Missouri Boys State is taking place this week in Warrensburg on the campus of the University of Central Missouri. Close to one thousand boys from across the state are participating in the program. This year sixteen boys from the People’s Republic of China are participating as part of the US-China Youth Leadership Exchange. Keynote speakers this week include Kansas City Mayor Sly James, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, Bob Woodward, Secretary of State Jason Kander, and State Auditor Tom Schweich.

Jill Druskis, Director of the American Legion Commission on Americanism

and the American Legion Commission on Children and Youth.

Matt Dameron, a long time Missouri Boys State volunteer, introducing Kansas City Mayor Sly James.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James was the keynote speaker this evening.

After his address he took questions from Boys State citizens.

Previously:

Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 16, 2012)

Attorney General Chris Koster at Missouri Boys State 2012 – Q and A (June 17, 2012)

Governor Jay Nixon (D) and Kansas City Mayor Sly James at Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 18, 2012)

Last night at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri Kansas City Mayor Sly James addressed Boys State citizens. Mayor James spoke without notes for almost an hour from his perspective as a mayor on a wide range of subjects including education, law enforcement, jobs and infrastructure. He then took questions from the audience.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on June 17, 2012.

Excerpts from the approximately half hour question and answer session:

[….]

Question: [….] Um, regarding your opinion on gun control. Instead of completely taking away our ability to buy guns at eighteen why don’t instead we give gun shops, you know, the ability to know who has a criminal record and who’s been in trouble in the past? Why don’t we give, let them have the ability to know that and do background checks and decide who they want to sell to? ‘Cause as store owners they are allowed to decide who they want to sell to.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James: Couple of reasons. First, I’m not talking about gun control, I’m talking about getting guns out of the hands of knuckleheads who shouldn’t have guns. If you want to call that gun control [applause] [inaudible][cheers]. Number two, they already have that ability to check backgrounds. But most people who are committing crimes don’t walk into a A-one gun shop and say, hey, mister A-one gun shop owner, here’s my driver’s license, I was convicted a couple of weeks ago of something and I’m kind of waiting to be sentenced here, but I want to buy a gun so I can kill some witness who testified against me [laughter]. And they’re, I mean, they’re getting them off the street, they’re stealing them out of homes, they’re buying them at gun shows. Gun shows are one of the biggest proliferators of illegal guns on the street of anybody and they don’t have to check. There’s a lot of states that don’t do the same thing across the board. And I’m sorry, I don’t see any reason why an eighteen year old ought to have an Uzi. I can’t think of any reason why a kid living at Thirty-ninth and Prospect in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri needs an AK-47. [applause][cheers]

Who’s next? [laughter]

[….]

Question: [….] You seem like a very well informed man, you seem to have a general idea on how to fix certain problems in this country, so which presidential candidate do you think will be the best for this country? [voices: “Woo.”]

Mayor James: I’ll tell you my personal preference and I’ll tell you who I’m planning to support. And that’s Barack Obama. [applause][cheers] And one of the main reasons I plan to support Barack Obama is because I recognize the situation he walked in to. Could he have done better? Absolutely. Is he trying to do better? Absolutely. What I don’t know is which Mitt Romney will actually take office. [laughter][applause] And I think I’ll leave it at that.

[….]

Previously:

Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 16, 2012)

Attorney General Chris Koster at Missouri Boys State 2012 – Q and A (June 17, 2012)

Last night at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg Governor Jay Nixon (D) and Kansas City Mayor Sly James spoke to and took questions from Boys State citizens. Between his speech and the question and answer session Governor Nixon also signed the appropriation bill for K-12 education into law.

Governor Jay Nixon (D) at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on June 17, 2012.

Governor Nixon spoke briefly, signed the bill, then took questions from the audience for approximately a half hour. Kansas City Mayor Sly James followed Governor Nixon on the evening’s program.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on June 17, 2012.

Mayor James spoke without notes for almost an hour and then took questions for approximately a half hour. Transcript excerpts of the evening’s question and answer sessions will follow in subsequent posts.

Governor Jay Nixon (D) signing the K-12 education appropriation bill into law at Missouri Boys State.

The press release on the bill signing from Governor Nixon’s office:

June 17, 2012

Gov. Nixon signs bill providing record funding for K-12 classrooms at Boys State

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon this evening signed legislation to provide record funding for public elementary and secondary classrooms during a visit to the American Legion Boys State of Missouri.  After delivering remarks, Gov. Nixon signed House Bill 2002 and engaged in a dialogue with Boys State delegates from across Missouri.

