Greenwood and Lee’s Summit Voters: Go Vote, Your Voice Matters
Posted by jennW in by Jennifer Warren, Featured, GSD Online
Jenn Warren, Community Activist. Not exactly a role I ever expected to fill. Even now, I am hesitant to “try-on” the title because I still want to keep a low profile in the community. I am not interested in becoming heavily involved in community projects and politics, or maybe I should say, I do not have the time to become heavily involved. A little involved? Yes. Informed? Definitely. Heavily involved? With two little ones, two dogs, a husband, church, hobbies, work… I simply do not have the time. Jenn Warren, Concerned and Informed Citizen might be a better title for me.
A little over a year ago Phil Kloster asked me if I would be interested in researching and writing about the lawsuits between Greenwood and the Hunt Martin Marietta Quarry. I accepted the challenge, wrote the article and have stayed involved in the local political scene ever since. I finally attended my first Greenwood Board of Aldermen meeting sometime last fall and now I record each of them, in order to report on what is happening in our city government. Personally, I am disgusted by the mule-headedness and personal attacks we have seen by the Board of Aldermen over the past year. I can understand why some people would come to one meeting, decide it is not worth it to care, and walk away – letting whatever happens, happen. But I want to challenge each and every resident of this city to care, to be informed, to attend a BOA meeting, to talk to their representatives, to know the issues, ordinances and other things that come before the board.
After a BOA meeting late last fall, when yet another of the appointments the Mayor tried to make to the empty Alderman seat in Ward 1 failed for lack of a second, I was talking to a few of the people who were in attendance at the meeting. An individual who firmly supported one faction of the Board was trying to convince me that their favored representatives were completely in the right and the other side was completely in the wrong. I disagreed, stating that I could see right and wrong on both sides of the issue. Both factions had good ideas, both factions were justified in feeling strongly about whatever issue was on the table and both factions were wrong in being so set in their decision that they would not broker a compromise with the other side. The individual I was talking with “harrumphed” and walked away saying over their shoulder that if I thought the other side had any good ideas I was delusional. That sort of attitude is what has handicapped this city, and that sort of attitude is what has got to change.
I wonder how the Greenwood election and status of the city would look right now if Alderman Ring and Alderman Van Acker had compromised with Mayor DeCourcy and Alderman Payne to appoint someone they did not necessarily want on the Board in exchange for Mayor DeCourcy and Alderman Payne permitting the appointment of someone they were not in favor of to one of the city’s volunteer boards? Alderman Van Acker and Denise Simpson did win elections last spring, but only by small margins. Simpson’s seat should not have sat empty for the entire year. Alderman Van Acker and Alderman Payne initially worked together on the budget and storm water issues to accomplish some good in this town. I wish that personal agendas, the need to be right and whatever other mule-headedness was involved in the gridlock of this current board could have been set aside for the good of Greenwood.
Now, we are a few days away from another election. I’ve talked to all of the candidates, some of them extensively, some of them only briefly. They all have ideas, dreams, hopes for Greenwood. A few of those candidates have spent a lot of money, I wonder where the money came from, who the donors are? All of the candidates claim to want to see Greenwood prosper and have a governing body that can get along with each other, I wonder which of those candidates really mean it, which ones are really willing to compromise, to work together, to be professional? Four of the nine candidates are going to win elections on April 6th. Who are they going to be? That is up to the voters in Greenwood to decide. Last April there were a whopping 575 voters (out of over 4,500 residents in Greenwood, mind you) who made the effort to get to the polls. Seriously? That’s not even 13%. We must do better than that this year.
In our city and country we have seen pitifully low voter-turn-out rates. Around Greenwood and Lee’s Summit both I have seen hundreds of signs with candidate names in bold letters, but the signs that stand out the most to me are the ones that simply say “VOTE, Don’t Lose Your Voice.” The right to vote is something we take for granted in this country. Since we take it for granted, we tend to neglect it. Over time we tend lose the things we neglect – in life if we neglect a relationship, we drift away from the friendship; in business if we neglect a client we will lose their business; and in freedom, if we neglect our right to vote, we just might lose that right one day, too. At the very least, by not voting, we lose our voice at a governmental level and have no right to complain about what our elected officials do.
