Woody Overton, longtime Democratic insider in Kansas City, dies

Woody Overton, a longtime Kansas City Democratic insider and aide to former U.S. Sen. Tom Eagleton, has died.

Overton was known for years as a consultant and a veteran of Missouri politics who worked with both Democrats and Republicans. His retirement in 2015 was attended by Mayor Sly James, former U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, Kansas City Council members and City Manager Troy Schulte.

In an eight-year tenure in the 1990s as head of Kansas City’s General Services Administration, Overton oversaw construction of the federal courthouse downtown and a nearby transportation building.

He was also credited with the building of the Ilus W. Davis Civic Mall near City Hall, an FBI office and the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, among other projects.

In 1992, Overton ran the Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign in Missouri, a state seen as a must-win by the Democrats. Clinton carried Missouri by 10 points.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Woody Overton, longtime Democratic insider in Kansas City, dies."