Yesterday’s primary election has set the stage for showdowns in two key City Council races between challengers backed by special interests and incumbents who have shown that their goals coincide with the city’s best interests.
Here are the two races that, over the next two months, will be getting the most attention from people who follow Kansas City politics.
District 4 At-Large: Incumbent Jim Glover, a four-term veteran, will be trying to hold off challenger Katheryn Shields, a former City Council member and former Jackson County executive. This race will be voted on citywide.
District 1: Unless something changes (more about that in a minute). incumbent Dick Davis, former c.e.o. at the Area Transportation Authority, will battle it out with Heather Hall, a newcomer who is associated with the Tea Party. Even though this is an in-district race and will be voted on only in Clay County, it could be pivotal to Kansas City’s immediate future.
Here’s a closer look at the two races.
Jim Glover-Katheryn Shields
Glover defeated Shields by fewer than 500 votes (12,913 to 12,451) in Tuesday’s primary, with two other candidates finishing far back. Glover and Shields will go head to head in the June 23 general election.
Glover is going for a fifth council term. The City Charter limits office holders to two consecutive terms, but with a break of at least four years between each two-term stint, a candidate can run as many times as he or she chooses.
Glover first served on the council from 1991 to 1999. He ran for mayor in 1999, the year Kay Barnes was elected to her first term. Glover then was elected to the council in 2003, and in 2007 he again ran unsuccessfully for mayor. (Mark Funkhouser was the winner.) In 2011, Glover was once again elected to the council.
Shields was on the council from 1987 to 1995, when she was elected Jackson County executive. She served three terms as county executive, leaving office at the end of 2006.
Glover’s foremost achievement was helping bring Costco, Home Depot and Marsh’s Sun Fresh to Midtown in the late 1990s. As architect of “The Glover Plan,” he pushed relentlessly to fill Midtown’s retail black hole, and area residents have reaped the benefits ever since.
Glover is a strong advocate for neighborhood improvements, and he is an adversary of Firefighters’ Local 42, which continuously agitates for bigger Fire Department budgets, more union firefighting jobs and a broader fire union sphere of influence. Local 42 is supporting Shields.
As City Hall reporter for The Star from 1985 to 1995, I covered both Shields and Glover. I did volunteer work for Glover and contributed financially to him when he ran for mayor in 2007. I also contributed to his council campaign four years ago.
I have not volunteered for Shields in any of her campaigns and to the best of my recollection have not contributed to her financially.
My biggest concerns about Shields are her allegiance to Local 42 and her motives for wanting to return to office. My guess is that she misses the spotlight and the “action” and simply wants back in. Glover is not without ego, either — like I said, he’s run for mayor twice — but I think he has a better vision of what it takes to keep the city moving forward. From me, he gets the nod on “the trust factor.”
Heather Hall-Dick Davis
Hall defeated Davis yesterday by a vote of 1,380 to 1,267. Davis narrowly edged former Local 42 president Louie Wright and will advance to the June 23 general election. According to final, unofficial results, Davis had 1,267 votes to 1,235 votes for Wright.
The Clay County Board of Election commissioners will certify the result on Friday. Wright would then have five days to get a court order, if he wanted a recount. (Getting such an order would not be difficult.)
I put in a call to Wright at a restaurant he owns in North Kansas City — Johnny’s Back Yard — but had not heard back from him before publishing this post.
Tuesday’s three-way contest poses an interesting dynamic for the general election. Davis has the support of the Citizens Association, an organization that has long fought for progressive city government. Hall will have the backing of the Tea Party and the Fraternal Order of Police, of which her husband is a member.
If Wright does not seek a recount (or if he does and again falls short), he will likely swing Local 42’s backing to Hall. That would be significant and would make Hall the favorite to win the general election, although it’s possible that a larger general-election turnout would give Davis a boost.
Besides the union scenario, also working against Davis are his age — 78 — and the fact that he is not an avid campaigner. Bob Mayer, a developer who is an adviser to Davis, put it very candidly when I spoke with him today.
“He (Davis) and his supporters are going to have to step it up to win that race,” Mayer said.
Mayer interrupted our chat — understandably — to take a call from Davis. Later, Mayer sent me an email saying, of Davis, “He is very realistic and understands what he needs to do.”
I covered Dick Davis a bit when he was at the ATA and have always liked and admired him. I have contributed to his re-election campaign. I don’t know Hall but am concerned about her Tea Party and union connections…For me, Davis is the clear choice. I hope he campaigns hard and is able to raise enough money to get his message to Clay County voters and convince them he’s the clear choice.
at least glover never had his relation use the city hall parking garage for there pleasure like shields did with her husband a lawyer who i certain could afford to pay for his parking at his law firm
I remember that, Jack. Cushy deal for Phil Cardarella.
I would like to see Dick Davis win. But we have to be realistic. There are a lot of KC cops and firefighters who live in the Northland. And there is a lot of conservative anti-urbanism angst in the 1st District. This woman is going to feed off that angst and will very likely beat Davis. What I want to know is what kind of civic background does Heather Hall have? I think a history of service on appointed boards or previous political experience is crucial to being an effective city leader. As someone who covered city politics for 20 years at The Star, I have always been suspicious of those who come out of nowhere. It’s a tell-tale sign that they are controlled by someone.
On her campaign website, Heather Hall for Kansas City, she says this:
“I have over 25 years of professional experience in project management, economic development, tourism, and marketing…
“I am also very active in my community serving as the first President of my Homes Association, and 8 years on the Greater Kansas City Council on Philanthropy Board of Directors. I have been actively serving the Liberty Public Schools PTA for the past 9 years and have been an active member at the Liberty United Methodist Church since 2002.”
…That’s not a lot of “civic background,” but it’s more than you see with some candidates, who wake up one day and have an epiphany that they should be in elective office. I’m sure she’s getting a lot of encouragement from her Tea Party associates, and, hey, never underestimate someone who has been an “active member” of their church for more than a decade. The only thing more impressive than an “active member” of a Protestant church is a “devout Catholic.”
I might be missing it but the KCEB website doesn’t report the unofficial vote totals for 1st District race . . . is there a possible challenge afoot? https://www.kceb.org/useruploads/Current_Results/4-7-2015_Election_Results.pdf?t=2133
To my favorite “retired” journalist, according to KCEB website:
Shields received more votes than Glover on Tuesday. – https://www.kceb.org/useruploads/Current_Results/4-7-2015_Election_Results.pdf?t=2133 Please correct your pro-Glover commentary accordingly . . .
Two things, George…The KC Election Board doesn’t handle District 1 because it’s north of the river. It falls under the purview of the Clay County Election Board. You can see their results at http://www.claycoelections.com.
Second, while Shields outpolled Glover in Kansas City south of the river, when you add in the Northland vote, Glover won it by the numbers I reported, which I got from the KC Star.
Good to know, you’re a knowledgable guy.
nice job Fitz