At-Large Candidates
At Large Candidates hail from a specific district but are voted on by the city population.
Sixth District At-Large
Those running for Sixth District will fill Scott Taylor’s seat. The area includes Brookside, Red Bridge, Martin City and Hickman Mills.
Andrea Bough, 48, is an attorney working for Lewis-Rice law firm, specializing in development and land use issues. She served as Chair of the of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics Reform. She is married to US District Judge Stephen Bough and lives in the Brookside area. Bough has served on numerous volunteer boards and committees.
Crime. Bough believes that more officers, combined with a better understanding of mental health could help reduce crime. Bough also believes that a lack of education and economic opportunities contribute to high crime rates.
Economic Development. Bough is quick to point out the positive intent most of these projects have, noting that many are a success and result in nothing more than their desired effects. However, she does submit that some projects have been “questionable” in both intent and management while noting that the attention of both developers and the City Council often centers too much around areas like Power and Light at the expense of large portions of the city arguably more in need of revitalization, like areas east of Troost.
Transportation. Bough’s other top priorities include expanding the streetcar route and making sure the KCI single-terminal project is completed on time and on budget.
Stacey Johnson-Cosby, 53, is a realtor with Reece-Nichols and lives in south Kansas City. She is also a property investor and landlord. She helped start the South Kansas City Alliance and has been appointed to serve on both the Public Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) for the 6th District and the Neighborhood Development Tourism Fund (NTDF).
Crime – Johnson-Cosby would make sure there are things for young people to do to keep them busy. She would also make sure there are mental health services available to the community. She also emphasizes an access to jobs.
Economic Development. TIFs, if used properly, can serve a great purpose. She suggests voters should select someone whose judgment they can trust to select projects that are meant for the very reason that TIF exists. She believes the 75% cap on TIFs was a great compromise, but she would use the exception to go above that in areas that are most distressed.
Transportation. She advocates for a strategic transportation policy that would bring all entities together.
Housing. Johnson-Cosby would identify areas where the housing need is greatest and identify investors that can provide that housing. She is a strong support of EDZ and considers them another source of funding for housing, jobs and commercial development.
5th District at-Large
Lee Barnes, Jr., 53, is the current At-Large representative. Fifth district includes Holmes Rd, Bannister, 350 Hwy, and Noland Rd.
Lee Barnes, Jr., 53, is a graduate of Central High School and received a degree in engineering from Kansas State University. He is the current 5th District At-Large representative, is Vice Chair of the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee and is also a member of the Finance and Governance Committee and the Youth Development Committee. He has served on the Tax Increment Finance Commission and is currently the Chairman of the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority.
Crime. Barnes says a lot of crime happens within areas where there are abandoned houses. He would like to see increased funding for mowing and taking care of land bank properties.
Economic Development. Barnes states he is pro-development. He believes economic development can transform communities and neighborhoods. However, he also believes there are too many loopholes that are utilized. He notes that the council is looking at freezing property taxes for elders, particularly when new development takes place. Barnes says he has done things crucial to the development of the city, referring specifically to an upcoming project at the intersection of 63rd and Prospect, which is expected to bring a hotel, affordable housing and entertainment options.
Transportation. Barnes notes that the Area Transportation Authority receives $55M per year and that they have implemented numerous good programs over the last 5-6 years.
Dwayne Williams, 57, is the President and CEO of 12th Street Development Corporation. Williams started the Prison-to-Workforce Pipeline, a re-entry program for those released from the prison system. He has served on the boards of the Economic Development Commission, Neighborhood Tourism Development Fund and the Port Authority Fund for Women and Minorities.
Crime. Williams believes it is important to focus on community policing to help reduce crime. He thinks workforce development is key to making sure that we take care of our young people, so that they can get a livable wage. To do so he would bring trades back in schools.
Economic Development. Williams believes economic incentives work but suggests better monitoring of the tool. He would work with smaller developers and Community Development Corporations and award incentives up to 100% where necessary. He believes the goal should be to transform whole communities and whole neighborhoods to stamp out blight. He is cautious about EDZ; he would make sure they’re not making money off backs of people that live in the area.
