Elizabeth Orosco
Northeast News

Scott Wagner will officially take the role of director of Northeast Alliance Together in six short weeks.

Currently Kansas City’s Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman of the 1st District At-Large, he also serves as chair of the Finance and Governance Committee.

With no days in between, Wagner will end his current eight-year council term July 31, 2019 and begin work as NEAT Director the very next day, August 1.

The current NEAT director position has been vacant for nearly three months since previous director, Mary Cyr, stepped down late March to pursue another career opportunity.

Vice President of Administration and Community Development at the Mattie Rhodes Center, David Stadler, said the comprehensive selection process included neighborhood engagement and conversation.

He added that between now and the time Wagner’s official role begins, the Mattie Rhodes Center will be “working through next steps and considering those things that need to be accomplished that will enable him to hit the ground running in August.”

Stadler said Wagner’s involvement and commitment to the community will benefit the future of the Historic Northeast.

Wagner said his decision to pursue this role is a culmination of his end-of-term on the city council and his extensive involvement in the Historic Northeast community in previous years.

“This was an area of the city that I think I understand very well, am well versed in, and experienced in,” Wagner said. “One should do what they know how to do well. When I looked at this opportunity, it was one where I have history, I understand most of the things going on, and I’ve helped a lot of things going on now.”

After eight years on city council, Wagner said he believes his time there will serve him greatly for this new position.

“If anything, my time on city council has been one where I have not just focused on one thing,” Wagner said.

From working with the neighborhoods to addressing scrap metal legislation, the Paseo Gateway Project, park improvements along Cliff Drive, bringing new business in, and helping those already here to grow, Wagner has been a part of a lengthy list of projects in the Northeast.

“It’s a varied lot,” Wagner said. “What I have had to do over my tenure is to build projects and connections with people. I believe that was one of the reasons why I was picked for this position was because I can bring all of those things.

The Historic Northeast offers no shortage of opportunities for the incoming director. Wagner said many things have to happen in terms of what residents want to see in the Northeast, from public safety and infrastructure improvements to blight.

His role, he said, will be in making the necessary connections.

“We have to be able to reach out to different types of people and types of groups to get them involved with us,” Wagner said. “I think my job is to utilize all that connectivity that I’ve made over the years, all that experience in the various issues we’ve touched over the years, and build their capacity and move things forward simultaneously.”

With the various projects and tasks at hand, Wagner said it will take someone who is able to navigate them effectively.

“You have to have someone who can juggle all those things,” Wagner said. “That’s my plan, and I think that’s what’s going to be necessary because the reality is that there are so many things that are still left to be done. Even having a few victories under our belt, for some people, won’t be enough.”

Between now and August 1, Wagner said he will try to have as many conversations with Northeast residents as possible to determine their goals and interpretations of success in their community.

“My hope is that one day one, I’m not working the ‘Scott Wagner’ plan,” he said. “That may have some good things, but it may not be what everyone views as what they want.”

On a global scale, Wagner said some areas of focus are putting a number of residences back into production, doing more minor home repair, facilitating the growth of Hardesty Renaissance and job-creating businesses, ensuring the Paseo Gateway project reaches its full potential, and seeing how to connect young people to job opportunities and job training opportunities.

Referring to the Historic Northeast Redevelopment Corporation and the Old Northeast Community Development Corporation, Wagner said he hopes to eventually be working in that capacity.

“If we can get NEAT into a position where it’s doing that kind of work, and it’s having that kind of impact, then to me, that is a success,” Wagner said.

Ultimately, Wagner said he hopes to be able to partner with the vision already in existence at the neighborhood level and help it become reality.

“My goal is to come in August 1 and for there to be a clear definition of success, a very clear understanding of what our role is with NEAT, a clear understanding of what success looks like, and then we go out and do that,” Wagner said.

To hear the full interview with Scott Wagner, tune into this week’s Northeast Newscast.