Thank you for your interest in Grandview and in this campaign for the Board of Aldermen!
Like every community, Grandview is being affected by the tough times and difficult economy. This is not the time to panic about everything that is wrong with the economy – this is the time to hit the challenges head-on. This is the time for leadership, new ideas and a focus on the basics of what local government should be doing.
The best days of our community are yet to come and I want to help get us there. Below is a description of some of the needs I believe our next Alderman should address as priorities for Grandview.
Revive our business community and bring jobs back!
Exciting things are happening all around Grandview – now it’s time to capitalize and make exciting things happen in Grandview.
The Kansas City Wizards will be our neighbors to the north within the next few years. Both the Richards-Gebaur transformation into the CenterPoint Intermodal Center and the movement of the Honeywell Plant to our west are bringing jobs – and customers – to Grandview’s doorstep. The time has never been better to support the business growth here in south Grandview. Increased traffic means more customers for Grandview businesses. That brings a stronger economy and better opportunities for our entire community.
What began with Gail’s Harley Davidson is poised to grow into a new, exciting business district right here in Ward III. It will not happen overnight, though. I want to be your Alderman to keep the project moving forward and make sure it does happen. The south and southeast portion of Grandview (Ward III) is just as important to our city as any other area of town.
Of course, the decline of Truman Corners must be reversed. Attracting employers – and the jobs we need – to our flagship commercial zone is crucial to Grandview. There are no easy solutions to fix the problem but we must explore all options and work to revive this area.
I want to be your Alderman and work to bring the business, jobs and economic benefits here. We need intelligent growth that respects property rights. This is the long term thinking Grandview needs to bring permanent, positive results to our community.
Preparing our infrastructure for Grandview’s future.
No, that’s not the most exciting topic for a conversation but it’s vital to our growth and quality of life. The current highway construction on 71 Highway is inconvenient now, but it is literally paving the way for us to keep up with the development that’s going on all around us.
The 71/150 highway intersection must be ready for the Honeywell Plant construction, the completion of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, the forthcoming IHOP headquarters and the completion of the business development adjacent to Gail’s, Sonic and Zipz! I want to make sure customers can get to businesses here and, at the same time, make sure we can all get home each day without dealing with unnecessary traffic jams.
Closer to the center of town, I fully support the current efforts to rid ourselves of the one-way outer roads along 71 Highway, especially the ones north of Main Street. One-way traffic is one of the biggest reasons the shopping center at 71 & Main has died – business do not want to be where traffic flow is restricted. This holds true for the old K-Mart (and Red X) building at 71 and 140th Street.
We have been looking at empty storefronts too long!
We must make it easier for customers to get to our businesses if we want business to come here, stay here, thrive and provide good jobs.
Rebuilding our roads and infrastructure and attracting good, stable jobs to Grandview will not happen overnight. With aggressive marketing of Grandview, a business environment that attracts employers and leadership that approaches challenges with a mindset that looks for long-term solutions, it will happen.
Taxes
I hate ‘em….
Really, I do.
I see no reason to increase any taxes in Grandview. By focusing on providing a great business environment to attract jobs (and revenue) and by making sure we have the infrastructure we need, we can increase our tax base without increasing the tax rate.
paid for by Mike Ferguson
Grandview, MO 64030
website ©2009 David White