Profiles in cowardice: KC’s biggest employers silent on efforts to restrict voting
The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City is made up of senior leaders of the largest private employers in the region. It’s also made up of cowards.
Across the country, business leaders are speaking out against efforts to restrict voting, but that’s not happening here.
Marc Hill, president of the Civic Council, took the easy route and declined to comment publicly on the topic.
“The Civic Council has not recently examined or taken a position on the issue of voting rights, so we would decline to comment publicly on this topic at this time,” Hill wrote in a statement to The Star Editorial Board. “We do continually monitor legislation that may be contrary to the non-discrimination plank in our KS and MO state legislative agendas, which are posted on our website.”
That is beyond pathetic.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Civic Council as a whole cannot take positions on or make statements about political issues. And that is understandable. Violating IRS code is against the law and could jeopardize the council’s tax status. But there should be nothing partisan about the right to vote.
The Civic Council advocates for policies that support the economic growth and quality of life of the entire region, according to its website. Do you know what’s good for business? Standing up for one of the basic tenets of democracy.
GOP claims of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election have been proven false. No one even raised that possibility about the Kansas or Missouri elections being tainted by fraud, since the outcome was to the Republicans’ liking.
Yet in both Missouri and Kansas, GOP lawmakers are trying to crack down on problems that don’t exist by limiting voting rights in various ways.
With legislation to restrict voting moving fast in Jefferson City and Topeka, now is the time to take a stand.
The Civic Council represents the business interests of many companies that have donated to campaigns using political action committees. The list includes Hallmark, H&R Block, Cerner Corporation and Commerce Bank. Employees and executives from the Polsinelli law firm and Burns & McDonnell and Black & Veatch engineering firms contribute to campaigns via third party PACs as well. Yet most have remained on the sidelines when it comes to voting rights.
No one should doubt the Civic Council’s deep, public involvement in local issues in the past. In the 1990s, the Council was in the middle of the long-running Kansas City school desegregation case, even filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court. It offered to pay for a school district financial officer. In the 2000s, it urged a state takeover of the Kansas City Public Schools.
The Civic Council pushed a sales tax for medical research that voters crushed. It worked for the downtown arena. It paid for a blueprint for revitalizing downtown. It supported an early childhood education sales tax. It supported Medicaid expansion.
It has four registered lobbyists in Jefferson City. In 2020, it donated $95,000 to various causes, including extension of the earnings tax.
Now, on voting rights, it can’t decide what to do? It makes no sense.
Nicole Price, founder of Lively Paradox, a business leadership consulting company, said companies should never be afraid to do the right thing. Organizations must be intentional about being inclusive to attract, retain and develop talent.
“You will lose customers when you take a stand,” she said. “But think about how many customers you will gain.”
More than 100 of the top CEOs in the country convened over the weekend to oppose legislation that restricts access to voting, according to The Wall Street Journal. Corporate leaders discussed ways to hold accountable politicians who support ill-advised voting restrictions. Withholding donations to political figures who approve voter suppression bills and stopping investments in states that pass similar laws were also on the table, The Washington Post reported.
The group of CEOs was asked to sign a statement opposing restrictive voting legislation in Texas and other states. Adam Aron, CEO of Leawood-based AMC Entertainment Holdings, reportedly led the conversation. Attempts to reach Aron for comment were unsuccessful, but the company deserves recognition for taking a stand that will be unpopular in certain circles.
Calls and messages left for representatives at Cerner, Hallmark, JE Dunn Construction, Children’s Mercy Hospital and Lockton Companies were not returned.
We will update that sentence if and when they do.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.