those says a long time coming I hope it will be in the very near future. I now wish to welcome John Fairfield. Thank you for and welcome to everyone here tonight. And I want to thank

for the citizens association for having me here tonight. I certainly want your endorsement and I appreciate all the work that you do. As for said My name is John Fairfield City councilman from the Second District which is an industry seat which includes downtown. All I can see in black county and a good deal of Clay County I've been Council on since 2003. My family who should be here somewhere that they make it into the into their They're coming in now. My wife my wife Vicki and daughter Madis center are here in the back. Just got here as well. I grew up in Kansas City. My father in fact still lives in the house that I grew up with in that he bought in the mid-1950s so in southern Clay County so I've been here for over 50 years. I'm an attorney. I graduated Nineteen eighty two. I was on Law Review. I was the executive editor of The Urban lawyer magazine at that time. I had a general practice of law in the north primarily although I did do some

some work in Jackson County as well. I was also a municipal judge for eight years and a prosecutor for about nine years. I've been involved as I said before with the Citizens Association fact said on this board for about eight years I helped start the organization forward Kansas City up north. I was involved in the creation of the Northman Regional Chamber of Commerce and was its chairman in 1994. I was also on PAJA a couple of times and I also served for a number of years on the community policing steering committee mayors probably one of the most important positions that that you will ever vote for because it probably impacts your life greater than anything else. We need a city that works. And as your mayor I will work to make Kansas City the place we all want it to be. Now I have three basic goals for Kansas City. We need to keep the Renaissance going. We need economic health. We need to take pay attention to schools and we need quality of life that economic health is about bringing companies here. Keeping the companies we have this bad job creation of our

training. We've got a great need for training schools. I mean schools are vital to our children's future. They're vital to our economic development. They're vital to the quality of life. I think it's time that we as a city realize in a business community that the schools are very important and we can't say it's no longer our responsibility to be involved in their success as a mayor. I will work with school schools to help them succeed. Quality of life. And we have basic things we have to take care of too. Besides deferred maintenance police fire take care of streets and sidewalks and things of that nature. We've got some things steel plates is one of my pet peeves. You know they seem to get lost out there on the street and live forever. Someone called me one time that has played outside their house on the street and they call the city and the city said we're glad you called woods. We've lost it. We hadn't we didn't know it was for a year. And when they pull the plate up there wasn't anything under it it had all been fixed and it was done at some point in time you know.

We've got to figure out a better way to do that. I talked to an engineer said maybe put a GPS GPS locator on it so we know where they're out all the time I don't know but something along those lines as I said earlier I really appreciate this. I want to give you basically almost stop my little introduction at this point and let you ask the questions. I know in your opening remarks to us you said one of the three prongs that you are most concerned about for the city of Kansas City is our school districts. And while the school districts in your part of the city the north of the river have high quality we all know that can't City School District the largest school district faces grave problems. You say that you're going to work with the school districts. What specifically do you think that you can do as mayor that shows your commitment to the inner city children of this city. Well I think there's a number of things we can do and I think we can benefit by looking at what some other cities have done. Some of the programs I've seen in other cities are working with the school district when they go down to the state for funding working with them when they talk to that the federal level for

funding. There's also programs about retention of teachers. And I think you can work some of those things have to be working with the state legislature. As Mayor you've got the bully pulpit I think you talk to businesses in the community and you say you know this is something that affects the economic vitality of our city and it's one of the great social challenges that we have. Now they've made improvements. I've talked to several of the members of the city's school board and Dr. Amato about some of these things and I think we can look at doing a number of those things we can try to facilitate partnerships between businesses and schools to work on issues that they have. I don't want to take over the school district but I as I when I had my conversation with Dr. Amato and with other superintendents in from the north as well. If we sat go down to the legislature and say look you've got to fund this school better or let's try to come up with some programs maybe that help teach parents how to teach their children or have programs that maybe help

children get ready for school so when they get there they're ready to learn. I think there's a number of things that we just have to be willing to try to be creative and attack Coulston Mike Burke second council district you've served on the plan zoning and economic development committee. What lessons have you learned in terms of how the city grows that you would like to apply citywide. And what ideas do you have on how to fund some of the demands created by new growth. Well one of the things I think I've seen is that we've we've got some developments that are kind of a patchwork and those developments don't work as well and where in some of the areas in the north where you have larger developers. We saw one today over 300 acre. Thousands of homes including commercial row homes apartments and single family housing. I think we need to look at a bigger picture and try to come up with

plans for an area. For example the Lion Creek Valley and the second district we funded a plan to look at that entire 750 acres. It also included the four largest landowners that have over 400 acres there with a new idea. How do we create a plan that connects the homes to the trails that it runs along the stream in the area. How do we find places for park whereas the best thing to do as far as locate new commercial with regard to that and make it work together. And if we can do that and then tell a developer that look we've already done these things so you don't have to do X Y and Z as long as you follow our plan. Then I think they'll be they'll have a great incentive to try to follow the plan. I think that's one way that we can do it. I think you pay for things in to a large extent through economic development. We've got to build the city where we're 322 square miles and not quite 450000 people in.

