Follow my campaign.

My brother created a website for my campaign. The address is www.stalder4kc.com.

You can "Like" Bryan M. Stalder, Esq. on Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1438170566464804

I also tweet items relevant to the campaign at @StalderEsq, so you can follow me on Twitter.

No, I'm not an attorney.

When conducting business on behalf of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, I sign my name as Bryan M.  Stalder, Esq.

Some attorneys use this same title, and some states have laws forbidding the use of that title unless you are a licensed attorney; Missouri has no such law, and for that reason, the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, in its bylaws, states that all officers are esquires.

This may sound ridiculous, and I respectively disagree. The role of a neighborhood association officer is difficult, especially when you are serving a neighborhood as diverse as Indian Mound. Although our neighborhood is 52% Latino, our members are mostly white, mostly over 50. I have seen neighborhood leaders and politicians place their own interests ahead of those who they serve, and make no effort to reach out to the demographics they represent. As an esquire,  I believe it is important to remain honorable to everyone you serve.

So, no, I am not an attorney;  I am an esquire, and I promise to place the needs of those whom I serve above my own personal agenda.

A little more about me...

Our city continues to commit a disproportionate amount of our limited, shared resources toward economic development in a single council district. After decades of unfulfilled promises of prosperity, even as jobs continue to cross the State Line, and many are still reluctant to invest east of Troost Avenue, are you really prepared to re-elect the same old people with the same old ideas?

I have a plan to make Kansas City EPIC, by focusing our resources on Education, Parks, and Inter-Connectivity. We have a unique opportunity to repurpose vacant historic school buildings into multi-purpose centers that provide vital services for struggling communities. They will become anchors for economic growth. Simple public investments in our urban core will demonstrate a commitment to protect middle class investments.

I am raising my family in Kansas City’s urban core, and I am committed to improving the quality of life for all families who have chosen to plant roots here. I am running for city council in Kansas City's 4th District At Large, and I would be honored if you would vote for me on April 7.

#epickc

I have many ideas for moving Kansas City forward, but there are three things that I would like to focus on specifically. I've created an EPIC platform; that stands for Education, Parks, and Inter-Connectivity.

EDUCATION: The successes and failures of the Kansas City Public Schools has a direct impact on the quality of life in our city and creates challenges for families who would consider buying property within our urban core but are uncomfortable entrusting KCPS with their children's education. As Superintendent Dr. Stephen Greene and the school board continue to make measurable progress in the right direction, there are things that our city government could be doing to assist the district in terms of infrastructural improvements, partnerships, and promotion. My children are enrolled in Kansas City Public Schools and I am impressed with the educational opportunities that they have been provided with. It's time to reinvest in our young people at a municipal level, and what better way to do that than to provide them with a quality education and other opportunities to help them achieve success?

PARKS: Kansas City has some of the greatest parks, boulevards, and fountains in the country.  We are known as The City Of Fountains and Paris Of The Plains, and yet our annual parks budget is actually less than it was a century ago when adjusted for inflation, dollar for dollar. Many of our fountains are in disrepair, and every year, our city asks for private donations to turn the fountains on and keep them running. We should not simply maintain these facilities; we should continue to improve our parks and fountains, and encourage our residents to take advantage of these unparalleled amenities and take pride in our identity as The City Of  Fountains once again.

INTER-CONNECTIVITY: Troost Avenue, the Missouri River, and even the State Line have divided the greater Kansas City area into very distinct provinces that don't cooperate as much as they should. I would like to see strategies developed that help us to better compete economically as a region rather than to fight among these provinces at the expense of the tax payer. We need more public investment in areas that are struggling to attract private development, we need to develop a regional strategy for improving and expanding our pedestrian, bicycle, and bus networks, and most importantly, we need to find a meaningful solution to end the economic border war.

I could go into greater detail on many of these ideas, but all of them will benefit from public feedback and collaboration with other council members and the mayor. I look forward to having more discussions about these topics as the election season progresses. Check back soon!

Bryan Stalder for Kansas City's 4th District At Large

The City Clerk's office called me yesterday to let me know that I have collected enough signatures from registered Kansas City voters to appear on the April 7, 2015 ballot for the 4th District At Large city council seat. Please remember to vote.

#kcstreetcar fail.

HILARIOUS PHOTOGRAPH BY JILL TOYOSHIBA/THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Kansas City's effort to expand their streetcar network failed 60%-40% on August 5, 2014.

Here are the reasons why, and in a very specific order.

1) The process was not equitable. It was a city led project that considered very little feedback from the community. We were never asked "Would you like a streetcar, or perhaps better buses?" we were simply told, "You're getting a streetcar, so do you want it on this street or that street?"

2) It's a mixed traffic streetcar. This project offered no significant public transit benefits that aren't already being provided by the KCATA's Metro Bus system, or that couldn't be emulated with a much cheaper bus. For an investment of $515M, Kansas City should be getting some type of dedicated rail system that would boost ridership and create new transit routes. (For the record, Kansas City's annual KCATA budget is $87M and that is for 300 buses to operate daily.)

3) It was partially funded with a regressive sales tax, which would heavily impact residents in some of the poorest communities in Kansas City. It is not entirely unacceptable to fund a public transit system with a sales tax, but every respect should be given to the cost and benefit of the project, which was not done in this case.

Any future efforts to make public transit improvements should consider these three things. More about how that process should take place later...