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COMPLETE THE SENTENSE. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING WYANDOTTE COUNTY IS BLANK, ANN
MURGIA. IT'S TO STOP THE DECLINING TAX BASE EAST OF 635.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT? IF YOU ARE MAYOR NOW OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY, HOW DO YOU
ACTUALLY DO THAT? WELL, I THINK JANICE ALLUDED TO IT A LITTLE BIT IN HER
COMMENT TO YOU THAT YOU START BY ENGAGING THE PEOPLE. WHAT I DID IN THE THIRD DISTRICT
IN '07 WHEN I WAS ELECTED IS WE DID A SURVEY, AND WE SURVEYED THE PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT
WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE WITHIN THEIR AREAS, AND THEN YOU FOCUS ON THOSE.
YOU SET YOUR PRIORITIES AND BUDGET BASED ON WHAT THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY WANT TO SEE, AND
THEN YOU FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THAT. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU
IN YOUR ESTIMATION, MARK HOLLAND, IS WHAT? THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I SEE
IS TO TAKE THE GREAT SUCCESS WE'VE HAD WITH THE OUTGROWTH OF GENERAL MOTORS AND THE NEW
GROWTH HAPPENING DOWN IN FAIRFAX TO TAKE THE NEW
KU CANCER CENTER THAT'S CONTINUING TO GROW AND
PROSPER, TO TAKE THE NEW CERNER CORPORATION, THE
NEW CASINO, ALL THE 6,000 NEW JOBS THAT HAVE
COME INTO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, AND TO CONNECT OUR CITIZENS TO THOSE
JOBS, BUT NOT ONLY TO CONNECT OUR CITIZENS TO
THOSE JOBS BUT ALSO TO TAKE THAT SUCCESS AND TO
PLANT IT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL EXAMPLES WHERE THERE HAS BEEN
SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OBVIOUSLY ON A SMALLER SCALE, BUT WHEN YOU GET INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD INFRASTRUCTURE, IT HAS TO INCLUDE BUSINESSES AND OTHER THINGS, AND WE'VE BEEN
ABLE TO USE SOME OF THAT SUCCESS AT 78th AND STATE, 39th AND RAINBOW, 18th AND I-70.
WE HAVE A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF GOOD SUCCESS WHERE THAT SUCCESS HAS BEEN TRANSLATED.
THAT'S OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE, IS TO CONTINUE THAT PROCESS OF GETTING IT TO THE REST OF THE
COMMUNITY. CORDELL MEEKS, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU IS WHAT?
ECONOMIC GROWTH AND JOB GROWTH BALANCE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP THE
GROWTH THAT WE HAVE OUT WEST. IT'S TREMENDOUS,
BUT WE WANT TO LEVERAGE THAT SO THAT WE HAVE A
BALANCE IN THE URBAN CORE AND EASTERN PART OF THE CITY AS WELL.
PART OF BEING A POLITICAL OUTSIDER IS COMING IN WITH NEW FRESH IDEAS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
WE DO HAVE THIS FEELING THAT WESTERN -- THAT OUT OUTSIDERS, ANYONE WHO GOES TO WHAT I'LL
CALL THE GROWN JEWELS, NEBRASKA FURNITURE MART,
KANSAS SPEEDWAY, SPORTING KANSAS CITY, AND YET
PEOPLE IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY ARE NOT SEEING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EASTERN ARE THE PA OF THE --
EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY, KANSAS CITY, KANSAS? IS THAT A MISREPRESENTATION OF
THE FACTS? ARE GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, THE EASTERN
PART OF THE COUNTY, NATHAN BARNES. ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK THAT SUCCESS SHOULD GO TO ALL FOUR CORNERS OF THE COUNTY.
IS IT HAPPENING NOW? YES, TO SOME DEGREE, BUT NOT TO A SATISFACTORY DEGREE,
ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT IS NOT. SO THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS
WHAT? BRING THAT SUCCESS TO ALL OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY.
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT. YOU HAVE BEEN THERE AS A CITY
COUNCILMAN, THE LONGEST PERSON ON THIS PARTICULAR PANEL. WHY WEREN'T YOU ABLE TO DO THAT
AS A COUNCILMAN? WELL, BECAUSE, ONE, WE HAD TO CREATE A VEHICLE FIRST TO SAVE
WYANDOTTE COUNTY AS A WHOLE, AND ONCE WE SAVED
THE COUNTY, THEN WE CAN START BRANCHING OUT FROM
THERE. WYANDOTTE COUNTY'S BACK WAS AGAINST THE WALL SEVERAL YEARS
AGO WHEN WE HAD TO MAKE SOME VERY CRITICAL DECISIONS AS TO WHAT CAN WE DO TO SAVE OUR
DWINDLING TAX BASE, AND WE DID THAT, AND WE DID A
VERY GOOD JOB OF IT, AND THERE IS A PROCESS TO
DOING THIS, AND IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. HOW WOULD YOU DO IT AS MAYOR?
