Change is in the air.

Just weeks after voters topple Jackson County leader Frank white, Wyandotte County now picking a new mayor for the first time in 20 years, the office is wide open after Tyrone Garner announces he's not seeking reelection.

The stakes are high.

His replacement could be overseeing the building of new sports stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals, and an ambitious new plan to expand the streetcar to the county.

Are you Team Henry?

I'm trained to be a problem solver for Team Watson.

I'm a relationship builder, and I love a challenge or team.

Don't have a clue.

We have you back on this special election edition of weekend with you.

The two candidates, Rose Mulvany, Henry and Christal Watson, square off in the future of the Dodge.

The Wyandotte County mayors debate.

Stay with us.

Week in review is made possible through the generous support of Dave and Jamie Cummings.

Bob and Marlese Gourley, the Courtney S Turner Charitable Trust, John H. Mize, and Bank of America a co trustees.

The Francis Family.

Foundation through the discretionary fund of David and Janice Francis and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Hello, I'm Nick Haines, and glad to have you with us on this special election edition of Weekend Review.

Have you noticed that almost all the news attention in this town goes to two places Kansas City, Missouri and Johnson County.

This week, Wyandotte County finally gets its due.

As we bring you the next mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

Now, the only problem is we don't know which one of our two guests is going to claim the big office.

Is it Rose Mulvany Henry an attorney now serving her second term on the elected Board of Public Utilities, the county's publicly owned water and electric provider?

Or is it Christal Watson, the executive director for the Education Foundation that supports the KCK School District?

A former elected school board member, she worked as deputy chief of staff to former KCK Mayor David Alvey.

Now, I have to say, as we begin this, we hear lots of reports right now of elected leaders just quitting office and saying, you know, the job has become too hard, even locally.

We have candidates who tell us and elected leaders that they're getting threats of violence, even sometimes.

Rose Mulvany, Henry death threats.

So why on earth do you want to take on this job and make that sacrifice?

It's a great question, Nick, and thanks for having us here today.

I really appreciate it.

Look, I'm a lifelong dot.

I was born and raised in Wyandotte County, and, you know, I feel very strongly that I have a skill set that is needed right now.

We are at a very pivotal crossroad in the future of Wyandotte County.

And, you know, I want to give back to the community that has given me so much.

And I'm one of nine children.

I'm the only one of the nine that still lives in Wyandotte County.

My husband and I live there by choice.

And, you know, I was raised to leave things better than I found it.

And as difficult as this may be, as difficult as it is in this political climate, I still feel a very, very strong calling to do this.

Well, right after your primary election win.

Chrystal, you told the media this, quote, Wyandotte County will be in good hands with either of us, but one of us will be better.

Are you the better one?

What is that single trait that you have?

That skill, talent or experience that makes you more qualified for this position than your opponent?

Number one.

I'm in trained in business process improvement and in project management.

So when I talk about challenges and looking for those challenges and wanting those challenges, I am trying to look at a project or an issue and carry it from beginning to end.

And I am a relationship builder, and I think that's one of the key components, is what's going to be needed for unified government and for Wyandotte County.

We need a healing to take place, and we need someone who has those people skills that can go in and bring people together.

Okay.

Well, when we think about what has been happening in one county, current Mayor Tyrone Garner did a surprising interview with the Kansas City Star in which he claimed it's impossible to get things done.

The mayor has very little power and even more surprisingly, he said, literally, I'm terrified by what goes on inside the unified government.

He says he's been routinely ignored, and he's had county employees refuse even simple requests.

Now, if that's the office you're applying for, Miss Watson, how can you be more successful than Tyrone Garner?

Well, I'll start off on the right foot by working with the commissioners.

I've said if you don't think he did that.

maybe not the way I will do it.

the way I will do it is in the first 100 days, I'll be focused on meeting with those commissioners weekly.

When I even before I even announced, I told the commissioners, contacted, each and every one of them said, hey, I don't want you to be surprised.

I want to begin on the right foot.

If you have any questions, have an open door.

So I've already begun that process of working with those commissioners, including the staff, because I work there.

So I have some relationships that are a little different than how Tyrone Garner went into office.

What's the single biggest difference we'd see if Rose Mulvaney Henry takes over the mayor's office than what?

