Tina Medina: I’m running for Wyandotte County Commission, and I have an Argentine plan | Opinion

There is one Proverb that states the truth, in Chapter 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” A vision is the substance of an idea that has the potential to be something great. The idea can be part of a plan that a community embraces for the betterment of all — a plan in which everyone (businesses, residents and community organizations) is involved can be the catalyst for positive neighborhood enhancement. That means more businesses coming to the area and residents feeling better because finally there is a vision for hope, change and seeing their tax dollars at work.

The most important element of a vision for such a plan is its potential power to ignite huge residential, business and philanthropic buy-in and support so it can come to fruition. An implemented community plan in my neighborhood can mean the basic amenities that most neighborhoods in the greater Kansas City area simply take for granted: a water park, a swimming pool, better parks, curbs in good repair and a small business incubator so more visionaries and creatives get the chance to pursue their commercial dreams.

Those are my simple ideas, but I know there are more if Argentine residents and business owners ever get the chance to have a plan again. You see, Argentine has not had a master plan since 1970. This fact speaks volumes to me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Remember, where there is no vision, the people perish and thus, a community is neglected.

What happens when a community has not had a plan for 50 years? This is the dilemma of my Argentine area. Argentine is a small, ethnically mixed community in Kansas City, Kansas, that has so much potential. Argentine needs leadership that can envision what it can be. Our future can be as bright as our past.

Argentine’s beauty and history are rich. Silver was mined here, giving it the name Silver City. It boasted a steel plant that was highly valued. Both were recognized on a national level.

Even Wikipedia knows: “Argentine was primarily recognized for the prosperous silver smeltery for which it was named. Built on the site of a former Shawnee reservation, the proximity of the railroad, local lumber sources, the smeltery, and in later years, steel manufacturing, meant that the city enjoyed a considerable amount of economic success for quite some time.

“When the smeltery finally closed, the city found itself in the throes of an unprecedented financial crisis and began to seek entry to nearby Kansas City in 1907. Although the community was annexed and became the seventh ward of Kansas City, Kansas in 1910, the neighborhood retains its own distinct flavor and personality.”

Today Argentine’s richness is its heart and its residents. The silver may be gone, but Argentine’s treasure is its good-hearted people. The smeltery may have ceased, but the potential of Argentine’s economic power is in its micro- and small-business community. I believe Argentine can thrive again with many small enterprises on Strong Avenue and throughout the area.

Argentine is part of the 3rd District of Wyandotte County, and I have been asking for a new Argentine plan for about the last five years. I know it is possible because this is not the first time I’ve made such a request. Miss Mary Williams and I asked for the Armourdale Area Master Plan when I was executive director of Armourdale Renewal Association in 2017 and it was granted. It came to fruition in 2021 and 2022.

Argentine deserves a plan just like the rest of Wyandotte County. Its vision must be on paper and implemented, lest the people perish — and residents like me will not let that happen. Getting involved is the key to unlocking the doors to endless opportunities. My dad, Jose Medina Sr., was Argentine’s locksmith for many years while he was working and after he retired from the Board of Public Utilities. His transition was seamless: He retired from BPU one day and was a full-time locksmith the next day. It is this work ethic that many of us have in Argentine.

We want an Argentine plan. After all, it has been 50 years.

Let us have the opportunity to write the vision together with the Unified Government. Let us make the plan plain, so people can run to it and we can gain the help of the greater Kansas City philanthropic community and national financial resources to enhance Argentine.

It is time for Argentine to rise to the occasion to be something special again. I believe anything is possible here, and that is why I am running for 3rd District commissioner. My hope is for a great and thriving district, and I believe with the grace of God, it will happen.