Tell me, readers, where did I go wrong?
What in the world could have made me think this was going to be a close election!!??
75 percent “yes,” 25 percent “no.” Holy crap!
…It is almost unbelievable how much ground the issue of a new KCI terminal made up within the last year and a half.
On May 3, 2016, Mayor Sly James threw in the towel on a November 2016 KCI election, saying:
“It’s clear that the city is not ready to move on or to move forward with the KCI conversation at this point. In fact, less than 40 percent believe that it is a good idea to move forward…”
At that time, a poll indicated 39 percent of Kansas City voters favored a new, single terminal, while 51 percent were opposed.
It seemed hopeless, dead…And then a year later, along came…along came…Burns & McDonnell.
Strange as it now sounds, it was Burns & McDonnell’s no-bid proposal — an outrageously overpriced gambit as it turned out — that kicked up a fresh breeze. Over the last six months, that breeze steadily accelerated, and by Tuesday it was a veritable typhoon.
“We’ve come a long, long way,” James told a revved-up crowd of more than 300 people in an event space at Briarcliff village last night. “…We got here through a circuitous route, but the scenery was nice along the way.”
Part of the crowd at Briarcliff village last night
Take a look at these numbers…
Kansas City south of the Missouri River:
“Yes” — 32,651 (77 percent)
“No” — 9,526 (23 percent)
Kansas City in Clay County:
“Yes” — 11,537 (70 percent)
“No” — 4,822 (30)
Kansas City in Platte County:
“Yes” — 5,761 (74 percent)
“No” — 2,030 (26 percent)
Grand Total:
“Yes” — 49,949 (75 percent)
“No” — 16,378 (25 percent)
Amazing.
Of course, I had plenty of company in thinking this was going to be a close election and that it could possibly go down to defeat. As the campaign went along, however, it began looking like things were heading up. For one thing, all those people who had been screaming interminably about how “convenient” the current airport is (used to be!) began to melt away, as the reality of dark, dingy and uncomfortable KCI settled in with more and more people.
Then, along came the big bucks — somewhere between $1.5 million and $2 million in contributions — to fuel a full-frontal campaign consisting primarily of mailers, TV ads, yard signs and dozens of “canvassers,” who sought out frequent voters and homed in on those who were undecided but open to voting “yes.” (The solid “no” voters and the sure “yes” voters were not pursued; no need.)
Here are some of the people who deserve credit for this victory:
Sly James
Once again, this mayor showed he can never be underestimated and that when he sets his mind on something, he has the ability win over thousands and thousands of voters. Kansas Citians trust him, by and large, and they have no problem following his lead on hundred-million-dollar — even billion-dollar — initiatives.
City Manager Troy Schulte
He knows the airport issue through and through and is a very effective public speaker, a fairly rare quality among city managers. Another great Schulte skill is listening to contrarians and making them feel heard, but not allowing them to derail the focus. Deftly, he always guides the conversation back to his theme, and the contrarians’ anger seems to subside.
Mark Nevins
Nevins is a partner in The Dover Group, a political consulting firm based in Philadelphia. Sly James relied on the group for strategy and advice in his 2011 mayoral election and his 2015 re-election. He has brought The Dover Group in to work on issue campaigns, too, including the astonishingly successful $800 million general-obligation bond campaign last spring. Nevins ran that campaign, as well as the airport campaign.
Phillip P. Scaglia
Scaglia, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and former chief of staff to the late U.S. Rep. Karen McCarthy, ran the canvassing, voter-outreach operation. The son of a former Missouri state representative, Scaglia has politics in his blood…Interesting side note: His initials provided the inspiration for the name of his company, Powerful Performance Solutions.
**
The City Council as a whole also deserves kudos. A group of council members who refused to roll over for the mayor’s Burns and Mac gambit insisted that the city solicit proposals from other companies. As a result, the price tag came down significantly with the selection of Edgemoor, based in Bethesda, MD.
The Star’s editorial board — under the leadership of editor page editor Colleen McCain Nelson and the lively and insightful editorials written by Dave Helling — gets much credit for its unflinching advocacy for a new terminal and its relentless push for an open, competitive process.