What we've seen the last four years with Tyrone Garner.

Well, I think collaboration is really the key here, right?

I mean, I've spent, an a very long career.

You know, as, as an attorney.

And, relationships are very key to that.

They're part of that, right?

I'm not a trial attorney.

You know, I don't go to court every day.

I actually negotiate contracts every day, and I deal with legislators and regulators.

You know, those things require a skill set that allows you and requires you to get along with people.

Right?

You don't think the current mayor has been doing that?

I think that there has been, frankly, a lack of respect between, the current administration and the commissioners.

And I just think that that relationship, got off on the wrong foot.

I think it's remained broken, unfortunately.

And I think that, you know, rather than focusing on things I can't accomplish, let's go focus on things we can accomplish together as a unified front.

Okay.

Let's talk about the things you can accomplish.

Complete the sentence for me.

Sure.

Miss Henry, the number one biggest issue facing Wyandotte County right now is blank property taxes.

Property taxes.

So what do you what lever are you going to push or pull, and what button are you going to push to lower property taxes?

Well, number one, I wish you were magic, right.

Wish I could just do that.

Push the button and we solve the problem.

We can't solve the problem easily.

We can't solve it overnight.

We have to be realistic about that, right?

I mean, we live in Wyandotte County too.

We pay the taxes too.

We understand it.

this has got to be a combination of spurring economic development.

Could be in the housing sector, will be in the housing sector.

Could be in small business development, will be in small business development and could be in larger projects.

But at the same time, we've got to look internally inside the unified government, and we have to ensure that we are operating the unified government moderately and efficiently.

And I think those two things are missing right now in a lot of respects.

Crystal, the single biggest issue facing Wyandotte County right now is spending.

Spending.

How we spend our money.

our residents are very concerned about where we are.

It's not so much about the taxes as it is also about how we spend those funds.

Where are our dollars going?

We're not getting the services that we feel like we need to get.

And so I think one of our biggest problems is spending.

How are you going to fix them?

Oh most definitely.

So one of the things I want to be able to do is hire a transparency officer.

I want an officer to go in and look at the data.

Let's evaluate and assess where we are within our budget and where our spending is going.

I have to say, we have had I'm thinking over the years, when you came in, you know, we had Malik Holland on the show.

We had David Alvey, Tyrone Garner.

A lot of these messages are about the same, and yet they never quite happened.

You know, you have a culture that has been difficult to change.

how are you going to change that culture that that's beating down the very leaders just before you?

Well, one of the advantages I do have is I know a lot of the staff, and so I know they know me.

And so they know the energy, the positivity that I will bring to the culture.

That will be the number one thing.

So I need to lead by example and of course, work with the county administrator.

that's going to take a lot of work, get up to speed on where they are.

you have to understand the staff report to the county administrator, not the mayor.

So it's important to be influential in areas where we know I can make a difference.

But our team needs to come in there with the positivity and energy that we want to work together with them and not go after them.

Now, you were working in Mayor David, his office at the top leadership position there.

Does that give your opponent an advantage over you because you have not been in that office before?

Does that give me an advantage or an advantage?

Yes.

Well, I don't know.

I mean, she spent, I think, 18 months in Alfie's office, and I don't know why you don't spend four years if you're with the mayor.

So to me, it's actually I don't know if it's an advantage for her or not.

you know, I think we need some outside eyes on this, Nick.

you know, coming from the private sector, we can adopt a lot of business tenants inside the unified government.

I think that are going to steer efficiency.

Right.

We're going to steer transparency.

If we are not, you know, in a in a couple of years, because I don't know really how long this is going to take, but I hope that it's it's quicker than the not if, if we aren't putting out dashboards for our public and showing, you know, our key performance indicators that we're operating by and showing our public where our tax dollars are going in real time, then that's a that's a failure on our part.

I mean, these things exist today for a reason.

And our folks are clamoring for I mean, Crystal's right.

Where's where's our money going?

Right.

The problem is there's not enough money there.

There just isn't.

And so we can talk about spending.

Okay.

Well, let's talk a little bit about that, because I think the outsiders looking at Wyandotte County will think blight.

They will be very surprised to learn that you have the highest effective property tax rates in the entire metropolitan area.

