‘His credibility is unmatched.’ Chamber names its 2020 Kansas Citian of the Year
David Warm, known for his steady hand as he balances needs with a multitude of governments across the metropolitan area as executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council, was named Kansas Citian of the Year by the regional chamber of commerce.
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce bestowed Warm with the honor Tuesday during its annual dinner, which this year was being held virtually, instead of its usual party that packs the Kansas City Convention Center with local leaders and dignitaries, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While Warm has walked the delicate balancing act of leading MARC, Kansas City’s metropolitan planning organization, for 30 years, his level approach has been tested anew in 2020 as the region tries to cope with the effects of the pandemic.
“He’s someone who works quietly and effectively, eschewing the spotlight and letting the work speak for itself,” said Chamber chief executive Joe Reardon in a statement. “By naming him Kansas Citian of the Year, we’re shining that spotlight firmly on him and the long-term, positive impact he’s had on our region.”
MARC may not be a household name in the Kansas City region, but for local governments it’s a crucial outpost for helping solve regional challenges. It disperses federal grants and coordinates regional matters like transportation, education and the economy. In short, it tries to help local governments work together on pressing matters facing the region.
That’s not an easy task for a region famously beset by divisions created by state, county, municipal, and even cultural boundaries across the nine counties and 119 cities MARC serves.
“Can you imagine your board being 40 elected officials?” asked Independence Mayor Eileen Weir, who is a board officer for MARC.
By most accounts, Warm manages that challenge well.
“Because he is knowledgeable, because he has an ability to build relationships in a quiet, thoughtful way and I think because of his patience, he has the ability to create consensus across many political jurisdictions,” said Bill Hall, retired president of the Hall Family Foundation. “Which is very, very difficult.”
MARC took a role in trying to coordinate the regional response to the coronavirus pandemic. It was a challenge with some local government leaders insisting early on that tight measures needed to be taken to slow the spread of the virus, while others pushed back.
The divisions emerged publicly when The New York Times published an account of a MARC-facilitated discussion about the coronavirus response early on, giving insight into the tensions among local leaders.
But Weir said Warm has helped allay and smooth out the difficulties facing local officials in the largest pandemic in more than 100 years.
“There’s nobody who is more trusted than he is,” Weir said. “His credibility is unmatched by anyone else who has a regional role.”
Warm, a California native, was the city administrator of Liberty before taking the helm at MARC in 1990.
In addition to his MARC duties, Warm has volunteered on significant local undertakings. One example was his effort to fix up the Linwood Presbyterian Church at 1801 Linwood Blvd. into a community and social services hub in the Ivanhoe neighborhood.
“Our honoree can best be described as a ‘servant leader’ — a man who has worked tirelessly for the benefit of our region,” said civic leader and 2019 Kansas Citian of the Year Alvin Brooks in a statement.
