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IN A CITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE
MANY INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE LOCAL POLITICIAN, JOE REARDON HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR METRO'S MOST
FAMILY FACES. THE MAYOR OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY AND KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK HE'S CALLING IT A DAY. LESS THAN 8 WEEKS BEFORE HE WAS
TO FACE VOTERS IN HIS BID FOR REELECTION AS MAYOR, REARDON ABRUPTLY DECIDED HE WILL NOT
SEEK ANOTHER TERM. HE SAYS HE WANTS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY, BUT IS
THERE MORE TO IT THAN THAT, STEVE KRASKE? I THINK AT THIS POINT, YOU
HAVE TO TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD. THERE WAS A SENSE THE MAYOR WAS GOING TO SEEING A THIRD TERM,
BUT THEN THE HOLIDAYS HIT, AND TO HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT IT IN AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVE JUST THE
OTHER DAY, THE HOLIDAYS CAME, AND HE BECAME TO RECONSIDER HIS FAMILY.
HE SAID HIS OLDEST KID WILL BE ON THE BRING OF GOING TO COLLEGE IN FOUR YEARS.
THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF TIME AWAY FROM HIS FATHER. I THINK ALL OF THAT PLAYED INTO
JOE REARDON'S DECISION. BUT THE ELECTION IS JUST AT THE END OF FEBRUARY.
HE ALREADY HAS AN OWE PONY -- OPPONENT, NATHAN BONDS HAS ALREADY FILED FOR THAT OFFICE.
AND PEOPLE KNOW NATHAN'S NAME, AND IT'S GOING TO MAKE FOR A VERY INTERESTING ELECTION,
THAT'S FOR SURE. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD DO TOO MUCH ABOUT PICKING APART WHY
REARDON DECIDED NOT TO RUN AGAIN. THE ASPECT THAT IS VERY, VERY
PERSONAL THAT HE HAS TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF HIS FATHER DYING AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE THAT
HE IS ONE YEAR FROM. THOSE SORTS OF ANNIVERSARIES PLAY UPON PEOPLE IN LARGE WAYS.
I RESPECT HIM, THINK HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB AS MAYOR, KEPT THE MOMENTUM GOING.
IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING ELECTION NOW. ANYTHING MORE THAT WE SHOULD
BE LOOKING INTO THIS DECISION, DAVE? NO.
I DID TALK WITH THE MAYOR, AND I DID TAKE HIM AT FACE VALUE. YOU'VE HEARD SOME SUGGESTIONS
THIS WEEK, NICK, THAT HE MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR CONGRESS OR RUNNING FOR
GOVERNOR. I JUST DON'T THINK THAT IN LONG CONVERSATIONS WITH MAYOR REARDON
OVER THE YEARS, I JUST DON'T THINK HE HAS THAT KIND OF FIRE IN THE BELLY, THAT SORT OF FOCUS
ON A BIG POLITICAL CAREER. HE MAY YET PURSUE IT, BUT YOU DON'T GET THE SENSE HE WAKES UP
IN THE MORNING THINKING TO HIMSELF, HOW CAN I ACHIEVE THE NEXT OFFICE ON THE LADDER.
LET ME THROW IN QUICKLY MARK HOLLAND ALSO FILED THIS WEEK TO RUN.
SO WE NOW HAVE AT LEAST NATHAN BONDS AND MARK HOLLAND AND SEVERAL OTHER NAMES HAVE BEEN
MENTIONED. DAVID HAYELY, I THINK, CAME UP. IT SHOULD BE A WIDE OPEN FIELD,
AND THERE WAS SOME SUGGESTION THAT THE MAYOR, JOE REARDON, WAITED AS LONG AS HE DID BECAUSE
HE DIDN'T WANT THIS KIND OF 1 PERSON FIELD. THE SUGGESTION WAS HE ACTUALLY
WENT A LITTLE EARLIER THAN HE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GO IN PART BECAUSE STEVE WAS ABLE TO
GET THE STORY. AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A WIDE OPEN FIELD FOR MAYOR, I
THINK, IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, WYANDOTTE COUNTY SHOULD BE AN INTERESTING RACE.
LET'S PUT THOSE NAMES, BY THE WAY, ON THE SCREEN
RIGHT NOW OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE VYING
TO FILL HIS SHOES. THEY DO INCLUDE, AS DAVE HELLING MENTIONED, YOU'VE GOT ON THE
SCREEN, NATHAN BONDS, MARK HOLLAND. WITH DO HAVE ANN.
ALSO STATE SENATOR DAVID HAILEY AND CHRIS ALSO MENTIONED. THESE WITH STATE SENATORS ALSO
VYING TO BECOME -- DOES ANYONE HAVE A LEG UP, BY THE WAY, OR ARE THERE BIGGER NAMES?
THE NAMES YOU HEAR THE MOST ABOUT RIGHT NOW, NICK, ARE MARK HOLLAND AND AMBER GEEIA, TWO
WELL KNOWN COMMISSIONERS OVER THERE. THE RACE IS VERY, VERY EARLY.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ENTIRE FIELD IS GOING TO BE, BUT WHAT WE DO NIGHT RIGHT NOW OF THESE
CAN, I THINK. MURGUIA AND HOLLAND ARE GOING TO BE ON THE EARLY LIST.
