17/01/2026
There seems to be a trend in government these days for elected officials to view their office as license to disregard the voters who put them in office. ENOUGH!
Kansas City voters overwhelmingly approved a sales tax on themselves to build a jail at a specific location, and once again, just like that, Mayor Lucas determines that he knows better. No notice. No discussion. No transparency.
This, in my opinion, is another form of voter suppression. When elected officials act outside of their own established policies and procedures voters lose confidence in the integrity of their government.
Mayor Lucas should call a hearing and let residents and other invested interests weigh in. It should never be just about the money.
Yesterday, 1/16/26, Councilman Rea posted the following:
“With very little transparency, the Mayor pushed an ordinance to move the municipal detention center site from I-70 and 40 Hwy (a location overwhelmingly supported by voters last April) to Front Street just to the east of Frontier Academy. I opposed it. There was zero community engagement, we bypassed the ordinary council process of committee hearings and public testimony, and made the decision without completed analysis proving that it’s a lower cost site. There is a high school nearby, businesses, and neighborhoods that were not consulted. It very well could be a great location, however, process and transparency should still matter. And it absolutely matters that as your Councilman I push for accountability on the commitments we made to the voters who overwhelmingly supported the original plan back in April.
I truly hope it does not impact the timeline because the project needs to get done. And I’ll do what I can to keep it moving. But as we were in Council Session today, several council members were already receiving angry messages from residents who felt blindsided. Please feel free to contact me with questions and concerns.”
