TKC Reader: Councilman Bunch Won't Call Me Back, Rizzo Responds Quickly

Tonight we wanted to take a peek at politics from a practical perspective . . . Beyond culture war bickering and at the neighborhood level. 

Accordingly . . . A recent note from a TKC reader puts a 4th District council contest in PERFECT perspective.

Basically . . . 

KANSAS CITY MIDTOWN RESIDENTS HAVEN'T SEEN THEIR COUNCILMAN IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS BUT NOTICE HIM COMING AROUND A BIT MORE OFTEN AHEAD OF ELECTION SEASON!!!

Even more importantly . . . Contact with the council dude isn't consistent. 

A KICK-ASS TKC READER says this:

"Playing phone tag with Councilman Bunch is a total nightmare. His assistants are doing their best but there's only so much they can help me with . . . I wanted to talk with Councilman Bunch last month and I waited weeks to get on the phone with him. It's not like I'm trying to sign a treaty with the President or even have a sit down with the mayor; it was a simple phone call about local funding, street maintenance and a question about zoning. 

"I'm not a demanding person. I only wanted 5 minutes of his time. Weeks passed and NOTHING. His assistants forgot about me, I gently reminded them. When we finally spoke at a neighborhood meeting he was apologetic and said he would get in touch with me. That was a week ago and I don't mind waiting but I realize not everyone is as patient as me. 

"Meanwhile, Henry Rizzo and I have talked multiple times this year and he's very responsive and knowledgeable about city issues. He knows enough to direct me to other resources and different strategies I can take to solve my issues.

"When it comes to just working with people on a human level . . . I was impressed with Rizzo's responsiveness and I just wanted to let you and your readers know about it." 

Now . . .

To be fair, in recent meetings Councilman Bunch has acknowledged that his office hasn't been the most responsive at city hall and he promises to do better. 

Meanwhile . . . A reality check . . . Any longtime resident of Kansas City has spoken with Henry Rizzo at some point and even his harshest critics acknowledge his eagerness to talk with his colleagues, neighbors, constituents, random people he's standing to in late at the gas station, etc, etc.

You decide . . .