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ARE YOU A SATISFIED CITIZEN?
THIS WEEK KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI RELEASES ITS ANNUAL CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS, AND
APPARENTLY THEY'RE THE HIGHEST EVER. KANSAS CITY LEADERS CELEBRATED
WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS A HISTORIC UPSWING BY GETTING CITY WORKERS TO FORM A HUMAN PLUS
FIVE ON THE LAWN OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL, A SYMBOL OF THE JUMP IN APPROVAL RATINGS FROM LAST YEAR.
ACCORDING TO THE NEW SURVEY, MORE THAN 75% RATE KANSAS CITY A GOOD OR EXCELLENT PLACE TO LIVE
OF THE THE HIGHEST SCORE EVER RECORDED, THEY SAY. BIG IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN
LEADERSHIP, WATER SERVICES, PARKS AND RECREATION AND SOLID WASTE.
BUT NOT EVERYTHING WAS ROSIE. SHARP DECLINES IN SATISFACTION WERE RECORDED IN CITIZENS WHEN
ASKED ABOUT THE AMBULANCE SERVICE, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, SWIMMING POOLS, YOUTH ATHLETIC
PROGRAMS AND ILLEGAL DUMPING IN THE CITY. BUT LET'S START WITH THE
POSITIVE, THE HIGHEST SATISFACTION SINCE THIS SURVEY WAS STARTED IN 1997, REALLY,
LYNN? WELL, ACTUALLY THE CITY HAS DONE THESE SURVEYS FOR YEARS.
THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD THE SAME COMPANY OR THE SAME METHODOLOGY. I THINK WITH THE CURRENT COMPANY
THEY'RE USING, IT'S THE HIGHEST EVER. I FOUND ANOTHER SURVEY BACK IN
1997 WHEN THEY HAD A DIFFERENT SURVEY AND DIFFERENT METHODOLOGY THAT ALSO SHOWED 75% APPROVAL
RATING. SO WHETHER THIS IS A RECORD OR NOT, I DON'T THINK SO.
BUT IT WAS GOOD NEWS FOR THE POLITICAL LEADERS. NOW, I WILL SAY IT'S ONE THING
TO RATE YOUR CITY AS A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE. IT'S ANOTHER TO SAY, YES, THE
CITY GOVERNMENT SERVICES ARE HIGHLY RATED. AND MANY OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT
SERVICES STILL DON'T GET VERY GOOD RATINGS, BUT THEY'RE BETTER THAN THEY WERE A FEW YEARS AGO
WHEN THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY IN THE BASEMENT. AND ALSO KANSAS CITY IS EDGING
UP SLIGHTLY WITH CITIZENS WHEREAS MANY OTHER CITIES ARE SORT OF STAGNANT.
THEIR POLL RESULTS ARE NOT IMPROVING. KANSAS CITY, COMPARED TO ITS
PEER CITIES AND OTHER LARGE CITIES, STILL IS A LITTLE BIT BELOW AVERAGE, BUT IT IS DOING
BETTER THAN IT HAS IN RECENT YEARS. AGAIN, STICKING TO THE
POSITIVES, THOUGH, WHERE THEY'VE GOT, AGAIN, THESE EMPLOYEES FORMING THE HUMAN PLUS FIVE ON
THE LAWN OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL, WHAT COULD SOMEHOW BE ATTRIBUTED TO THAT SHIFT THEN, WHAT THEY'RE
CALLING A HISTORIC SHIFT IN THAT SHORT PERIOD OF TIME? WELL, I THINK PARTLY THE
ECONOMY IS A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN IT HAS BEEN IN RECENT YEARS, AND WE DON'T HAVE QUITE
THE DYSFUNCTIONAL CITY GOVERNMENT THAT WE HAD DURING THE FUNKHOUSER TIME.
LEADERSHIP IS CONSIDERED POSITIVE? SEVERAL YEARS AGO, ONLY
ONE-FIFTH OF THE CITIZENS SAID WE HAD A GOOD CITY LEADER LEADERSHIP.
