KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
—
It's been one week since Kansas City, Kansas, voters elected Christal Watson to be their next mayor.
KSHB 41’s Rachel Henderson had an exclusive sit-down with the new mayor-elect to ask questions about her hopes and plans for the city before she's sworn in.
Below is a transcript of the nearly one-hour conversation between Henderson and Watson from Tuesday:
Rachel: My first question for you is, why do you think you won?
Watson: I have to give God glory because I truly believe I won because of God’s grace and His favor. When I decided to run, I knew it was a calling. A divine calling. To win at such a wonderful margin just speaks to my faith. We didn’t have the major endorsements, we didn’t have union, we didn’t have the money. We didn’t have foot soldiers to go to the neighborhoods and canvass the way we wanted to. We didn’t have the status quo for public support.
When you have all those things, you feel like, working against you, the best thing you can do is do what you can with the internet, social media, and the use of digital media and be very present with as many events and neighborhood groups as you possibly can.
Rachel: What is your game plan for now getting the support of the unions? These are folks that you’re going to be working with.
Watson: They’ve already reached out. They’ve already congratulated me. Some of the folks that are former elected officials that did support my opponent have reached out, congratulated me, and want to work together. I look forward to the rest of them contacting me, and I believe that there’s a wide-open door for me to reach out to them.
Rachel: I know that you talked about using digital media too. I know that’s where a lot of folks in Wyandotte County use [social media], Facebook being one of them. I’m curious on how you want to use your platform as mayor to continue to combat misinformation because it spreads rampant.
Watson: It did, and we faced that. We faced misinformation, but we handled it expertly, and I think it was because we were ready for it, and we just laid the facts out. One of the things my campaign manager pointed out during the campaign was that, ‘Christal, you’ve been helping to educate the community. And because of that, I think people listened.’
Now, we just need to maintain that kind of momentum, and continue to be transparent, continue to leave ourselves open for accountability. People just want to know that you are reading their information. And that can reduce a lot of misinformation as well. When you don’t respond, you leave it open for the narrative to be created for you.
I think it just showed the real side of me, and how I want to reach people, and then use that platform to continue to educate and inform.
Rachel: I want to talk about some of the big issues. We’re gonna of course have to talk about property taxes first…I know you have strategies on how you want to address it.
Watson: Well first of all, we really want to increase our public-private partnership opportunities. I think that is going to be a real game changer. There are agencies within the metropolitan area that serve Wyandotte County as well that we can tap into that have an economic development arm for funding that can help offset the budget for infrastructure or any other economic development.
I think the second thing is finding that infill. We’ve got over 4,000 properties that sit within land bank, I think we’re down to about 4,300 now. So if we can get housing filled in those areas, that’s huge. We did an estimate. For every vacant lot around $2,500 in personal property tax, you’ve got almost $10 million in revenue. That could also be a big game changer. That’ll be part of our goal during our four-year term to do that infill for housing and of course, make it affordable.
I think the last thing is just looking for grants. Searching for any federal or philanthropic grants that we can utilize to again, offset the budget.
If we can do that successfully and it aids in more workforce, high-paying jobs, training, as well as meeting service needs for Wyandotte County, then I think that will help lower the taxes.
Rachel: Something that I’ve heard just in covering Wyandotte County from developers sometimes is sometimes difficulties in being able to get projects off the ground here in Wyandotte County. In your experience, why is that the case?
Watson: Lack of process. Understanding the process within Unified Government. I think in that area we need some improvement. I think too, there may be some policies we need to look at. From my understanding, many of the policies are outdated, haven’t been touched in 10-20 years. My whole platform during the campaign was People, Process and Policy.
When it comes to development, we need to understand what incentives we absolutely know we can do and we can’t so we won’t give away too much for development. I think in that case, it sometimes prolongs projects. I think the other is just knowing what the process is and having someone within Unified Government help a developer or help a contractor navigate through that process.
Rachel: So many people deal with mistrust with the government, and that’s something you’ve spoken about wanting to address.
Watson: I think the mistrust started with the conflict between staff and commission, mayor’s office and commission, mayor’s office and staff, and vice versa. People don’t want to see that conflict, and when you see that kind of discord and chaos, it makes you feel uneasy and makes you feel like you can’t trust them. You don’t know what to trust or what to believe.
