Mayoral Committees and Boards Must Have Transparency and Accountability
By: Mark Forsythe
July 21, 2006
We have close to 90 citizen boards and commissions in Kansas City. Chances
are you have some experience or expertise that will apply to at least one of
these groups. Have you ever been asked to serve on one? Probably not!
Some boards are highly prized like PIAC, Planning, or the PIEA.
They are considered springboards to a successful City Council or Mayoral run.
For that reason many of these boards and commissions are populated with
political insiders and influential campaign donors.
I have served on two of these commissions myself. Not because of donating
to a campaign or being an insider. The first, the Competitive Review Committee
was a group put together to review business models for City departments like
Street Maintenance and Parks & Rec. I ended up filling a vacancy at the request
of the chairman who wanted someone with experience in strategic planning and
business models. The second commission on which I
currently serve is the 311 Action Center oversight committee. Once again, I
wasn't brought in because I'm a powerful insider, I was requested by some of
the City staffers with whom I worked while on the previous commission.
Every other commission I have attempted to volunteer for has resulted in
being passed over for "someone already promised the position."
It shouldn't be that hard to volunteer your time to help your community.
You shouldn't have to have the mayor on speed dial. I know there is a tremendous
amount of collective knowledge in this City and there's plenty of people willing
to share, if only they were asked.
I will insure that there is a link on the front of kcmo.org that takes you
straight to the listing of boards and commissions and a list of any openings.
Anyone should be allowed to express interest in serving. The whole process should
be transparent and once appointed, every commission member should have a web page
bio so we can all know more about the people making recommendations that affect
our City. Instead of making these groups rewards for loyal political supporters,
lets make them opportunities for new ideas.
