KC Elections Round 2 - 3rd District

The March 22 elections are nearly here. The mayoral race has boxed Sly James into a corner unfortunately. He and Mike Burke decided to run a no-mud campaign. That seems to have left Sly with no where to go as Mike racks up endorsements and runs a "well of course you want to vote for me" campaign. In KC that means Mike Burke gets to do a well - you know... style campaign - Hey it's not slinging mud, but you know...

Sly has nowhere to run with this. A shame. But maybe the voters of KC are smarter than Mike thinks and will vote with their brains.

I'm much more concerned about the 3rd District races. The in-district race is a mess. Fletcher is still appealing his residency and this has left Jermain Reed in limbo. If Fletch wins his appeal, Jermain is not in the runoff. If Fletch loses the appeal, Jermain is in, but with only a couple of weeks to go. Meanwhile, Brooks is sitting in the catbird seat. This is a real shame.

The at-large race pits newcomer Brandon Ellington (although he ran in-district 4 years ago and lost) against one of the most established and recognized political family names in the KC metro - Curls, as in Melba Curls. I've been supporting Ellington because I don't think Melba has been an effective representative for the dire situations facing the 3rd district, let alone the city at-large.

Ellington is running a grass-roots, low-budget, guerrilla-style campaign. But the latest salvo comes from a very real, speak truth to power, photo essay. Unfortunately it is only running on Facebook now, but hopefully you can see it from this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=71109&id=1250676511&fbid=1562958234467

It's called "This is What the 3rd District Really Looks Like" and is a stark reminder that the current reps, Brooks and Curls have done nothing to address the needs of this district. While Curls represents the at-large, that also means she has standing to invite the entire city to work with the 3rd. She has squandered her time in office. Perhaps this race will be a wake up call for her and if re-elected she will become more active and responsive? I have no evidence to suggest that will be the case.

Brandon Ellington is green, put a fast study. He has a lot to learn, but has the capacity to do so. He knows the 3rd district and wants to make a difference. He has the street cred to know how to make a difference. He has the passion and the connections to rally the rest of the city to finally be a partner in reviving the 3rd district and stimulating opportunities for the residents that live there. http://www.electellington.com