Freeman files for Blue Springs mayor race

Blue Springs, MO —

The mayor’s race in Blue Springs just got a little bit more interesting.

Michael Freeman, who lost in the April 2010 District 3 race, filed paperwork with City Hall on Tuesday morning, the last day residents can file.

His goal? To unseat incumbent Carson Ross and restore the city to what Freeman calls “the good old days” when there was more resident input and less political maneuvering.

“People are telling me that I’m crazy,” Freeman said Tuesday. “A lot of people are saying it’s a winless battle, but it’s a battle worth fighting for.”

Freeman said he’s been pondering whether to run since July. Back then, he wasn’t too serious about it, he said, but when filing opened in December and no one filed, he started getting concerned.

“When no one else appeared, I got serious,” he said. “One name on the ballot is far from a democracy.”

It’s not that Freeman disagrees with where the city is going, but rather how it’s getting there. Lack of citizen input during regular and special meetings and special meetings called for important matters but not recorded live for television audiences – those are two matters that he said need to be changed immediately.

“Citizens should be heard,” Freeman said.

In a recent example, residents were not allowed to speak at a task force meeting concerning trash collection changes. Instead, residents had to fill out comment cards.

During special meetings, Freeman said, residents are typically prohibited from speaking. Often, important matters – raising the 2011 property tax levy by 2.3 cents and backing bonds for the Adams Dairy Landing project – were voted on during special meetings where the public could not speak.

“They look at City Council meetings as some legal requirement and getting in the way of what’s been decided beforehand,” Freeman said. “It has to stop.”

Freeman called special City Council sessions nothing more than “political maneuvering” and the means by which elected officials avoid having to answer to the public.

He added:

“If the cameras were rolling during those sessions, maybe I wouldn’t have a problem,” he said.

There is, however, one issue not steeped in controversy, one that Freeman has been thinking a lot about. As a District 3 resident, Freeman said he would push hard to get street lights on south Missouri 7.

“I think we should take the money the city saved on the Colbern Road and Missouri 7 intersection project and do that,” he said. “That would be a good use for that money.”

Freeman said he’s looking forward to the race, which is on April 3 and is the only city race on the ballot.

“We’re not a perfect city,” he said. “There is work to be done, to improve it. If I’m the only one who wants to challenge Ross, then I’m willing to do that.”

The mayor’s race in Blue Springs just got a little bit more interesting.

Michael Freeman, who lost in the April 2010 District 3 race, filed paperwork with City Hall on Tuesday morning, the last day residents can file.

His goal? To unseat incumbent Carson Ross and restore the city to what Freeman calls “the good old days” when there was more resident input and less political maneuvering.

“People are telling me that I’m crazy,” Freeman said Tuesday. “A lot of people are saying it’s a winless battle, but it’s a battle worth fighting for.”

Freeman said he’s been pondering whether to run since July. Back then, he wasn’t too serious about it, he said, but when filing opened in December and no one filed, he started getting concerned.

“When no one else appeared, I got serious,” he said. “One name on the ballot is far from a democracy.”

It’s not that Freeman disagrees with where the city is going, but rather how it’s getting there. Lack of citizen input during regular and special meetings and special meetings called for important matters but not recorded live for television audiences – those are two matters that he said need to be changed immediately.

“Citizens should be heard,” Freeman said.

In a recent example, residents were not allowed to speak at a task force meeting concerning trash collection changes. Instead, residents had to fill out comment cards.

During special meetings, Freeman said, residents are typically prohibited from speaking. Often, important matters – raising the 2011 property tax levy by 2.3 cents and backing bonds for the Adams Dairy Landing project – were voted on during special meetings where the public could not speak.

“They look at City Council meetings as some legal requirement and getting in the way of what’s been decided beforehand,” Freeman said. “It has to stop.”

Freeman called special City Council sessions nothing more than “political maneuvering” and the means by which elected officials avoid having to answer to the public.

He added:

“If the cameras were rolling during those sessions, maybe I wouldn’t have a problem,” he said.

There is, however, one issue not steeped in controversy, one that Freeman has been thinking a lot about. As a District 3 resident, Freeman said he would push hard to get street lights on south Missouri 7.

“I think we should take the money the city saved on the Colbern Road and Missouri 7 intersection project and do that,” he said. “That would be a good use for that money.”

Freeman said he’s looking forward to the race, which is on April 3 and is the only city race on the ballot.

“We’re not a perfect city,” he said. “There is work to be done, to improve it. If I’m the only one who wants to challenge Ross, then I’m willing to do that.”