ENDORSEMENT FOR U.S. SENATE
In what has become a tight race as Democrats seek to regain the open Missouri U.S. Senate seat from Republicans, The Kansas City Globe is recommending voters choose Lucas Kunce. What the Democrats need is a candidate who can emerge a winner in the primary and be able to put up a good fight against their Republican opponent in the November election and win. We believe as they always do, Republicans will be firing on all four cylinders to retain that seat. From all indications, Kunce is the person who can “stand the heat,” to borrow a phrase from the late and gutsy former U.S. President Harry S. Truman from Independence, Mo., where Kunce also lives.
Throughout the campaign, The Kansas City Globe was approached for an endorsement by two of the candidates: Kunce and Carla “Coffee” Wright. While Wright has demonstrated she also has hutzpah, and we applaud her efforts so far, we believe that it will take a huge war chest of campaign dollars to amass the grassroots voters all across Missouri who share the same progressive Democratic values as Kunce, a 13-year marine veteran who served three deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, was stationed at the Pentagon, and who is not afraid of a political fight on behalf of the grassroots voters and donors who have catapulted his campaign to competitive heights and kept him from selling out his constituents to the whims of political PACS.
Throughout the campaign Kunce has canvassed Missouri, holding Town Halls and meeting face to face with potential voters. He has garnered the support of the first African American congressman from Missouri and civil rights icon William Clay, Sr.; former Jackson County Executive, now KCMO Councilwoman Katheryn Shields; Southland for Progress, one of Kansas City’s influential political organizations and former KCMO Councilman John Sharp; other city and state elected officials from St. Louis, The St. Louis Post Dispatch daily newspaper and various other newspapers and grassroots organizations. Last week he sat in our office and talked for over an hour about his life, describing his modest upbringing in a Jefferson City, Mo. neighborhood near Lincoln University, where blacks and whites played with each other outside and looked out for each other; and where families like his struggled to make ends meet. He knows about being a young child watching his family go bankrupt and his mom postdate checks to the local grocer, promising to make good on it when her check came in. We believe Kunce’s story is the one about which many of us in the Democratic Party can relate.
We asked Kunce’s positions on kitchen table issues and on voting rights, gun reform, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, etc. and he is in favor of voting to ditch the filibuster rule that is often blocking progress on these and other critical matters relating to grassroots folks.
Make no mistake, as the primary election is just days away and the race is tightening between Kunce and his most formidable Democrat opponent Judy Busch Valentine, according to pollsters and the campaign is getting hotter by the minute. In the end, we hope voters will choose the right Democratic Party candidate who can pull together a diverse cadre of voters who hail from all ethnic, social and economic backgrounds across Missouri to win in the primary and then unite the party to win back the U.S. Senate seat that Democrats so desperately need. Vote on or before August 2, 2022 for Lucas Kunce, the Democrat, for U.S. Senate.
ENDORSEMENT FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 5:
(Note: For a list of all of the candidates see page 9) Last week in our Endorsements—Part 1 we urged voters in the 5 th U.S.
Last week in our Endorsements—Part 1 we urged voters in the 5 th U.S. congressional district to return Emanuel Cleaver II to Washington to continue the job he has done. Hardly a week goes by that we are not reporting on the millions of dollars in federal funding Cleaver has been responsible for bringing into the state for various needed uses whether it be for improving infrastructure, providing funding to assist in the delivery of health care services, providing funding to enhance existing human service delivery organizations that provide job skills, providing funding for the enhancement of our public educational institutions, colleges and universities, etc. And of course when it comes to social issues impacting our District, Cleaver has been a vocal advocate and spokesperson on the national level. Democrats also need an experienced public servant in Washington, D.C. who has the political savvy and ability to coalesce with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in order to get things done. Vote to elect Emanuel Cleaver II for U.S. Representative, District 5.
ENDORSEMENTS FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE:
(Note: For a list of all the candidates see page 9)
The only two candidates for State Representative who sought our endorsement in the Primary Election were Anthony Ealy who is running for 36 th District and Mark A. Sharp, who is running unopposed in the 37 th District and no Republican candidate filed . Of course we recommend a vote for Sharp who is a regular in The Kansas City Globe as he keeps our readers informed practically weekly of important decisions and issues that go on as he reports from the Capitol.
