A Few Things I Did Last Week . . .

The Convention Hotel Task Force had its second meeting of the full committee on Monday. I will write more when there is more to tell. For now, we are divided into sub-committees (Site Selection, RFP, Communications, Financial Review and Legislative) so that each issue will get its fair share of scrutiny. Everyone on the committee seems to be taking their charge very seriously. The need for a convention headquarters hotel that brings economic development and real jobs has been established. There are still many questions to be answered and the committee is exploring all scenarios to put the best possible package together for Council review. All of the meetings are posted on the City Clerk's web site, so if you want to keep track and hear the facts first-hand we welcome you.

I know there are citizens who are upset about the dog park issue. But I am proud that the 5th District has a few sites in mind and we have set aside funds for our dog park. I want to thank Dr. Wayne Steckelberg and Leslie McLendon who sat on the task force for the 5th District.

Thursday.....what a day! It began when I took a very muddy tour of the construction site and future home of Metro Police Station. What an awesome project! If you get a chance to drive by 76^th and Prospect, please do. This building will be a game changer for this area and I am so excited to see it completed.

Thursday night after the legislative session, I attended a neighborhood forum at the Blue Hills CAN Center on building community. "Trash" ended up being the number one topic. But I have to tell you, Bill Hills is fortunate to have three strong groups supporting the neighborhood. Mark Porter at the Can Center hosted the forum; John Tancredi, with the Blue Hills Neighborhood Association, worked tirelessly along with others to change the zoning for the betterment of the area; and Blue Hills Community Services, led by Joann Bussinger, has been proactive in bringing PIAC dollars to Blue Hills Park for improvements.

After the Blue Hills meeting, I sat on a panel at KCPT for live discussion about homelessness in Kansas City. It’s impossible to keep a dry eye when you hear the personal stories. Kansas City is fortunate to have a strong presence of safety net providers. We have a lot of work to do but we have the people and tools to do it. Nick Haines has done a fantastic job covering the whole economic downturn and the effects to Kansas City. Take a look at the series Weathering the Financial Storm. It will be worth your time.

These are just a few of the multiple issues I deal with each day. Variety seems to be the norm in the day of an elected official. I don’t usually have the luxury to focus on one issue at a time. I have to be ready and able to move on multiple issues that effect citizens every day. I don’t get to choose one topic over another. If Kansas City is going to continue to grow its tax base to fully fund the basics services . . .and if neighborhoods are going to have their voices heard . . . and if we are going to have meaningful conversation on human issues, I have to be ready. Fortunately for you and for me I have wonderful staff and a public service-minded family.

Enjoy your week!

Kansas City Housing - Again Before the Federal Judge

The City was back in front of the judge last week regarding housing. As no surprise to me, we will be returning January 29th 2010. All is not lost considering the complexity of the entire situation. While most of the media attention is spotlighted on the drama at City Hall, people are spending hours upon hours working on issues that matter, like housing.

Kudos to staff!

Galen Beaufort and the legal team have kept these negotiations on track even with everything else on their plates. Shirley Winn and the Housing staff have been creating a Housing and Community Development Department while they have been dealing with policies and procedures of the Asset Transfer Plan.

I have written in depth about the complexity if this issue before, so I won’t get that detailed again. Here are the highlights of last week's hearing....

• Galen presented very strong testimony for the City.
• HUD and the Receiver have signed off on the Transfer Plan, both with some reservations to certain issues.
• At the last hearing the judge stressed he wanted politics to remain out of the housing process. At this hearing the recurring theme was the training, auditing and compliance management of the CDC’s. Judged Fenner wanted specifics on how CDC’s will be handled differently from the past.
• Terry Porter, who was representing HUD, reiterated that the City was “under a high level of scrutiny.” She also sighte the plan was a work in progress and HUD would be vigilant in the oversight.

I do have to remind everyone that nowhere in the country is there an example or template to unwind thirty years of housing and development deals and the restructuring of a brand new process. The Receiver's hope is that with oversight and scrutiny as we process through the Transfer Plan, five years from now Kansas City will be a model city for housing.