And that's really spreads our resources very thin. We have to keep economic development going we have to make the city work better than we started that. I think city managers done a good start about making some of the process that city hall work better. But we have to become more efficient. So developers want to come to Kansas City. They see this as a good place to develop and invest money and when they invest their money then that helps us pay for other things. John we've got a lot of candidates for this office like you that have considerable elective office experience what one or two qualities do you have that would separate you from the pack. Ok I think I have some vision about the future of the city and I'm not afraid to make hard choices. I think I have leadership. I mentioned the schools there's a talk for a long time. We're afraid to do anything about the schools so I'm willing to tackle the tough choices I'm willing to sit down at the negotiating table like I did with American

Airlines and work to say the overhaul base. I've got the intelligence to my legal quandary career. Fact 30 years ago I managed a McDonald's restaurant for three years so I've had some business experience and had to keep a budget on. And I had to keep my labor costs in line. I mean it's a lot harder than you think sometimes until you do it. But I think I've had a lot of experience in the civic arena and I've been able to work with a lot of different parts of the community successfully and I think I can bring those talents to the office. Next I would like to introduce to you. Henry Klein. It's my job tonight to demonstrate to you that what sets my campaign apart from the others and once makes me a new voice and a different choice.

In so doing I like to tell you what I'm hearing on the campaign trail and lend my voice to the many. I've had the privilege to meet and talk with what I hear and support and talking to people citizens like what they see in the overall downtown development. But what they also want is real and dramatic improvement in their schools. Citizens like the idea of condos in the downtown but also want us to help rebuilding of our poor neighborhoods and have a housing authority that really works systems like the arena. But what they really want is a professional basketball and hockey team to ensure the success of the entire Paran light district systems like the max buses but really want a complete mass transit system that improves our environment and allows for workers to get to better jobs. Employers to have a larger pool of labor to choose from. Seasons like rain gardens. But what they really want is for us to develop and implement a complete system that prevents their basements from

flooding and raw sewage from coming into their homes and our streams systems like the idea of a new police academy but also want us to put renewed focus on neighborhood policing crime prevention and citizen safety. Now let me give you the flip side of this if you will what our citizens tell me they don't like they don't at all like or care for confusing multiple ballot measures that try to extend term limits to those already in office. They don't like murals on the ceilings of their government buildings glorifying existing political officials particularly at taxpayers expense. They don't like it when communities such as Redbridge find themselves having to fight unanimous city council votes that destroy their way of life with five lane bridges and four lane highways in their front yards. They don't like it want a city run. Elderly care facilities such as Swope bridge attempts to balance its budget on the backs of its lowest paid workers by refusing to give those workers a fair cost of living

increase. They don't like it when our city is designated the 16th most dangerous in the US particularly when we know it doesn't have to be that way. Witness Lee Summit which was designated the 19th safest city. They don't like it when we underfund our crime prevention and policing efforts and they don't like the fact that according to the end urban institute less than half of our inner city high schoolers graduate because they know as we do that when students don't graduate it's a terrible burden on that individual on their families and ultimately on the community that will have to deal with higher crime a real reduction in that person's ability to earn a living wage and spend those wages in our city. This low graduation rate is completely unacceptable and is no way to bring a city such as ours into the 21st century. And I know we can measure any improvement of even five 10 15 or more percent in very large dollars that could be put back into our city for many more productive uses. I'm sure there are candidates who will interview that have a greater knowledge on some specific city government

terms are issues such as Tiff's super Tiff's pilots and Kayak. But what I plan to convey to you tonight is that this uphill fight an underdog campaign has the ideas and the heart to make a real lasting difference for our citizens. Everyone here loves our city. That's why we're here tonight. But we have lost our focus on a lot of the things voters feel are important. And we see that in the very high levels of dissatisfaction that come back to us from the citizen survey you asked all Merrell candidates to comment on what is happening in our downtown is a good thing to be sure and we'll continue to build on it. But my campaign is going to put the focus back on as I said in my commercial preventing crime helping small businesses and taking our children's schools to the next level. Again thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. I welcome your questions. Would you please explain to me your policies or your plan for reducing the city's debt and deforming enhancing or stimulating the city's

economic development. One of the questions you all asked me on the city's debt. So are some of the things that we're going to have to do when we look at the city's debt as we're going to have to look at how we finance development today whether it's through Tiff's and what have you and I guess when you know the short answer your question is is that right now it seems like we are having to do way too much to economically and sent people to come here and do business here in Kansas City and consequently we have to give up a lot of economic incentives in order to accomplish that. So what I'm trying to say here tonight is if we can do some other things a whole lot better whether it's schooling whether it's policing or whether it's doing more to promote small businesses and bring jobs here to Kansas City. I think we'll have to do a lot less with the economic incentives that we have had to give to people to come here to Kansas City. Mr. Klein would you support the continuation of the 1 percent for art program. Yes I would. I want to keep it that simple.

The answer is yes I understand that part of your reason for running for mayor is that you want to bring a fresh voice and not the career politician that you must be aware that it takes 13 votes that there are 13 votes on the council and you need a majority to be able to move your agendas ahead what skills do you think that you possess that's going to enable you to accomplish your goals as mayor despite the fact that you have not held public office in this city before. Well first off is that while I think we have not put this in my survey and I'd like to bring it out I think we have a weak moral system here in Kansas City in other words I think there's a lot of power embedded with the city manager. I do think that there are plenty of opportunities. As mayor and the functions and the abilities to make the various types of appointments to the various types of committees etc. that allow the mayor to have some significant leverage with the city council. But I want to say this to your question. Leadership doesn't always mean getting a 13 to 0 vote.