Many of our readers have not been made aware of one of Grandview’s best kept secrets—Anthony Ealy, who is running for the 36 th District. In order to win in the Democratic Primary, Ealy would have to garner more votes than his two Democrat challengers, including an incumbent. This is an important seat as persons of color make up a huge portion , of the population in Grandview. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Ealy a young, 28-year-old attorney wanted to devote time to serve his community as a state representative and as we talked with him, we discovered his passion in his voice. The son of a letter carriers union leader, he is a graduate of Grandview High School, Northwest Missouri State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia Law School. He is a member of Grandview’s Second Missionary Baptist Church and he told us that he was raised to serve others and give back to the community. He has done just that as he serves on numerous boards and works on various community events.
He is committed when elected to: increase Missouri’s “woefully inadequate state funding for public schools and revise the formula for distributing state aid to education so it is more fair for districts like Grandview and Hickman Mills that are currently being shortchanged.”
Ealy said he wants to strengthen public safety by enacting legislation to make celebratory gunfire within cities a serious state offense instead of just a city ordinance violation. He wants to improve maintenance and frequently neglected litter control along the highways in the 36 th House District. Anthony Ealy is capable. All he needs is a chance. We urge 36 th District voters to join The Kansas City Globe, Grandview Alderwoman Debbie Bibbs, former KCMO Councilman John Sharp and Southland for Progress, Run for Something, Businessman Mike Lane and others to give him that chance to win the Primary Election by voting before or on August 2 to elect Anthony Ealy.
For all other candidates running for State Representative, we urge voters to vote their choice.
ENDORSEMENTS FOR JACKSON COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE
(Note: For a list of all the candidates see page 9)
In this 2022 Primary Election voters have a chance to increase the number of African Americans on the nine member Jackson County legislature as well as elect a Jackson County executive. Last week we announced our endorsement of Frank White, over his formidable Democratic opponent, Stacy Lake.
While the county executive position is usually a popular election choice on the ballot, the county legislators races should be as well, considering they wield enormous power when it comes to making funding decisions for the millions of taxpayer dollars that flow into the County, so it is important that voters get out and vote for the candidates who they feel will best represent their interests once elected. We have not seen in recent years such an interest in the Jackson County Legislature positions by many super qualified candidates of color during this campaign season and we are impressed with the choices that are being presented to voters.
Each Jackson Countian lives in two County Legislative districts — an individual district and an at-large district. You can .visit the Jackson County Legislature’s website that will direct you to the Legislative Map Application that the Jackson Geographic Information Systems division has developed to determine in which County Legislative districts you live.
When voting for County Legislators, you vote for one from your individual district, as well as one from each of the at-large districts. That means every Jackson County citizen has two direct representatives on the nine-member County Legislature — the Legislators from their individual district and at-large district — but that they vote for four Legislators in total: their individual district and at-large district representatives, as well as the other two at-large Legislators.
While all county voters will vote for the three at-large districts, to serve as the first, second or third at-large district County Legislator you must reside within the boundaries of that at-large district.
Continuing with last week’s K.C. Globe Endorsements—Part 1, when we announced our endorsement of DaRon McGee for Jackson County Legislator, 4 th District, we are adding to that list of choices for County Legislator three others who, like McGee, sought our endorsements and who we feel are well equipped to represent our neighborhoods: Venessa Huskey for 2 nd District; Donna Peyton for 2 nd District-at-Large and Megan Marshall for 3 rd District-at-Large.
For all other candidates running for Jackson County Legislator we urge voters to vote their choice.
BALLOT QUESTIONS:
On Both Ballot questions relating to the Hickman Mills School District, as we did last week in our Endorsements—Part I, we are reminding voters to VOTE YES. Question 1 is to approve a NO TAX increase bond issue to renovate and reuse two closed elementary schools, demolish a closed middle school that is beyond repair and improve security at all schools. Question 2 is to approve a long overdue increase in the District’s operating levy to raise the pay for teachers and other essential staff so the district can attract and retain the highly qualified employees necessary to regain full accreditation.
Note: For our Kansas endorsements, see page 6.