NOW HALF THE PEOPLE THINK IT'S PRETTY GOOD, CITY LEADERSHIP. WELL, SOMEONE WHO HAS MOVED
HERE SINCE THAT SURVEY, THEY'RE GOING BACK TO, I THINK, 2005 OR 2008.
I'M GOING TO ARGUE THAT 75% SATISFACTION RATE ARE SAYING THAT KANSAS CITY IS A GOOD PLACE
TO LIVE IS BECAUSE OF THE ART AND THE CULTURE AND THE FOOD AND THE PEOPLE.
I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE THE CITY THE CREDIT AND SAY IT'S THE RESULT OF CITY HALL AND THE
MANAGEMENT IN THE SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE, BECAUSE I THINK THE NUMBERS SHOW OTHERWISE.
LOOK, 25% RATING FOR MAINTENANCE OF STREETS, SIDEWALK AND INFRASTRUCTURE, LOOKING AT VALUE
OF TAX DOLLARS RECEIVED, 35%. LEVEL OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN DECISION-MAKING, 27%.
I COULD GO ON. THOSE NUMBERS ARE ABYSMAL. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, ALSO --
THEY GIVE ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED. LOOK WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE
PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM. THE MAJORITY COME FROM A POCKET OF TWO AREAS, NORTH OF THE RIVER
AND WEST OF TROOST. AND EVEN THOSE FOLKS AREN'T NECESSARILY GIVING GOOD NUMBERS.
IN FACT, THEY'RE GIVING NEGATIVE NUMBERS FOR SERVICES RECEIVED BY THE CITY.
SO I THINK IT'S A RESULT OF KANSAS CITY, WHAT IT OFFERS IN TERMS OF ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD AND
JUST A PLACE TO LIVE, AND NOT NECESSARILY CITY HALL AT ALL. ERIC.
I AGREE. AND A LOT OF TIMES IT'S WHERE THOSE SURVEYS ARE TAKEN.
NOW, WHAT I WILL SAY POSITIVELY IS WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE CALLING US.
I DON'T HAVE TO CALL THE CITY MANAGER AND HAVE TIRES REMOVED FROM NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT AGAIN, YOU GET INTO THE CORE THINGS OF HOW ARE PEOPLE RESPONDING.
IF YOU DRIVE OUT ON TROOST, IT SEEMS LIKE THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CAR IS GOING TO FALL OUT, THE
POTHOLES, THE WAY THE STREET IS STRUCTURED. WE KEEP GETTING ALL OF THESE
TAXES FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS. WHERE ARE THEY IMPROVING THE ROADS?
I THINK 25% OF THE PEOPLE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THOSE 25% ARE DRIVING.
BUT I THINK THAT THERE ARE IMPROVEMENTS, BUT AGAIN, YOU COULD SAY IT WAS MANAGEMENT,
BECAUSE THEY ARE FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC AREAS, AND THEY'RE TARGETING THOSE AREAS, AND
THEY'RE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. TRASH PICKUP IS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIRES. IN THE URBAN CORE, YOU HAD TIRES ALL OVER THE PLACE.
NOW THAT'S A LOT CLEANER. A COUPLE OF WORRISOME THINGS. I HATE TO BE DEBBY DOWNER ON ALL
OF THIS, BUT THERE ARE A FEW WORRISOME THINGS FROM THESE RESULTS.
ONE OF THEM IS, THEY'RE ROUGHLY THE SAME THAT THEY'VE BEEN ALL THE -- THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH
FLUCTUATION IN CITIZEN SATISFACTION IF YOU LOOK AT CATEGORIES.
TYPICALLY IN KANSAS CITY, CITIZENS ARE VERY SATISFIED WITH SERVICES THEY DON'T USE VERY
MUCH. THEY'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT'S POSSIBLE YOU COULD GO YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN KANSAS CITY AND NEVER HAVE A FIRE IN YOUR HOME.