I took Judge Fenner’s closing comments as encouragement. He said “I appreciate all the hard work all of you have put into this. I’m generally impressed with the effort the City has taken and they are on the right track. They are close to the point of resolving this.”

I personally don’t think many people understand the magnitude and complexity of the task that needed to be addressed. Again, thank you staff!

Until Next Time,

Cindy

Jim Lehrer Interview with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

I was invited to be part of an audience for The NewsHour for host Jim Lehrer's interview with Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke. This event was the first in history of the Federal Reserve where a sitting chairman took questions from the public. The logistics and production to pull this off was interesting to watch. It was filmed right here in Kansas City at the Federal Reserve Bank.

I appreciate the Chairman's humility in admitting past errors. He noted that the Feds "missed the boat" on the subprime loan issues. He reiterated his disdain for bailing out Lehman Brothers. A focal point of his conversation was laying out the tools needed to prevent any future chairs from having to say the words “too big to fail.”

It is evident that there are those who have issues with Chairman Bernanke. Protesters were lined up outside of the Federal Reserve Building and, prior to the taping, I received a few comments from constituents expressing disdain for the Reserve. With that said, you have to love the United States of America when there are protesters within ear shot of the Chairman, and local moms, homeowners and small business people having the opportunity to question him.

Great questions were presented and, for the most part, the Chairman gave clear and concise answers. I believe he presented a fair perspective of what has happened to our economy and why, and what tools are being put in place to recover. The one hour allowed for questions was obviously not enough. I felt that we just skimmed the surface. I am an optimistic person. I like to deal with reality and facts. I mention this so my next statement doesn’t sound like "dooms day." We are not out of the woods yet and we need to know what we are facing so we can deal with it.

The Federal Reserve is reporting that delinquency rates on commercial property loans grew in the first quarter. The Kansas City Business Journal is reporting Chapter 7 and 11 have jumped in the region for the first quarter. Is anyone tracking the emerging mortgage crisis involving multi-family housing portfolios? These, I believe, tell the continuing story of our economy and are questions I wanted addressed.

After the taping I did get a brief thirty second conversation with Chairman Bernanke. I told him that as an elected official I was concerned about the commercial loans. With the default of these types of loans, we not only lose property tax revenue but we also face sales tax reductions and job loss. He said, “We are tracking it.”

I pressed on with letting him know that Kansas City dealt with a 90 million budget shortfall. His response? “You're doing better then California.”

I wasn’t satisfied with either answer, but enjoyed my experience and if you did not check out the show on KCPT this week, I encourage you to watch online.


Until next time,

Cindy

Press Release: Cindy Circo to Participate in News Hour Forum with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

Councilwoman Cindy Circo will participate in a forum with Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke. The event will be hosted by The NewsHour’s, Jim Lehrer and will be taped on Sunday, June 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the Federal Reserve Bank to be broadcast the week of July 28 on KCPT Public Television.

Bernanke will discuss the role of the Federal Reserve Bank and the issues our country faces as result of our current economy. Participants will be allowed to ask questions to gain a better understanding of what the FRB is and does, the causes of the economic downturn and a game plan for the future.

“I am happy to represent the citizens of Kansas City and all who are struggling to make ends meet in our current economic state. “ said Circo, “My goal is to walk away from the forum with new perspectives on our financial crisis and where we go from here.”

The program will air in 20-minute segments July 28, 29 and 30 at 6:00 p.m. on KCPT Public Television. In addition, a complete one-hour show will air on Friday, July 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 2, from 11:00 a.m. to noon.

For more information, contact Gina Boucher, Aide to Councilwoman Cindy Circo, at gina_boucher@kcmo.org or (816) 513-1633.

-END-

Weekend Violence

Saturday evening I turned my work cell phone off for a few hours to spend some uninterrupted time with my family. I didn’t head to bed until about 12:45 a.m. and, out of habit, decided to check my messages at that time. Reporters had called to inform me of the shooting of a patron of Starlight the night before. I’m assuming they wanted my reaction. I had so many thoughts going through my mind I had trouble falling asleep.

