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TWMP: KC Mayor Sly James, right-to-work and more

This Week in Missouri Politics is back in Kansas City Sunday where we welcome a very special guest in Mayor Sly James. He and host Scott Faughn discuss the sense of optimism in the city and how it has become so successful in recent years.

“We’ve been very very fortunate to have some good things happen, but also to have some great collaboration so we can work together to get things done,” James says. “Regardless of what it is, working together is the only way we can accomplish big things. We figured that out in Kansas City and we employ it all the time.”

They also discuss the newfound cooperation with Uber, the effect of President Donald Trump’s travel ban in Kansas City, and the importance of positivity. James also talks about his lack of meeting with Gov. Eric Greitens, the impact of the governor’s rhetoric about politicians, and the future of the Democratic Party.

Faughn welcomes The Kansas City Star’s Colleen Nelson alongside three Kansas City legislators, Rep. Kevin Corlew, Rep. Greg Razer and Rep. Jon Carpenter to the opinion-maker panel to talk about the passage of right-to-work and the likelihood a referendum on the issue succeeds at the ballot box.

“You look at states that have been right-to-work for decades, states like Mississippi which passed right-to-work decades ago and is still the poorest state in the country, I think it’s pretty obvious that the great benefits that are being promised aren’t going to be delivered,” Carpenter says.

They also talk about paycheck protection, the inclusion of police and firefighters’ unions in that bill, guns in the Capitol, and the aftermath in the Senate over Sen. Ryan Silvey’s fight to recuse himself from voting on SCR 4

“Sen. Silvey stood up for the senators’ ability to represent his or her district instead of going along collectively with what leadership wants to do,” Corlew said.

This episode of TWMP will air at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Louis area on ABC 30 KDNL, in the Kansas City area on 38 the Spot at 10:00 a.m. and in mid-Missouri on KRCG at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 29. The show is available online at 11:00 a.m. at twmp.tv.