Independence City Council election could reshape city’s politics at a delicate time
Tuesday’s Independence City Council election figures to reshape the suburban city’s politics as at least two — and possibly three — new council members will fill the three seats up for grabs.
A handful of interests with ties to Independence, particularly organized labor representing the city’s utility workers and firefighters, have taken keen interest in the contest with sizable donations. One person with connections to a long-ago political scandal in Independence is also supporting candidates with donations exceeding those of other individual donors.
There’s one incumbent — District 2’s Curt Dougherty — who is looking to keep his seat against a challenge by Brice Stewart during a campaign season in which voters have already shown one council member the door. District 4 council member Tom Van Camp finished last in February’s primary and will be replaced by either Chris Heitzman or Dan Hobart.
The District 3 seat, currently occupied by Scott Roberson, who has decided to not seek another term, will be filled by either Michael Steinmeyer or Dan O’Neill, both real estate agents.
It’s a delicate time for Independence. Like other cities, it is grappling with the prospect of severe tax revenue shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Eileen Weir has previously told The Star that the city is looking at possibly a $4 million shortfall this year and $11 million over the next two years.
The Star has also previously reported that the FBI has been asking questions and seeking records pertaining to two contracts involving city-owned utility Independence Power & Light. One involved a contract awarded to a politically connected firm to tear down IPL’s power station in Missouri City, despite concerns about qualifications and the price of its bid. Another was a contract to build a solar farm on the former Rockwood golf course.
IPL itself is at a crossroads. The utility has experienced instability among leadership — two directors have left IPL since former director Leon Daggett retired in 2017 — and an outside management consultant is examining the operations of the utility.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents the city’s utility workers, has been a big donor to some of the Independence City Council races. Steinmeyer has received $2,500 from IBEW, campaign finance records show. The IBEW has also donated to Dougherty.
Steinmeyer, who points to his opponent O’Neill’s connections to what he calls “special interests,” defends his endorsement from IBEW, saying Independence needs jobs.
“I guess my special interests are people who just want to be treated fairly,” Steinmeyer said.
O’Neill, who has received $6,000, close to half of his overall campaign haul, from the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors and other contributions from real estate associations, said he was “not a bit ashamed of who is supporting me.”
“Would I listen to the Realtors if they had issues? Absolutely,” O’Neill said. “Would I listen to my citizens? Yes.”
The current Independence City Council on Monday will discuss whether to approve an agreement with IBEW to provide minimum 1% wage increases each year for the next two years.
IBEW representatives were not available to discuss its involvement in Independence elections.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents the city’s firefighters, is also a significant donor to Steinmeyer, as well as to Hobart. The firefighters union has frequently been active in Independence matters.
The largest individual donor in Tuesday’s elections is Alan Hill, a Lee’s Summit businessman with longtime connections to Independence.
He has given donations ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 to Dougherty, Steinmeyer and Heitzman.
In the late 1980s, Hill was named as a co-conspirator but not charged in a federal indictment of former Independence council member Woody Howell for extortion — a federal prosecutor described it as “vote selling” related to liquor licenses and a coal contract — according to press reports at the time from the Independence Examiner. Howell pleaded guilty to the charge.
Hill was viciously attacked in Independence by a pack of pit bulls in 2006. Independence passed a ban against pit bulls but some residents in recent years have pushed for the city to lift the restriction.
Steinmeyer and Heitzman said they spoke to Hill about the pit bull ban.
“That’s it, that’s the one issue we talked about,” Steinmeyer said.
Hill declined to discuss specifics about why he supported the three candidates. He said he simply wanted them to listen to people.
“They’ve indicated they will,” Hill said.
The candidates for Tuesday’s election say they have different priorities, but many of them believe current city leadership doesn’t listen to residents. Here’s a digest of each race.
District 2
Dougherty is one of Independence’s long-time elected officials, having served on the city council since 2012 and serving in the Missouri General Assembly before that. He works as an electrical contractor.
He has experienced his share of controversy in recent years. As a former MarkOne Electric employee, he was accused of steering contracts to the company, but an ethics panel cleared him of conflicts of interest.
He was also criticized by fellow council members for a remark at a council meeting last year about “discount smoke shops owned by mostly Middle Easterns who will sell anything out the back door.”
Dougherty did not respond to questions emailed to him for this story.
Dougherty is running against Brice Stewart, a frequent but unsuccessful candidate for various public offices in Jackson County. He did not return a call to discuss this story.
District 3
Steinmeyer and O’Neill are both real estate agents. They both acknowledge there’s an acrid environment surrounding City Hall politics.
Their similarities mostly end there.
Steinmeyer said he’s running on a plank of fiscal accountability, particularly as it relates to Independence using community improvement districts and tax increment financing to subsidize commercial development.
“Independence has a terrible history of using CIDs or TIFs,” Steinmeyer said.
O’Neill, meanwhile, is more sanguine about promoting real estate development, particularly in his district.
“I’m all for economic development,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill, who has been a director for the Independence Economic Development Council, said Independence was largely headed in the right direction before the coronavirus pandemic, although he acknowledges as he campaigns that he hears about suspicions residents have of City Hall.
“We have some serious issues facing us right now and those are budgetary issues,” O’Neill said. “Frankly, we’re going to have to cut back.”
Steinmeyer said Independence understaffs its police department, that it needs 12 to 18 more officers.
He’s less bullish about the state of affairs under the current city council.
“This city council has made decisions that they know are wrong, unethical and illegal in terms of the city charter,” Steinmeyer said.
District 4
Dan Hobart said he got interested in political office when the Independence City Council broached the idea of cutting benefits to retired employees from the city budget. Hobart, an attorney, is the son of a retired Independence police officer.
Since then, he’s watched City Hall and decided to get involved. He’s running on a belt-tightening, back-to-basics platform.
“My goals are very simple: That is to quit spending money, pay for the things that are necessary, get your house in order, no more projects, no more IPL-related expenses, only the things that need to get the city running until we get running again,” Hobart said.
His opponent, Chris Heitzman, is more pointed about his decision to get involved in city politics.
“I decided to run because the people need a voice in District 4,” Heitzman said, “and all the corruption and special interest groups involved at City Hall and the special interest groups involved in our campaigns and elections that are currently going on.”
Heitzman said is priorities include reducing crime, building a facility to help with the city’s homeless population and being “a more business-friendly city.”
“We have businesses moving out of Independence,” Heitzman said. “City Hall needs to be approaching those businesses and seeing what needs to be worked out for them to stay instead of saying, whatever, see you.”
Heitzman, who works for Schulte Supply, an industrial supplier, has self-funded about half of his campaign.
“I’ve made it a point to not collect that type of money,” Heitzman said. “With that type of money come favors.”
Heitzman has pledged to be a single-term council member if elected.
“I’m not going to be a lifelong politician,” Heitzman said.
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 12:40 PM.