By now we’ve all heard the tragic story of a family losing their loved one to a stray bullet. I’m saddened for this family and that this happened outside of one of the best family attractions not only in my district but in the all of Kansas City. Another incident occurred just a few days later when an innocent woman was killed by gunfire waiting at a bus stop. Unfortunately, these are not isolated cases in my district.

I have gone home with a wet shirt from the tears of a mother who had lost her son to gun violence. She believed he was full of hope and had the right to a full life. I have had a constituent bring me the spent casings he had picked up from his street to show me what he and his family live with daily. I have listened to the recanted stories of loved ones who have similarly lost someone not too far from the weekend's incidents.

These stories are sad and unjust and I have no answers -- only an observation. Maybe-- just maybe--the latest news stories will garner some interest from persons from outside of my district. Maybe their outrage will encourage them to get involved with our young people and help make a change. Maybe they will host a job for a young person next summer through our Bright Futures Program. They could be a mentor for a scholar in the Kansas City School District through the Be1 Campaign. The Urban Rangers would put donations to good use employing young men that revitalize their own neighborhoods one block at a time. I am not saying that this will solve all our problems. But I believe that replacing the negative with positive for our young people goes a long way.

My deepest sympathy goes out to all of the families who are dealing with the pain of a senseless act of violence and still asking themselves Why?

Citadel

Last night, the Channel 9 News reported that the much talked about Citadel project received a major setback due to the events of the Council session yesterday. I don’t see it that way at all.

Thursday was a major victory for the 63rd Street project. For five years there has been a dark cloud over the developers, Citadel LLC. The resolution that was passed yesterday will bring any issues to the table and will give Citadel LLC their contractual right of thirty days to clear up any discrepancies or non-compliance issues.

If no issues are found, then we will have the facts to clear the air. If issues are found and compliance is not met, the City will be able to move on with a new developer. Actions on Thursday did not “kill” the project, did not “deliver a major blow” and did not create a “major setback”. Thursday's actions resulted in the first common sense approach to this issue in a long time.

One report said that the City was on the verge of funding the project. Having something on the docket is not the same as having enough votes to pass. Never were there enough votes on the Council for either funding schemes that were presented to pass. Without the votes, there would be no funding.

The actions taken yesterday kept this project moving forward. It will either build confidence in the current development team of Citadel LLC or it will break the ties so we can get to work on our commitment to the businesses and neighbors who have had to endure so much.

The 5th district residents and businesses need their neighborhood back and they deserve answers. The Council also needs answers or they will never have a comfort level to create such a large funding stream to this project. The actions taken will deliver these answers.

I’m committed to this project and an aggressive approach to getting it done. It is unfair to all of us to leave the eyesore at 63rd & Prospect as it is. Something must - and did - get done to resolve this issue.

Cindy

A Second Chance at Learning

Recently at a 5th District picnic I met a gentleman by the name of John Thomas (JT) who was passing out literature about the organization "A Second Chance at Learning."

The City of Kansas City, Missouri has partnered with this group to provide out-of-the-box, web-based curricula geared toward at-risk youth and teens, ex-offenders and even adults who feel more comfortable learning in an alternative setting. Interactive lesson plans include basic academics as well as technology training, entrepreneurial training and even social and life skills training. Computers are available for use at three locations in Kansas City so far:

• Vineyard Neighborhood Association - 4301 E. 43rd Street - 816-921-5303
• AltaVista Guadalupe Charter School - 1722 Holly St. - 816-471-2582
• Palestine Neighborhood LINC Center - 3449 Indiana - 816-924-3211

I am impressed with this program and invite you to check out the locations or the website. Sometimes giving individuals an alternative way to learn encourages them to participate-especially those who might have been away from the traditional educational setting for awhile. Check them out and pass the information around. This one seems like a win-win for everyone.

Until next time,

Cindy