Kansas City Council Contender Patterson-Hazley Confronts DWI Case

Over the past few weeks we've noted the Dr. Melissa Patterson-Hazley is a rising star and a front runner in the heated contest for the 3rd District At-Large Council seat. 

We believe that statement remains correct. 

However . . . 

Thanks to KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS we're forced to acknowledge a roadblock that stands in her way. 

According to Casenet . . . Cross-checking addresses matched up betwixt case files and her Missouri campaign ethics reports . . . AND given that we talked with supporters who shared their off-record perspective on this case . . .

TKC TIPSTERS share Casenet dox regarding a DUI case confronting the rising star politico.

Take a look . . .

We had to take a few glimpses at this note before we noticed the DWI description at the bottom of the misdemeanor ticket.

More interestingly . . . The refusal to take a breathalyzer test evoked a bit of research.

In some instances . . . 

A refusal to submit to testing in Missouri results in an automatic 1 year suspension of a driver's license. That's not true in Kansas and there's always a great deal of confusion about this part of traffic law in local municipal courts.

However . . . 

We talked to Dr. Hazley's supporters and they describe this as a minor traffic incident and nothing more than a swerve and a quick police stop.

Moreover, given that this is a first offense the incident will be quickly stricken from any record and she will likely prevail in court or earn probation at worst. 

Now, it's up to us to unpack the politics of this story which is the only reason we're interested . . . 

First of all, none of this is a big deal for TKC. Driving records typically don't influence many votes in Kansas City. Remember that Mayor Q had his mugshot slathered all over local media and then went on to win his election in a landslide. 

At first we weren't even going to run this story . . . 

But our KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS are good at keeping us honest and our blog wouldn't be worth much if we tried to play favorites or sought to win favor by downplaying this newsworthy tidbit. 

Again . . . Our honest opinion is that it's not a HUGE deal but it's also not something that should be ignored. 

Because . . .

Incumbent Councilman Brandon Ellington has also had his own court trouble and was found guilty of poking a political operative from Freedom, Inc. 

Consider . . .

Councilman Ellington's court case has been used as a major talking point against his reelection amongst community leaders, stakeholders and activists. 

However, his opponents from Freedom, Inc. no longer have a candidate with a totally untarnished slate to champion. 

Meanwhile . . . It's still possible that Darron Story might be able to pitch himself as a viable alternative to EPIC urban feuds in order to advance without major financial backing. 

Our hope is that all of the candidates don't waste time talking about court cases and instead focus on the far more critical issues confronting the 3rd District and KCMO.

Developing . . .