Transportation. Williams believes economic development is not just about buildings and tax incentives but that it’s about everything that goes along with economic development, including transportation.
4th District At-Large
Katheryn Shields is the at-large representative. 4th District includes the Plaza, Crossroads, parts of downtown and the Northeast neighborhood.
Katheryn Shields, 72, graduated from North Kansas City High School in 1964. She received a B.A. and M.A. in History from UMKC, followed by a law degree in 1978. Shields served as an assistant Jackson County prosecutor in 1978-79, after which she went into private practice. She was first elected to the city council in 1987 and served for eight years. She then served as Jackson County Executive from 1995-2006. In 2015 she was elected once again to the 4th District at-large. She is Vice Chair of the Neighborhoods and Public Safety Committee and Vice Chair of the Youth Development Committee.
Crime. Shields is proud that Community Interaction Officers have been reinstated to each patrol division. She notes that over the last two years the council has provided increased funding for more patrol officers and additional 3-1-1 call takers. In addition, there is now a social worker at each patrol station.
Economic Development. Shields believes economic development isn’t just about incentives, but it’s also about maintaining roads, maintaining the water and sewer systems. She believes the earnings tax should only be waived for companies whose employees live in Kansas City.
Housing. Shields suggests that the 1/8 cent sales tax could be used to support affordable housing. If TIFs are used for housing, 15% of the units must be affordable.
Transportation. Shields would like to see more frequent runs to the northland. She sees the trolley as proving a great economic benefit.
Robert Westfall, 52, is an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Park Hill H.S. and received an M.A from the University of Missouri School of Business.
Crime. Westfall notes there is an entire generation of young people being put in jail for nonviolent crime. He would reduce the amount of incarceration and focus on education instead.
Economic Development. Westfall believes to be able to start businesses in economically disadvantaged areas of our town, incentives to luxury developments in the heart of the city need to stop. He believes if financial incentives are granted to apartment developers, 50% of units should be affordable, not 15%.
Transportation. Westfall believes there are not enough east-west bus routes, and notes that the trolley cost $120M for two miles. He asks how many electric buses and charging stations could have been purchased for the same amount.
Third District At-Large
Quinton Lucas is the current At-Large representative. The Third District is commonly called the East side, bordering Independence Ave and Blue Parkway.
Brandon Ellington, 38, is a 1999 graduate of Paseo High School in Kansas City and attended Penn Valley University and UMKC. He has represented the 22nd District in Jefferson City for the past eight years, and is currently serving as the House Minority Whip.
Economic Development. Ellington would use economic development tools not by giving away money to large corporations, but with incentivize plans for mixed-development usage, which in turn would incentivize small businesses and increase employment opportunities. He is anti-sales tax, but pro-tax credit.
Ellington would change zoning requirements to help reduce developer costs, which ultimately would reduce the cost of affordable housing. He would not raise property taxes in areas where new developments take place. He believes Economic Development Zones are extremely beneficial to investors and those with economic access, but believes we should be cognizant of how they are utilized.
Transportation. Ellington supports public transit, would increase funding for buses and would like to see a regional transit plan put in place. He believes high speed rail (hyperloop) from Kansas City to St. Louis would transform Kansas City into an economic hub.
Rev. Dr. Wallace S. Hartsfield, II, 54, is the senior pastor of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church and an Associate Professor at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Conservatory of Music and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the Master of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) and an earned Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Emory University.
Crime. Hartsfield believes we must look at the root causes of violent crime: poverty, racism, and uneven development. Creating livable neighborhood spaces that are supported by local businesses and entrepreneurs will drive down crime. He would work with school officials and families to keep kids in school. He believes community policing should begin with the community.
Affordable Housing. Hartsfield observes that the working poor are concentrated in a particular part of Kansas City. He would address affordable housing by first rehabilitating abandoned homes that aren’t dilapidated and then proceed with new construction. He would go after new sources of funding at the federal level.
Transportation. Hartsfield would focus first on bringing bus routes to the working poor so that they have access to jobs.