HAPPY WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. YOU PROBABLY DON'T INTERFACE
WITH THEM A LOT. BUT THE SERVICES YOU USE EVERY DAY, LIKE DRIVING THE STREETS OR
MAYBE GOING TO THE POOL OR OTHER, YOU KNOW -- TRASH REMOVAL, THOSE ARE MUCH LOWER
RATED SERVICES, SO THAT SUGGESTS THE CITY STILL HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN IMPROVING THE WAY THE
CITIZENS EXPERIENCE THEIR COMMUNITY EVERY DAY AND NOT ONCE IN A WHILE AS IT WOULD BE WITH
THE OTHERS. THE OTHER THING I WOULD NOTE IS THE AIRPORT IS VERY HIGH, WHICH
AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD NEVER USE. IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT TRYING
TO CONVINCE VOTERS TO EXPAND THE AIRPORT, WHEN 25% ARE SATISFIED WITH STREET REPAIR AND SIDEWALK
REPAIR, I KNOW THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CONNECTED, BUT I'M TELLING YOU IN THE MINDS OF
KANSAS CITIANS, THEY ARE, AND ANYWAY WHO WANTS TO EXPAND THE AIRPORT HAS A REAL UPHILL
BATTLE. BY THE WAY, WE ARE DOING A SPECIAL ON THE FUTURE OF KCI, AN
HOUR-LONG SPECIAL ON THIS PROGRAM NEXT WEEK HERE ON KCPT, RIGHT HERE IN THIS TIME FRAME.
PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THAT. I HAD A LADY I SPOKE WITH THIS MORNING TO CALL 911 FOUR
TIMES TO REPORT A BURGLARY, AND IT TOOK THE POLICE 45 MINUTES TO GET THERE.
SHE SAID THE HELICOPTER GOT THERE FASTER THAN THE POLICE CARS.
KANSAS CITY WENT TO OF COURSERS IN 2010 TO RENEW A PUBLIC SAFETY TAX TO FUND A NEW
40 MILLION-DOLLAR STATE-OF-THE-ART CRIME LABORATORY.
NOW, THREE YEARS ON, HUGE COST OVERRUNS HAVE BALLOONED THE PRICE TAG TO ALMOST TWICE THAT.
EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOW SPENDING 7 $4 MILLION, CITY OFFICIALS ACKNOWLEDGE THEY'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO DRAMATICALLY SCALE BACK THE SCOPE AND SIZE OF THE LAB. THE 74 MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION
IS HOW COULD OFFICIALS HAVE GOT THIS SO WRONG? BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS GET IT
WRONG. I'M NOT BEING TOO EXAGGERATED. THE COST OVERRUNS FOR PUBLIC
PROJECTS ARE JUST -- IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE A MAJOR -- OR REMEMBER A MAJOR PROJECT, NICK,
IN WHICH COST WAS NOT EXCEEDED. NOW, WHAT THEY OFTEN DO IN KANSAS CITY --.
IS THAT TRUE ALL ACROSS THE METRO? WELL, OF COURSE, KANSAS CITY
IS MORE INVOLVED IN MAJOR PROJECTS THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES, LIKE BARTLE HALL, FOR EXAMPLE,
OR THE POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT, BOTH OF WHICH WENT OVERBUDGET. WHAT THEY OFTEN DO IN KANSAS
CITY AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO ON THE CRIME LAB IS SQUEEZE DOWN THE AMENITIES, DOWNSIZE THE
FACILITY, AND THEN CLAIM IT CAME IN UNDER BUDGET. WE SPENT EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE
SUPPOSED TO. YEAH, AND IT WAS HALF OF WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.
