mayoral candidates on stage
Kansas City mayoral candidates participate in a March 20, 2019, debate at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library. Kansas City PBS cosponsored the debate. (Hilary Becker | Flatland)

KC Mayoral Debate: 5 Key Takeaways

March 21, 2019  |  Cole Blaise, Mike Sherry  |  1 min read

If you were home Wednesday evening enjoying some of your favorite Kansas City PBS programming (we hope!), you are excused for not attending the Kansas City mayoral debate moderated by KCPT’s own Nick Haines. We also understand if you were otherwise indisposed.

Polls indicate a large chunk of the electorate remains undecided going into the April 2 primary. So, Haines has provided a CliffsNotes version of the hour-long debate in the video above.

For fuller coverage of the debate, tune into our Week In Review special, which airs Friday at 7:30 p.m. on KCPT.

This year’s municipal elections in Kansas City, Missouri, promise sweeping political changes in the metropolitan area’s largest city. A new mayor and a host of freshmen council members will emerge when the final votes are counted in June. Kansas City PBS will focus its election coverage on three topics that these new elected officials will face: affordable housing, violent crime and business tax incentives. We will tell our stories from some of Kansas City’s most hard-pressed neighborhoods. Keep tabs on our coverage by following us on social at #WhoWillLeadKC.

Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.

Nick’s Picks | Rally, Debate, Data Center and More …

October 19, 2026

Election season is in full swing, with the U.S. Senate race in Kansas taking center stage, including President Donald Trump holding a rally in Wichita.

Related Stories

Marissa Gencarelli, of Yoli Tortilleria, grilled steak and Masa Shio Koji wings for an Anti-ICE Supper Club event to raise awareness and benefit Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR), a regional nonprofit that advocates for immigrant and refugee communities in Kansas and Missouri. The event took place at Yoli Cocina, in Kansas City, Mo. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. In the background is Laura Basauri, the executive chef for Taco Naco.

Kansas City Cooks as Site for National Anti-ICE Dinner Series

Celebrated chefs from throughout the metro collaborated for three nights on dinners that raised money for a local immigrant-rights nonprofit.

Read More >
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves talks Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 about her pending retirement. (Carlos Moreno | KCUR 89.3)

Nick’s Picks | Top Cop, Mission Mall, Lucas’ Travels and More …

Nick Haines also has the lowdown on information for the upcoming election, the arrival of fall and Kansas City's Day of the Dead celebration.

Read More >
Starting in January, I-70 will shut down in both directions, along a 4-mile stretch between downtown and the Truman Sports Complex. The Missouri Department of Transportation holds a public meeting on the closure Tuesday. (Screenshot)

Nick’s Picks | I-70, Tax Break, School Petition, and More …

An Interstate 70 closure, a tax rebate for Jackson County property owners, a school closure petition, and more ...

Read More >