Category: Election 2017

by Mary Rupert

Mayor Mark Holland brought up his opponent’s vote in favor of a utility rate increase, while challenger David Alvey cited the UG’s unnecessary spending and deferred maintenance during a candidate forum held Tuesday night at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Holland said there was a 42 percent electric rate increase and a 35 percent water rate increase at the BPU that Alvey voted for while in office at the BPU.

He said electric rates were increased 7 percent a year for four years, followed by a 4 percent increase this year and 4 percent next year.

“We cannot afford to adopt this tax-and-spend model from the Board of Public Utilities for the Unified Government,” Holland said.

Holland said he was able to work with the UG Commission to bring down the property tax rate by 10 percent in the past two years, and it is the lowest rate in the past 50 years. He said the rate would continue to be lowered over time.

Holland also said that under his administration, openness has increased in local government, especially with airing the local meetings on UGTV, and he contrasted it with the BPU, which is not on cable television. Alvey responded that the BPU thought the cost of broadcasting the meetings, about a half-million dollars, was too much.

Holland also said he had conducted 21 forums to receive community response since elected, including forums on how to spend sales tax funds from Village West, as well as on how to reduce violence, and the future of Indian Springs.

Alvey has been a critic of UG spending throughout the campaign. He defended his votes to increase BPU rates.

“That was necessary to make sure the BPU could do what it is supposed to do, and that is to provide reliable power and safe water for our residents,” Alvey said. “We had to do these projects, we had to spend the money, first of all, to take care of our infrastructure.”

When he started on the board of BPU, there was only 19 days’ cash on hand, which was not sustainable, he said, and equipment was so old that it was starting to fall apart. New substations had to be built to meet the growth, he said. The BPU also was required by the federal government to add various pollution control equipment.

“We always put the interests of the ratepayers first,” he said.

Alvey criticized the UG spending money on the mayor’s bodyguard or security detail. The security is available for the elected officials who request it.

“If we’re going to be concerned about excess expenditures, we need to point out that we’ve been spending $250,000 to $300,000 a year on a security detail for the mayor,” Alvey said. “I will not do that.”

There was not a need to spend a million dollars on the ninth floor office remodeling at City Hall, plus a safe room there, Alvey said.

Alvey also criticized the UG’s decision to bury utility lines underground on Leavenworth Road, which cost an extra $5-6 million, instead of putting the utility lines above ground. The funds could have been spent on other needed projects, he said.

“There are plenty of infrastructure requirements throughout the city, that we could have spent $6 million on, burying infrastructure was not our No. 1 priority,” Alvey said. “You could drive anywhere out here and find a $6 million project right outside our door.”

Alvey said he is for clean air, but there needed to be a fiscally sustainable way to do it. A federal rule since rescinded only resulted in improved air quality of one-half of one percent, but cost $250 million, he added.

Alvey said the BPU has the lowest electricity rates in the region, but there are added-on fees on the BPU bill, such as the 11.9 percent PILOT fee from the UG. The PILOT is 50 percent higher than it was four years ago, he said. He is in favor of lowering the PILOT fee, while the UG recently has kept the PILOT fee the same. Alvey said there was a promise to reduce it, and the promise was not kept.

Additionally, Alvey said the UG had to focus on reducing its tax burden, while increasing jobs.

The UG had $500 million in deferred maintenance on 150 UG buildings and facilities, he said. If a real solution is not found to taking care of infrastructure and generating revenue to do it, this county will only decline, Alvey said. Otherwise, “it can’t get any better.”

He said the UG may need to raise the city debt mill levy in 2018-2020, according to the UG financial forecast.

The 2-mill reduction earlier this year was not in the UG’s original plans, he said. UG department heads had been told earlier they would receive their submitted budgets, then they were given only about a day to cut 2.5 percent from their budgets last April, he said. “They cut into the flesh and bone of our departments,” he said.

However, Holland disagreed with the statement about the city debt mill levy, saying they were not correct.

The candidates also discussed the future of downtown.

Holland discussed the plans for the downtown healthy campus, saying it will show people that the UG is willing to invest in the downtown area, and also said the Northeast Master Plan discussion is now making plans for the northeast area.

“Strawberry Hill is going to be the next Crossroads,” Holland said. “Bringing the amenities downtown is going to bring the people.”

He said the Downtown Shareholders are doing a great job, and downtown is clean and safe.

Alvey said businesses may need to be incentivized, but not bailed out, and the downtown needs to be a beautiful and safe place.

“I love the fact that Strawberry Hill is growing,” Alvey said. “But the Crossroads is an area of commercial establishments, warehouses, with room enough for art studios.”

He said comparing the two areas was like comparing apples and oranges.

However, there are areas along Minnesota Avenue that could be developed further as an attraction, like the Crossroads, but it would require bringing residents in, he added. The perception of developers is it’s not well maintained and it’s not safe, he said. If the perception is not changed, it will not bring people in, he said.

Holland said there are some growing businesses downtown.

“Central Avenue is a testament to the power of immigrants coming with an entrepreneurial spirit,” Holland said.

