Who Am I and What Am I Doing?

All of my blog posts come with the blanket disclaimer, "The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anybody else remotely associated with the Unified Government", but it's especially appropriate to share that reminder today as I give you my thoughts on the "job description" of a Unified Government Commissioner.

With the filing deadline for our spring elections rapidly approaching (Tuesday, January 22nd) it's a certainty that we'll have at least one new Commissioner at City Hall and it's a possibility that there could be as many as six new faces.

So, with my vast experience (yes, you may snicker here if you like), I thought I would take a moment to share my perspective on what it means to be a Commissioner in Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County. Unsolicited opinion - don't you just love it?  :-)

Before we get to that, however, let's head back to civics class for a review of the fundamental roles of a local government.

Simplistically, I believe that the role of any local government is to establish a system of policies and procedures along with an infrastructure of people and equipment that is designed to:

• Maximize public safety (e.g., police, fire and ambulance service)
• Provide public works (e.g., sidewalks, streets, sewers and the like)
• Promote and protect the public good (including access to education and commerce)

With that as background, here are the three words that I believe give the most guidance to anyone who desires to hold office as a UG Commissioner.

Communicate. Advocate. Facilitate.

A Commissioner should routinely communicate with the people of his/her district and discover their goals, dreams and aspirations for a great life in our city. Homeowners, renters, landlords, developers, business people...anyone who lives, works or plays in the district.

A Commissioner should then bring the results of those discussions back to the whole Board of Commissioners and advocate for his/her constituents and all citizens in discussions where the Commission works together to discover where we have common goals and dreams across all areas of the city.

Finally, a Commissioner should facilitate brainstorming exercises and problem solving sessions among government workers and community partners (for profit and not for profit) with the goal of identifying strategies and plans to achieve common goals and improve the quality of life for everyone, everywhere in our city and county.

Stated another way, I believe the Commissioners, as a whole, should:

• Develop expectations (policies) that clearly spell out our common vision for the role of government and the operation of our city.
• Clearly communicate those policies and give clear guidance to our hired staff on what we want and why we want it.
• Develop strategies to put adequate funding in place so that our hired staff have the resources and materials they need to do the best job possible.
• Turn the expectations, policies, procedures and funding over to our hired staff and get out of the way while they work magic.
• Follow up with both our constituents and our hired staff to make sure things are working the way we want.

As a final thought (and this is really the most important part), I believe that those of us who seek elected office should aspire every day to be "servant leaders".

It's not about us. It's about the people we serve (both inside and outside of the government).

We need to approach everyone we serve with respect and a humble attitude and recognize that they are invaluable teammates in this game of life.

Being a servant leader doesn't mean that we can't be tough. It doesn't mean that we can't be passionate and driven for a cause. It doesn't mean that our constituents get everything they want. And it doesn't mean that our constituents get things without having to work really hard.

However, I believe that it's only when we help all our constituents prosper and flourish that we elected officials truly succeed.

So… That's how I see it. Whether you agree or disagree with my point of view, I invite you to send me an email or drop a note in my Suggestion Box and give me your perspective.

Have a great week!

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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Happy New Year!

Happy new year! I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful holiday season so far and I hope that 2013 is filled with happiness and fulfillment for all of you. Stay safe and warm today while you continue to enjoy yesterday's snow.

In my last post, I asked you for Christmas gifts. I'll continue that bold trend today and suggest three New Year's resolutions that I'd like each of you to consider as we kick off 2013.

First, some background...

Over the last several weeks I've read comments both online and offline that reflect a lot of public distrust of both elected officials and government staff (at the local, state and national level).

That's disappointing.

On a broad level, our democratic system only works if the public and the people who are either elected to represent the public or hired to support the public trust each other and work together for the benefit of the community.

I'd love to hear from all of you on this. Click the email link at the end of this post (or the Suggestion Box link if you want to send an anonymous comment) and let me know what you think elected folks and government staff can do to improve communication and build trust with the people they (we) work for (OK...besides avoiding a cliff we've known about for years).