And finally, hats off to Kansas City voters, who saw the light and realized the current KCI’s best days were long gone and that it was time to check “yes” on the question of a first-class airport for a first-class city.
As Sly James said at the victory party:
“The people of this city get it when they get the facts…Every part of Kansas City pulling together is what accomplished this goal tonight.”
From left, Councilwoman Jolie Justus, Mayor Sly James, and councilmen Jermaine Reed, Dan Fowler, Scott Taylor and Quinton Lucas
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Wow, I have never seen you give so many kudos!!! You had a late night. Rest up as they will need some construction help putting this thing together. How are your plumbing skills?
You’ve been watching this from afar for a few years, John, and commenting on my personal airport campaign. I’d like to think I convinced at least a few people along the way…
Can you PLEASE stop talking about this now? I could puke.
….As I was saying, John, I’d like to think I convinced at least a few people — but obviously not Gayle, who seems to have gone “radio silent” the last few months.
Only on this subject …
Only the motivated voters showed up. Most of the anti-airport sentiment was tepid, with a vocal minority able to raise concerns, but unable to get people to the polls.
A TON of motivated voters showed up, Maneesh. A veritable army. Turnout in each of the three jurisdictions was 20 percent or more — 26 percent in Platte. That’s a lot for an election that had essentially one issue and no candidates on the ballot.
I also think it shows that the KC portion of Platte County is more moderate and willing to support big issues than most people think. The area I live in of the city is becoming more diverse which is not reflective of the non-KC part of Platte County. The non-KC portion of Platte County is pretty hard core conservative reflecting it’s rural character.
Interesting, I have a background in political campaigns and am glad the vote passed but I live in south KCMO and didn’t receive one piece of campaign literature and no one canvassed my neighborhood (as far as I know.). Thought I would have been a target demographic. Not a complaint, just interesting to me.
That is puzzling, Janet…equally as puzzling as the statements of Northland residents I’ve talked with — and who have commented on this site — saying they didn’t get any mailings and saw very few yard signs. Of course, the “ground game,” as they call it, is a spotty thing.
From my perspective, The Star editorial board has once again become a lackey for the metro area’s corrupt establishment (according to JFK, Jr.) both on this issue and in its endorsements. Fortunately for the citizens of Wyandotte County, their subservient endorsement of Mark Holland got its ass kicked royally.
Steve Vockrodt wrote a substantive pre-election story (see link) on the Holland-Alvey race, but it was not nearly enough. When you’ve got an incumbent getting beaten like that and there’s only one significant story, you know the press has pretty well missed the action. Too bad. No reflection on Vockrodt. He has several oars in the water, as a combined business and political reporter.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article182114141.html
Sign placement speaks volumes. Holland was on right of ways and empty lots and Alvey was on the lawns of real folks. Agree on Vockrodt. Solid reporter. Can’t say the same for editorial.
The article is a nice piece, Fitz. Holland brags about his ideas for a healthy campus, but in the time he’s spent having wet dreams about that, Ann Murguia accomplished that and more in her district. I would love to see what she’s accomplished happen throughout the county.
She may well be the best politician I’ve ever seen and had The Star’s editorial board been more independent, she may well have become the best mayor the county had ever seen.
Good observation about the yard signs…
No one built a compelling financial case for turning down the airport. Tax bucks would have to be the force majeure and of course it wasn’t an issue. I think that much of the opposition was from us nostalgic folk, which is not usually a potent political force. So it was hard for this one to fail, I say easily and smugly in retrospect. I will miss the old terminal which is one of my (only) favorite brutalist structures, but I don’t fly anymore and can’t really vote in the matter. I do think we will probably get a Kansas City Beige, forgettable, still uncomfortable terminal. (Really, is there a terminal anywhere we would choose to hangout? Is it so important to have a more commodious place to pee or buy a stale overpriced coffee?) It will work for the airlines and the security people, but it comes so late in the game for current airports it could soon be outdated by whatever comes next. I will be long gone by then, but my cynical self thinks the new terminal will not last as long as the old one. That said, congratulations KC. You wanted it, you got it. I hope (really, I do) it works out.