HOW WOULD I DO IT AS MAYOR? WELL, I WOULD FOCUS ON THE URBAN CORE, BUT I WOULD UTILIZE A
DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEVELOPER THAT SPECIALIZES URBAN CORE REDEVELOPMENT.
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT SPECIALIZE IN DEVELOPING, REDEVELOPING THE
URBAN CORE, AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TO DUPLICATE THAT SAME PROCESS THAT WE DID IN THE
WESTERN EDGE OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE CAN DO IT IN THE URBAN CORE, AND WE CAN DO THAT WITH A
SPECIAL TYPE OF DEVELOPER TO BRING THAT DEVELOPMENT
HERE, AND IT WILL BE JUST AS SUCCESSFUL ON
THE EASTERN PORTION OF OUR COMMUNITY AS WE HAVE BEEN ON THE WESTERN PORTION.
YOU JUST NEED A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEVELOPER TO BRING THOSE GOODS AND SERVICES TO OUR
COMMUNITY. JANICE, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THIS UP TO BEGIN WITH.
YOU ARE NOW MAYOR OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY. HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THAT PROBLEM?
HOW WOULD YOU FIX THAT AS MAYOR? FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO REPEAT FAILURES.
WE CAN LOOK AT THE LEGENDS ALL DAY AND SAY THAT
IT HAS BEEN A RAVING SUCCESS WHEN IT HAS NOT.
IT BANKRUPTED. LET'S BE HONEST. IT BANKRUPTED AND WENT ON AN
OPEN AUCTION. BUT YOU'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT PROBLEMS.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO ACTUALLY FIX IT, THOUGH? THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING.
I WOULD NOT REPEAT THE SAME. NO. 1, WE NEED TO BRING THE PEOPLE INTO THIS WHOLE
CONVERSATION. ONCE WE BRING THE PEOPLE INTO THE CONVERSATION AND FIND OUT
WHAT THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS AND WANTS ARE, THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR MEANS ARE TO MAKE
THAT HAPPEN. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW IN WYANDOTTE
COUNTY IS A CHANGE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND A CHANGE OF ACCESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM OUR
LEADERS. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO MAKE THE EAST GROW,
WE'RE GOING TO SERVICE THE PEOPLE IN THE EAST. RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO GROCERY
STORE IN THE EAST. THERE HASN'T BEEN ONE THERE, A VIABLE ONE, FOR MANY YEARS.
THE SUN FRESH MARKET THAT WAS BUILT, YOU DON'T CONSIDER THAT IN THE EAST?
NO, NO. THAT'S NOT CONSIDERED IN THE NORTHEAST, NOT AT ALL.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT WE'VE BECOME SEGMENTED.
IF YOU'RE ASKING ME HOW DO I BRING IT BACK, HOW DO I MAKE US A CITY?
I MAKE US A CITY BY GOING BACK -- MAKE US WHOLE BY RETURNING A CONCEPT OF
COMMUNITY. WE'VE BECOME DISTRICTIZED AND EVERYBODY WANTS BEST FOR THEM,
AND WE NEED TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. WHO HAS A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF
SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY REALLY DO AS MAYOR TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS THE IMBALANCE
AS SOME PEOPLE PERCEIVE BETWEEN WHAT'S HAPPENED
ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE COUNTY AND WHAT SOME
PEOPLE BELIEVE ARE THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS, THE LACK OF INVESTMENT IN KANSAS
CITY, KANSAS AND THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE COUNTY? ANN MURGIA.
I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER THAT. I DO HAVE -- I'LL GIVE YOU THIS, AND YOU CAN KEEP THAT.
IN THE PAST 8 YEARS, AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE THE DATA FOR, OUR TAX BASE EAST OF 635 HAS
DIMINISHED BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT THERE.
IN FACT, THE TAX BASE EAST OF 635 IS DIMINISHING
AT A FASTER RATE THAN WE ARE GROWING WESTERN
WYANDOTTE COUNTY. I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR UP THAT FACT.
AND HERE IS THE MAP FROM THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT.
AS I SAID IN THE BEGINNING IS WHAT MY EXPERIENCE AND RESULT AND WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN
THE ARGENTINE NEIGHBORHOOD IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD TAKE TO THIS AREA THAT'S DOWNTOWN AND
EASTERN PORTION OF THE CITY. WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE IS A LEADER THAT'S WILLING TO ROLL UP
THEIR SLEEVES AND WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE PEOPLE, ENGAGE THEM IN WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM,
PARTNER WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT, HAVE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
IT'S VERY CRITICAL. AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE IN THE ARGENTINE COMMUNITY.
YOU ALSO SAY YOU HAVE AN ANSWER. HOW IS YOUR SOLUTION DIFFERENT
THAN ANN MURGIA'S, MARK HOLLAND? I THINK THE KEY IS, WE HAVE TO USE DIFFERENT FORMULAS IN
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY. IN AN IDEAL WORLD, THE PRIVATE SECTOR TAKES CARE OF THE GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT IN AN AREA, BOTH IN HOUSING AND RETAIL AND INDUSTRIAL.