Part of our goal within the next four years is to build that trust. It’s important. And to also build morale of the staff. I used to work for Unified Government when I was in the mayor’s office for former mayor David Alvey. So I got to know a lot of the staff. They’re so important to our community. They live in our community.
Many of them have worked there 20 to 30 years. So there is a true dedication to serving Wyandotte County, and we just need to make sure that we’re building their trust as well so that they want to do the work, want to provide excellent service to the rest of the residents in Wyandotte County and be proud of where they live and be proud of who they work for.
Rachel: What does that trust building look like to you?
Watson: First and foremost is just getting to know them first. Visiting all the departments, listening to their needs. Looking for low-hanging fruit to support their needs.
As mayor, my job is to be an advocate and to champion Wyandotte County. That includes staff within Unified Government at each and every department. That includes listening to Edwardsville and Bonner as well and making sure that we have a true partnership and we’re working together to meet their needs.
My personal opinion is we need a healing to take place, and that can come in many shapes and sizes. More one on ones or what I call hands meetings where we’re meeting more regularly with the entire staff. Looking for opportunities to celebrate our staff more.
I think that trust just looks like, if I say I’m going to do something, then I do it. And if I don’t, then I own it and I explain why I didn’t.
It looks like just being available and being accessible so that they know that I care and holding myself accountable to it. It’s a visible action, and you can’t take it lightly. I have to be very intentional in showing that trust and then finding out what does trust look like for them? Because it’s not just about me. It’s really about them and how they need to see trust demonstrated.
Rachel: A lot of the coverage I did when I first started covering Wyandotte County was not just trust within Unified Government, but also that relationship between the Unified Government and Board of Public Utilities. The big thing that came up was the PILOT fee and residents thinking it was going to be taken off. Is that going to be a priority of yours, to look at the PILOT fee, try to get it removed?
Watson: Absolutely. Honestly, I don’t think the PILOT fee will go away. If anything, I think we’ll work at reducing it. But, I think it’s a lot more complicated. It’s not something we can answer off the cuff. It’s going to continue to take work, and I think we’re capable of doing that and capable of working together.
Rachel: How would you say your own relationship with Board of Public Utilities or BPU board members is?
Watson: Several of the members I do know and have a relationship with. I think it’s all going to be in my approach. I’m not out to get anybody. I’m not out to make BPU look bad. I really just want us to look forward and do what’s in the best interest of Wyandotte County. And we know that they’re sick and tired of being sick and tired about the PILOT. The reality is, the revenue that comes from the PILOT does benefit the residents whether they understand or see it or not.
Our job is going to be to help show the true benefits of it in a positive way as much as possible but still be very open and willing to work with BPU as much as possible. We’re in this together, we have to be. We need to put aside our agendas, if there are any. I’m not saying there are any. But if there are, let’s just put them aside, let’s figure this out together.
Rachel: I want to get into some of the other big issues that have come up recently at UG commission meetings. One of them being the residency requirement. What are your thoughts about that?
Watson: I honestly think we just need to put it out for the community to tell us what they want.
The mayor cannot vote one way or another. I want what the people want. And if the people, majority of the community, wants that residency lifted, then the commissioners have a big decision to make. If the residents don’t and the majority feels that way, then commissioners have a big decision to make.
I want to advocate and champion what the majority wants, and we will look at what is in the best interest of the community again.
We have to look at it from a positive and not a negative. The negative concern has been, we’ll lose a lot of our residents which will impact us from an economical standpoint. I believe if we don’t focus on that and focus on what’s great about Wyandotte County and move towards marketing us to a place where people want to live, then maybe we won’t lose those people.
Rachel: So you don’t have a preference?
Watson: I don’t have a preference because I see both sides of the coin. I do lean more heavily towards lifting the residency only because there are some advantages to doing that. I know I’ve listened to the police, I’ve listened to the community at large, and people want to feel safe. Even our police want to feel safe. We’re not in a day and time where there’s so much conflict between people or residents and the police themselves. I think our police department has done a great job in improving those relationships, but if families, the families of those officers don’t feel safe and feel that they would be better off in another community, we shouldn’t hold them to that.
I’m very torn with it, but at the same time, I see both sides of it.
Rachel: And you mentioned something interesting too about your voting power as the mayor, too. It’s sort of a weak mayor form of government. How do you feel about that? Because I know there’s things you want to get done too.
Watson: You know, I’ve thought about that. For me, it doesn’t make a difference. Because a true test of a leader is getting people to do stuff because they want to and not because they have to.
