Hardworking Sly James has earned re-election as Kansas City mayor

With unflagging energy and a charismatic personality, Mayor Sly James has kept his promises of being a bold, reform-minded leader for Kansas City.

In endorsing James during his initial 2011 campaign, we wrote he could direct his talents at “uniting a still-fractured community into a unified, more confident and upbeat metropolis.”

And so he has.

James restored trust in local government after the desultory Mark Funkhouser years, while promoting successful elections to pave more roads, provide stable parks funding and build a downtown streetcar line.

He strongly backs an anti-crime initiative that has helped reduce murders. He has read to thousands of students in a program that has many other supporters. He works well with City Manager Troy Schulte to use statistics to improve services from city departments.

And he has boosted Kansas City’s visibility on the national scene, engaged with thousands of people on social media, and placed more women, minorities and younger residents in active roles of creating a better community.

Given this track record and his solid ideas for a second term, The Star recommends Sly James in the April 7 mayoral primary and in the June 23 general election.

He deserves another four years to continue working with the City Council, civic officials and neighborhood leaders to keep moving the city forward.

James sketched out some of those ideas in a recent session with the editorial board. The key to accomplishing them is to stay focused on the highest priorities. Among them:

▪ Decide how to finance a bond issue to improve roads, bridges, public buildings and other infrastructure. James previously has said the cost could be about $1 billion, but isn’t committed to that figure. He wants to know what residents want — new sidewalks, for example, and what else?

▪ Improve the KC No Violence Alliance program that has helped reduce homicides. A key is to set aside more funds to help at-risk residents find and keep jobs, he said.

▪ Attack long-term economic problems and transit needs on the East Side. “It’s a heavy lift,” James said when it comes to knocking down even more dangerous buildings but also figuring out how to attract residents and businesses to areas of disinvestment. James wants to find funds for a Prospect MAX line to provide faster bus service on that corridor.

▪ Take a second look at extending the streetcar system. The most logical spine would go south on Main Street to near the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In a rare, high-profile failure in his first term, James could not get voters in 2014 to approve an expansion plan, including streetcar service to the East Side.

▪ Finish first-term priorities, led by deciding how to upgrade Kansas City International Airport. City Hall now awaits a report from aviation and airline officials on how they want to proceed. Also, James said city officials are “closer than we’ve ever been” on reaching a fiscally responsible deal to subsidize a downtown hotel.

The mayor’s good sense of humor will be one of his strengths going forward. He should curb a tendency to be overly brusque with people, even if he thinks their arguments aren’t based in fact.

If re-elected — and that’s extremely likely given the low-profile campaigns of challengers Clay Chastain and Vincent Lee — James will be working with plenty of new City Council members thanks to term limits.

The mayor will have tremendous opportunities to push his initiatives toward success. Sly James has earned more time to pursue positive changes for Kansas City.

This story was originally published March 14, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Hardworking Sly James has earned re-election as Kansas City mayor."