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Opinion column
by Murrel Bland
Several years ago, there was a story floating around Kansas City, Kansas, City Hall about a new mayor who wanted to make a substantial impact on the community with his administration. According to legend, a longtime city hall bureaucrat let the mayor know the political realities of city government.
“We don’t even buy paperclips without two votes,” the bureaucrat said. At that time, three commissioners directed city government,
Fast-forward to today. Mayor Tyrone Garner has come to city hall with what he describes as a substantial agenda for change. He needs to understand that he needs at least five votes, plus his, if substantial change is going to occur.
The mayor also needs to understand that many of the same voters who elected him also elected commissioners. People will support those things that they help create. Abruptly ending a recent commission meeting without letting commissioners further express their views sent the wrong message from the mayor.
Chuck Stites, a newcomer commissioner from Edwardsville, probably summed it up very well:
“We just want to know what is going on,” Stites said.
There is controversy surrounding the recent appointment of Cheryl Harrison-Lee as county administrator. The mayor, as chief executive officer, clearly had authority to nominate her; all commission members approved her appointment for one year.
Now commission members are favoring a national search for county administrator, but would have Harrison-Lee invited to apply. She is now auditing Unified Government departments, apparently trying to find ways of saving money. At the same time, a volunteer committee, including Chris Steineger, is focused on governmental efficiency. Steineger, a Democrat-turned- Republican, was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor.
Harrison-Lee was a controversial city administrator at Gardner. She resigned and received $350,000 in severance pay. She continues to be a consultant for Kansas City, Missouri; critics have raised concern about a possible conflict of interest.
The mayor needs to have better relations with fellow commission members. He also needs to remember that he was elected by only about 400 votes more than his opponent, which is not that much of a margin when considering more than 165,000 residents live in Wyandotte County.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is an independent columnist. Opinions expressed here are those of the writer and not necessarily those of this publication.
