Tonight online hottie Tianna Gregory this assortment of the top political players in Kansas City to conclude this historic year in local politics..
To wit . . .
CELEBRATE THE TKC LIST OF TOP KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI POWER PLAYERS FOR 2016!!!
We'll try to provide a taste of why these folks have ranked on our list and bit of flavor for each mention whilst the local elected officials should be no stranger to voters who are paying attention. Dig right in . . .
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker Is The Most Powerful KCMO Politico
So many denizens of the local political scene don't know that one of the top law enforcement officials in the Kansas City is also accountable to voters. Jackson County Prosecutor "Mean Jean" earned national headlines by bringing down a Catholic bishop for the first time in the history of the United States and then working to frame growing violence in KCMO as part of a partisan gun rights debate. She is so powerful that this year that she ran UNOPPOSED for political office and neither protesters nor anti-violence activists dare question the actions of an elected official who also controls prosecutions.
Council Lady Teresa Loar
Teresa Loar talks with EVERYBODY and her list of contacts is nearly as extensive as God's Rolodex. She has been so skilled at working the local political circuit and back-channels that even her harshest critics have grown confused and been defeated by trying to track her work. She's longtime friends with former Mayor Kay Barnes and her connections to every facet of high society and political life in KCMO have inspired the only real challenge to to the current Administration. Do you wanna know who stopped the single-terminal scheme and caused an army of hired gun consultants to crash and burn??? It was Teresa Loar listening to her constituents and voicing their concerns by standing up to Mayor Sly at a time when everyone else was too afraid.
Councilman Quinton Lucas
This year Councilman Lucas championed incentive reform and did a masterful job in staying above the political fray or getting too involved with any of the neighborhood fighting that often tarnishes otherwise promising politicos in Kansas City. Councilman Lucas is smart but more than that . . . He is politically astute and well-versed in the KCMO politics of politeness and this impressive skill for a relatively young man could propel him past all other mayoral contenders already looking forward to the next election.
Council Lady Jolie Justus
Identity politics and nothing besides puts Council Lady Jolie Justus in the top echelon of powerful people in KCMO. She has a built in constituency of progressives, LGBT advocates and classic liberals who will support her election efforts no matter her failures on the new airport, the citizens anti-violence task force or a really strange Crossroads biz bar fight. She isn't a neighborhood council member despite her in-district status . . . Instead, Council lady Jolie Justus has the luxury of representing the Midtown corridor that would rather promote Democratic Party talking points than talk about public safety or potholes.
Jackson County Exec Frank White
His proponents claim that he's the most popular elected official in Jackson County. However, a jail crisis, budget debate and outright revolt against his Administration might be more important than an old school baseball legacy.
Missouri State Senator-Elect John Rizzo
In the November election the Missouri Democratic Party was DECIMATED by a Trump tidal wave. The last man standing was John Rizzo who earned higher office by way taking on neighborhood hood concerns, sticking up for Union workers and standing up to the Hillary Clinton cabal of vindictive Midtown KCMO ladies who were rejected by a historic margin amid regional election returns. More than that, State Senator Elect-Rizzo has helped sustain Missouri Democrats by working tirelessly to keep the Super-Minority funded and helping to prevent further loses in the heart of Red State America.
Mayor Sly James
2017 is the year big money interests in KCMO come to collect their debt from Mayor Sly James. If he plans to remain relevant he will be forced to deliver an $800 MILLION bond issue, a new airport, a streetcar extension and a new hotel . . . If he fails to ram through most of these unpopular measures . . . Kansas City big biz will cast him aside after having used up every bit of his political capital in much the same way they're looting KCMO's coffers.
State Senator Jason Holsman
This Southland politico otherwise known as "BIG RED" is Kansas City's quintessential political nice guy. He's the only politico in KCMO who isn't lying when he talks about having a great working relationship with Republicans. He's not anti-choice but by distancing himself from far more strident abortion advocates and keeping the "activist" wing of KCMO Democrats at arms-length . . . He remains one of the very few Kansas City mainstream elected officials is honestly "likable" in terms of elected officials.
Council Lady Heather Hall
She's the lady across the bridge with all the questions . . . Still learning the ropes but getting stronger in her skill set every week . . . Council Lady Heather Hall is the only person on Council really worried about this town's debt ratio amid the new BILLION DOLLAR Bond push. And what's nice is that her Conservative background has given a voice to concerns about the future of police and their budget battles on Council . . . Which was a big part of her campaign platform.
State Rep. Daron McGee
Mr. McGee has long been involved in KC's political scene and his knowledge as an insider has him quickly moving up the ranks in Jeff City. KC's balance of power in the African-American community is shifting to the Southland and therefore look for this local to continue his forward momentum in Missouri politics.
Councilman Scott Taylor
He's the FIRST to form a campaign committee for a KCMO Mayor campaign and in the year ahead he's gonna have to start pushing back against the current Administration to stand out from the rest of his competition. Councilman Taylor has connections all the way to D.C. and his strong Democratic Insider credentials will help earn cash for his ambitions but haven't yet made him a front runner for the job.
School Board Member John Fierro
Last but not least is the only Latino elected official inside city limits. John Fierro earned a spot on the KCPS Board Of Education by way of a write-in campaign and his community work at The Mattie Rhodes Center have earned him the esteem of his colleagues and the extensive non-profit and volunteer community. While he remains on the periphery of local decision makers, his presence is still hard fought and impressive amid his career dedicated to public service.
As always, this list has been compiled according to scientific TKC polling and market research data and it's a weekly comprehensive guide to local powerful people.
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