Screens and Shields

  Breaking news -- Katheryn Shields will screen for the Citizens Association, as it ponders an endorsement for Kansas city mayor.

   This means she's thinkin' on it.

   The interview takes place Wednesday evening.

Posted by Dave Helling

Comments

I can't believe it!

All Saints' Day, huh? Will she come in costume?

[Dickeylee]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! She be funny.

[CarrieB]

Blog entries which require an air sickness bag should come with a warning. I have to clean up my desk now.

[craig]

What some people fail to realize is the level of Shields narcisism. She has no concept of the fact that the only way she was elected is due to the connections of her father and husband. She also fails to realize that the only reason she stayed in power so long was due to the fact that up until recently no Democrat had the guts to stand up to the Pendergrast machine. She has also surrounded herself with "yes men/women" who will not allow her to hear anything negative about any of her decisions or policies. I am convinced that after she is trounced in the Mayoral election, she will not realize it and try to move in to city hall anyway. Hopefully she will be arrested and put in a mental institution at that point and we will be rid of her.

[Dickeylee]

Anonymous @ 1:23, is that you Darla?

Great reporting Dave...better late then never huh?

Must have listened to KMBZ this morning.

I just threw up in my mouth.

John Fairfield: a strong leader for a strong city!

How does downtowneyes post in the future? It's only 2:08 pm and he/she has entered a 2:15 post!

Who the hell is John Fairfield?

[kcdowntowneyes]

This is interesting. The Citizens Association had a deadline of last week to have their questionaire back to them. Did she get special attention on this. I live in the Northland. Why would we want someone of her character representing us. I hope the Citizens Association asked tough questions of her and her leadership abilities or lack of them. Why doesn't she just go away? She is an embarrassment to others who hold public office. I would work as hard against her as much as I would for someone else.

John Fairfield: children's advocate (a mayor who won't shy away from the school problem in KC), attorney, former judge, current citycouncilman, your next mayor, then governor, then senator, then supreme court justice!

[craig]

Just taking a guess, some computers may not have automatically adjusted to DST and typepad uses the time on their computer to post.

I don't get the connection with Fairfield being mayor of KCMO and any involvement in the larger KC School District. Doesn't a mayor have enough to do in his own city? Where was he a judge? I hope not in the KCMO Municipal Court!

Uh, the "larger KC School District" IS in "his own city". One of Councilman Fairfield's top three priorities is "working to improve school districts". Starting with the K.C. School District makes sense. Surely, one has to realize that the urban core will never be renewed without a good school district for the kids living in that area.

http://www.fairfield4mayor.com/SiteResources/data/files/FairfieldConferenceA[1].Edu.mp3

John was a municipal judge for the City of Platte Woods from May 1995 to March 2003.

[Brandon]

I wonder how much of our tax dollars Shield's will pay out to the Citizen Association to realize no sane citizen would want her as mayor! She or IT, is beyond dellusioned. Please stop embarrassing yourself and our fine citizens of KC.

Frankly, I have never heard of Mr. Fairfield. However, I hardly think that being a part time traffic judge in Platte Woods constitutes the management and leadership skills to be the mayor of a large jurisdiction such as KC. If you have more to offer, I will be happy to consider it. Likewise, simply sitting as a councilman representing a ward or district is not the same as managing a large political/ fiscal machine.

It seems as though you are Mr. Fairfield or one of his staff. That is all fine and well but saying a former part time traffic judge is future supreme court justice does not exactly add credibility to your argument without showing how he has already obtained a high level of scholarly or legal reputation at this point in his career.

Further, it seems that Mr. Fairfield is running for the wrong job if he wants to improve the school district. The only thing the school board would want from the city is money. I think the taxpayers would object since they already give enough money to the school district due to the no rollback provision. A mayor's job is to manage the city, not the school district. I will not vote for a mayor who says his goal is to do something other than what I am paying him to do.

I do understand how strong schools can help draw residents in; however, again, that is the roll of school boards and the district. Without credible test scores, graduation rates, violent free schools and parents who actually take an interest in their student's schooling, nothing will change.

Actually, in Kansas City, MO, the city manager's job is to manage the city. The mayor's job (much like a city councilperson's) is to set policy for the city manager to execute. The mayor has a bit more power in that he or she can appoint committee members and chairs and has a bit of a bully pulpit to work from.

I would further say that the mayor's job is also to strengthen our city which he or she does by taking on issues such as economic development, crime and safety, and the operations of city government in conjuction with other "shareholders" in the city, shareholders which include ALL of our school districts.

So a guy who chose to live in a Northland school district rather than the KCMO school district wants to do good things for the KCMO school district. Give us a break!

Is the campaign team telling us that Fairfull wants to use the mayor's job as a stepping stone to higher office? Name a 20th Centurh KCMO mayor to went on to greater things.

I'll bet Cleaver would rather be mayor than a member of the minority party in the 435-member US House. That is not going on to better things.

Strengthening the KCMO school district is strengthening the urban core. John Fairfield has a history of working for a stronger and better downtown. Unfortunately, Jackson County voters approved the stadium renovations or he could be continuing to lead the charge for a downtown stadium which would have put 40,000 people downtown for entertainment about 65 nights a year (assuming about 16 ballgames a year are day games) further helping downtown.

Name a 20th century KCMO mayor who has John Fairfield's abilities! There wasn't one.

Actually, I have heard a rumor that Cleaver might be returning to City Hall for family and church reasons -- to be closer to home more often.