The power really is in the power of influence. Leadership takes more than just, ‘Do this, do that. Or I see it this way, I see it that way.’" It’s really about collaboration. True collaboration. There is a give and take when it comes to listening and allowing others to contribute.
It’s not about what the mayor wants, it’s not about the mayor’s agenda. It’s really about, again, what is in the best interest of our community.
If we are strategic and intentional in how we implement solutions for those issues, then it doesn’t matter if it’s a weak or strong government to me. Because we have collaborated, we’ve built solid public-private partnerships, we’ve sought funding we’ve needed, we have decreased taxes. We’ve done all the right things that makes us a better Wyandotte County. You know when they say, you make lemonade out of lemons, then do it. That’s as simple as it is for me.
Rachel: Will a part of that influence be working with other commissioners to build harmony? Obviously, that’s something we’ve seen in the past that hasn’t been as harmonious.
Watson: Absolutely. I love the commissioners. I really do. I have a relationship with every commissioner. And those that I don’t have already reached out and said, ‘I want to work with you,’" since I became mayor-elect.
I am excited about working with them. And I can’t wait to hear what they want to do in their districts so that my team and I can work together to help them. When they win, we win. Everybody wins. So why wouldn’t I want to work with them?
We need to celebrate unity. And I want to be able to show that. Because I’m walking in giving that love and respect and trust, so I am very optimistic that they’re going to give it in return.
Rachel: Honestly, something I’ve experienced and something residents have spoken with me about is meeting length. And I’m sure you’ve seen the same thing too.
Watson: We’re already working on that. We are working on that. We’ve already thought about how that’s going to look. It’s really about knowing the agenda and understanding how the agenda will flow based on the pros and cons that will come out of it.
It’s almost like anticipating the outcomes, being aware of it and knowing how to really strategically play out the agenda so that we’re not meeting until 11, 12:00 at night. It’s just ludicrous. I know the commissioners are tired of it.
We’ll have a different approach with it. And, I will have already have talked to the commissioners before my first commission meeting, which is December 17, by the way. I would have already talked to each commissioner and gotten a good understanding from them on what they want to see with the agenda, how they want it to flow, and get ideas from them.
Rachel: Is that your plan — to check in beforehand? Because sometimes it appears commissioners or mayor are asking questions about things on the agenda, and that seems to prolong it sometimes.
Watson: Yes it does. There’s a meeting before the meeting.
It’ll be in the commissioner’s office. I have no problem walking down, having a conversation. ‘Hey, this is going to be on the agenda, do you have any concerns about it?’"
I don’t want commissioners to be surprised by anything that comes out of my mouth. I don’t.
In the first 90 to 100 days, I’m meeting with commissioners weekly. There’s going to be a meeting every week with one or two commissioners a week because it is important that we’re on the same page. And it is important that they know they can trust me.
I want to start off on the right foot, and gaining their trust is the absolute most important thing for me with the commissioners. So, I’m willing to meet them more than halfway. So that when we do have those commission meetings, we’re all on the same page. Even if we disagree. That’s okay. You’re going to have those disagreements. But, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Unless, it’s something last minute. I know in a perfect world, it’s not going to be. There are going to be surprises. But, I’m not going to do it publicly, and I’m not going to disrespect the commissioners.
Rachel: Decorum is big for you?
Watson: Decorum is huge. Because we have to be careful how we show ourselves to the public. They’re watching us. And there’s going to be all eyes on us 100% when I go in. Because they want to see if I’m going to do what I said I’m going to do. So, I’m going to fulfill that. I don’t want to let the people of Wyandotte County down. I don’t. I want them to be just as proud of me as I am of them.
Rachel: Obviously, you can’t please everyone. So what does success look like to you in terms of making people proud?
Watson: Success looks like, we’ll be tracking everything we do. I want to be able to tell the community quarterly, at a minimum quarterly, where we are with everything we’re working on.
Success for me looks like we’re showing that outcome. We are giving the feedback, we are taking the data. We’re showing the data, and we’re going to show the progress of everything that we do. What I don’t want is at the end of four years, people say, ‘What did she do? Did she do anything?’
There are so many tentacles to our community that we can get information to that can help share where we are with outcomes that everyone should know what’s being accomplished out of the mayor’s office. For me, that’s success.
Rachel: Earlier, you mentioned Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. In the past, we’ve seen conversations about consolidation vs. de-consolidation. Where do you stand on that? ‘Cause obviously now, we have a consolidated form of government for decades now.