Yeah.

Okay.

And yet and the money is a problem.

And yet when you look at what's happening there, you see almost every big new attraction or project seems to be making its home in Wyandotte County.

Take a look at this.

Did you know that Wine County is now the number one tourist destination in the entire state of Kansas?

Casey Kay is one of only nine cities in America with a NASCAR Cup race track, and a major League Soccer team.

And it seems like every other week they're bringing in a new attraction or splashy development.

Say hello to the Beaver.

It is a big day in Kay.

As we're talking about Bucky's in Casey Kay.

4 to 5 million visitors a year, and especially here in Wyandotte County, it represents growth.

It's a long awaited arrival, a new island inspired resort style property in Kansas City, Kansas.

A new art experience is now open in Kansas City, Kansas.

Atlas nine Mattel Adventure Park is coming to Kansas City, guys.

American Royal making history today.

Announcing they have found a new home in Kansas.

The American royal.

Is leaving the West.

Bottoms and headed to Casey.

Kay.

It's expected to draw some 2 million people here a year.

This massive complex set to be finished and opened by early 2026.

Wow.

So you.

Why did you have not you think you'd have the lowest property taxes in the entire metropolitan area?

You'd be paving the streets with gold.

With all of these things coming.

well, one would think, and but I think the converse of this, Nick, is where would we be if if Wyandotte County in the West wasn't developed all those years ago under Memorandum Vic, where would we be today?

Because people act like, you know, we've we've spoken with people outside, we've spoken with experts.

We are a poster child for how urban districts work.

And they've been successful.

I know, you know that there has been some failures on the Johnson County side with some star born districts, right?

And not one our star bonds to date have all been paid early.

they've been paid back.

We have a a Department of Commerce in Topeka that's willing to work with Wyandotte County to do some of these things.

You know, we don't have enough density in Wyandotte County.

We just don't right now.

And frankly, our growth has become stagnant.

It has become stagnant over the last many years.

And all the things you see that are being developed today.

They've been in the pipeline for a long time.

There's not a lot in the pipeline right now.

Has everybody in the county, though benefited from all of these splashy developments?

No, they have not.

and several of those projects, there were millions of dollars that were promised.

that work would be done.

Infrastructure changes would occur, particularly in the northeast area of one that county.

And that has not happened.

You know, you don't have to be in the office for only 18 months to know what the system is, how things are done, and who is doing what.

And that is why that's one of the reasons why, having had that experience, I understand what we need to go into and what we need to do.

A mayor needs to go in with a vision, and the mayor needs to listen to the people.

And when it comes to the community benefit of our residents, we need to see more.

And that's what the residents are calling for.

Where are our services?

Where are you doing?

Or what are you doing with the promises that you've made?

You know, for our community, that's not happening.

You can't control all of these projects from the past, but you're going to have a very big load of to do's if you're elected mayor.

Yeah.

there is breathless news coverage, as you know, right now, over whether the Royals and Chiefs may be heading over to Kansas.

And Wyandotte County is being repeatedly mentioned as a landing spot for new Chiefs Stadium and possibly even a new ballpark for the Royals.

Are you all in, to put out the welcome mat, or are you skeptical that would benefit Wyandotte County residents?

I am skeptic that it will benefit Wyandotte County.

The deal has to be on point.

That community benefits agreement has to be on point.

So what would have to be in a deal for you to say, yes, I would approve the Royals or Chiefs moving.

You know, well the number of people that they're going to hire livable wages, not just getting a job wages.

we've got to have some metrics in place.

there has to be opportunity for contractors, for NBA lbe and just our disability and business employees.

I mean, we have to have some of those things in place in addition to, housing and, you know, meeting some infrastructure needs.

Rose Mulvaney.

Henry, how about you?

Are you opening the welcome mat, bringing it out for these teams, or are you also skeptical about what this would mean for Wyandotte County?

I'm opening the welcome mat, and in large part because, look, I think that, you know, to turn down, you know, the opportunity for a multi-billion dollar franchise in our backyard would not be wise.

But to Krystal's point, the deal has to be right.

And the good news is, you know, some of us have actually sat and negotiated multi-billion dollar deals.

I'm not going to be in that room, but I know if the deal's good for our community or not.