In his State of the State Address in January, Gov. Nixon called for record funding for Missouri’s elementary and secondary classrooms.  The General Assembly joined the Governor in these efforts by passing House Bill 2002, which includes the record level of funding.  The legislation signed by Gov. Nixon this evening will invest $3.009 billion in elementary and secondary classrooms during Fiscal Year 2013.

“Strong public schools are critical for ensuring that our children can compete successfully for the careers of tomorrow,” Gov. Nixon said.  “Because we’ve balanced our budget each year without raising taxes, we have the resources to make this record investment in our public school classrooms.  Our commitment to public education is ensuring that more Missouri kids are graduating from high school prepared to succeed in college, in a career or in our armed forces, but we can’t stop now.  Together, we’re going to keep managing our budget well, holding the line on taxes, and investing in public education so that all Missouri children have the chance to achieve their dreams.”

Because of Missouri’s ongoing commitment to public education, student performance across the state is increasing.  The percentage of students scoring at or above proficient on math, communications arts and reading exams increased again in 2011, with significant gains across minority populations.  Enrollment at Missouri’s public colleges and universities also has surged over the past three years.

While Missouri is increasing its investment in public education, many other states are cutting education funding.  According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, while Missouri increased funding for public school classrooms in fiscal year 2012, 30 other states provided less funding for public education than they did in fiscal year 2008.

Today is the first day of the week-long American Legion Boys State of Missouri program on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Approximately 1000 boys from across Missouri will participate this week. This is the fifth year we’ve been able to cover the session.

It takes a significant number of volunteers to register the approximately 1000 Boys State citizens.

Why do we cover this? It’s about government and politics. Plus, Missouri Boys State always has an impressive list of speakers, including statewide office holders.

The keynote speakers this week:

MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRIS KOSTER

Saturday, June 16, 2012 (6:45-7:30 PM)

Prior to the Opening Night Ceremonies of the 73rd session of Missouri Boys State current Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster will deliver the keynote address at a special assembly in Hendricks Hall. Following his prepared remarks, Attorney General Koster will hold a question and answer session.

MISSOURI GOVERNOR JAY NIXON

Sunday, June 17, 2012 (6:45-7:30 PM)

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will deliver a keynote address at a special assembly on Sunday evening in Hendricks Hall. Govenor Nixon has been an outstanding supporter of the Boys State program throughout his years as Missouri’s Attorney General and Governor. We are very pleased to have him back to Boys State. The Governor will hold a question and answer session following his prepared remarks.

KANSAS CITY MAYOR SLY JAMES

Sunday, June 17, 2012 (7:30-8:30 PM)

Kansas City Mayor Sly James will deliver a keynote address at a special assembly on Sunday evening in Hendricks Hall. This is Mayor James’ first visit to the Boys State program and he will provide a candid and entertaining discussion of the issues facing elected officials at the city level. We are very pleased to have him as part of the program. The Mayor will hold a question and answer session following his prepared remarks.

MEDIA PERSONALITY AND POLITICAL ICON JAMES CARVILLE

Monday, June 18, 2012 (7:15-8:45 PM)

James Carville will accept the 24th Annual George W. Lehr Memorial Speakers Chair on Monday night at Hendricks Hall. One of the most recognizable figures in politics, James Carville is an insider who analyzes the Obama Administration, Congress, the 2012 elections and the global political landscape with his signature energy and humor. Following his prepared remarks Mr. Carville will hold a question and answer session.

MISSOURI SECRETARY OF STATE ROBIN CARNAHAN

Thursday, June 20, 2012 (7:15-9:15 PM)

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan will deliver the keynote address at the special assembly on Monday evening. Secretary of State Carnahan has been a long time supporter of the Missouri Boys and Girls State programs. Robin Carnahan was sworn in as Missouri’s 38th Secretary of State in January 2005. Carnahan’s family has a proud history of devotion to public service. Her father, Mel Carnahan, served as Missouri’s Governor, and her mother, Jean Carnahan, was the first woman to serve Missouri in the U.S. Senate. Her grandfather, A.S.J. Carnahan, a congressman from south-central Missouri for 14 years, was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to be U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone.