Sometimes we should see a few more seven to six votes. And sometimes we should see a little bit more controversy in our city council. I personally am a little bit frustrated that we don't see a little bit more of that that we don't see a little bit more of in respect you know thought and what we're doing and let me give you an example out in Redbridge. We had one of my opponents came out and he's from the Second District and he's And when he was asked why did he vote to really hurt these people in terms of the damage that that's going to happen to them in terms of the additional lanes the five lane bridge etc. that's going to go right through their Idella community that they're fighting so hard against. He said well my sixth district councilman told me to vote that way. So that's what I did. I understand the concept of council Manock privilege but I'd like to see a little less of it to be quite honest with you in other words I'd like you like to see some more debates in the city council that are a little more contentious than what we've seen today. I would now like to introduce to you. Katherine Schale.

It's very nice to be here this evening among so many familiar faces so many people that I've worked with on issues affecting Kansas City over the last 20 years. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity to meet with you. My vision for our city over the next four years and into the future is a city that is fiscally responsible and fiscally strong a city that has a solid plan for addressing its infrastructure needs a city that transforms itself into the regional and national leader on the environment. My record of fiscal responsibility is strong. The first month after I was elected to the city council and served on the Finance Committee with Bob Lewellen my colleagues and I had to cut nearly $14 billion from the general fund. When I left Kansas

City government eight years later we had a general fund balance of $14 million dollars. When I took office as county executive in 1995 I had to cut the prior year budget by seven million dollars to meet the revenues available. Now Jackson County at their last audit had a confirmed fund balance of 14 million dollars. We accomplished this while overhauling the counties and equated an embarrassing employee pay system taking the county from a 20 year old mainframe to State of the art e government and spending over 20 million dollars preserving and renovating our deteriorating courthouses and other buildings. After I became County Executive our public works department developed a comprehensive plan that has allowed us to rebuild and expand the county road system our strategic

preventive maintenance plan is nationally recognized. This plan has enabled us to save eight thousand dollars per lane mile and cut the accident rate on county roads by 52 percent. None of this happened overnight. It took a decade of concentrated effort but the same results can be true for Kansas City. The city needs a comprehensive plan to build and maintain our roads and bridges. It isn't enough just to patch potholes before they are deep enough to swallow issue vees for every dollar spent on preventive maintenance. We can save ten dollars in deferred or reactive maintenance. We need to improve the conditions of our streets and bridges and then follow a consistent preventive maintenance plan to keep them that way. Ed Jackson

County we have established a record for environmental stewardship that is also nationally recognized. We have earned 27 local state and national awards. We have shown that green government is good government cutting waste also cuts costs. Our environmental initiatives have not only saved over 150000 trees and enough water to fill Arrowhead Stadium twice and a major bowl amounts of fuel and release of carbon into the atmosphere but they have saved us millions of tax dollars. In Jackson County we like to say that its not enough just to hug trees. We can and should squeeze money out of them. If Jackson if Kansas City excuse me if Kansas City can become a national

leader in the environment the opportunities for economic development are endless. Right now the technology in this area is being developed in Canada France and China. While I believe that all to be developed here in Kansas City we need to make Kansas City the unchallenged leader in environmental technology much the same way that ours seeks to do in the biological sciences. Those are the jobs that we need for our children and grandchildren. Katherine Mike Bourke's same district. My question is about downtown. OK we've made some great strides in the last few years a lot of exciting things. What in your opinion as if you are the next mayor. That would be your role in continuing the progress of downtown. I think the major role that the next mayor and council need to play is one of not losing the momentum of while we recognize that there are

other areas of the city that we need to bring attention and resources to that we still do not lose this focus on downtown Kansas City. We need to make sure that the arena and the parking that's needed for the arena becomes available. We need to continue negotiations although I'm not sure I want to take on that burden but we do need these continued negotiations to make sure that we need to get that we get a major sports franchise in the arena. We need to work with the Kansas City live group to make sure that that lives up to its full potential. So it's really I think not a thing of coming up with more projects for downtown but rather focusing and making sure that the money we have spent and that the attention that we've paid in the past continues into the future so that it really can live up to the promise that I believe is there in downtown currently. Good evening. Kevin Thomas Fifth District. Hi Kevin. Several of the other

candidates have spoken regarding their role as they would see it as mayor and working with the cat City School District. OK. Could you would you like to speak to that. Sure. There is no doubt that there is no import more important issue facing us whether it's for economic development or I think quality of life than well educated citizens. And the basis of that education I believe is obviously in our in our public schools in our charter schools and also in our private schools that are available to us here with in Kansas City Missouri. I am a product of public schools for am I graduated from North Kansas City High School actually about 10 years ago if you want to believe that. And and so I have a strong commitment to public schools but I don't think they are the only types of schools we need in this community. I think we need the mix and the diversity so that

we can provide all the citizens who want to live in our community the options that are available to them then I think we need to just focus on trying to be as supportive for these different options as we can to see them to be successful. CATHERINE. Tom Becker fourth district and somewhat related to the state too that you were discussing earlier was the question I have. Do you have any particular thoughts on how to deal with the economic development or is that go on in our metropolitan area. You've been in county government city government. We've got multiple counties and even states and obviously the. We're talking about the kind of the horror stories of jobs that move across state lines no net gain employment etc. etc.. Do you have any creative solutions. Well right. I don't have any brand new ideas I think we need to keep working the old

ideas. And and I think those old ideas are really evolve around talking and continuing to push cooperation between the different subdivisions whether they're on the Missouri side or the Kansas side. And I think that's the only way we're going to reach a point I really believe we need to reach a point where we where we're not giving away the tax base of any of our localities whether Jackson County or Kansas City or Overland Park to essentially not bring in any new revenue. And so it's as sort of a zero gain. But I think that recognition of that we shouldn't be fighting over the same the same dollars and that we ought to have a more regional focus. I think that only really comes from discussions held at the highest level between your elected officials and continuing to push and frankly to try to model the behavior you want to

