Raytown Citizens 
Express Their Views

Last Tuesday’s meeting of the Raytown Board of Aldermen was unique. Not so much because of what the Board did. They only had two items on the agenda to discuss.

But what was interesting were the comments from three private citizens at the beginning of the meeting.

To hear what these three brave souls had to say to the Board of Aldermen use the following link marked Public Comments. The speakers in the order they spoke are:

SPEAKER 1:       SCOTT STORMER
SPEAKER 2:       LISA BLOOM
SPEAKER 3:       MORRIS MELLOY

Public comments is the second listed item on the agenda
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VIEW VIDEO

We were wondering how Raytown can best show support of the Kansas City Chiefs quest to win a third Super Bowl in a row.

Our solution was to take advantage of the sign located in front of City Hall.

Now that's a message
on which we can all agree!

FOR YOU TRIVIA BUFFS:

Chief's Super Bowl Victories and Losses
Chief's win in red / Chief's loss in black 

SUPER BOWL I (played in 1967)
Kansas City 10   Green Bay 35

SUPER BOWL IV (played in1970)
Kansas City 23   Minnesota 7

SUPER BOWL LIV (played in 2020)   
Kansas City 31   San Francisco 20

SUPER BOWL LV (played in 2021)
Kansas City 9     Tampa Bay 31

SUPER BOWL LVII  (played in 2023)
Kansas City 38   Philadelphia 35

SUPER BOWL LVIII (played in 2024)
Kansas City 25   San Francisco 22

SUPER BOWL LIX (to be determined next Sunday)
Kansas City __   Philadelphia __

Homeowners Distrust
of City Hall Grows
BY PAUL LIVIUS
DEVELOPER CALLS OFF PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPERTY LOCATED AT 53RD AND BLUE RIDGE BOULEVARD

Approximately two years ago, seven of the ten members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen gave approval for the development of a gasoline station / convenience store / liquor store to be built at 53rd and Blue Ridge Boulevard.

Fast forward to today. The owner of the property did not meet an 18 month deadline to begin the project. The announcement of homeowners close to the proposed gas/liquor/convenience store gave a collective sigh of relief.

Homeowners living near the location were informed three to five days before the meeting by mail from the developer to hear of his plans to re-submit* his application.

A large number of Raytown homeowners living near the 5835 Blue Ridge Property Boulevard were on hand for the so-called four o’clock “informational meeting” with the developer. Ward 3 Alderwoman Janet Emerson and Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters were also in attendance

At 3:55 a city employee from the Community Development Department entered the entrance to the Council Chambers and announced the developer had called off the meeting.

This caused an immediate reaction from the homeowners on hand who questioned (1) why the meeting was called off . . . and (2) . . . who had given the messenger the direction to notify them. To which the messenger said she “did not know who told her” to post signs up announcing the meeting had been called off!

And people say Raytown City Hall is not transparent!

The event was a black eye for the City Administration on the rezoning of the property. It was appeared to the homeowners from the neighborhood waiting for the meeting to start that the cancellation of the meeting was contrived by City Hall and the developer.

All that was accomplished was a deepening of the mistrust between homeowners and City Hall.

We will continue to follow and report on this story as it slowly unravels.