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A MAYOR'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS IS NORMALLY A ROUTINE
AFFAIR IN WHICH THE ELECTED OFFICE HOLDER OUTLINES THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE OVER
THE PAST YEAR. NOT SO THIS WEEK IN KANSAS CITY FOR MAYOR SLY JAMES WHO MAKES
NATIONAL NEWS AS A MAN BOLTS ON STAGE AND INTERRUPTS
HIS ANNUAL ADDRESS BEFORE BEING TACKLED TO
THE GROUND BY THE MAYOR'S SECURITY DETAIL. TAKE A LOOK.
>> THOSE EARLY EFFORT RESULTED IN $5 BILLION IN INVESTMENT. >> YOU JUST GOT TALKING ABOUT
EXACTLY [BLEEP]. [BLEEP]. >> WELL, THAT WAS UNFORTUNATE.
>> YOU WERE THERE, LYNN HORSLEY, WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS?
>> THE GENTLEMAN SAID HE WANTED TO CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THE CITY HAS NOT DONE AS MUCH
FOR THE EAST SIDE OF TRUIST AVENUE THAN THE WEST SIDE, THERE'S DISPARITY TO --
UNFORTUNATELY IT ONLY ACCENTUATED HOW TROUBLE THE AREA IS.
ALL THIS DID IS HIGHLIGHT HOW TROUBLED IT IS. >> WHO IS THE MAN?
>> HIS NAME IS DERON BLACK, HE RAN UNSUCCESSFUL I FOR THE MISSOURI HOUSE.
HE WAS JAILED AND CHARGED ESSENTIALLY WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT.
HE DID APOLOGIZE AND SAID THAT HE LATER REALIZED HIS METHOD WAS NOT VERY APPROPRIATE AND
ESPECIALLY THE WAY HE BEHAVED WAS NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, IT REALLY STEPPED ALL OVER THE MAYOR'S MESSAGE IN WHICH HE WAS TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT
SOME OF THE GOOD THAT IS GOING ON EAST OF TRUIST. >> CONCERN, SAM, ABOUT THE
SECURITY OF THE MAYOR. HE'S DOING THIS NOT AT CITY HALL WHERE THERE ARE METAL DETECTORS,
HE'S DOING IT AT THE THEATER. >> THE DIFFERENCE, I READ SOME OF THIS, HOW YOU SECURE THE
PRESIDENT OR OF A GOVERNOR BUT THE MAYOR HAS TO BE ACCESSIBLE. MAYBE NOT THIS ACCESSIBLE BUT
CLEARLY YOU JUST CAN'T ROPE HIM OFF FROM EVERYBODY ELSE. I WILL TELL YOU WHEN I SAW THE
VIDEO, THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT WAS, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, SOME PEOPLE WRITE OP-EDS AND SOME
PEOPLE DO THIS. I WAS WORKING WITH PEOPLE FROM THE EAST SIDE AND THEY TRULY
BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN EVEN BY MAYOR JAMES AND GOOD THINGS, IN FACT, ARE HAPPENING
BUT THE PERCEPTION STILL ON THE EAST SIDE IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN.
>> IS THAT THE CASE, BILL GRADY? >> I DON'T THINK
IF YOU ASKED THE MAYOR THAT HE'D SAY THAT IS
THE CASE BECAUSE THERE ARE SOMETHINGS IN THE WORKS AND ONE IS THE EAST PATROL CAMPUS AND
THE FEELING BY THE MAYOR AND ACTUALLY A NUMBER
OF RESIDENTS, PASTORS IN THE AREA IS THAT THAT
WILL SPARK A REVITALIZATION BECAUSE IT WILL BRING A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THAT WON'T BE THERANCE
ANCILLARY BENEFITS. THERE ARE A LOT OF VACANT HOUSES AND THE MAYOR HAS TALKED ABOUT
IT BUT HE HASN'T GIVEN ANY SPECIFICS. HE DROVE THE CRANE, I THINK YOU
WERE THERE WHEN HE TOOK DOWN ONE OR TWO HOUSES. THAT IS A BIGS PROBLEM, THEY
BECOME DRUG HOUSES AND NESTS OF CRIME. THERE'S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AND
AS LYNN SAYS THE CITY IS TRYING TO PUT A POSITIVE LIGHT ON IT. >> THE INNER-CITY HAS BEEN
CRUMBLING FOR 30 YEARS AND YOU CAN'T PUT IT ON MAYOR JAMES TO DO IT QUICKLY.
THEY ARE TRYING TO GET BEACON HILL UNDER REVITAL IZATION, I UNDERSTAND IT.
BUT THE MAN WHO DECIDED TO DO THIS, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED
WITH THE INNER CORE MAY THINK IT'S TOO DIFFICULT. >> SOME CALLERS SAYING AMEND, WE
ARE GOING TO BE RAISING BEER MONEY FOR HIM, SAYING HE WAS REPRESENTING THEIR VOICE BUT
THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY DISRUPTION THAT HE MADE AT SOME CIVIC EVENTS.
THIS GENTLEMAN HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN DISRUPTING OTHER EVENTS IN KANSAS CITY TOO.
>> AND HE APPARENTLY IS GOING TO RUN FOR MAYOR OR NOW SAYS HE MAY WANT TO RUN FOR MAYOR.