Now, let's get to those resolutions.

From the perspective of a relative political rookie, here are three simple and positive actions that I believe all of us can take in the upcoming election season to help make sure that the people who are elected to represent us at the local, state and national  levels have our best interests in mind.

Resolution #1 - Get registered to vote
I'm going to jump to conclusions here and take a guess that the majority of people who read this blog are already registered and involved. If that's the case, you can change this resolution to "encourage at least one other person to get registered". Democracy is a participation sport. The more people who play, the better the outcome. You can't play if you're not registered.

Resolution #2 - Get educated about the candidates who are running for office
Spend time reading about them and listening to them. If possible, discuss the issues with them and ask them to outline their hopes, dreams and plans for the future. Tell them what you'd like to see government do with the public and for the public. Don't let them get away with simply bashing their opponents. Rather, ask them to simply and clearly outline what positive actions they plan to take if elected.

Resolution #3 - Cast a vote on election day
Only about 500 people from District 2 of the Unified Government voted in the 2011 election. Granted, there wasn't a "sexy" or "hotly contested" race in the district, but that's a pretty low number (since there are about 20,000 people in the district). Not all of those 20,000 are of voting age, but I'm guessing that it's way more than 500. We all need to do our best to make sure that the people who represent us in government (whether at the local, state or national level) represent our interests. We can't do that by letting someone else cast the vote.

I remain convinced that we can accomplish great things in 2013 if we just keep talking to one another and work together for the common good.

I hope that all of you have a safe, happy, productive and prosperous new year!!

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org

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My Christmas Wish List

Hello once again from District 2…

Our semester at Rockhurst has almost wrapped up, so I thought I'd come back to the blog and post a whole bunch of stuff that's been bouncing around in my head.

We're in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the first thing I'd like to do is extend holiday wishes to all of you.

Although Thanksgiving has past, I want to say that I am enormously thankful for all of the wonderful people that I've had the opportunity to meet, and talk to, and work with since I took on my role as a Commissioner about a year and a half ago.

Despite our many challenges, all of those wonderful people have given me renewed hope that we can and we will make Wyandotte County a better place in which to live, work and play.

Now, in true "little kid" fashion, I'd like to share my Christmas list with you and tell you that it would simply make my year if all my holiday wishes came true.

Don't worry, the gifts on my list don't require a big wallet... they don't require that you slide down my chimney... and they don't require that you know my size.

The gifts on my list are simple, but they have value beyond measure. Because, you see, the gifts on my list are all designed to help celebrate "good people doing great things" (which is the reason that I started this blog a few months back).

First gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like each of you to "do something good". Encourage someone. Lend a helping hand. Contribute to a charitable organization. Give your time and energy to a community service group. We all have more capacity for good inside of us we can imagine. Share it. Let it out.

Second gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like you to catch someone "doing good". And when you do, make it a point to say "thank you" or "well done" or "good job" to that person. We humans tend to keep doing the things that we get rewarded for. So, let's reward and acknowledge the people who are doing good so that they are encouraged to keep it up.

Third gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like you to find someone who is "doing good" and tell everyone you know about that person and what he or she is doing. Not in the spirit of bragging or boasting, but in the spirit of spreading the good news about "good people doing great things".

We know that good people are doing great things in all parts of the world. But there are days when the bad news seems to overwhelm the good. Let's turn the tide. We can't hide from the bad, but we can slowly overwhelm it with good.

I don't intend to minimize the many challenges that lie ahead of us, but I want us to always remember that, working together, we are the most powerful force on the planet.

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org

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Helping Hands In A Time Of Need

Mixed emotions again this week. How can you be so thoroughly impressed with the work that an organization does, yet still want to put it out of business at the same time?

Let me explain...

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of visiting Cross-Lines Community Outreach, Inc. This truly spectacular organization currently operates from the former St. Thomas Catholic Church at the corner of South Pyle St. and Shawnee Ave. in the Armourdale neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas.

Cross-Lines has a base of operations in the church, rectory and school
that were formerly St. Thomas Catholic Church

Here's the Cross-Lines story as told on the "History" page of their web site.