THIS IS A VERY, VERY FAMILIAR STORY. BUT DOES THIS BREAK FATE,
THOUGH, WITH WHAT THE VOTERS APPROVE IN 2010. I THINK WHAT VOTERS WERE NOT
TOLD WHEN THEY APPROVED THE 57 MILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT WAS THAT THAT $57 MILLION WAS AN
ESTIMATE AND A VERY ROUGH ESTIMATE BASED ON THE SQUARE FOOTAGE.
IT DIDN'T FACTOR IN A LOT OF MONEY FOR LAND OR DESIGN, AND ONLY LATER DID THEY THEN PICK
THE SITE, WHICH ADMITTEDLY WAS A VERY DIFFICULT SITE. IT WAS FOUR SCARE -- SQUARE
BLOCKS, REQUIRED RELOCATING PEOPLE AND NUMEROUS HOUSES. THEY WANTED TO TREAT THE PEOPLE
FAIRLY, SO THEY PAID THEM MORE THAN THE MARKET VALUE OF THEIR HOMES.
THE LAND COST WAS WAY MORE THAN ANTICIPATED. I THINK AT LEAST VOTERS SHOULD
HAVE BEEN TOLD, FOLKS, THIS IS AN ESTIMATE. THEY'RE NEVER TOLD THAT, ARE
THEY? AND THERE HAS BEEN MUCH CONTINGENCY.
YOU WOULD THINK AFTER THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY YOU WOULD HAVE AN ESTIMATE AND YOU WOULD
SAY WE NEED TO BUILD IN A 25% CONTINGENCY FOR ADDITIONAL LAND, INFLATION AND OTHER UNFORESEEN
COSTS. IT IS A GOOD THING THAT THE FOLKS WHO WERE BEING DISPLACED
AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT WERE BEING TREATED FAIRLY, ERIC? ABSOLUTELY.
A LOT OF THAT MONEY FOR THE LAND ACQUISITION AND RELOCATION FROM PEOPLE CAME FROM HUD.
THAT WASN'T CITY FUNDING. I THINK JERMAINE GOT A MILLION DOLLARS OR SOMETHING.
THAT'S CITY COUNCILMAN JERMAINE REED. YEAH.
SOME OF IT WAS FEDERAL FUNDING, BUT THAT BUILT IN FEDERAL RULES, WHICH ARE MORE
COSTLY TO COMPLY WITH. WHAT YOU HAVE IS, IN 2008, WHEN THIS THING WAS DESIGNED,
YOU HAD STILL A ONE COST NUTS AND BOLTS AT ANOTHER COST, AND THEN YOU COME BACK FIVE YEARS
LATER. THE PRICE OF THOSE ITEMS HAVE GONE UP.
SO YOUR COST AUTOMATICALLY GOES UP. SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THEY DID WRONG WAS PROJECTING THE COSTS AND HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET VOTERS TO APPROVE IT AND
GET IT TO THE TABLE FOR VOTERS TO APPROVE. THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
THEY DIDN'T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ON THE
POLICE BOARD IS INSISTING ON 70,000 SQUARE FOOT FOR THE CRIME LAB WHEN THEY WANT TO CUT IT
DOWN TO 60,000, BECAUSE THEY REALLY DON'T NEED THE OTHER SPACE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE
PEOPLE TO WORK IN THAT SPACE. STACEY. HERE'S THE REAL PROBLEM.
THINGS CALLED SOFT COSTS, PURCHASING LAND, THE DESIGN BUILDOUT AND THINGS LIKE
FURNITURE. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER PAT KLINE EVEN SAID AS MUCH, THAT WE
SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO THESE DETAILS MUCH DEEPER, AND WE COULD HAVE IN 2011, BUT WE
DIDN'T. AND THEN MAYOR SLY JAMES COMES OUT, AND LYNN HAD THE MONEY
QUOTE OF THE WEEK, SAYING, I'M NOT GOING TO SECOND GUESS WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE DONE.
