In response to a Kansas City Beacon questionnaire, candidates staked out their positions on school funding, book bans and how the school board currently operates.
DIY Democracy
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
These BPU candidates want to govern the electric and water service in KCK
The Beacon hosted a candidate forum on Sept. 26, where five out of six candidates made their case to voters.
The forum can be watched in its entirety here, and portions have been transcribed below. The candidates’ answers were edited for length and clarity.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Half of the BPU board is up for election. Here’s how they keep the lights on in KCK
The record-breaking heat wave that broiled the Kansas City area in August posed a pricey and foreboding reminder of the vital need for air conditioning — and the expensive energy bills that follow.
In Kansas City, Kansas, electric and water service come from the local government.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Health, State Government
Missouri groups look for the strongest abortion rights that voters would back
Update (Nov. 22, 2023): After two losses in lower state courts, the Missouri Supreme Court on Nov. 20 denied hearing Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s appeal, effectively ending the court battles over language for a set of initiative petitions aimed at restoring access to abortion in Missouri. The fight over the Missouri abortion ban begins […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Four candidates challenge an incumbent in KCK’s District 3
On Aug. 1, voters in Wyandotte County will narrow a crowded field of 15 candidates competing to represent four districts on the Unified Government’s Board of Commissioners, including five candidates in District 3 alone. After the primary election, the top two candidates in each race will move to the Nov. 7 ballot.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
A pastor, a retired glazier and a small business owner want to represent Wyandotte County’s District 6
Kansas voters won’t find any federal or statewide races on ballots this year, but more than a dozen candidates in the Wyandotte County election are in competitive primary races to represent voters on a city and county level. For 25 years, the Unified Government has served as the municipal government for Kansas City, Kansas, as […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, DIY Democracy, Local Government
KCK’s District 4 candidates talk housing, public safety and community engagement
Half of the members of the Unified Government Board of Commissioners are up for election this fall, with the potential to shape decisions affecting Kansas City, Kansas, and the rest of Wyandotte County for the next four years.
Fifteen candidates are running to represent the four districts in the southeastern corner of the county, including four candidates in the race for District 4, where Harold Johnson has decided not to run for reelection.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
What the District 2 election means for eastern Kansas City, Kansas
In Wyandotte County, half of the commissioners in the Unified Government will be up for election on Aug. 1, and three districts will not have an incumbent. This includes District 2, in which Brian McKiernan has decided not to seek reelection, leaving an open seat being contested by three candidates in the primary.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education
Here’s how to file for the KCPS school board special election
Jennifer Wolfsie, the board’s vice chair, encourages people who support public education to become school board candidates.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government
DIY Democracy: How to be a tax incentives watchdog
From the Power and Light District and midtown Costco to the planned KC Current stadium in the rapidly developing Berkley Riverfront, economic development and tax incentive decisions leave an indelible mark on Kansas City. These decisions help bring jobs, housing and sparkly new arenas, but they can also have consequences for taxing jurisdictions like Kansas […]