have that other people portray and and consequently I mean I don't I don't think it helps us to steal a Wal-Mart over from Johnson County to be in Kansas City Missouri I don't think it helps us frankly in Jackson County to have a new grocery store set up. People don't go outside Jackson County to buy their groceries so a new grocery store and say independence versus Lee Summit where the tax base is given away does not in any way help Jackson County pursue its economic goals. And I think the same is true on a broader basis. I now give you Charles any. Good evening. I'm Dr. Jack Eddy and I'm running for the office of mayor

of the city of Kansas City Missouri. And I thank you for the opportunity to screen with you this evening. My vision for the city includes clear specific ideas like enhancing law enforcement for a safer city revitalizing our neighborhoods so that they are desired places to live and raise our children. Completing it promoting our downtown redevelopment projects recreating a transportation system that works for all citizens enhancing our city with improved health care access for every citizen a strong infrastructure for road sewers bridges all coming together to create an exciting Kansas City which we can all be proud of. I have the necessary qualities to achieve these goals. I have worked as a leader both in and outside of city government for more than a third of a century. My service to Kansas City began as a volunteer is volunteering for 24 years as a reserve officer retiring in nineteen ninety four as commander of all reserve officers in the city of Kansas City for

the Kansas City Missouri police department within government. I was a pilot representative in 1995. I have served as city council member for the sixth district since 1999. I am the immediate past chairman of the regional council and currently co-chair of the total transportation committee. These are just a brief example of my service and experience within city government outside city government for 36 years. I have been a doctor of chiropractic listening to the needs of my patients in finding solutions to their problems. I've been a devoted husband for 35 years to my high school sweetheart Donna. I am currently the first vice president of the central state Shriner association. I serve on the Truman Medical Center board and currently chair the Cleveland chiropractic college board of trustees for Kansas City and Los Angeles. Again this is a brief list of my activities outside of city government but it gives you an indication of my commitment to service and the depth of my experience

experience. Leadership is the key that unlocks the doors to our city's future. Now I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. I check my name is Dan Porto Vecchio and I am from the 5th District of Kansas City. You've stated that you support tiff when it's used correctly and follows the but for principle right. Could you give me an example of a tiff that you had supported and one that you've rejected. Yes. Thank you Dan.. One that I supported as prime example is the Zona Rosa project that has been a project that has been extremely successful and would have been built without tip. Possibly but I don't we couldn't take that chance it was too important to have that go forward. It's an excellent project. A tiff that we didn't support was in the downtown area that we that we we we we we voted to and the the last Council not support it. And it's it still went on went forward and I can't remember exactly the the program that it was but there was one in in the last council that

we voted against. And block out from the fourth district. Do I think one of the questions dealt with fiscal strategy for the city. And what is your opinion and what do you think should be included in a debt strategy to be adopted by the City Council. Thank you Janet. Our city's debt is critical because it evolves around. That is what our bond ratings come from. Our city is in is in good shape now and we intend to keep it in good shape. We are bonding. Capability is rated in two and a half rating with one and three with the other bond rating agency. Our debt has got to be maintained at about the level it is now we may have just a little bit of wiggle room still for doing some small projects but as things come online we were talking with city staff and in the next few years a great many of the tiff projects that were done a

decade ago will be coming off that will open up and free up some of the burden and the debt process that we have. I I will be very cognizant of what's going on as far as our debt situation to make sure we do not ever impact our bond ratings by any means from the 6th District and looking at all the plight that the Sixth District dealt with a lot of business that we've lost the major areas and looking at another area they want to bring into low income housing. What is your vision and your goal for revitalizing the 6th District. Thank you Bonnie. And my vision for the sixth district is always to turn the bannister mall around. When the day I was elected we started vigorously working on it and we came within minutes of actually having that happen with the bass pro proposition moving in there. It was a sad day when that fell through and it was very difficult to live with. I work on it nearly every day. Now I've got a real

dichotomy at 130 Fifth Estate line. I have unbelievable growth taking place with people moving into new housing rapid development all aspects of it. But then you take the same thing on the east side. It has been a very great struggle. We've worked very closely with the CEO to try to rehabilitate housing. We've done in many different ways in many different styles of doing that. We have not been really successful on it. That doesn't mean we quit trying. We're going to continue trying. Let me know what it is to you. Stan Blaser. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen and thank you for inviting me. My name is Stan Glazer and many of you know me as founder of Stanford and sons restaurants and comedy theaters. But I'd like to tell you a little bit more. I was

born and raised right here in Kansas City. I served my country during the Korean War eight years two of which were active duty and eight years in the reserve. During my 50 years as a local entrepreneur and developer in Kansas City and the metro area I have created many many businesses namely Savon stores which was a department store in Kansas City. I developed Kansas City arena limited. I was a major part in the revitalization of the Westport entertainment area plus being a catalyst in many of you don't know this but 30 some odd years ago I was a major catalyst for the Kemper Arena being built in Kansas City and I am the guy that brought the NHL franchise to Kansas City. So I did not get the team all of which I in a bragging way say that in my half century as a business leader I've created thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in taxes

for this city. As mayor of Kansas City I want to be an ambassador one that would bring in new jobs one that would bring a new industry. And I want to keep up the momentum that has been started downtown but not forgetting that there is a lot more to Kansas City than just downtown. I will focus on our infrastructure the streets curbs sidewalks and sewers. It's not very glamorous but it needs to be done. And I will work to improve the neighborhoods perhaps revamp some of the codes administrations and work to eliminate even some of the smaller things like trash bag stickers that are creating illegal dumping the city hall will have an open door policy for all Kansas City and there will be accountability. As Mayor I'll make sure that what is built in Kansas City will be built by Kansas City and no outsourcing.

