I saw the Klien Commercial. It’s about time we had someone else to choose from besides all these yahoo city councilmen and women.

Everyone in the race for kc mayor has been a part of creating the problems we now face.

where were Al Brooks, John Fairfield, Becky Nace and the rest of the yahoos when:

1. schools were failing?
2. when our sewers started falling apart?
3. when our crime rate started spiking up?

they were sitting on their hands as elected officials, afraid to act because they were too busy looking for the next office to run for.

KLEIN is right! it’s time to look elsewhere (and you can’t tell me that Stan is a real option).

I know Henry. I like him. He’s affable and always willing to listen – even to normal people who don’t have a fat-cat checkbook. This is why i’ve invited him to my business on repeated occasions. This is why he’s been invited by other small business owners i know. This is why i decided to work for him.

Henry is one of those individuals full of ideas.

Granted, he may not have the “inside-ball” kind of political experience looked for by those who want to keep normal people out of the decision-making process. My bet is that his 20+ years of management experience with a Fortune 500 company will go a long way toward giving him the tools to govern.

NOTE: may of the most dynamic mayors in America came from the private sector (Carol Marinovich, KCK; Bloomsberg, NYC; Dennis Kucinich, Cincinatti, etc….)

What Klein does have that the others don’t is new ideas:

I’ve been in politics for over 20 years – and i think that private sector experience is just the kind of experience we need. It is what this country/city is in dire need of.

Historically, the most innovative leadership has (for both Democrats and Republicans) always come from ‘outsiders,’ those whose thinking has not been stifled by a life inside the system.

Klein offers what none of the other candidates can offer – something different, new thinking.

The other candidates may be nice people, but they have been at the helm – or asleep at the wheel, or deliberately letting the problems fester for political gain. For Example: KC has a $2 billion dollar sewer problem. The career politicians were on City Council as funds dedicated to address infrastructure problems were diverted to general revenue to fund their pet pork-barrel problems.

Why the dickens are our schools so bad? Ask the career politicians, they want to have another study and claim that ‘the mayor just doesn’t have any authority.’

Well, in Chicago the city stepped in and took over the school district. You have to admit that it is at least one solution – we CANNOT allow another generation of KC’s children to attend failing schools. We CANNOT afford young professionals to flee our city just because they want decent educational options for their kids. We CANNOT afford to have our property values depressed by inaction by the career politicians and vested interests.

Where was our ‘experienced political leadership’ these last 8 years while we developed a $2 billion dollar sewer problem, and our crime rate has turned us into a murder capitol? Why have they let our east side neighborhoods die on the vine while funding more TIFF tax give-aways for the plaza?

WiFi – may not be a cure all, but i can tell you that 200 communities nationwide are pursuing it. Under the leadership of this crew, KC is again being left in the dirt.

The Web is the vital infrastructure of the 21st century, just like streets were the infrastructure of the last century.

We’ve bus our kids away from their communities, keeping less-fortunate parents from being involved in their kid’s education. WiFi focused at our schools (which, if you read the proposal, is what Klein is proposing) will give these disenfranchised families a new opportunity to be involved in their kids education.

Klein’s proposal to take the malfunctioning MAST emergency care and bring it under the auspices of the KC Fire Department is pure brilliance. You may not like the firefighters union, but they do get the job done. They are already on most emergency scenes before MAST. But the law doesn’t allow them to treat.

An earlier study done by KC’s career politicians says that this sort of improved response is simply too expensive – so KC missed the boat again.

Yet, KCK is already doing it – and saving lives.

The numbers indicate that Firefighter based emergency response will not only knock a vital 4 minutes off the response time, but will strengthen the city’s capacity to work with the US department of home security to keep our community prepared against possible terrorist attacks.

The current high cost of fuel, alone, goes a long way to solving earlier budget concerns.

It is needless to point out that the career politicians that oppose these new, private sector approaches are upset – heck, one of them is even on the board of the malfunctioning MAST.

So, let the politicians scream about new ideas. Klein is going to pay attention to those, like me, who have a child but love Kansas City and don’t want to move to the suburbs just so my son can have a decent; people like me with an 80-year-old mother who wants the emergency service to get there ASAP, not some politician protecting their turf.

I can go on.

I know Henry Klein. He is a bright, principled, decent man. He is friendly and affable. You don’t have to take my word for it – and i certainly hope you won’t take the word of those who don’t know him. See for yourself.

Henry Klein has just the sort of experience i’m looking for.

Don’t let the career politicians mud-slinging snuff out another chance for KC to become the city it truly can.

I have known Henry for almost 20 years and I can’t think of anyone more suited to face the challenges Kansas City has to offer (or overcome.) He has a genuine interest in and dedication to his community. As previously noted, he is not a career politician so his views and enthusiasm are refreshing and contagious. Kansas City would be well served by Henry Klein. Anyone who lives in Kansas City should make it a point to check Henry out and see for themselves what I have known all these years.