By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
Jan. 19, 2011

Primitivo Garcia Elementary School’s mayoral candidate forum attracted more than 100 people Saturday, Jan. 15.

Candidates included Mike Burke, Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Deb Hermann, Sly James, Henry Klein, Jim Rowland and Charles Wheeler.

Topics ranged from reducing crime to equalizing resources for non-profit organizations to handling the city’s budget deficit.

Later in the forum, each candidate was asked to list what they would fight to include and reduce due to the city’s budget deficit.

Burke stressed the city’s basic services must be preserved and that not enough is being invested in maintaining Kansas City. To address the city’s pension plans, a panel should be formed, along with strategies to fund those plans, he said.

Funkhouser listed four priorities with the top one being protecting financial stability.

“If you don’t take care of the money, you can’t take care of the people,” he said.

His second priority is public safety and hiring more officers. His last two priorities are infrastructure and finding opportunities to spend small amounts of money to improve services.

Hermann said the city council must rally and listen to the citizens’ priorities. She would also continue funding for neighborhood programs like the “neighborhood clean-up.”

James stressed that citizens must be involved in the budgeting process. To include citizens, he proposed issuing quarterly report cards of the city’s budget and using transparency. The Citizens Committee on Municipal Revenue should also be re-instated, he said.

To save money, he would reduce spending for hiring consultants. In the past, he said, the city has spent significant amounts of money for consultants and then did nothing with the reports the consultants produced. That must stop, he said.

Klein laid out a hefty promise of finding $2 million “right away.” Each year, the city gives $2 million out of its General Fund to Kansas City’s sports authority, he said. Years ago, the city agreed to assist with the cost of maintaining the Truman Sports Complex. However, the complex currently generates plenty of revenue, he said, and the city should no longer offer funding. More funding should be funneled into the non-profit organizations in Kansas City, he said.

“The budget is more than numbers,” Rowland said. “It’s our hopes, our dreams and aspirations for a great city.”

Kansas City’s budgeting process must be more strategic and focused, he said.

Last year, the city raised property taxes and sewer and water rates, which hurt the city’s citizens, Rowland said.

“They kicked us while we were down,” he said. “I will watch out for you.”

Wheeler stressed the importance of keeping Kansas City’s earning tax.

Those living in the suburbs who work in Kansas City use the city’s roads and other services like the fire and police departments.

“It’s a great equalizer,” he said of the tax.

Losing that tax revenue would cost the city $20 million in funding, he said.