WELL, THEN WHO WILL? IF IT'S NOT THE CITY MANAGER OR MAYOR SLY JAMES, WHO IS GOING TO
SECOND GUESS WHY PEOPLE DIDN'T DO MORE DETAIL INTO THESE SOFT COSTS, WHICH ARE REALLY GOING TO
COST THE OVERRUNS. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY INFLATION. THESE SOFT COURSE -- SOFT COSTS
ARE GOING TO BE IN THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY PEOPLE
DON'T HAVE CONFIDENT IN THE AIRPORT OR BUILDING LIGHT RAIL? IT'S BECAUSE OF PROJECTS LIKE
THE CRIME LAB. GOOD POINT. THE CITY SAYS WE'VE GOT A PLAN,
AND WE WILL BUILD A VERY GOOD LAB. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WANTS THE
BIG BIGGER LAB EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT KNOWN HOW THEY WILL STAFF THAT LAB.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING THEY CAN USE FOR 20 TO 30 YEARS. THIS IS SETTING UP A BIG FIGHT
BETWEEN THE POLICE BOARD AND CITY OFFICIALS. AND AS CONSUMERS, AS
INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OF THE CITY, ARE WE GOING TO BE LESS WELL SERVED BECAUSE OF THIS?
YOU MIGHT END UP SPENDING MORE MONEY. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ISSUING
ADDITIONAL BONDS. THEY SAY THE SALES TAX THAT WOULD PASS FOR THE LAB WILL BE
ABLE TO SORT OF JUSTIFY THOSE EXTRA BONDS, AND WE'LL SEE WHEN THEY REFINANCE IT.
BUT I MEAN, THAT'S REAL MONEY. WE'RE TALKING TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT SOMEONE IS GOING
TO HAVE TO COME UP WITH. YOU EITHER HAVE A LESSER LAB OR TAXPAYERS HAVE TO PAY MORE FOR
THIS FACILITY. AND COUNCILMAN SHARP IS FOUNDING THE ALARM THAT WE MAY
NOT HAVE THE FACILITY WE NEED TO CATCH UP WITH THE BACKLOG OF EVIDENCE AS A RESULT OF THESE
CUTBACKS THAT ARE GOING TO. WHEN KANSAS LAWMAKERS RECENTLY HANDED GOVERNOR SAM
BROWNBACK THE POWER TO PICK APPEALS COURT JUDGES, THEY WANTED TO MAKE THE PROCESS MORE
PUBLIC AND ACCOUNTABLE. BUT THE REPUBLICAN LEADER HAS RUN INTO A WHIRL OF CRITICISM
FOR REFUSING TO DIVULGE THE NAMES OF THE CANDIDATES WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR A NEWLY CREATED SEAT
ON THE KANSAS COURT OF APPEALS. WHAT ARE THEY SO UPSET ABOUT? WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT THIS
STORY. WELL, BECAUSE TRADITIONALLY THOSE NAMES HAVE BEEN MADE
AVAILABLE TO THE MISSOURI PLAN, THE SO-CALLED MISSOURI PLAN WHERE THERE IS A PANEL SELECTED
AND YOU HAVE SOME SENSE OF IT, BUT IN THIS CASE, I THINK GOVERNOR BROWNBACK HAS AN
ARGUMENT. WHEN AN EXECUTIVE APPOINTS JUDGES, FOR EXAMPLE, AS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DOES, HE'S NOT REQUIRED TO PUBLISH A LIST OF THE POTENTIAL
NOMINEES. I THINK GOVERNOR BROWNBACK IS APPROACHING IT IN THE SAME WAY.
I THINK MAYBE SOME OF THE CONCERNS ARE OVERBLOWN. NOW, THE CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER
THE GOVERNOR SHOULD BE APPOINTING JUDGES OR NOT IS ANOTHER ISSUE.