Watson: I’ll find out. I’ll be meeting with both mayors here very soon. In fact, I want to get it done before I get sworn in. I really don’t know where they are. I think they would love to see some improvement.
The unification can work in a positive way. I need to understand what that looks like. At this point, all I know is there are some things they’re unhappy with, but let’s find out what they’re unhappy with and fix it. I have no stance other than I want what’s best for them. They make up Wyandotte County, and we have an obligation to serve them and meet their needs just like I have that obligation for KCK.
Rachel: How involved do you want to be in conversations when it comes to stadiums? I know Chiefs, Royals, that’s big right now.
Watson: I do know that when it comes to the Chiefs, right now, it’s in the hands of the state. So I need to better understand where the state is with this whole project. I don’t know how much say Wyandotte County has. Until I have a conversation with the department of commerce, right now, it’s just kind of up in the air.
What I do know is that it has to benefit Wyandotte County. When I get information, I want to be able to share that information with the community. I do not want to be surprised about what the outcome is, whether they’re coming or not. If they do come, there’s got to be a community benefit agreement within that contract that serves Wyandotte County.
Come to the table fair. Come to the table with a heart for community and community outreach and wanting to see our community thrive. Come to the table wanting what is in the best interest of everyone and not just stakeholders filling their pockets.
If it’s going to be a detriment, I don’t want it. I don’t. All money ain’t good money. If they can come to the table with a heart like that. Come on to Wyandotte County.
Rachel: Another UG question for you. So last week, the commission took a vote on essentially adjusting some of their procedures. They passed a resolution to be in line with federal requirements for DEI and immigration because the legal counsel presented, and they said essentially if you don’t do this, you’re going to miss out on a lot of federal funds. We see this happening nationwide too. How do you feel about that? Is that something you would have been in favor of if you were able to vote? The mayor was able to vote last week on that. You do see a lot of municipalities wanting to comply with the federal government so they don’t miss out on those funds.
Watson: I am a strong proponent that you have to follow the law of the land. It’s actually biblical. We just have to be creative in how we represent. If it means you don’t say the word diversity, don’t say the word diversity. Find another word. There are ways in which I think we can still meet the need without disobeying the law.
If we stand 100% behind, ‘No, we’re going to do this,’" and it leaves us out of any federal funding, then we have to be prepared for that.
My stance is, let’s see what we can do with what we have, let’s try to do it based on what they’re requiring…and let’s see how far we get with it. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Rachel: Throughout your campaign, I know that you said that diversity is something that matters to you. Inclusion, wanting to be there for immigrants, too. So you feel like you can still show up in that way without having to ‘say the right thing?’"
Watson: I really do. Listen, I am an African-American female where I have not had the best resources available to me or the same opportunities as a non-minority female or person, for that matter.
Even if I could follow it, it still wouldn’t be available to me. I’ve always had to be resourceful…because of that, I’m always looking at it from a positive lens because if I don’t, I’ll never get anything accomplished. Just because they say you can’t do or don’t do doesn’t mean you can’t do it and find a more resourceful way of getting it done.
For me, it’s not an issue because I’ve always had to work harder, I’ve always had to step outside the box to figure it out. I’ve always had to just pull my pants up and dig in, regardless of what I had to work with. There were many times and many days where I didn’t have anything to work with but my resilience, my determination.
You can’t let what people tell you you can’t do stop you. And if you tell me I can’t do it, that gives me all the determination to do it. I don’t want people to get hung up on what the federal government says you can and can’t do. Just find a way, figure it out. Because my ancestors had to do it. And look at where we are today. I’m the first African-American female mayor. I did not get here with everything handed out to me…I just want the community to know it doesn’t matter what they say. We are going to find a way, and we are going to be successful.
Rachel: I know earlier you said you have a lot of eyes on you. Do you feel like people are counting against you for those reasons, for being an African American woman doing this job?
Watson: Yes, absolutely, but it don’t phase me none. Because I’ve always had that in my career. There’s always been obstacles.
That’s just life, you know. And I just serve a big God. And because of my faith, I know that anything is possible. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. If I believe that word, then there’s nothing I can’t do. At the end of the day, I’m a servant. And I’ve always felt that way, and I love serving people. All eyes will be on me, but I can handle it.
