Kansas City power brokers aren't nearly as influential as fitness babe Tonya Olson and they probably don't look as good in a bikini but they still try to make an impact. . . To wit: Here's the weekly list of locals who stayed winning this week.
POLITICOS
1. Kansas City Public School Interim Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green - He's taking away control of The ACE Campus in surprising move that breaks with almost a generation of tradition. Like it or not (and many IMPORTANT PEOPLE don't) . . . The KCPS effort to take back The ACE Collegium Campus is a strong move.
2. Mayor Sly James - After one year in office his approval rating is still generally high. He has made some mistakes and I'm not a fan of his inability to create compromise but there's no denying his charisma and power to dominate City Hall remains intact after a year in office.
3. MO State Rep. Ryan Silvey - This Northland GOP Politico is prepared to take away newspaper tax credits in Missouri and that's a strong move in acknowledging the current Digital era.
4. MO State Rep. John Rizzo - He's building a strong reputation for Public Safety with a consistent concern for helping Kansas City fight crime in Northeast.
5. KC School Board Member Airick L. West - Don't call it a comeback.
NEWSIES
Eric Wesson - One of the most talented journalists working in Kansas City who also serves as an advocate for Kansas City's urban core.
DeAnn Smith - A digital guru in the making. DeAnn brings her investigative reporting skill to KCTV5 along with a flare for creating captivating content that drives traffic and inspires readers/viewers to return.
Tess K - Tess consistently proves herself to be one of Kansas City's most gifted storytellers. She always brings the subjects of her news reports to life.
Micheal Mahoney - A Kansas City News Legend and still one of the most tenacious voices in the local press corps.
Steve Vockrodt - A rising star at KC's Biz Journal and basically his byline is where I see most of the important local biz headlines first.
DENIZENS OF TKC!!!
Forgive the seemingly self-congratulatory category title . . . This section is just a way for me to express a bit of appreciation and offer a shout out to some of the rather AWESOME people who I know, have met or interacted with through this blog.
Lynne Bratcher - Without Lynne there is no TKC. It's as simple as that. Lynne is standing up for Free Speech, freedom of expression and blogging in Kansas City. She also has her own blog that's rather AWESOME as well. Behind the scenes there are a lot of people who have helped to keep Kansas City information and opinion flowing freely. . . But Lynne has very publicly and graciously taken center-stage to stand up for Kansas City's online discourse as just one of the many AWESOME things she does as a lawyer. As always, I really can't thank Lynne enough for all of her work.
Hey Cameraman - I'm a fan of this blogger and Kansas City Podcaster. He is consistently one of the smartest people I've ever seen working in digital media and news-gathering in Kansas City.
AWESOME & KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS - The people in the know who aren't afraid to put important information on blast.
Kansas City PR Hacks - I always give these folks a hard time but the very best of this bunch don't take anything personally, don't mind sending me a message twice and always roll with the punches.
TKC Commenters and Inafunk, Miss Sweetie Pie, SOS, Chuck, Radioman, Another Midtown Mom, TKC=Sad Clown, etc. - I don't always agree with most of you guys and a lot of your opinions are misinformed, intentionally misleading, angry, stupid and almost always consistently self-righteous. But every once in awhile (more often for Inafunk & Miss Sweetie Pie) there are a few gems that make it all worthwhile. Believe it or not, sometimes TKC comments include a great joke, vital information, the perfect quip or an important perspective/info that adds to a paltry blog post. Thank you for participating, d-bags.
As always, this list has been compiled according to scientific TKC polling and market research data and it's a weekly comprehensive guide to local powerful people.