Being Informed
I do understand the frustration of getting to Election Day and not being sure of whom to vote for because you do not know where all the candidates stand. At the Dispatch, I have made an effort to let all of the candidates make use of the forum of our online newspaper to get information to as many people as possible. Please tell your friends and neighbors to visit this site and get informed before the election, then to get out and vote. Below I have linked to all of the Greenwood candidates Q&A’s and any personal websites they might have as well. We did not cover the Lee’s Summit races as thoroughly as we wanted to, but we do have some coverage and I have linked to that as well below. I encourage you to read the questionnaires the candidates filled out for us and then to dig a little further and read the discussion that follows each questionnaire. Then, on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 – go to your polling station and vote.
Greenwood Races
Greenwood Mo Mayoral Candidates:
Marvin Megee – who says he is running for office because “Greenwood’s government is broken…. I know how to change this.”
Leah Foster – official write-in candidate, says she is running for office because “Greenwood is a growing vibrant city. My experience as a project manager is well matched to the job of Mayor…”
Greenwood Mo Ward 1 – One-Year Appointment Candidates
Sharon Hutinett – Sharon has served on the Board previously and is disheartened by the lack of cooperation on the current board, she says, “The city needs leaders who are willing to work together and find compromise when they don’t wholly agree on an issue.”
Al Reynolds – Al has also previously served on the Board. In talking with him about his candidacy for this seat, he told me that there were a lot of good, younger candidates running this time and that if he was elected he hoped to bring some experience to the Board from his previous service.
Greenwood Mo Ward 1 – Two Year Appointment Candidates
Nic Cover – Nic is new to town, having moved here in January of 2009. I asked him why he was running for Alderman and he said, “I care about Greenwoods’ government because as a citizen it is our duty to ensure our children have a strong, vibrant, prospering city to grow up in. Like towns across America Greenwood needs civic minded people to step forward and be the bearers of this responsibility. I will not stand by and watch our local government crumble, that is not an option.”
Darrell Grooms – Darrell has served on Greenwood’s Planning and Zoning Board for over two years, has seen the potential Greenwood has for growth and is frustrated by the current Board’s inability to work together. He believes that “Greenwood has potential… if we can just get Aldermen and a Mayor in office who are willing to work together.”
Greenwood Mo Ward 2 – Two-Year Appointment Candidates
Mark Dziedzic – Mark has served as an Alderman before and has also served on the Planning and Zoning Board. I asked him why he got involved in Greenwood politics and he told me that it was because of the shoddy construction practices that the builder of his house had used without penalty. He has been an advocate for better building practices in Greenwood for the past 10 years.
Alex Fellows – Alex first became involved in Greenwood politics when she was working to convince the Board to overturn the breed ban. She was successful in that campaign and has stayed involved in city government since.
Alex Fellows for Alderman, Ward II
Chris Seagraves – Chris is passionate about Greenwood. He says that he is running for office because “We need to create more of a sense of community in our town.” Also he feels that his managerial and business experience would be an asset to the community.
Lee’s Summit Races
Lee’s Summit Political Candidate Round Up
School Board Races
The No Tax Increase R-7 Bond Issue
Pro – From the Lee’s Summit School District
Questions and Answers about the Bond Issue, including information about the background of the bond issue, how the bond works, and the what’s and why’s of the items included in the issue.
Con – Vote NO on Lee’s Summit R-7 School Bond from the Website “Political Chips”
Bottom Line
Do your homework, research the candidates and then get out and vote. If you have specific questions for any of the Greenwood candidates please ask them in the comments below their Q&A’s and/or contact me at jenn [at] greensummitdispatch [dot] com with your contact information and question and I will forward that information on to the candidates.