BUT THE PUBLIC IS PROBABLY PILING ON A LITTLE BIT. BUT SAYING HE'S BEING VERY
SECRETIVE BY NOT RELEASING THE NAMES, WHEN THAT WAS THE OLD SYSTEM WHERE THE PUBLIC WOULD
KNOW EVERY NAME NOMINATED. RIGHT, AND ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS IN CHANGING THE
PROCESS WAS TO MAKE THE PROCESS MORE APPARENT SO THERE WOULD BE MORE POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY,
AND THERE IS SIMPLY NOT GOING TO BE IN THIS CASE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IN THE SENATE SAYS, THIS IS GOING TO MAKE SOMEONE POLITICALLY
ACCOUNTABLE NOW. WHO? BECAUSE IF THE GOVERNOR DOESN'T
HAVE TO SAY WHO THE CANDIDATES ARE THAT HE'S CONSIDERING AND THEN IT'S ON THE CONFIRMATION OF
THE SENATE, THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY IN THIS PROCESS. SO I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
CRITICS ARE RIGHTLY FAIR TO SAY THAT THIS IS QUESTIONABLE BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR WAS THE ONE
WHO SUGGESTED, LET'S MAKE THIS MORE OPEN, LET'S MAKE THIS MORE TRANSPARENT, LET'S HAVE THE
PUBLIC'S INPUT. AND NOW THE PUBLIC AND NO ONE BUT THE GOVERNOR AND HIS
CONSERVATIVE SENATE HAS ANY SAY WHATSOEVER. LATE LAST WEEK, SOME TALK
RADIO STATION IN'S KANSAS CITY WERE REPAIRING THEIR VIEWERS FOR RIOTS IF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN WAS TO
BE COMMITTED. THE POWDER KEG OF TENSION WAS CONSIDERED SO GREAT, KANSAS CITY
POLICE CHIEF DARYL FORTE WAS CALLING FOR CALM IN ADVANCE OF THE JURY'S VERDICT.
MAYOR SLY JAMES ALSO CALLED FOR PEACE. THE KCPT LOCKED DOWN THE PLAZA
SATURDAY NIGHT AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND IN FEARS OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
BUT AFTER ALL THE WARNINGS AND CONCERNS, WHAT WAS THE LOCAL REACTION, ERIC?
REALLY NOTHING. THERE WAS A COUPLE OF RALLIES. THERE WAS A MARCH.
I THINK THEY MARCHED FROM 31st 31st AND BENTON TO THE FREEDOM FOUNTAIN AND ON BRUSH CREEK,
THERE WAS A RALLY THERE. THE ISSUES WERE CONFUSING, BECAUSE THE RALLY WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE ABOUT TRAYVON MARTIN. WHEN PEOPLE GOT THERE, THEY FLIPPED IT TO TALK ABOUT LOCAL
HOMICIDES AND LOCAL ISSUES, BUT THERE WAS REALLY NO VIOLENT OUTBURST.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REALLY EXPECTED IT. I THINK A LOT OF BLOGGING, A LOT
OF INTERNET WAS ALL THESE KIDS ARE GOING TO RUN TO THE PLAZA, THEY'RE GOING TO TEAR THINGS UP.
I DON'T THINK IT WAS EVER REALLY A CLIMATE FOR THAT IN KANSAS CITY.
I THINK ERIC IS RIGHT ON. THIS CAME AS A RESULT OF SOME IRRESPONSIBLE BLOGGING AND
JURNISM -- JOURNALISM. IT WAS ONE NARCISSISTIC SO-CALLED SELF-CRIME FIGHTER AND
COMIC BOOK ARTIST WHO HAS A TWITTER FEED THAT STARTED TO SOUND THE ALARM.
HE WAS PICKED UP BY A BLOGGER THAT THEN MADE LOCAL MEDIA TALK SHOWS AS WELL AS TELEVISION PICK
UP THE STORY, AND THEN THE MAYOR AND THE CHIEF FELT OBLIGATED TO RESPOND.
AND IT WAS ALL MORE OR LESS A POWDER KEG THAT I DON'T THINK REALLY EXISTED.