"Cross-Lines was built on a simple idea — that poverty borne problems could be answered best by looking to the community for solutions and working together to tackle them.

"In 1963 a group of ministers and concerned citizens joined together to improve the plight of the poor. Under their leadership they created a legacy of programs that have positively impacted the lives of thousands of needy people.

"For more than 45 years Cross-Lines Community Outreach, supported by a network of businesses, churches and individuals, has provided a daily source of assistance for at-risk families, the elderly and single individuals."

Last year alone, Cross-Lines provided:

• Emergency utility assistance for 117 households
• Hot showers for 4,544 people
• Free clothing for 586 households
• Emergency groceries for 1,003 households
• Commodities for 15,009 seniors
• Nearly 18,000 hot breakfasts
• Over 56,000 lunches
• Christmas Store shopping for 500 families
• Backpacks and school supplies for more than 1,700 children

One of the things that was particularly impressive was the enormous effort that Cross-Lines' staff puts into providing the people they serve with the information, education, resources and support they need to put themselves and their families in a place where they no longer need services from Cross-Lines. Something to think about isn't it...an organization that works hard every day to reduce the need for its services.

No words can describe my awe and amazement at the way the staff and volunteers of this organization truly touch and lift up people all across Wyandotte County who are confronted by poverty.

But here's the rub...Cross-Lines will celebrate 50 years of service to Wyandotte County in 2013 and the need for their services is every bit as great today as it was the year it was formed. At the same time, they are facing reductions in the funding and resources they leverage to lift up those who are in need. Visit their web site to learn how you can help.

Last week, after the fun picking up illegally discarded tires, I told you that I felt both satisfied and frustrated at the same time.

After visiting Cross-Lines, I felt both lifted up and beaten down at the same time.

Lifted up because I am truly inspired by the tremendous work that the staff of Cross-Lines does on a daily basis. They take limited resources and multiply them several fold to benefit people who are in need all across our community.

Beaten down because I was once again reminded of the enormity of the challenge facing Cross-Lines and all of us. If the old saying is true that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then it makes me wonder if a community is only as strong as its weakest citizen.

If that is true, then I think that each one of us becomes a part of the ultimate solution. What is the solution? I'm not sure. I'd appreciate your thoughts, ideas and suggestions.

In closing, one of the organization's truly neat accomplishments is the quarter acre garden that sits across the street from the main Cross-Lines building. This tiny plot of land is tended by community families and yielded over 5,000 pounds of healthy produce during the last growing season. Cool!!

Some crops are planted directly in the rich earth
that was in the flood plane of the Kaw River for years.

Other crops are planted in raised beds
which makes them easier to tend and harvest.

Community families tend the plots.
They both consume and share the harvest.

Look...this garden is growing children! Just kidding.
The child of one of the community gardeners pointed with pride
to a pepper plant that has been in her family for 100 years.

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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Neighborhood Cleanup (C'Mon, Man!)

Wow! Am I ever tired...

I had the privilege of joining about 10 great folks this morning, including residents of the Riverview neighborhood, to start cleaning a deep gully that, frankly, was a pathetic and unsightly mess after years and years of people illegally dumping tires, construction debris and other assorted junk down a hill.

The illegal dump was located near the intersection of Reynolds Avenue and North Early Street (roughly halfway between 7th and 10th Streets and just a bit north of Central Avenue).

Some of the tires were sitting out in the open...

...and (unfortunately) some were partially or completely buried.

One of the neighbors who lives near this unsightly mess had emailed myself and Community Policing Officer Ryan Parker about how the water-filled tires breed thousands of mosquitos in the hot and humid summer months. She told us that the mosquitos make it difficult for any of the nearby residents to spend time outside in the summer.

Officer Parker and I had both looked at the site during the summer and, frankly, we didn't think it looked that bad. Then the leaves fell off all of the trees that shielded the bottom of the gully from the street, and our jaws dropped. There were stupid tires everywhere!!!