WHITE HOUSE FELLOW AND NAVY SEAL COMMANDER ERIC GREITENS

Friday, June 22, 2012 (7:00-8:30 PM)

White House Fellow, Navy Seal Commander and Rhodes Scholar Eric Greitens will speak to MBS participants on Friday at Hendricks Hall. One of the most accomplished Boys Staters in recent memory, Greitens will share his extraordinary career with Boys Staters in a special assembly. Greitens returned from his last tour of duty in Iraq in 2007. As an award-winning humanitarian leader, Eric has traveled to many war and crisis torn countries to reveal not only the hardship of the people, but also their strength and compassion. Following his prepared remarks he will hold a question and answer session.

Gary Grigsby, a member of the American Legion and a long time Boys State volunteer.

The White House Business Council and the U.S. Small Business Administration hosted an Urban Economic Forum at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City today. The morning session included an introduction by White House Business Council Executive Director Ari Matusiak and three panel sessions which included an opportunity for participants to ask questions. The focus of discussion on all three panels was entrepreneurship and its impact on the economy in the Kansas City area.

The forum was designed to provide information on business development resources and allow for networking for urban entrepreneurs and small business owners in Kansas City.

Ari Matusiak – Executive Director, White House Business Council.

The first panel of the morning included Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James; Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon; Marie Johns, deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration; and Bob Litan, Vice President for Research and Policy, Kauffman Foundation.  

Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James.

The second panel included Rosie Rios, Treasurer of the United States; Sean Greene, Associate Administrator for Investment, U.S. Small Business Administration; Jeff Krum, CFO, Boulevard Brewing Company; Kelly Pruneau, Network manager, Women’s Capital Connection; and Daryl Williams, CEO, Urban Entrepreneurship Partnership, Kauffman Foundation.

Rosie Rios – Treasurer of the United States.

The forum included a resource expo for attendees.

(left to right) Daryl Williams – CEO of the Urban Entepenuership Partnership Kauffman Foundation, Rosie Rios – Treasurer of the United States,

Sean Greene – Associate Administrator for Investment – U.S. Small Business Administration.

The White House released a video of Kansas City Mayor Sly James speaking about the need for the American Jobs Act:

Everyday when we walk outside of our office, we’re outside of our office quite a bit, I talk to at least a hand full of people who say to me something along the lines of, Mayor, where can I get a job? Mayor, can you help me get a job? Mayor, can you help my brother or my mother get a job? Jobs are at the forefront of people’s minds  

There are no more cranes. When there are no more cranes in the city, that’s not a good sign, because that means not much is getting done. The ripple effect of not being able to build has a huge impact on all sorts of other subsidiary industries. We have roads that are in need of repair and rebuilding, we have bridges that need work, we have water systems that are in desperate need of reworking. And we need the assistance of the Federal government in order to get those big-ticket items done.

As of about 11:05 central this morning, Kansas City became a city without peer when Google announced that they were bringing their ultra high-speed fiber-optic broadband service to Kansas City, Missouri. Today’s announcement followed the announcement earlier in the spring that Kansas City, Kansas had won the honor of being the very first site selected for the new service, and Google said then that they were just getting started. Today, just two short months later, they followed through on that promise by announcing that they were bringing the service to Kansas City, Missouri as well.

Of course, they had good partners to work with. Once it was known that KCK would be the first place to get ultra high-speed internet, the newly-elected James administration (the new Mayor was sworn in on May first) and City Councilwoman and now Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo joined with KCP&L and started wooing Google into expanding here as well.

And speaking of KCP&L, they are pretty forward-thinking for a utility company. They have embraced the notion of carbon offsets and partnered with the Sierra Club to pioneer an offset program. They have also developed smart grid technologies around a first-of-it’s-kind Green Impact Zone in inner-city KC, and they have introduced all-electric vehicles into their fleet.

As part of the agreement, KCP&L offered Google access to their polls and infrastructure, including existing fiber-optic networks. By allowing Google access to existing infrastructure, service can be delivered faster and cheaper than building a network from scratch.

Mayor Sly James, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and Mike Chesser, CEO of KCP&L

Milo Medin of Google and Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo

Kansas City is already a great place for entrepreneurship, thanks to the Kauffman Foundation, and we are already a center of innovation in science and research, thanks to Midwest Research Institute, the Stowers Institute and two major research universities in the heart of the city.

