Tony: The Ladies Of The City Council Stick Together

There are 7 Council Ladies currently serving Kansas City, Missouri and until recently I never really noticed the impact of this historic female domination of local politics.

What finally stood out to me today, after 3 years, is that the ladies on the Council stick together. This fact was clearly demonstrated recently when Mayor Funky gave Council Lady Jan Marcason the boot from not one but two committees. In council session today, KMBC newsie DeAnn Smith noted that the ladies piled on the Mayor in a way that wasn’t at all sexy. It gets worse, Northland Council Lady Deb Hermann led the charge and then just came out with a written statement challenging the Mayor’s decision in defense of her homegirl Jan.

Check it:

Statement from Councilwoman Hermann in support Councilwoman Marcason
For reasons passing understanding, Councilwoman Jan Marcason has been removed from her positions as Vice Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Jan Marcason deserves lasting credit and admiration for the contributions she has made to the work of the Finance and Audit Committee during 3 years of historic budget challenges. Her keen intellect and balanced judgment has anchored the committee and this city government throughout her tenure. No Committee Chair could ever ask for a more capable and reliable Vice Chair.

In Jans case, there is moremuch moreto say. I am sure my Council colleagues would agree that we all owe Jan a huge debt of gratitude for her tireless and flawless work on the Overflow Control Plan she has so capably led for the past 3 years. She played no small part in gaining a pace-setting agreement with EPA that will bring sensible resolution to a major, long-term problem, introduces innovative green solutions to our massive storm water issues, and spreads an enormous taxpayer burden over a more manageable time period.

Under her strong leadership, Kansas City has transformed a potentially debilitating public liability into an opportunity to fix a serious problem, create innovative solutions, and deliver one of the greatest economic development projects in Kansas Citys history.

I end on a personal note. My association with Jan has taught me that she is among the strongest, most capable and most unflappable public officials. I applaud you for what you have done and for what you will accomplish in the months and years ahead.

So, what’s to be learned here?

Maybe a bit of the Mayor’s problem has been that he has never been able to get along with womenfolk on the Council and it looks like he’ll never get along with these ladies in the majority and unafraid to smack him around in public.

Tony Botello