For those of you who may question my experience has what experience I would have to be in city hall. I would like to point out that there was a service performance report released by the city auditor Mark Funkhouser some time ago in which he stated the following and his audit 56 percent of the Kansas City Missouri voters were not satisfied with the maintenance of our city parks. Sixty four percent were not satisfied with the overall image of Kansas City. Seventy nine percent were not satisfied with the maintenance of our streets. And this one really gets me 76 percent of the Kansas City Missouri's citizens who are not satisfied with the overall performance of our local elected officials. You add those percentages up and it gives our city a D. Then again for

those of you well what's the anglaise you know about politics or city hall I promise you folks with a grade like that and those percentages I can do that good. You bet I can. With over 30 years experience in marketing and promotional experience I have the ability to make this great city even greater once again. I look for that opportunity and I thank you for letting me say my. We've done a great deal in the last few years with our bond financing and capital improvements. At the same time we have depleted our general general fund monies that we spend on maintenance. How would you as mayor balance between debt financing through bonds and pay as you go through the general fund. Well I think capital improvements whenever we have some should or should factor in a maintenance percentage that somehow we know we're going to pay for

that capital improvement by maintaining a certain amount of that funds into whatever the capital improvement is. In a conversation I had with our city auditor and asking him what would you like to see in the next mayor. He simply said I'd like to see a mayor that can say no. So whether that answers your question directly and also whether I have the proper answer at this time being a freshmen that has not entered the great halls of our city hall not having the opportunity as many of the people that have been here before me and that will follow that have eight years experience in the city hall. I kind of feel like the young freshman college student that's been asked to take his final exam before he's opened that textbook but I'll be there and I'll be surrounded by seven new council members and I'm sure that between our ingenuity and the love of this city that we will factor in things that will settle and hopefully solve a lot of these problems. I have no magic

wand. I'm not going to get up and tell people that I'm going to cure all the ills. If the progress made downtown does not survive by being successful I realize our credit cards are maxed out. That's why we need somebody with a national presence that can keep the city going that can go out and be an ambassador and bring in these new jobs that can keep downtown fortified by putting in neighborhood basic services so we can get more than just young people and empty nesters and retirees living downtown so that we can get families live and down. Now we have to support what is being built down there when we have cities like late the Lee Summit. Blue Springs liberty all building their villages and hamlets up to where they have all sorts of entertainment. They have everything they need. Why Trek downtown. We have to be able to draw these people to our city to utilize what is being built and rightfully so. But somebody has got to carry on that momentum

with my marketing experience and promotional experience. I think I can do that. I probably gave you a very short answer to your question Mike and I apologize for that. But what's the next question. I'm Bonnie Nance from the 6th District. And considering now the problems that we're having there with banners to model the plight of Wal-Mart leaving more low income housing you know car dealerships is pretty much what we've got. I'd like to know what your goals and vision for revitalizing south Kansas City south Kansas City is very close to my heart. I have made a few speeches in the Redbridge area because as you all know especially you know in the 6th District they want to run a six lane highway through your neighborhood. I understand that it was not something that they went to neighbors and asked them if they'd mind if they lose a third of their front yard if they mind smelling diesel fumes running through their neighborhood and so

forth. I don't know that the south part of Kansas City suffers from lack. And I'll ask you again what was one of the problems you said Wal-Mart was moving or that might be a good thing when you take the small businessman that a lot of people in this city overlook and give him the opportunity to come in and deal with this. Remember the good old days you get a little gray in your hair so do I. I mean with all due respect we can go back and remember the days before the big box stores how on earth did we ever survive without them. Well we did and we did a good job and I think that if we kind of backtrack a little bit and get into things the basic services and the neighborhood shopping and so forth we can live without Wal-Mart. I mean there's certainly another Wal-Mart store not that far from where you're located. This is something I'm not asking you I'm not supposed to ask your question but does this really make you sad that they're leaving when you look at our senior citizens and that's a one stop shop area and they

use the buses to get to and from the only place they have to go. So they do all this because the same light applied over a banished to likewise. Right. And banister mall was a problem and I understand that. And then there was a promise of Bass Pro coming there and it didn't happen. So the promises that are going to be made with developers coming in there and your neighborhood leaders should get together. And if I'm mayor and there is a problem like that I'd love to come out and see new development happen in the south part of Kansas City as well on the Northland. I mean we have many projects there's many many many problems that all have to be faced and resolved. My whole being if I am the mayor is to be more of an ambassador I want to listen to I have all the answers. No you might look at me like you know a doctor you go in and you see your physician and the first thing you ask is where's the pain where does it hurt. So you address that. And that's what I have to be done. And if it can be law if it's logical and can be done then I think that the neighbors

and so forth deserve a facility such as shopping centers or whatever it takes to make you happy if it can be afforded. And if you can find a developer that wants to take on that project. We we have too many things that we invested in that are broken. I mean 18th and still limps down there with one maybe two tenants was a 60 some odd million dollar. I mean if some of that sometimes money was put in other areas that should have been looked at then perhaps we wouldn't have some of the problems with things like that and deferred maintenance. Yes. Mr. Glaser. Kelly Martin's second district and I mean no disrespect for my question but when you were a candidate in 2003 you at a forum in the northland for the mayors you highly criticized our current mayor and said there was nothing going on downtown. Yet at the same time there was three and a half to four billion dollars worth of development projects bubbling up through the system and I guess my question

