I’m no alarmist. I try to maintain a balanced perspective on most things affecting the community.
But the steady decline of democratic and social norms we’ve seen play out at the federal level cannot trickle down to local levels of government. The thought of that very real phenomenon should send chills down our collective spine.
For example, the Kansas City Council’s recent approval to relocate a proposed $250 million detention center from its original site near Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 40 to near the city’s tow lot on Front Street in the East Bottoms near the Missouri River was fundamentally undemocratic. The measure was introduced and approved the same day (Jan. 15) without any public input at all…