Priorities for Kansas City

Johnathan led plans for the Community Resource Center near municipal court. Council has funded the design; the center is still in its beginning stages.

Fund the center through opening, with detox, transitional housing and staff connecting court referrals to care. Put treatment on equal footing with the jail.

He voted against the $16 million booking facility, the $22 million modular jail and the jail-tax ballot referral. He also voted to make Front Street the permanent jail site.

Fund treatment and rehabilitation on equal footing before any new jail spending. Publish full operating costs before a construction vote and require medical and mental health care in any jail the city uses.

He led the 2024 creation of REACH for nonviolent calls without guns. Creating it does not show how much service the program is delivering.

Keep health workers in charge, reach more eligible calls and report whether people actually reach care.

He opposed loitering rules without written protection for homeless neighbors. He backed fines and cleanup for illegal dumping instead of jail.

Fund housing and outreach instead of punishing homelessness. Use practical responses to low-level offenses while protecting peaceful protest and assembly.

He opposed moving $2 million from city reserves to police overtime and called for public reporting on police settlements.

Seek local control and faster 911 response. Hold police funding at the state-required 25% of general revenue, directing money above it to buses, housing and prevention.

He supported North Lawn’s up to $500,000 repair authorization and its replacement approach with the new owner and city cost recovery. Those votes do not confirm that repairs were completed.

Create a standing emergency repair fund, charge negligent landlords and involve tenant unions in decisions. Coordinate inspections and enforcement so condemnation is not the only response.

He led a direction to collect developers’ required housing payments and voted to put up to $100 million in housing bonds before voters.

Give the Housing Trust Fund steady yearly revenue. Invest in land trusts, cooperatives and publicly owned homes that stay affordable.

He co-sponsored protections against rental discrimination. State law later superseded the voucher protection; he supports restoring the protection at the state level.

Put the anti-displacement plan to work and track landlords displacing tenants for short-term rentals. Growth should let residents remain in their neighborhoods.

He co-sponsored Housing Gateway with $1 million and a review of the city’s response to homelessness.

Expand permanent housing with support services. Open low-barrier shelter around the clock in more than one part of the city, including the Southland.

He voted against the 2026 rollback of residential energy rules because weaker standards would shift costs onto residents.

Keep strong energy standards and publish household costs and savings. Simplify permits and help builders meet the rules.

He backed restrictions on city approvals for new detention facilities through January 2031 and co-sponsored the Office of Language Access.

Defend those restrictions through city zoning and permitting. Fund language access and involve immigrant and refugee leaders in city programs.

In May 2026, he voted to repeal the ban on conversion therapy for minors after a Supreme Court ruling and an attorney general lawsuit. He has said that vote was wrong.

Write a new ban with LGBTQ and trans leaders. Complete the trans community needs assessment he sponsored in 2024 and act on its findings.

He led a replacement plan directing the city to retain neighborhood providers, strengthen reporting and create a fund for gaps in care.

Fund current providers through this contract cycle and report care by ZIP code. Run open competition through the Health Commission before the end of 2027.

He sponsored the 2026 to 2029 Community Health Improvement Plan, addressing chronic disease, overdose deaths and community connection.

Update the plan annually and report progress. Push for broader mental health care through the city and state.

He opposed keeping half of tree-planting fees in the district where they were collected and backed rules addressing liquor-store clusters.

Direct streets, sidewalks and trees toward neighborhoods with the greatest need. Lead-pipe replacement should reach renters as well as homeowners.

He proposed moving $5 million from police funding to buses. That proposal failed; he later supported the $85.6 million agreement and an additional $8.3 million for service.

Fund dependable service in the regular budget, with free fares for those who need them most. When money is short, prioritize fixed routes over on-demand rides and use year-end surplus to restore service.

He offered to work with suburbs that dropped their bus routes. Regional funding remains a proposal, not a completed deal.

Build a regional plan starting with Jackson County, with fair contributions and board representation. Publish route costs, commission an outside audit and set a five-year funding plan.

He supported a contract requiring Council approval before sitting benches are removed or replaced with leaning benches.

Give clear notice of service changes and include riders and disability advocates in decisions. Expand transit ambassadors and plan workable fare rollouts.

He opposed $51.6 million in Luminary Park bonds over the city’s spending priorities while neighbors awaited road repairs.

Put roads, sidewalks, streetlights and snow removal first, including safety work on Prospect and 39th. Explain water-work waivers up front and let the community lead changes on Troost.

He co-sponsored performance and auditor review of development deals, supporting some projects and opposing others over their public return.

Require independent financial analysis and repayment terms when commitments fall through. Direct public help toward unmet needs, including grocery access.

He backed an audit of Council’s directions and opposed broader settlement authority and ticketing-contract extensions without Council review. The records do not show that the audit is complete.

Publish the status of Council commitments. Keep major settlements and contract extensions before Council, tie payments to performance and account for money flagged in the parks audit.

He co-sponsored a review of development agencies and their performance.

Apply shared financial-review and housing-payment rules, with schools and the library involved when any agency’s deals affect their revenue. Require public review before major Port KC deals, oppose data-center giveaways and make operators fund dismantling when facilities close.

He led support for airport traffic control officers seeking job protections and co-sponsored a review of degree requirements for city jobs.

Require prevailing wages and local hiring on city-backed construction, and living wages in supported venues. Support workers who organize and remove unnecessary degree requirements.