I have a responsibility to set an example for everyone. I have too many positive things in my favor for me to be concerned about all eyes on me. I feel like they’ve always been on me.
Rachel: I’ve only got a couple more questions. I know we talked about immigrants a little bit. I know that’s one of the groups you really want to see protected during this time. I heard you say that throughout your campaign. Can you talk me through what would that look like? At the beginning of the year, I went to a forum UG leaders held just as a community forum to hear from advocates and things like that. Are you in support of complying with federal government when it comes to having ICE here? How would you want to keep the immigrant population protected, ‘cause it’s big.
Watson: Well, what I want to do most of all is make sure that they know that if they have concerns, that they can contact the mayor’s office. We will listen to their concerns and do our best to meet their need.
The second thing is we’ll continue to work with the Sheriff’s office and KCKPD. I think being in good communication with them should help ease the minds of our immigrant population that are concerned. And I want us to be visible together and have conversations with the community. There are things we can help educate them on, but at the end of the day, I think it’s gonna really be about communication.
There’s only so much we can do. We have to follow rules and regulations. I don’t support them just walking in and taking people. I don’t support that at all. I wouldn’t support that for anybody.
Rachel: So, what’s it going to look like for you now? I know you’re still working full time. Are you going to have to step away from your roles?
Watson: Yes, I will. I’m currently the executive director for the Kansas City Kansas School Foundation for Excellence and I’ll have to give that role up, so that job will get posted immediately.
I’m in the process of transitioning out of that role and into the mayoral role.
Rachel: Day one in your new job, what’s your goal?
Watson: Day one in the new job is orientation. *laughs*
Week two, is setting the plan in motion…we are going to focus on the internal side of Unified Government. We can’t do anything externally until we fix what is broken internally.
I really want to begin the healing and conversations with the departments starting week two.
Rachel: What do you want next for years to look like looking back?
Watson: Well first of all, I’m not going to leave in four years. I’m going to run again. So I’m just letting the public know right now, we’re in this for a good eight years.
Watson: I want to see housing, having accomplished that. A unified government working smoothly, a lot more smoothly I’ll say that. Commission board in unity and is very visible, and you see that support. The community can tell there’s been a difference that’s been made with our leadership. I want to see processes streamlined, I want to see several policies updated for more efficiency with our processes, and I want to see a community that can actually feel and benefit from the exploration of working through tax issues, PILOT issues, spending issues, budget issues.
We should see some impact at the end of four years. For sure. I want to see more housing. I’d love to see them 4,000 lots all done, but that’s pretty aggressive. But that would be a phenomenal goal to accomplish if we can do that.
Rachel: And you want to go for a second term?
Watson: I do. I’m not in this for just four years. I will be in this for another four years, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m in it for the long haul, and I’ve got a dream team that’s going to help me get it done.
Rachel: Are you going to get a new county administrator?
Watson: No, he’s under contract currently. So right now, it’s just a matter of working with our county administrator right now. I want to get a good feel for what his goals are and see how we can combine our efforts so that we can be 100% productive for the city and the county.
Rachel: Obviously you have a lot of support, but what’s something would you say to voters who didn’t vote for you, but still live in county? What would accessibility and accountability look like?
Watson: I’m going to show up whether you voted for me or not. I’m going to show up whether you endorse me or not. I’m going to show up whether you provided public support or not. I didn’t do this just to get people to like me. I did this because I have a talent and a skillset and a desire and a heart to want to serve Wyandotte County. I’ve always been giving back. This is just a part of who I am.
I’m just hoping that they won’t look at it as they still voted for the wrong person. I hope to help change their minds, but not just by what I do, but by what other people do and what other people are doing to contribute to building Wyandotte County to be a better community. We are all in this together, and at some point and time, you got to let go of…it’s in the past.
It’s in the past, let’s just move forward. We got a lot to celebrate about who we are as a community. There’s so much rich culture within our community, and we have so much to live for. I just want Wyandotte County to shine, and I’m just hoping that those that didn’t vote for me will want the same thing, and say ‘forget about it, let’s just move forward.'" And let’s make Wyandotte County better. We’re going to reset, renew and rebuild together.
The mayor-elect previously told me she’s in favor of an earnings tax on election night. An earnings tax is a tax on everyone who works in the county, no matter where you live. However, her team clarified Tuesday that she's in favor an earnings tax or alternative initiative as long as it does not add a financial burden to residents.
Click here to see election night coverage.
—
