By Paul Thompson
Northeast News

Kansas City leaders will convene in the gymnasium of Our Lady of Peace church (1029 Bennington Ave) on the evening of Tuesday, January 30 at 6 p.m. to discuss the state of the Historic Northeast.

Fourth District Councilwomen Jolie Justus and Katheryn Shields, 3rd District Councilmen Quinton Lucas and Jermaine Reed, 1st District Councilman Scott Wagner, KCPD Chief of Police Rick Smith and East Patrol Major Jim Thomas, and KCMO City Manager Troy Schulte have all confirmed their attendance. District 19 State Representative Ingrid Burnett is currently in session in Jefferson City, though she will send husband John Burnett – a former State representative himself – to the forum in her stead.

The forum is being organized by Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT), a non-profit based out of the Mattie Rhodes Center, in collaboration with the six neighborhoods that represent the Historic Northeast: Independence Plaza, Indian Mound, Lykins, Pendleton Heights, Scarritt Renaissance, and Sheffield.

NEAT is focused focused on providing resources, improving communications, and presenting unified strategies on behalf of the Northeast.

“NEAT does a lot of things, but one of the things we do is advocate for the Northeast,” said Mary Cyr, Director of NEAT. “Part of that is maintaining good communication and awareness with our public officials.”

The forum will open with three-minute presentations from each neighborhood outlining their unique concerns and goals. After that, the City leaders will have a chance to speak on the issues in a forum moderated by Northeast News publisher Michael Bushnell.

“We’ve identified some things that we need improvement on and attention to,” said Cyr.

Cyr noted that Americorps VISTA Ana Ramirez is expected to provide a simultaneous Spanish translation during the forum. The plan is conduct similar forums on at least an annual basis moving forward.

I see us doing this at least once a year,” Cyr said. “It’ s one of the types of activities that NEAT was founded to do.”

Justus said that she was eager to hear from constituents during the forum.

“The forum will be a great opportunity for neighbors to engage their city officials in constructive dialogue about important issues in their community,” Justus said.

Lucas spoke to the issues and potential of the area when reached for comment ahead of the forum.

“I think it’s a busy time in the Northeast. There’s a lot of economic development, but we also continue to deal with quality of life issues,” Lucas said. “Frankly, I think the Northeast is not only an important part of our city, but it can be a real example for other parts of our city.”