KC Councilwoman wants to name street ‘Troy Schulte Way’? What happened to honoring MLK?
A new proposal to rename a downtown Kansas City street for recently-retired City Manager Troy Schulte is well-intentioned but ill-considered and politically tone-deaf.
City Councilwoman Heather Hall wants to honor Schulte by renaming a street near the south entrance of Kansas City Hall for the former longtime city manager and current Jackson County administrator.
But Hall is traveling down the wrong road with blinders on if she thinks this is the right moment to honorarily rename a short stretch of 12th Street between Oak and Locust streets “Troy Schulte Way.” Given the ugly debate that has roiled Kansas City politics in recent months as the city has struggled and failed to find a way to honor Martin Luther King Jr., Hall’s timing is lousy.
The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners, which governs the city’s boulevard system, is considering Hall’s request and will accept public comments on the change until its next meeting, Jan. 28.
The sentiment to honor Schulte is laudable. He was viewed by most as an effective, well-liked city manager.
“He’s been a really great public servant for the city for all these years, and this is just a nice way to say thank you,” Hall told The Star.
But the optics of quickly naming a street for Schulte, who left City Hall just last month, are lousy. In a city where voters recently rejected renaming The Paseo in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., officials should first settle the question of how to appropriately recognize the civil rights trailblazer.
Kansas City remains one of the largest cities in the nation without a street dedicated to King, an unfortunate distinction that became even more of an embarrassment in November when voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to remove King’s name from a prominent boulevard and restore The Paseo name.
Hall voted against renaming The Paseo for King, arguing that the city didn’t follow the correct protocols. Now, she correctly notes that the MLK renaming saga and the Schulte proposal are not related. And renaming 12th Street is relatively simple since City Hall’s address wouldn’t change.
But what message would it send about Kansas City if the parks board approved a street to honor a retired city manager before paying tribute to King, or even former Mayor Sly James, both of whom are African American men?
“The board is very aware of the predicament,” said Terry Rynard, director of Kansas City Parks and Recreation. “I don’t think they will rush to any sort of decision, and they will make the best out of a sticky situation.”
The City Council already honored Schulte with a resolution when he retired. To his credit, the former city manager said he is focused on his work at Jackson County, deferring questions about Hall’s proposal to City Hall.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas helped spearhead the push to rename The Paseo. In a statement, Lucas said the city should hit pause on “Schulte Way” until King is recognized.
The mayor is right.
The 90-day public comment period to solicit ideas on how to pay tribute to King is still open. The parks board is reviewing submitted suggestions and will begin hosting public forums to determine next steps as soon as the comment period closes Feb. 20.
Kansas City has a long history of honoring public servants. And it’s a distinguished list. But there are certainly myriad ways to celebrate and commemorate Schulte’s service — a street name is not the only option.
Plus, naming streets for people who are still active in the public realm can be a perilous proposition. There’s no rush to settle on a plan for a permanent reminder of what Schulte did for the city.
The last thing Kansas City needs is another street fight, with more pressing questions about honoring King still entirely unresolved.
This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM.