Just got back from City Hall.
Saundra Ross was giving interviews to reporters, she'll be all over the news tonight.
What I hope is that Kansas City will see that she's a very sincere, faithful and soft spoken woman . . . The media depiction of her by so Kansas City reactionaries is not only unfair but also yet another sign of how spiteful and bigoted the political discourse in Kansas City has become . . . And this blog is one of the few media outlets that poses a direct challenge to that kind of hatred, name calling and use of the"politics of personal destruction" . . . By using the same tactics in return. Natch. Also, I like local bloggers and photos of doors not just bikini pics.
Anyhoo, as the mini-press conference was over I helped Ms. Ross carry the petitions back to her car. She seemed hopeful, she smiled and the sun shined a little brighter on the streets of downtown Kansas City as if to provide a glimmer of hope that there is still a place for grassroots democratic action in this town despite our low voter turnout, dominance of political voting blocs and the divisive political atmosphere that looms over the city.
As you can see, I took a few petitions with me. I know a great many people who are desperate to sign their name.
Unbelievably, on our way out of the City Clerk's office, as the elevator to the 25th floor opened Mayor Mark Funkhouser exited the door standing alone. He nodded hello, said "Hi folks" and walked past, he saw me carrying the box of petitions and Ms. Ross with several more in hand. He did a double take, he realized who we were . . . The smile quickly left the Mayor's face as he shot a sideways glance while moving quickly down the hall.
It was a surreal moment but one that tells me that this recall effort is a lot more substantial than what has been depicted by the media.
One year ago, there was talk of a movement to incite regular folks to action, a political platform that spoke of empowering "regular folks" to play a more active role in City Government . . . The Administration of Mayor Mark Funkhouser never lived up to that promise but the grassroots, politically inexperienced and heartfelt action by Ms. Ross today represents a more accurate embodiment of that sentiment.