Former Kansas City Councilman Chuck Weber dies at 81

Former Kansas City Councilman Chuck Weber, one of several public figures caught up in a swirl of public corruption cases in the 1990s, died Oct. 28 at age 81.

Weber was councilman from the 1st District at-large from 1987-95.

Weber was a strong advocate for the Northland who eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official. He was the go-between for fellow Councilman Michael Hernandez and Northland developers Mark A. Morgan and Walker LaBrunerie. The developers ended up paying Hernandez $70,000 for city help on projects.

Weber cooperated with authorities and received a relatively light 5-month sentence and a $5,000 fine. The government produced no evidence that Weber benefited from the bribes.

“It’s my sense that the participants lost a sense of what is right and wrong,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker said at the time.

U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Hill Jr. said Weber “assisted a conspiracy that put City Hall up for sale.”

Weber was a friend of labor and was retired from the Kansas City Power & Light Co., where he worked as a lineman splicer in the training division.

He was a former president of the Gracemor-Randolph Community Council, the United Neighborhood Organization and the Northland Community Action Association.

In 1994, Weber ran for presiding Clay County Commissioner but lost in the Democratic primary.

Weber’s obituary cites his work to remove the toll from the former Broadway Bridge and to secure funds for a new Chouteau Bridge.

“If I’m going to be in government, even if it’s for a short time, and people have put their trust in me, I’m going to make things happen,” Weber once said.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Former Kansas City Councilman Chuck Weber dies at 81."