The Jackson County primary election on Aug. 2 will ask voters to select each party’s candidates for the Jackson County Legislature. While six of the nine legislators are elected by voters of smaller districts, three at-large legislators, including the 1st At-Large District, are elected by the entire county. In the coming days, The Beacon will […]
Josh Merchant
Josh Merchant is The Beacon's local government reporter in Kansas City. After graduating from Seattle University, Josh earned a master’s degree in investigative journalism from Columbia Journalism School with coursework in data journalism. Josh has contributed reporting to The Seattle Spectator, The South Seattle Emerald and THE CITY in New York. They're a former Beacon intern. At The Beacon, they reported on issues of traffic safety, with a focus on roadway design, as well as tax-incentivized development at a variety of Kansas City agencies. They have lived in Kansas City since 2021.
Posted inElections, Local Government
Five questions with the Democratic candidates for Jackson County 1st District legislator
All nine members of the Jackson County Legislature — which oversees spending and makes crucial decisions about tax assessments, jail operations and other functions of Missouri’s second largest county — are up for election in 2022. In the days leading up to the Jackson County primary, The Beacon will introduce many of the races and […]
Posted inElections, Local Government
Who are the candidates running for chairperson of the Johnson County Commission?
Johnson County’s elected leaders oversee a budget of $1.45 billion and set the direction for a sprawling county of more than 600,000 residents and growing. Governance is vested in the seven-member Johnson County Commission. Six members are elected from districts. The seventh member, the chairperson, is elected to represent the entire county and thus holds […]
Posted inElections, Local Government
These four Johnson County elections will decide who oversees a $1.45 billion budget
This November, voters in the Johnson County election will elect four candidates to the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, which oversees a budget of $1.45 billion and about 30 county departments, ranging from emergency services to public transit. Though county elections draw fewer voters to the polls than high-profile national and state races, county […]
Posted inEconomics, Local Government
Tax assessors are out measuring your front lawn. What exactly are they up to?
Owners of all of Jackson County’s 301,000 residential and commercial properties are expected to receive a visit from property tax assessors in 2022. Data collectors from the tax assessment office, clad in bright vests, will be measuring property lines and asking homeowners questions about the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and whether the basement or […]
Posted inLocal Government
What to know about Port Authority in Kansas City
At the Berkley Riverfront, just north of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, roads are lined with wide-open grassland, sparkly new apartment buildings and a bustling dog park and bar made of shipping containers. Behind all this riverfront development is the Port Authority of Kansas City (Port KC). Port KC is a public organization, with its board […]
Posted inLocal Government
Why are more than a third of KC’s public swimming pools closed?
With the July 4 holiday weekend coming up, those wanting to spend time by public Kansas City pools are finding they have fewer options this year. Problems from maintenance to supply chain issues to lifeguard shortages have meant some pools in the region won’t be open this summer. In 2022, Kansas City Parks and Recreation […]
Posted inEnvironment
Foxes, possums and deer, oh my! KC experts advise how to live with street critters this breeding season
The Kansas City area is home to more than 2 million people, driving to work, tending to lawns and gardens and enjoying parks and green spaces. As the region grows, so does the population of urban wildlife in KC that simultaneously thrives on cohabitation with human beings while also facing shrinking habitat. Under patios, in […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Local Government
KC has few trans women of color in leadership. This nonprofit is changing that.
In the eight years that Merrique Jenson has worked in trans activism in Kansas City, she’s been invited to join nonprofit boards and government projects to represent trans women of color in KC. Not all of those experiences turned out well, Jenson said. She was criticized for talking about race, and she felt that her […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Local Government
This fall election could reshape Jackson County spending
Editor’s note: We updated this story on June 14 to clarify that Jackson County legislators only have zoning authority in unincorporated areas. The midterm elections are coming up in November 2022, and voters will soon be swarmed with campaign ads, voter registration drives and a hyperfocus on high-profile state and national races. More under the […]