You'll have to click this thumbnail to really see it,
but my red arrow is pointing to the base of a tree
that has grown up *through* one of the discarded tires.
These have been here a while!!

This morning, Officer Parker organized four young men who were completing community service hours through the Metropolitan Community Service Program. They joined Officer Parker and myself along with neighbors Margaret, Bill and Callie and members of the Riverview Neighborhood group.

After three hours of the hardest work I've done so far this week (OK, this month), we had carried 202 discarded (and heavy!) tires plus a big pile of other junk up a steep hill to the street for pickup.

Wait a minute...this doesn't look like 202. But it is!

There is a second row of tires stacked behind what you can see.

Right before we called it a day, we stacked 60+ more tires at the bottom of the gully for removal at a later date. Want to help? It'll be fun!  :-)

Still a lot of tires a long way down...

Now, let's get down to the real reason I'm writing this up for the blog.

I have never been so satisfied, yet so frustrated at the same time.

I was satisfied because we made a serious dent in the complete mess down in that gully.

However, I was frustrated beyond belief that we had to spend our Saturday morning cleaning up after people who are so irresponsible as to dump their trash by the side of a city street and who drag our city down through their complete disregard for the rest of us. You can't just throw your trash wherever you darn well please.

I'm reminded of the tag line for a segment that ESPN airs before Monday Night Football..."C'Mon, Man!"

There's always a price to pay when people choose to act like pigs.

Sure, we got a bunch of volunteers to bring the tires up to the street. But someone's going to have to pay to get them hauled away.

And do you know who pays the bill almost all the time in cases like this? That's right, you and I do through the taxes that we pay to the Unified Government. Trash dumping morons force the Unified Government to use valuable (and scarce) resources to insure that our city doesn't become one giant landfill.

Besides the direct monetary cost, there's also the blight that illegal trash dumping inflicts on our neighborhoods. Current residents have to look at a mess on a daily basis, and people who might be thinking about moving in to our area get completely turned off when they see junk thrown everywhere.

If you have any ideas about how we can solve this problem, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to send an email or drop a note in my suggestion box with any comments, ideas, suggestions or solutions.

Many thanks to the people who helped with the cleanup this morning and to everyone who works hard on a daily basis to make District 2 and Kansas City, Kansas a better place to live, work and play.

Now, where's that Alleve?


~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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Donnelly College and The Circle of Life

Many of you have heard my "Circle of Life" analogy for the many improvements that are taking place in the older eastern end of our city.

And if you haven't, let me give you a brief review… because I think the analogy works perfectly for the new life that Donnelly College is bringing to its campus on 18th Street between Tauromee and Barnett.

Here's how my thinking goes... just as Simba completed the "circle of life" and took the reins of leadership from Mufasa in Disney's animated feature "The Lion King" (a great movie, by the way), so it is in old KCK. What used to be new has now become old and somewhat worn. In many cases it needs to be replaced, remodeled or repurposed so that it can have new life and serve new generations.

Donnelly College has educated students in Kansas City, Kansas since 1949. It is an independent, coeducational, Catholic college that was founded by the Benedictine Sisters and is currently sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The college already closed one "circle of life" when it moved from its old campus on Sandusky into what used to be the Providence Hospital building on north 18th Street.

Now, a new circle is being completed as the college has begun construction of a Community Event Center that will accommodate 200 people and can serve as a gathering place for both college and community events.

The wrecking ball arrived on campus in August and dust swirled in the hot summer wind as the old brick walls came crashing down. (Click any photo below to enlarge).

Here are a couple of photos taken in late August
(standing on Barnett and looking to the southwest).

Lynn Hire, the marketing coordinator for the college wrote to me in August and told me:

"We are redesigning and rebuilding the oldest building on campus. The foundation of the Community Event Center formerly served as a hospital laundry facility and most recently as a child care center for El Centro. In Spring 2013, the new facility will open and become available for public programming and events (60% usage projected) as well as campus events and functions. 