Central Avenue is thriving, he said. Minnesota Avenue also has some new small businesses that have moved there, he said.

“We just need to continue doing that, it just takes time,” Holland said.

“The key to the downtown is having all the community support it, and having amenities down there and attractions down there that people want to come there, attracting people to downtown, not just folks who live there,” Holland said.

Many other topics were discussed at the forum, which will air later on KCKCC’s cable television channel at dates to be determined. This forum was sponsored by Business West, with other neighborhood business groups.

Another candidate forum sponsored by Business West and the neighborhood business groups is planned tonight at KCKCC’s Upper Jewell building, at 6 p.m. Candidates for Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education and KCKCC Board of Trustees have been invited.

Another candidate forum is planned at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at Blessed Sacrament Family Center gym, 2215 Parallel, Kansas City, Kansas. This forum is sponsored by Unity with Purpose and Forum Partners. A fourth forum is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at New Bethel Church Haven Center, 735 Walker Ave., also sponsored by Unity with Purpose and Forum Partners.

The general election is Nov. 7.

Voter registration deadline is Tuesday

More candidate forums to be held this week

by Mary Rupert

So far, advance voting applications have been disappointing for the Nov. 7 general election, according to Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby.

The election office sent out information about mail-in ballots and had a good response shortly after it went out, but that has tapered off, he said.

Registered voters may choose whether to vote in person Nov. 7 on Election Day, or in advance at the election office and two satellite locations, or by advance mail-in ballots.

There are about 3,974 applications received from voters now for mail-in ballots here, he said. That includes about 1,200 permanent advance voters who automatically get a ballot and others who contact the election office for one.

The Nov. 7 election will include candidates for mayor, Unified Government Commission, sheriff, Board of Public Utilities, Kansas City Kansas Community College Board of Trustees, local school boards, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. The UG mayor’s contest, between incumbent Mayor Mark Holland and challenger David Alvey, has attracted the most attention so far.

Advance voting in person will start on Oct. 28 at the election office at 850 State Ave., Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd St., and Argentine Community Center, 2810 Metropolitan Ave.

Newby said he expected more people to sign up for mail-in ballots, but he is “waiting for the enthusiasm to catch on.”

“In a low turnout election, it’s anybody’s game,” Newby said. He has seen some low turnout elections where incumbents did well, and others where challengers won, he said.

There isn’t a specific reason why the numbers are low for mail-in ballots, but he said traditionally the municipal and school board elections have had low turnout. Sometimes voters don’t know who is running for office, he said, and candidates need to do a better job of educating them. He hopes enthusiasm will pick up closer to the election.

Newby said he was pleasantly surprised during the primary election this year, when more people voted than he expected, based on past statistics. If the general election follows the same path, there could be a good turnout, he added.

Previously, municipal elections were held in the spring, with the primary in February. There is more of a chance of good weather now than in February and March, which is one of the reasons the Legislature moved the date of city elections to the fall, he said.

Voter registration deadline is Tuesday

Voter registration deadline for this election is Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the end of the day. Newby said those who walk in to register to vote at the election office at 850 State Ave. will have until 5 p.m. Oct. 17 to register.

Those who are registering online and at the libraries may see different closing hours, he added. Online registration may continue until midnight Tuesday.

More candidate forums to be held this week

Voters will have another chance to meet the candidates at public forums to be held this week.

The forums include:

• Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m., Upper Jewell building, Kansas City Kansas Community College, 7250 State Ave. Candidates are invited for mayor, sheriff, Unified Government Commission and Board of Public Utilities. The forum is sponsored by Business West, neighborhood and business organizations with KCKCC.

• Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m., Upper Jewell building, Kansas City Kansas Community College, 7250 State Ave. Candidates are invited for KCKCC Board of Trustees and Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. The forum is sponsored by Business West, neighborhood and business organizations with KCKCC.

• Friday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Blessed Sacrament Family Center gym, 2215 Parallel Ave. Candidates were invited for mayor, sheriff, UG Commission, District 1, BPU at large District 1, and Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. The forum is sponsored by Unity with Purpose and Forum Partners, including the NAACP.

Advance voting schedule

Advance voting in person is taking place at the Election Office, 850 State Ave., open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4; closed on Sunday, Oct. 29; open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 30 to Nov. 3; closed Sunday, Nov. 5; and open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Nov. 6.

The satellite voting centers at Eisenhower Recreation and Argentine Community centers will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28; closed Sunday, Oct. 29; open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 30 through Nov. 3; open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4; and closed Sunday, Nov. 5.

For more information on satellite voting, see http://wycovotes.org/where-do-i-vote/.

A list of candidates appearing on the ballot is at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56606b47e4b0b9403ad6ff96/t/59ba86e9d7bdcee112c01f1d/1505396457468/Candidate+on+the+General+Election+Ballot+110717.pdf

More information about the election is at the Wyandotte County Election Office website, http://www.wycovotes.org/, or voters may call 913-573-8500.

At that website, there also is a link to check to see if voters are registered.