With the election of a new mayor, Sly James, and almost an entirely new slate of city councilmen which direction will political change move the Kansas City Economy?Most of the candidates focused on these three main areas during their campaigns;
- Jobs
- Schools
- Crime
Each of these issues are important factors that will strongly impact the future of our local economy and are in many ways inter-related. To attract and retain a population of strong taxpayers, the new leadership must find ways to decrease the high unemployment amongst its citizens and increase the number of middle-class households. The unemployment rate in the metro area is 9.7%. Job growth has to be high on the new mayor’s agenda. Like many other US cities, the budget is tight and tax revenue must be generated to fund certain services hence the upcoming vote on the 1% earnings tax. However the bigger issue may be the fact that skilled workers and professionals are unlikely to move to a city with a poor school system, making KC unable to capitalize on a large middle-class taxpayer population. The Kansas City School District has been unaccredited for over 10 years which is a staggering statistic when compared to the amount of time it took other city school districts who regained their accreditation after losing it. If new politicians in City Hall stay focused on the issues which got them elected like better schools, families may be more willing to move back into the heart Kansas City as opposed to flocking to the “burbs” putting more dollars into circulation.
In addition to the affordable real estate factor, corporations also look for places with talent and safe communities for their employees when they evaluate coming into a new city or expanding in an area. A city that is a good candidate for corporate headquarters, satellite offices, and even professional sports franchises have safe communities, an educated population with buying power,easy access to quality services and an efficient transit system.
Making our city safer seems to be a primary focus for mayor-elect, Sly James. This is a key issue for not only the safety of our existing residents but also in attracting new residents and businesses. There have been 18 homicides year-to-date in Kansas City. Something has to be done to make the city safer, hopefully the new leadership will develop strategic ways to reduce crime.
The economic issues facing Kansas City are challenging but if the “new” City Hall truly tackles these vital factors and implement other strategies to attract and promote local enterprise Kansas City has a chance to live up to it’s reputation as a vibrant city again.
sources:http://www.kcmo.org/idc/groups/police/documents/police/03.25.11_dailyhomicideanalysis.pdf,
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