WHAT LYNN SAID IS EXACTLY RIGHT AND BILL AND SAM AS WELL ABOUT THE LONG TERM PROBLEMS ON THE
EAST SIDE. THERE IS, HOWEVER, WE SHOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPECIFIC
CONCERNS ABOUT GERMANE READ WHO IS THE THIRD DISTRICT COUNCIL PERSON, THAT CAME UP TO THE
REACTION TO THIS INCIDENT. AS LONG AS I'VE COVERED POLITICS IN KANSAS CITY THERE HAS BEEN
ANGER OVER THE THIRD DISTRICT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL, THE WHOLE LIST,
YOU JUST GO DOWN THE LIST. THAT'S LARGELY BECAUSE THE THIRD DISTRICT IS MORE RELIANT THAN
ANY OTHER DISTRICT THAN THE GOVERNMENT, IT DEPEND ON THE GOVERNMENT NOT JUST POLICE AND
FIRE BUT HOUSING AND OTHER THINGS. SO THE DECISION OF THE THIRD
DISTRICT COUNCIL PERSON ARE CRITICAL IN TERMS OF EXTENDING SERVICES TO THE CONSTITUENTS IN
THAT DISTRICT. SADLY, AND I DON'T WANT TO CAST ANY ASPERTIONS ON GERMANE BUT
THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE THIRD DISTRICT HAVEN'T BEEN OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER.
SO WHAT YOU DID SEE THIS WEEK, THE TACTICS WERE REPREHENSIBLE AND REGRETTABLE BUT THERE IS
FRUSTRATION WITH CITY HALL IN THAT PART OF THE
CITY, THERE HAS BEEN FOR MANY YEARS AND DOESN'T
SEEM IT IS GETTING ADDRESSED. >> BACK TO THE GENTLEMAN. IS HE GOING TO RUN FOR MAYOR?
>> AS OF NOON HE SAID HE WASN'T, AS OF 5:00 P.M.
HE SAID HE WAS. IT'S TWO YEARS AWAY, WE HAVE TO
SEE. >> WILL THE MAYOR HAVE A BEEFED UP SECURITY AS OF THIS?
>> INITIALLY HE DID NOT. THE SECURITY REACTED PROMPTLY AND THE MAYOR WAS THRILLED AND
FULL OF PRAISE HOW THEY HANDLED IT. INEVEINEVERINEVIDIBLY THERE MAY?
DISTANCE BUT YOU CAN'T WALL THE MATER OFF. >> AFTER THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT ON
JAY NIX, THE SECURITY FOR HIM DID GET TIGHTER,
YOU CAN SEE IT EVERYWHERE HE GOES THERE ARE FAR
MORE HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS AND IT'S HARDER TO APPROACH THE GOVERNOR.
>> ALL THIS GOT SUCKED UP ALL THE ATTENTION AND
WE FORGOT IT WAS A STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS.
SO THE MAYOR SPENT, I'M ASSUMING, WEEKS CAREFULLY CRAFTING A MESSAGE THAT GOT LOST
ENTIRELY. >> EXACTLY. >> WHAT WAS THE STATE OF THE
CITY THEN, LYNN? >> HE SAID IT WAS STRONG. >> WE EXPECTED THAT.
>> WE HAD THE ALL STAR GAME, I THINK EVERYBODY THOUGHT THAT WENT BEAUTIFULLY, WE ARE HOSTING
MAJOR BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS THAT ARE GETTING A LOT OF FANS AND ARE ATTRACTING A LOT OF
SUPPORT. THE MAYOR IS TRYING TO ADDRESS THE CITY'S APPALLING HOMICIDE
RATE, POOR SCHOOLS. THERE ARE INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT REGARD,
WE'VE MADE PROGRESS WITH HOUSING, THERE ARE SOME DEVELOPMENTS, THE DOWNTOWN
STREETCAR APPEARS TO BE STARTING TO GO, IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS OBVIOUSLY.
>> WHAT COULD HE POINT TO AS THE BIGGEST SUCCESS OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, BILL GRADY?
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE A LOT OF WHAT LYNN SAID
AND HE HAS BEEN A GREAT CHEERLEADER FOR THE CITY
IN TERMS OF GETTING OUT THERE ON THE CUTTING
EDGE AND TRYING TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES AND NOW WE
HAVE LORAZA COMING 2015, THERE'S NOT ONE SINGLE THING YOU CAN POINT TO.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE MAYOR IS CONCERN, ALTHOUGH THE ALL STAR AND BIG 12 BROUGHT
BUSINESS, HE'S STILL VERY CONCERNED WE DON'T HAVE A CONVENTION HOTEL.
HE TOLD ME ST. PATRICK'S DAY THAT THERE WERE THREE OR FOUR PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE, HE
WOULDN'T GO FURTHER. >> WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER TOPICS, BUT I DIDN'T THINK THERE
WAS MONEY FOR A CONVENTION HOTEL. >> THERE ISN'T.
IT WILL HAVE TO BE VERY CREATIVE. >> WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES HE FACES FROM LAST YEAR'S STATE OF THE SIT IT. >> CRIME AND SCHOOLS.
>> THOSE STILL HAVEN'T BEEN FIXED. >> EXACTLY.
>> HE FACES PENSIONS FOR CITY WORKERS, THAT HASN'T BEEN SETTLED AS MUCH AS IT HAS.
HE TOOK A ZING FOR HIS HANDING OF THE J. J., I
THINK HE MADE PUBLIC STATEMENTS HE MAY REGRET.
ONE OF THE LESSONS IS TO TAKE MORE TIME TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC.