STATEMENT FROM MAYOR SLY JAMES:
“The results of yesterday’s election are disappointing, but we have a lot of outstanding news to talk about in Kansas City: our downtown streetcar starterline is a model for other cities, we have some frosty education announcements coming up this fall, we are collaborating with Cisco to be the first American city with a “smart city” network, we’re seeing a significant reduction in violent crime so far this year, and we’re closing out another summer of fun, safe activities for our young people. Last night voters told us that they want to see a balance between taking care of the basics and being ambitious. I still strongly believe in rail as a conduit for economic development, but I understand where voters are coming from. The downtown starterline is a success and it remains our intention to ensure that the starterline is just that – a start. Now we’ll get to work re-envisioning how we can prudently expand economic development related to transit while we continue our good work on Education, Enforcement, Employment, and Efficiency.”