We have a lot of development agreements that are in place today that have not benefited our community as they should have.

They just have.

Absolutely.

And because you've been there before and you think about why our county you got the Kansas Speedway, Children's Mercy Park, they had big tax incentives that went with those.

how did that really impact the quality of life in one county?

And, did everyone really benefit from that.

When we you say, well, speed with it from.

Or was it only some parts of Wyandotte County that benefited?

I mean, I think there's been I mean, we, we have economically depressed areas in our community that clearly have not been the focus of development in the past.

You know, and, Nick, I'm on record of saying, you know, I want development everywhere.

The West part of the county is going to take care of itself.

If we're not intentional about actually investing in traditionally disinvested areas like the northeast, like Argentina, like Armadale.

You know, listening to what the residents of Edwardsville want and what the leadership in Edwardsville want.

If we're not looking all across the entire community, the entire county, right.

The West will take care of itself.

We have to be intentional about these other areas, and we have to attract housing, and we have to attract developers to these other areas.

And part of that, starting right now, we're starting to see some of that.

But I can tell you this, I know folks have been sitting on the sidelines because they're waiting for stability.

Back at the unified government.

Two years ago this week, Mayor Tyron Garner was making a bombshell announcement.

He said the 25 year old merger of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, wasn't working and it may be time for a divorce.

Many have told me they struggle to see how forming the UG in 1997, by way of consolidation, has positively measured up to the promises made for consolidation in the first place.

If the unified government had been working as promised, I personally don't believe we would have inherited $1 billion worth of debt.

Well, now he's heading out of office.

The idea seems to be fading, but is every area of the county better off because Wyandotte County and KCC came together and merged more than 25 years ago?

Crystal.

Well, I think the reason why they came together were primarily for financial reasons, right?

You had Edwardsville and Bonner, who had a lower population than Kansas City, Kansas.

And so because they were considered more as a rural community, they don't get as much funding as, say, Kansas City, Kansas would.

And I think that is why Westville and Bonner have felt a little on the outside, felt like they're stepchildren because of it.

You know, in speaking with the mayors and leadership in both Edwardsville and Bonner, you know, I understand at this point why and how they think they have been slighted.

And honestly, some of the issues they brought forth, they sure don't seem hard to fix.

Right?

So we have to make sure that we have, you know, a unified government.

Commissioners board that are willing to step forward and listen to these residents of our unified government.

The other thing I think we have to do, it's just critical at this point when we are, you know, folks are appointing people to boards and committees and things like that that are very important decisions happen in these things.

Why are we not utilizing more residents from those particular areas to be more representative of those areas?

You know, this should not be a hey, it's a political favor.

You can be appointed to X, right?

Let's put qualified people from both of those communities on some of these task force committees and and boards to ensure that they're represented properly.

The biggest news story in Kansas City, this week is the opening of the streetcar extension down to the plaza.

But there's a growing push behind the scenes to start a new East-West route that would, for the first time, see the streetcar cross into Kansas, starting at the University of Kansas Medical Center, which is in Wyandotte County.

If you're elected mayor Rose Mulvaney Henry, would you support using county tax dollars to make that happen?

County tax dollars or sales tax dollars?

Nick.

You tell me.

I you know, I think I would support sales tax to make that house stance.

But look, we've got crumbling bridges right now, right?

We've got bridges that aren't open.

And so we've got to address some of those infrastructure needs is.

So this is this.

Is not at the top of the priority list.

I mean, look, it's big because we want to make sure that we're, you know, facilitating interstate commerce as well as we can with our friends in Kansas City, Missouri.

We really we want to make that happen, right?

But where is that in the list of priorities today?

It's up there.

But is it at the top?

Probably not.

Are we riding the streetcar over to Wyandotte County if, Crystal Watson is the mayor?

Well, I'm definitely welcoming that opportunity with more public private partnerships.

I think that would be the first thing that we could explore before we even tax our people.

I think using the sales tax would be great.

Would we model it where there's, an additional sales tax and we have a sunset date on it so that it would cover the expense of that, but I definitely would welcome it, and I'd love to see it run through downtown KC.

K that would be part of a great expansion and revitalization for the downtown area.

For all of the things you've talked about already on this program, all the issues that you've touched upon.