IN AN URBAN AREA, YOU HAVE TO HAVE MORE TOOLS, AND YOU HAVE TO SEED THAT WITH A PARTNERSHIP.
IT'S NOT JUST GREEN FIELD DEVELOPMENT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHY THERE'S URBAN
SPRAWL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO DEVELOP OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS THAN
INSIDE. INSIDE, IT TAKES A UNIFIED GOVERNMENT VISION OF WHAT WE'D
LIKE TO SEE. THE GROCERY STORE IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE.
THE FIRST FOUR NEW GROCERY STORES IN THE LAST 30 YEARS IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, THAT KIND
OF DEVELOPMENT HAS COME BECAUSE WE'VE LISTENED TO
THE COMMUNITY, SEEN WHERE THE NEED IS AND DONE
A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO BRING IN DEVELOPERS AND OFFERED DEVELOPMENT TOOLS TO ACTUALLY
MAKE IT HAPPEN, AND SO I THINK THE EXAMPLE WOULD
BE TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY THE STRATEGIC AREAS
IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE GOING TO GROW FIRST, LIKE 18th AND I-70, LIKE 39th AND RAINBOW,
LIKE 78th AND STATE. WE NEED TO GET THAT SYNERGY IN THE FAR NORTHEAST, AND WE'VE
IDENTIFIED AREAS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT BRINGING A GROCERY STORE, AND OTHER THINGS START TO
DEVELOP AROUND IT. CORDELL MEEKS. NICK, RIGHT AWAY AS MAYOR,
I'M GOING TO PRIORITIZE EDUCATION. I RECEIVED A WONDERFUL EDUCATION
AT SUMNER ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. THE BETTER EDUCATION YOU
RECEIVE, THE MORE OPPORTUNITES AVAILABLE TO YOU. QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S TIED INTO
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOB GROWTH, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SAFETY.
IF WE DON'T RAISE THE EDUCATION IN OUR CITY HERE,
WE WON'T BE COMPETITIVE TO TAKE ON THESE NEW
JOBS. I'VE ALREADY PLEDGED IMMEDIATELY IN MY CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT IF IN ITS EFFORTS. SO YOU THINK THAT IS PART OF
THE SOLUTION TO IMPROVING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY?
MOST DEFINITELY. I WOULD AGREE WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, BUT
WHAT REALLY HAS TO HAPPEN IS THIS THERE HAS TO -- SOMEONE HAS TO LEAD THE CHARGE.
THE CHARGE MEANS THAT WE HAVE A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT OR A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO A
COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR
ALL THE YEARS I'VE BEEN THERE, IS TO GET THAT
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT. AND THEN THE OTHER THING, WITHOUT TRYING NOT TO BE VERY
CRITICAL, IS THAT WE HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRIES.
WE HAVE MASTERED THE ART OF DOING BUSINESS WITH NOT NOT FOR PROFITS.
THE PART THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH, WHEN I SAY WE,
AT CITY HALL, OUR STAFF, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO
MASTER THE ART OF DEALING WITH FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES, AND THEY'VE BEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE WAITING TO COME IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE BLUEPRINT FOR DEALING
WITH THEM, AND I KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT PUBLIC-PRIVATE RELATIONSHIP
WORK. WE WANT TO MOVE ON. QUICKLY, JANICE, BEFORE WE MOVE
ON TO THE NEXT TOPIC. MISSOURI IS THE PERFECT LEAD FOR US.
MISSOURI HAS TAKEN ARTS AND CULTURE AND ABSOLUTELY OPENED UP ITS COMMUNITY.
THE CONSERVATORY, HOW MANY THINGS HAVE WE HEARD ABOUT THE CONSERVATORY AND THE NEW
KAUFFMAN AUDITORIUM. THE THING IS IS THAT OUR COMMUNITY CONSISTS OF A LOT OF
DIVERSITY. WE HAVE TO BRING THAT TOGETHER AND STOP SPREADING IT SO BROAD,
BUT WE'VE GOT SMALL BUSINESSES THAT CAN UTILIZE THE NORTHEAST WHO ARE WILLING TO -- SMALL
BUSINESSES, NOT MAJOR CORPORATIONS, WHO ARE WILLING TO UTILIZE THE NORTHEAST BUT CAN'T
AFFORD TO DO BUSINESS IN OUR COUNTY BECAUSE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TAX IN OUR COUNTY IS
4.4% WHEREAS IT'S 2.2% ACROSS THE STATE. THEY CAN'T AFFORD -- OUR
BUSINESSES ARE LEAVING. THERE ARE TONS OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WOULD LOVE TO
BLOW INTO THE NORTHEAST AND MAKE HOUSE THERE.