I love Wyandotte County. Our government doesn’t respect our investments | Opinion

I moved to Wyandotte County about 10 years ago because I wanted a place where neighbors still look out for each other. I found that. My block feels like family and this community is the reason I have stayed as long as I have.

But if I am being honest, if I had known how things were run here, I would have thought twice. I work two jobs and I run a small side hobby and business just to keep my head above water. I am not someone looking for a handout. I am someone doing everything I can to stay afloat. So when Board of Public Utilities bills keep climbing without clear explanations, and when Kansas City, Kansas, home appraisals double in five years with no matching improvements or market reality, I notice. A lot of us notice.

Now we are being asked to take on the financial risk of a massive stadium deal for the Chiefs in Kansas. Many residents do not see this as a good economic move. When taxpayers take on the debt while a private organization keeps the profits, that is not development. That is a burden. Other cities have learned this the hard way. Big promises at the beginning and very little long term benefit for the people paying the bill.

Meanwhile, families here are already stretched thin. People should not have to work multiple jobs just to keep their homes. They should not be expected to subsidize a project that may never return the investment to the community.

I did not move here expecting perfection. I moved here expecting fairness. What we have now does not feel fair. It feels like a system that has gotten too comfortable making decisions without transparency, without accountability, and without considering the impact on the people who actually live here.

Wyandotte County is full of good and hardworking residents who deserve better. We deserve a government that respects our effort, our investment and our commitment to our neighborhoods. It is time for real answers and real change — because the people who call this place home are worth fighting for.

Ken Sweeney is a small business owner in Wyandotte County.