is were you not aware of those projects at that time was that political posturing and do you feel that you are involved enough and informed enough to leave Kansas City as mayor. Well sir I'll tell you this in 2003 there was no talk about downtown having any of these things that are now going on. My main thrust in 2003 was to see that downtown Kansas City which I had a famous saying our downtown is about as exciting as a dial tone. Our mayor was really banging away at services first and basic services. This is what she was hammering on and so forth then good. I was hammering on let's revitalize downtown. I want to see it back the way it was when I was a young man 24/7 city trolley cars buses restaurants every other corner movie there was a happening town. We were called the little chapel next to New York being the big one. It went away the evil do gooders took it away and now

it's not there it fell through the cracks. After I lost the election I like to remind you I got over 40 percent of the vote which shocked the devil out of a lot of people. That's why I'm back again. But I want to say this. The mayor picked up from where I think I left off. The only difference is I did not want a new arena. She did. That was great. And I'm not against it. The only thing I can say is before I'd spend two or three hundred million dollars on arena I'd have assigned Tenet I'd make sure my $50 billion was in the bank already scares me. You're watching the race for mayor. Head to our screen time special here on the eve of the mayoral primary election. We've invited you to learn more about the candidates and their positions over the last hour and a half. You've seen those candidates who had announced last fall. Answer questions from members of the Citizens

Association the city's oldest nonpartisan political organization. But since the time of those candidates screenings three more of entered the race. In the interest of fairness and clarity Casey P-T invited those subsequent endurance. Former city auditor Mark Funkhouser former prosecutor and judge Albert reader and businessman John David de Cappo to go through the same experience and handle the same questions as their opponent. How do they do that for you to decide. As our Video Guide to the race for mayor continues here on screen time. I am Mark Funkhouser and I want to be your mayor. I want to be the mayor of Kansas City because I think I can have in that position a positive impact on the lives of thousands of Kansas City

residents. That's the kind of thing that I've wanted to do basically my entire adult life when I went to college. I was 17 18. I became caught up in the anti-war movement the civil rights movement the women's movement and I became a political science major because I wanted to see how government work and how it made decisions about whether to go to war or which programs to adopt and which services to deliver and so on and so forth. After I graduated from college I fell by accident more or less into a job as a social worker working with physically handicapped folks at the service service test and I scored high and. And I got this job I had 400 folks with disabilities ranging from near-sightedness to cerebral palsy. And I became very interested in that. It seemed like a good way to make a living and I wanted to make a career of it. So I got a master's in social work and and I wound up

teaching social work in sociology at a small college in West Virginia. And I fell in love with after a couple of years one of the students. And so I had to leave the college and and I was looking for a job and found again by accident more or less a job as an auditor with the Tennessee state auditors office doing performance auditing. And and I found that I could have even more positive impact on people's lives. As an auditor then I did as a social worker because if you can fix a foster care program at a state level if you can fix the way that the state fixes roads and that sort of thing you actually can have a very positive impact on millions of folks. And but again I needed more training to actually make a career in that and so I got a master's in business administration and accounting and finance and I and I did that for a while and I decided that it would be better if I were a city auditor or I could make more money I could control the operation more my wife could be a stay

at home mom for our children. And so I applied for some city auditor jobs and I wound up here in Kansas City and I've been the city auditor here since 1988 and Kansas City the city auditor serves at the pleasure of the mayor and council. There isn't a term of office and there isn't a contract. And so I needed some job security and needed an exit strategy. When and if I got fired. And so I decided to get a Ph.D. in public administration and sociology so that if they fired me I could get a job teaching some place and continue to feed the family. I got the Ph.D. from you MKC in the year 2000 and about three or four years ago after a couple of attempts at being City Manager I decided that I wanted to be the mayor. I figured out that it's more or less a strong mayor form of government although it's state it to be a council manager form actually because the mayor has a significant amount of control over who is the city manager. The mayor has more control over the city budget. The mayor has veto power the mayor can

appoint the members of the council committees and the boards and commissions and I looked and I said you know it was Emanuel Cleaver a weak mayor. Now was Kay Barnes a weak mayor. No. And so it seemed to me that the thing to do was was to win I could take early retirement and run for mayor and basically continue on the same track that I'd been since I was 17 which is using government to improve the lives of regular folks. And so that's my campaign platform my vision for the city my vision for the city is the same as the vision of most of you. I want clean safe neighborhoods in a city that works for regular folks and I think that the way that we can get there is by emphasizing three things by being smart with the money but delivering the services that people want in the way that they want them. And by developing an excellent transit system a lot has been accomplished in the downtown rebuilding. In your opinion is is downtown complete. Are there other things left to complete. And what are your

priorities for downtime. Downtown isn't remotely complete. We've just begun to build real estate and buildings. Much of it backed with city bonds. We're going to have to find a way to pay for those bonds and we're going to have to create economic activity. Nobody has bought the first cup of coffee yet in the power and light district and we issued those bonds with inadequate revenue analysis. The analysis behind the bonds is is virtually frankly nonexistent. And so we're going to have to sell thousands of lattes and cheeseburgers and tickets to that arena to make this thing work. We have barely begun. We've got a great deal of work to do to make downtown actually work out the way that we've designed it. Can we attract the businesses that we need without somehow addressing the school issue. And if so in what ways can the city assist the school district in addressing those issues.

