#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!