Some Old Names and Plenty of New on Ballot
By Lynn Horsley, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Feb. 7–Kansas City’s City Council will look very different on May 1, no matter who wins this spring’s elections.
Because of term limits, at least half of the 12 at large and in-district positions will be filled by fresh faces, and all but three seats could be filled by people who have never before held city office.
The crowd of candidates includes some familiar names. Former City Council members Ed Ford, Carol Coe and John Sharp are on the ballot. Several state legislators who were term-limited out — Sharon Sanders Brooks, Melba Curls and Cathy Jolly — now want to represent the city. Pam Mason, who lost her bid for re-election as Clay County clerk in November, is also running.
Among newcomers are neighborhood activists such as Ezekiel Amador, Mark Forsythe and Mark Porter. Others include a student, a retired tobacco marketer and a church pastor with no political experience.
The primary election is Feb. 27. The two top vote-getters in each district will advance to the general election March 27. At large candidates represent the entire city, while in-district candidates represent the part of town in which they live.
Detailed candidate profiles begin appearing this week in The Kansas City Star’s neighborhood zones. Here’s an overview of the races:
— Northland: Although it is the city’s fastest-growing sector and thus increasingly powerful, the Northland has the fewest candidates vying for office. In the 1st District, which includes Old Northeast and most of Clay County, at large incumbent Deb Hermann is running unopposed, as is in-district incumbent Bill Skaggs.
In the 2nd District, which encompasses Platte County, a sliver of Clay County and downtown, Ford is running unopposed for the at large seat. He served from 1995-2003, then had to sit out a term before he could run again.
The in-district race features Mason; attorney Chris Byrd; Cerner software engineer Aaron Knight and Russ Johnson, an information technology consultant.
— Inner city: Kansas City’s 3rd District is the most impoverished and crime-ridden. Many candidates are running on a platform to improve conditions there.
In the 3rd District at large, two candidates hope to succeed Troy Nash: longtime Kansas City housing department administrator DeBorah Dee Williams and Curls, a former state representative.
In the in-district race, incumbent Saundra McFadden-Weaver is seeking re-election while under indictment for mortgage fraud. She is challenged by Brooks, a former state representative; college student Brandon Ellington; and retired tobacco sales representative Teola Powell. Coe also is running, although she says she wants to take away votes from Brooks and help McFadden-Weaver get re-elected.
— Midtown and Brookside: In the 4th District, one of the most politically active parts of town, the in-district and at large seats are open and fiercely contested.
The at large race features hotel developer Doug Gamble; Beth Gottstein, a former head of the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus; Deth Im, a former YouthNet director; Rita Valenciano, who heads a nonprofit organization for youths; and Federal Express driver John Tancredi.
The in-district race features Amador, a West Side activist; Forsythe, a Brookside area neighborhood leader; Jan Marcason, who directed the Mid-America Assistance Coalition; and architect Mel Solomon.
— East side: In the 5th District at large, current office holder Becky Nace is running for mayor. Vying to replace her are Cindy Circo, a homes association leader; Evaline Taylor, who ran against John Ashcroft and Mel Carnahan in past elections; and pastor and counselor Michael Brooks.
In the in-district race, incumbent Terry Riley is challenged by retired firefighter John Shields and Porter, a Blue Hills neighborhood advocate.
— South Kansas City: The at large race in the 6th District features Jolly, a former state representative; bus driver Octavia Southall; freelance writer Kevin McShane; and former paralegal Delmira Quarles.
The in-district race features Sharp, a former city councilman and former MAST ambulance director; Darrell Curls, who works at the Ford Claycomo plant and is Melba Curls’ brother-in-law; Garrett Denzer, an insurance software developer; and Cindy Sullivan, a project manager at Sprint.
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To reach Lynn Horsley, call (816) 234-4317 or send e-mail to lhorsley@kcstar.com.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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