You know the city has treated the Kansas City Missouri school district as if it was radioactive. We don't go near it. We don't talk about it we don't touch it. We try not to be contaminated. And in fact in city hall we often use the school district as kind of an excuse now. Well well we can't do anything about this or that it isn't because you know the school district is so bad. I think we've got to stop doing that. I think we've got to engage the school district I think instead of bitching and complaining then we need to be a helpful partner with the school district. We need to work with them to find ways to deal with our common problems. They are running a significant operating deficit and as a result of that operating deficit and a huge amount to million and deferred maintenance that they have they're having to close schools they're going to close probably border star in Brookside are probably going to close McCloy Elementary in the old Northeast. Those are city problems. They are going to create large abandoned buildings in the millibar neighborhood so we've got to work with them so the first

thing to do was be a helpful cooperative partner. The second thing though is that if you don't allow people to choose their school district they will choose their community. We've got to work to provide some sort of accountable parental choice so that we can help people if they don't like the schools they don't have to move out of our city to find another school and we need to help them do that. Would you give us an example of one of the things that you as mayor would try to emulate. Mayor Byrons and one of the things that you might change I think Mayor Barnes has been exactly on the right track in terms of encouraging downtown residential development. I think that we need to have thousands more people living downtown and under her administration we've gone from about oh five or six thousand to about 15000 we're moving in the right way we need about 35000. So she has been completely right in doing that. However where I differ with her is that I think to her her notion of economic development is entirely

and completely wrong. I think you do not do economic development by bribing large companies to locate here. I think that the issue that I mentioned with the closing of border star. A huge economic development challenge an issue and problem if that school closes you're going to have dozens of middle class families consider and probably actually move out of the city and that's going to hurt our economy a lot. We've made a lot of progress in turning our downtown around in the last eight years. What do you see as the vision for this city as the next big step that we need to take to become world class in the next four to eight years. You know I I hear that world class day and I just want to laugh. To tell you the truth. You know Paris is world class. London is world class New York City is world class. Kansas City is not going to be world class when we survey our residents. We

are not even metropolitan class you know on on 44 different subjects so we asked them about their satisfaction with services. We are below the Metropolitan average on every single one 44 for 44 and were dead last in about a dozen of them. I'd like to be metropolitan class I'd like to be the community of choice in the Kansas City metropolitan area you know and then some somebody 10 20 30 years can out think about moving us further into world class. Hello everyone. I'm John David Cappo. And I want to be your mayor. I want to thank public television and the Citizens Association for the opportunity to express my views and opinions. First and foremost I want to say I'm not a politician.

I'm a small business man. Born and raised in Kansas City Missouri I got involved in the mayor's race because of the way I was treated by the city while running a black while occupying space in a city owned parking garage across the street from City Hall. Without going into detail I was lied to misled and denied reasonable requests for help that I made to my city government small business plays an essential role in the success of the city. Ninety percent of the businesses in Kansas City are small business the men and women who own the small businesses need the support of their government and when asked for should be offered any

and all help that could be made available to them. I have made this the hallmark of my candidacy. Some say I have no business entering the race because of my lack of experience in regard to how government works. My responses through my experience our city government is not working. I know it's definitely not working for the common man. We have a poor school system. We have crumbling infrastructure. We have one of the highest sales tax in the Midwest. These and many other problems have to be solved in Kansas City needs a mayor who has the ability to make these changes and get Kansas City back on track.

I think I am that person. What in your opinion would be your role in continuing the progress of downtown. Well I mean the arena is a big part of downtown. We're going to have over three hundred million dollars invested in the downtown. And I think an important thing is trying to find somebody to come in and and utilize it. I mean I'm in the real estate business also and I really don't know of any real estate developer that would build a facility without having an anchor tenant. And I don't know how smart it is and was to spend 300 million dollars on a downtown arena without a commitment for a team. But that being said we're already into it. We need to figure out a way to get a team or somebody in there who's going to pay rent that that's going to make that that thing profitable. Downtown is important. We need to get more Kansas City

businesses locating downtown. You know you don't want to go into a downtown area and see all national chain restaurants. I mean that was one of the things when I owned the chili shack I was an independent. I had a subway pizza. These are all national national chains. I mean we got rid of little Jake's barbecue so we could put in a famous Dave's. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You know when you go to New Orleans you go to the French Quarters. You go in there because you want to feel the flavor of New Orleans. You go to Memphis to Beale Street. You get the flavor of Memphis and you're going to come to Kansas City you're going to get the flavor of Kansas City. You're going to get the flavor of some national chain. I don't think that's right. Can you tell us how you overcome that maybe perceived disadvantage by the voters in that you have not yet served in the in as an elected official of the city.

Well I think it's an advantage. I really do. I think it's an advantage. I mean the people. You've got a lot of the city council people running for mayor and they've all been there for eight years and you could see it's really not any better now than it was eight years ago. So I think bringing a fresh perspective is a positive. I don't think it's a negative. I think it's a positive. And I think that bringing a businessman into City Hall I think would make a big difference because business people know how to solve problems. Politicians truly can't don't don't know about them a lot of times what they're going to tell you is is whatever you want to hear and nothing really gets done and a lot of instances. But as a businessman I mean I have to solve problems to keep my business running. And I think that I would bring a fresh perspective to city hall and I think that would I think it would be an advantage to have a non-politician

and in the office of mayor of Kansas City would you please explain to me your policies or your plan for reducing the city's debt and deforming enhancing or stimulating the city's economic development. Well you stimulate economic development through through business and getting the small business person to want to go in business and end up being a small business man ends up being a medium sized business person. You get you stimulated by giving them some some some tax advantages for going into business. You know as far as taxation is concerned we are we are one of the highest taxed cities in the Midwest. I had to collect almost 10 percent sales tax when I owned my business to chili shack which was across the street from City Hall. Now I don't think that's correct. When I was a

kid sales tax was two and three cents. I remember it was three three cents on the dollar and now it's almost 10 cents. So where's the money going. I think we need to go in and look at where the money is going. We know it's coming in but where's it going. We've got to figure out where is it going and try to figure out a better way of spending our money. Thank you. I'm Albert reader and I'm a candidate for mayor of Kansas City. I think the next mayor of Kansas City has got to be somebody who brings Kansas City back to the basics. The next mayor has got to be somebody who is a fiscal watchdog and someone who will make sure that we citizens get our money's worth. Kate city has a lot of momentum now with the renaissance of downtown.