Features of the new facility include:

• 200-person capacity
• A catering kitchen
• A separate entrance
• State-of-the-art technology, sound system and multimedia screens
• A circle drive and visitor drop-off
• Restrooms and meeting space
• An outdoor courtyard

"A growing list of Donnelly community partners including Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools; Kauffman Scholars; KU Gear Up; Leadership 2000; Money Smart with the Federal Reserve Bank; Unified Government; YMCA Young Achievers and many more are expected to use the new facility."

The walls of the old laundry facility were completely removed
by early September and the deck was ready for the groundbreaking
and blessing on September 12th (looking northwest).

A huge crowd gathered at the site on September 12, 2012 for a groundbreaking and blessing. Mayor Joe Reardon was joined by commissioners Tarence Maddox and John Mendez at the event and all praised the investment that Donnelly is making in the community.

Framing for the new walls is already in place as construction
zips along and the facility takes shape.

I stopped by the site this morning and I was thrilled to see that construction is moving at a fast pace. At the rate they're going, I bet they'll have everything enclosed before the really cold weather hits. Then, they can work inside to apply the finishing touches tot he facility.

Although Donnelly is technically just outside the boundaries of District 2, countless young people from our district have benefited from a Donnelly education over the years. Many thanks to Donnelly College president Steve LaNasa and to all the faculty and staff who are working hard to make their college and our community better places to live, work and play!

Here's an artist's rendering of how the Event Center will look
when it is completed in early 2013.

As always, I'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, ideas, suggestions and dreams by sending an email or dropping a note in my suggestion box.

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org

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Community Alianza Brings Neighborhoods Together

I'm very excited to report that a group of forward thinking individuals have come together with a vision and a plan for connecting the people who live, work and play along and around Central Avenue.

When they first starting brainstorming a few months back, these folks saw a need to bring the community together in a meaningful way and to engage both the residents and business owners in taking a more active role in making the area around Central Avenue stronger and more vibrant. They proposed a "community alliance" and Community Alianza was born.

The Community Alianza area stretches from the State Line on the east to 28th Street on the west and from Armstrong Avenue on the north to I-70 on the south. This includes a great deal of my Unified Government district (District 2).

As I have shared in previous blog posts, District 2 has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 20 years. The current census profile of the district is different in many ways from the profile of years ago. A couple of posts ago I shared that I believe we have a large number of new residents in our area. One of the many goals of Community Alianza is connecting the people who have been in the area for a long time with the people who started calling this area home much more recently.

Community Alianza is affiliated with Public Square Communities, Inc. (http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com). The mission of Public Square Communities, Inc. is to "identify, connect and develop community leaders who transform towns, cities, counties and regions into thriving communities which nourish youth, engage citizens and foster partnerships."

Public Square Communities works with local partners in communities large and small to engage the four "sectors" (groups) that make up any community: Business, Education, Government and Human Services (residents).

If you live, work or play in the Community Alianza area, then you have the chance to be part of something very powerful and very special. You can help shape a vibrant future for our area!  Here's what you can do to get involved...

1. Complete an Online Survey

The first thing that you can do is complete a short online survey to share your perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of our community. Here are the links to both the English and Spanish versions of the survey.

Survey in English:
http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/survey_alianza_eng.htm

Survey is Spanish:
http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/survey_alianza_esp.htm

Survey input is due by October 6, 2012.

2. Attend a Community Conversation

After the surveys have been collected and analyzed, Community Alianza is hosting a "community conversation" on Saturday, October 13. At this meeting, you can enjoy lunch, then join with your neighbors, friends and colleagues to discuss the survey results and brainstorm solutions and action plans for making our area the best it can be.

Here are the details of the Community Conversation.

Saturday, October 13
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Bethany Community Center
1120 Central Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66102

Remember...lunch will be served. :-)

Once the Community Conversation is completed, the Community Alianza steering committee will sort through all of the feedback to identify themes and set priorities. Then, they will reach out to residents of the area to help form action teams that will take the bull by the horns and really make positive things happen in our area!

I look forward to seeing all of you at the community conversation on October 13.

~ Brian

bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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