ShawneeDispatch.com

March 27, 2008 Chat is closed, read transcript below.

Moderator:

Hello, and welcome to this evening's chat with Ward III incumbent Dawn Kuhn. We'd like to thank in advance all who are participating for submitting questions as this election winds down. So let's get to those questions - the first is a three-parter.

Shawnee_Ray_Groupy:

Ms. Kuhn,

1.What are you thoughts regarding the Wal-Mart coming to western Shawnee?
2.How do you propose to maintain the safety of the school kids when it opens?
3. I understand you were the driving force in obtaining land for a pool in Western Shawnee. What is the next step in this process?

Dawn Kuhn:

1.One of the biggest problems with campaigns is that every vote we make can
be turned into an unexplained and distorted soundbite. This is the case with
the Walmart vote Mr Dyche refers to. I did vote to approve the Walmart store
by voting to approve a final Plat. What is left out is the fact that the
Grey Oaks neighbors who opposed Walmart actually saw me as one of their
strongest allies.( see Rodrockcandobetter website) I cannot vote against
one company because of who it is if it meets the zoning and planning
criteria. A box style store had been approved for that location since 2002,
2 years before I was elected. I was able to work with the homeowners and the
developer to get concessions that helped the Grey Oaks residents. Some
examples of these include additional landscaping, fencing on Clear Creek,
monument signs to help deviate commercial and residential areas. I was the
advocate on the council to move construction of the Johnson Dr and Roberts
intersection up by 2 years so that it was built before the commercial
traffic had an impact on the subdivision. ( this has now been approved)
This idea had been one of the suggestions that was arrived at during the
neighborhood meetings I was involved in.

2. The traffic patterns should be better due to the instalment of the roundabout. If we see additional problems after the comercial developmnt is in I have already began researching other solutions such as crosswalks, lane changes and speed bumps.

3. I am working with a number of large private companies to look into the possibility of a public/private partnership . In the past we have approached YMCA about a partnership and they have declined.

Shawnee_Volunteer:

Last night I asked your opponent how he would balance working for a large corporation in KCK with being able to attend city functions and properly represent the City. He replied that he would use vacation time. Based on your experience of the time commiment required during the work day do you see that as being realistic?

Dawn Kuhn:

I am lucky that my employer expects and supports involvement in our community.My job offers great flexibility so I have been active in city government functions as well as those that support our cities development. I am an active member of the Shawnee Chamber , Shawnee Economic Development Council and National League of Cities. In my four years on the Council I have attended all but two meetings. I on average dedicate 20-30 hours a week to Shawnee activities.

shawneemom1:

Will you again raise our taxes with the city being in such a crunch this year with the budget, and also with housing appraisals possibly coming in so low this fiscal year?

Dawn Kuhn:

One of the things I don't do is make promises I can't keep. I will look at EVERY possible solution to avoid raising taxes as I was able to do on 3 of the 4 years I have voted on the Mil Levy. What I will not do is compromise our Cities bond rating, police and fire protection or infrastructure needs to make empty campaign promises. I believe we have done everything we can to keep our budget as streamlined as we can, I will do my best to look for alternatives on every level.

Shawnee_Volunteer:

The Dispatch ran an article this week talking about incumbent and candidate voting records. It stated your opponent did not vote in the recent School Bond issue and had not voted in City Council elections. How do you feel about that? Do you think a past voting record really has any impact on future representation?

Dawn Kuhn:

I believe that my past voting record is representative of my future commitment to issues that I am passionate about. I feel that if you don't agree with an issue you have an even stronger responsibility to vote or you have allowed something you believe wasteful or wrong to pass because of your apathy. I believe that our elected officials should be held to the highest standards on using our right to vote to uphold or publicly given and endorsed positions.

shawneemom1:

Why have you taken so much money from special interest groups that has been reported in the Kansas City Star?

Dawn Kuhn:

special interest" I assume refers to local business owners and there Home Builders association that have contributed to my campaign. I am happy that so many people involved in the economic development of our city and have business backgrounds believe I am the best person to implement plans and activities that will spur development and increase our tax base. These are the same people that as a council member I have worked with to improve our economic growth.

Moderator:

Alright, I think we have time for just one more question.

ShawneeRayFanClub:

Im looking at My Dyche's website and he says you voted against the smoking ban twice before then voting for it. Isnt that pretty inconsistent?

Dawn Kuhn:

Voting against a motion in a Council meeting is not the same as voting against an idea. On two occasions the council was presented with the OP smoking ban. The first time was when the item was not on the agenda and the council nor our city attourney had been provided with acopy. There are two problems with that situation, first by not having on the agenda the public was given no notice and no oppertunity to be involved in the discussion. I will NEVER vote in favor of an item that the public does not have an oppertiunity to discuss. That completly violates the idea of open goverment and representative democracy. The second issue is our attorney had concerns with the way the OP ordinance was written.

I voted in favor of a smoking ordinance that was on the agenda, had public input and was considered legally sound by our attorney, I consider those actions responsible not inconsistant.
I

Moderator:

Well, that concludes our chat. Thank you to Dawn Kuhn for taking the time to answer questions, and thanks again to those who submitted them. Once again, we'll take a moment to remind our readers that Election Day is April 1 and encourage them to get to the polls and vote.