Light rail is on the way and the next mayor has got to be someone who can take that momentum and use it to the benefit of making our neighborhoods safe and attractive to reduce crime in our city and to further economic development by bringing more jobs into the city. And those are not three separate issues. No those are all one and the same issue and we need a mayor who sees them as one issue as aspects of the same issue because they are all intertwined. And you can't have one without the other. I think that the next mayor has got to be somebody with leadership and vision someone who can see what Kansas City ought to be like in ten or fifteen or twenty five years. And to help bring together people from all over this community to help bring together the city council united behind an agenda that furthers that vision. If we do have a vision of what we think Kansas City

can be what that means is that we can Adell develop a set of long term goals for our city and once we have those we can then inform the policies of the city based on those long term goals and what that means is that you have specific policies with respect to tax increment financing or management of our debt or any other policy that comes before the city council. But those policies will then be consistent with each other. They will have a motivating force and they will have a goal to bring us to the vision that we have of Kansas City 15 or 20 years from now. In my 12 years as the prosecuting attorney for Jackson County what I did best was to bring people together. The result of that ability is what we now know as the combat program combat would not exist had we not been able to bring people together who people who didn't even necessarily know that they had anything in common but be able for them to understand that they did have common ground.

We brought together north and south east and west business and labor black and white. We were able to do make a program that has now become a model across the nation and there's no reason why we cannot also do that in Kansas City. What we need is leadership and vision and frankly a fresh perspective somebody like me who is not from city hall who will bring to city hall a new perspective and based on that new perspective what I want to do is to become your fiscal watchdog. I want to be somebody who makes sure that we citizens get our money's worth. I want to bring Kansas City back to the basics. I can do that. I just need the opportunity. A lot has been accomplished in the downtown rebuilding in your opinion as is downtown complete. Are there other things left to complete. And what would be your priorities for downtown. The first job of the next mayor I think is going to be to finish downtown

downtown Renaissance is a fabulous thing to behold but it is not finished and by finish I really mean two different things. One is we need to finish the actual physical infrastructure of downtown. We need to make sure that the buildings that are planned are that are now in the process of being built get finished. But this city also has to make sure that what is built takes root and that means that we have to make sure that the city provides the resources and assets necessary to make sure that for example downtown live is a place that's safe that's attractive that brings people in not only from conventions but from all over the metropolitan area. People who live here if we do those two things we can then build on that momentum from downtown and take it out into the neighborhoods and to the rest of this community and use that same energy and vision to make Kansas City a much better place. Many cities around the country have proven to use light rail as a true economic development system throughout

the trail of of the train and the rail. They've developed retail and housing. And out through the district of the track and I want what's your opinion as to what type of potential you see for that same type of economic development here and can say well if I'm mayor we are going to have light rail period. And what we're going to do is we're going to take the plans that are on the table now and to build as much as we can of that plan with the money that's been provided. I think there are three rules with respect to light rail. One is that we have. We've got to just make the commitment that we're going to do it. Second thing is that new the first part of Light Rail has got to cross the Missouri River uniting north and south and the first and the third rule I think is that we've got to make sure that whatever we build is built in conjunction with and taking into consideration the current bus system and the regional transportation such as Jack and Johnson County we do those three things we are going to be able to be part of a larger picture of bringing jobs into Kansas City.

Can we attract the businesses that we need without somehow addressing the school issue. Well of course there are a lot of different school districts in Kansas City and what people usually mean when they talk about the school problem is that Kansas City Missouri school district it is important to do something about the Kansas City Missouri school district. Or rather it's important for the Tennessee Missouri school district to be a place where people want to have their kids go to school because that's going to be part and parcel of attracting jobs and citizens into the core of the city. And I think that what the mayor really has to do is to establish a partnership with the Kansas City Missouri school district and with its with its superintendent to ask the school district what is it that the city has. What resources do we have. What assets do we have. We'll help you do your job better. And I think beyond that partnership that's not something you can solve in one day or one month or one year but it is something which if you build that partnership you can solve over a period

of time. And part of that partnership I think is being able to use the assets of the school district in a in a true partnership so that we can use the say for example schools to do flu shots things like that so that you have a symbiotic relationship between the school districts assets and the city of Kansas City. What is your approach to the use of tax incentives and or three fifths or Tax Increment Financing. I think taxing and financing is one of the most important economic development tools that we have in Kansas City. And if it's used properly it can be a great tool. I think first of all we have to have a written policy about that and the mayor will have that that written policy has got to ask the following questions. Will this project result in a net increase of jobs in Kansas City. Will it result in a net increase of citizens living inside of Kansas City. Will it help neighborhoods. Will it help the citizens at large. And lastly but not least is what would this economic

development what would this project take place without tax increment financing. And I think if you ask those questions of every single one of these projects and you see those projects within the broader context of what you want the city to be and where the city is going what the current budget is then I think what you will have is tax increment financing projects that will make this city a great place to live.