IN A WAY, IT WAS VERY DEMEANING TO THE POPULATION THAT THEY SAID WOULD RUN OUT AND DO THESE
THINGS. LOOK, RIOTING IS A CRIMINAL ACT. THERE'S ARSON, ASSAULT,
BURGLARY, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, AND FOR PEOPLE SUCH AS THESE BLOGGERS AND THIS CRIME FIGHTER
TO SAY THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE GOING TO GO OUT AND COMMIT THOSE ACTS REALLY DEGRADES THEM.
AND I -- IT WAS OFFENSIVE, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS EVER EVEN A REAL ISSUE HERE.
I AGREE TOTALLY, AND IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME, AND IT'S A SITUATION WHERE IF SOMETHING
HAPPENS, OH, I TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AND I PREVENTED
IT FROM HAPPENING BY LETTING PEOPLE KNOW, BUT THERE WAS NEVER A CLIMATE FOR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT. SOME SECOND GUESSING ABOUT THE MAYOR AND CHIEF BOTH PUTTING
OUT PRESS RELEASES, SAYING, IN ESSENCE, DON'T DO ANYTHING WRONG THAT MAY BE POTENTIALLY
EXACERBATING THE SITUATION. YOU DID HEAR FROM PEOPLE SAYING MAYBE THAT WASN'T THE BEST
STRATEGY. BUT I'M NOT SURE THEY WEREN'T DOING THAT IN RESPONSE TO MEDIA
INQUIRIES EITHER. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS? HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THIS
POTENTIAL EVENTUALITY? MY SENSE IS THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE DOING, NOT THAT THEY DID IT
ON THEIR OWN. BECAUSE THE MAYOR WASN'T EVEN IN TOWN.
WELL, HE WAS HERE MOST OF THE WEEK, BUT I DON'T -- LIKE I SAID, I BELIEVE THEY WERE
RESPONDING TO REQUESTS. I'M NOT SAYING IT WAS RIGHT OR WRONG.
I'M JUST SAYING YOU COULD HEAR THAT CHATTER LAST WEEK. SO THAT'S WHERE JOE REARDON
IS HE HEADED. THIS WEEK THE FORMER MAYOR OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY ENDED A LONG
SILENCE ABOUT HIS FUTURE BY ANNOUNCING HE'S JOINING ONE OF KANSAS CITY'S LARGEST LAW FIRMS,
MCANANY, VAN CLEAVE AND PHILLIPS, WHERE HE WILL WORK IN THE AREAS OF TECHNOLOGY LAW,
PUBLIC POLICY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WHEN REARDON ANNOUNCED BACK IN
JANUARY, HE WOULD NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION, THERE WAS SPECULATION HE WAS HEADING FOR A
MUCH HIGHER PROFILE GIG, EVERYTHING FROM SUCCEEDING DAVID WARM AS THE HEAD OF THE MID
AMERICA REGIONAL COUNCIL TO THE NEW HEAD OF THE HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION TO A TOP JOB AT THE
GOOGLE IN KANSAS CITY. IS THIS JOB A SURPRISE? A LITTLE.
THERE WAS A LITTLE CHATTER ABOUT HIM BEING IN THE RUNNING FOR SOME HIGHER OFFICE.
THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO PARK HIMSELF, EARN A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY IF HE STILL WANTS A
POLITICAL CAREER. THAT MAY BE WHAT'S GOING ON. THAT IS OUR WEEK IN REVIEW.
ERIC IS STILL LAUGHING LAUGHINGD MAKING ME LAUGH. FROM KANSAS CITY IT IS 5 STACEY
CAMERON AND THE STAR'S CITY HALL REPORTER LYNN HORSLEY. FROM THE CALL, ERIC WESSON AND
DAVE HELLING OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR. I'M NICK HAINES.
FROM ALL OF US HERE AT KCPT, THANKS FOR SPENDING PART OF YOUR WEEKEND WITH US.
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