WHAT DO YOU THINK JOE REARDON'S LEGACY HAS BEEN IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY?
I THINK MARY IS RIGHT, REALLY CONTINUED THE MOMENTUM, STARTED OUT WHERE THE RACETRACK IS.
EVERY TIME YOU COME BACK THERE IS A LITTLE
SOMETHING EXTRA OUT THERE THAT HAS BEEN ADDED, AND
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, I THINK, HAS BECOME A BOOM TONIGHT. I THINK THAT'S PART OF HIS
LEGACY. I'D BE INTERESTED TO HEAR WHETHER OR NOT JOE REARDON IS
GOING TO GET SOME PRESSURE FROM THE PARTY IN KANSAS TO RUN FOR A BIGGER OFFICE BECAUSE THEY
REALLY HAVE A LOT OF STARS. I THINK HE'S HAD THAT PRESSURE BEFORE, AND HE'S PROVED
HIMSELF IMMUNE TO IT TO A LARGE DEGREE. THERE WAS REAL PRESSURE FOR HIM
TO RUN AGAINST KEVIN YODER IN THE THIRD DISTRICT. THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN, NICK,
DISCUSSION ABOUT JOE REARDON AS A POTENTIAL GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE IN VERY, VERY
REPUBLICAN KANSAS, BUT AGAIN, YOU DON'T GET THE SENSE TALKING TO HIM THAT SOMEHOW HE THINKS
MOVING UP THE LADDER IS SOMETHING THAT HE'S REALLY THAT INTERESTED IN.
HE MAY RUN AGAIN, BUT IT WOULDN'T BE BECAUSE HE'S AM -- AMBITIOUS IN THAT WAY.
IN YOUR STORY, TOO, STEVE KRASKE, YOU ARE HAD MENTIONED HE HAS A JOB LINED UP HERE, BUT
HE'S UNWILLING TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THAT. HE HADN'T ANNOUNCED IT YET.
YOU CERTAINLY GOT A SENSE FROM THE INTERVIEW HE HAS SOMETHING SORT OF IN THE WORKS HERE DOWN
THE ROAD. HE'LL ANNOUNCE IT ONCE WE MOVE PAST THIS FLURRY OF ACTIVITY
WITH HIS FUTURE PLANS, BUT YOU DO GET THE SENSE HE HAS SOMETHING ELSE LINED UP, AND
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO JUST BE PATIENT AND FIND OUT WHAT IT IS. CAN I SAY VERY QUICKLY ONE
MORE THING? THE NEXT MAYOR OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, WYANDOTTE COUNTY, FACES
ENORMOUS CHALLENGES. I THINK THE LEGACY OF JOE REARDON IS A GOOD ONE, BUT IT
ISN'T FINISHED. THEY'RE GOING TO GET AN ENORMOUS WINDFALL OF REVENUE ONCE THE
BONDS ARE PAID OFF FOR THE LEGENDS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DECIDE
WHETHER TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON TAX RELIEF. TAXES REMAIN VERY HIGH IN
WYANDOTTE COUNTY, OR WHETHER THEY'LL ADDRESS IT TO NEGLECTED NEIGHBORHOODS, SIDEWALKS,
STREETS, THAT KIND OF THING. THERE IS STILL ANGER IN SOME PARTS OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
THAT THE BENEFITS OF WESTERN WYANDOTTE COUNTY HAVEN'T REALLY FILTERED DOWN INTO THE CENTRAL
PART OF THAT CITY. SO THE NEXT MAYOR WILL HAVE ENORMOUS CHALLENGES AND ISSUES
TO FACE. IT'S GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT ELECTION IN THAT COMMUNITY.
I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH. THERE IS THIS SPLIT IN THE
COUNTY, SO MUCH SUCCESS OUT WEST. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CORE
OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, WANT TO ENJOY SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ALL THAT SUCCESS.
SO FAR, NICK, THEY HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH OF THAT, AND THEY WANT IT, AND THEY WANT IT SOON.
AND WHAT IS SLY JAMES GOING TO DO NOW, MARY SANCHEZ? ISN'T HE GOING TO NEED ANOTHER
STATE PARTNER? THEY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A DOUBLE ACT, HAVEN'T THEY, OVER
THESE YEARS? LOORKS -- WELL, THE GOOGLE REALLY SOLIDIFIED THAT
RELATIONSHIP. SLY IS A SMART POLITICIAN. HE'S GOING TO GO WITH WHOEVER
WINS THE ELECTION OVER THERE UNLESS FOR SOME REASON IT BECOMES AN ANTAGONISTIC
RELATIONSHIP, WHICH I JUST CAN'T SEE. HE BASICALLY NEEDS TO BE -- THE
MAYOR OF KCMO NEEDS TO BE A CHAMPION OF KCK'S MAYOR, AS WELL.
LIKE IT OR NOT, STATE LINE IS JUST ONE LITTLE ROAD, AND WE ARE CONNECTED.
SO HE'LL DO THAT.