One would hasn't been mentioned whatsoever.

And that's the word crime.

And in fact, I'd like to know is around your websites and actually you don't even mention it one time on your website.

Rose Mulvany.

Henry, is that because you don't think the mayor's office has a role to play in that issue, or that that is not a priority issue for voters?

I will tell you, in going through this, the last six and a half months, you know, you know, I don't hear as much.

You know who I've heard more about crime from the media than I have about anyone else.

So part of it's a perception, right?

And I understand that, folks, what folks refer to as Wyandotte County is crime.

Dot, I understand it, I get it.

you know, if I listen to the statistics from Chief Oakman and, District Attorney Dupree, we have actually lowered our violent crime by 30 ish percent in the last several years.

And that's not.

You know, that's not nothing.

That's kind of a big deal.

Yeah, and I hear about, you know, illegal dumping, blight things like that where we're not actually enforcing the laws that we have on the books that will help us.

I think with additional crime issues.

That said, it's not something I hear routinely on the campaign trail.

But it's one of your priorities on your website.

What is the single biggest thing that you could do to fix crime in Wyandotte County?

As mayor?

Well, continue to work with our, law enforcement.

I've also had conversations with Oakman as well as, Sheriff Southwick.

and we've got other issues related to immigration as well, and ice.

and it's really nice to hear that Rosas used the statistics that I was give have been given through this campaign.

but one of the other things I'd really like to see a reduction in, addressing crime is youth intervention.

looking at youth intervention programs, Sheriff Oakman has done a phenomenal job with expanding that.

I'd like to see more of that.

I like to see where the, mayor's office can continue to support in that area.

We start early, right with our youth, and working in our communities.

I think that we can address crime a lot better.

And then also working with our neighborhood associations.

We also have a neighborhood business revitalization groups.

that can be an extension to, the police department as well as to the mayor's office and, for that matter, those agencies and groups are the tentacles to our community, and they can help us with some of those areas.

I was on your website, too.

Yeah.

So, yes, crime is on there, but you have some other specific claims on there.

I wanted to touch with you.

One of them is you will, quote, clean up City Hall and cut waste.

What program or service that's currently offered by Wyandotte County.

Would you cut or eliminate if you're elected?

I don't know about really cutting it per se.

I think maybe cut maybe some of that spending.

okay.

Is there a specific, item in that budget?

Yes.

You can't name one.

I can't really name one at this point.

I know that there has, but when I talk about spending, it is in regards to maybe some of the debt.

I know we're paying a debt service, right?

And I know that they're giving a lot of of cost to that.

Maybe we could pull back and cut some of that back so that we can provide some of that funding in other areas where services are really needed.

Like, you know, our infrastructure, like roads and sidewalks and what have you.

I think when I referred to that, it was really in that, in that meeting.

Can you name one thing you would cut from the budget, Miss Henry, in the first month of you taking office?

look, I mean, one thing I would cut in the first month.

Did you say no, I can't name one thing.

I mean, look, you got to get in there before you know.

Right?

I mean, I can look at the budget right now, and we don't have, you know, a line item by line item budget.

It's hard to do that.

The vast majority of the budget is tied up in personnel.

Four years from now.

Crystal Watson, what's the headline you want to read about your term?

that we were able to maintain, the tax base and for that matter, lower it, that we added up to a thousand homes.

we're the areas where we don't have housing currently to build on our tax base.

More importantly, that our commission board and our staff are working more cohesively under our leadership.

And I go to the bottom of my driveway, pick up the paper, take it out of its little plastic sack.

And the headline I read after four years of Rose Mulvaney Henry as mayor is want.

the unified government of Wyandotte County under Mulvaney.

Henry's leadership is more efficient, and folks in the Dot are thriving.

And you have been watching the next mayor of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

Which one gets the job?

Will we have two voters.

Will you choose Crystal Watson or Rose Mulvaney?

Henry Lee in person?

Advance voting starts this weekend, election day, just around the corner on November 4th.

Next week, our reporters are back and in addition to dissecting the week's most impactful, confusing and downright head scratching local news stories, we'll dive into all the other big election races on both sides of state line.

Until then, I'm McCain's from all of us here at Kansas City PBS.

Be well, keep calm and carry on.