We have a lot to offer, not just a company like Google but all of the businesses that will be drawn here because of the access to ultra high-speed broadband — including one of the best community college systems in the country that can train the workers for those high-tech businesses that will follow the fastest internet in the world to Kansas City, where we already perfected Jazz, the Blues and Barbecue.

When Sly James announced two years ago that he was going to run for Mayor of Kansas City, no one believed that he could do it. Even his closest friends said “well, at least you’ll have to change your name back to Sylvester.”

But he ignored the nay-sayers and he didn’t go back to Sylvester.

Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, got to work shaking hands and introducing himself, and building a campaign one voter at a time.

What he did was build a grassroots coalition of supporters, starting with tireless community activist Dr. Sugar Lee Lewis, who was out there every day, rain or shine, talking to people and planting lawn signs, from the Northland, where no minority candidate, not even our much-beloved former Mayor and current U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, ever pulled more than 30% of the vote all the way down south where Kansas City becomes Martin City.

His campaign office was a beehive of activity practically 24 hours a day for two years as the cleanest, most issues-driven campaign I have ever seen unfolded.

That would be Dr. Lewis and yours truly with hands to mouth as the first returns started to come in.

And last night, when the returns from the Northland started coming in, we knew he was going to win in a walk. We always knew he was going to carry most of the gentrifying inner city where I live and all of the east side, so when I saw 35% in the northland, I started doing the statistical analysis in my head, and turned to Dr. Lewis and said “He’s got this” even before the first vote was reported from the Fifth and Sixth districts

That’s when the party really started.

When the new Mayor came to the podium to address the crowd, he verified for everyone in the room and watching on television that faced with a tough choice and two good candidates, we picked the right one. He spent the first two minutes of his speech thanking Mike Burke for the clean, issues-driven campaign that both men waged for the privilege of leading our city, and he also let Mr. Burke know that although Sly won the election, Mike should be prepared to spend no small amount of time on the 29th floor of City Hall because he will be “up to his neck” in the work that needs to be done to get our city back on track.

It is going to be so nice come May 1st to have a Mayor and First Lady that aren’t a head-hanging embarrassment who make our city a national laughingstock.

Can someone find me a judge and a bible? Let’s just do this already.

And if Funk needs any help cleaning out his office, I’m available.

Michael has a terrific photo-essay of the watch/victory party.

Yesterday Kansas City held municipal elections for mayor, city council, and the retention of judges. Sly James was elected Mayor of Kansas City over his opponent Mike Burke in what can only be described as a classy campaign on the part of both candidates.

Last night Blue Girl and I attended the election watch event for Sly James’ campaign at the museums at 18th and Vine in Kansas City

Mayor-elect Sly James addresses the crowd shortly after the concession of his opponent.

After addressing the crowd Sly James made the rounds of television reporters for interviews.

The lineup of television satellite trucks told us we were at the correct location. As we approached the entrance Blue Girl said, “We’ve got to get us a satellite truck.” That’s an old Show Me Progress joke from the 2008 election cycle in reference to close proximity parking.

Television reporters did a few interviews before the majority of the crowd and the election results started coming in.

Steve Bough, Chair of the Jackson County Democratic Committee.

Watching for early results.

State Representative Jason Kander (D) addresses the crowd.

Former Missouri State Auditor and current Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party Susan Montee.

State Senator Kiki Curls (D) and State Representative Jason Kander (D).

Another interview with a television reporter.

The man who made himself a national laughing stock will be vacating the 29th floor of City Hall on May first when either Sly James or Mike Burke is sworn in as the next mayor of our fair city. By coming in third in the primary, the controversy-and-scandals plagued Mark Funkhouser becomes the first Mayor of Kansas City to be denied a second term since the voters decided Frank Cromwell didn’t deserve one…in 1924.

The General election is March 22nd, and to be eligible to vote you have to be registered by March 9, or if you have moved have your registration updated by then. You can register or update your registration in person at the KC Election Board, recently relocated to Union Station, or at any branch of the Kansas City public library.

If you live in Kansas City and want to review the returns for city council races, you can find them here.

One last thing before I go sleep the sleep of the weary and the just — Alvin, I can now accept your forgiveness. But damnit — Tony was right and I was wrong. Do you have any idea how hard that is even to get my head around, let alone accept?