For Lee's Summit, half of the city council seats come up for re-election every 2 years. So for each district, there will be one candidate that is a sitting member of the council that is not up for election, and a contested election for that district.
Randall L. Rhoads -- 
Mr. Rhoads was involved in politics when Lees Summit's dangerous dog ordinance was written. At the time, the discussion was whether or not to ban Rottweiler’s, so he understands that irresponsible owners change dogs that are the dog du jour. Mr. Rhoads consistently spoke out against BSL and even took a special flight back to cut a vacation short in order to vote against it. Mr. Rhoads was very responsive to our concerns during the 8 months the “dangerous dog issue” was on the table in Lee’s Summit and we consider him a tremendous asset to the animal community. District 1
April 2010
Kathy Hofmann -- We do not have a good feel for where Hofmann stands regarding animals and their owners. Hoffman voted for BSL, although she clearly does not favor it. Evidently, she "misunderstood" what was being voted on...and then, even though it could have officially taken BSL off the table, would not call for a re-vote on the issue. To Hofmann's credit, she did return calls and had discussions with her constituents while BSL was being discussed in Lee's Summit
James Hallam* -- Although Jim Hallam originally voted to pursue BSL in Lee's Summit, he later said it was only to bring good discussion to the table and, in the end, may have been the swing vote that kept BSL from passing early on. Hallam did this by proposing mandatory spay/neuter (MSN) for all dogs, which ended up being the compromise that a majority of the council voted for. KCDA supports voluntary spay/neuter programs which have proven to be more effective than MSN. We do, however, believe Hallam’s intentions were good. Hallam is an insurance agent who understands all statistics related to dogs and dog attacks and generally favors the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance he proposed (although says no ordinances are "set and forget"). He realizes that BSL does not work and supports SB 886. Hallam has listed instituting more dog parks in Lee’s Summit as goal on his website. He has been consistently open to meeting with constituents and is extremely responsive to emails and phone calls, all of which are very important to the process.
Brian Whitley - Is a former dog owner, of a German Shepherd, and now is an owner of a 'special needs' cat. He does feel that Lee's Summit is pet friendly (and agrees that that is important) but is open to learning more. Would be open to increasing the city's pet limit from the current number of 3 dogs or cats to 4 -- which matches the limits in neighboring cities -- and is also open to providing exemptions to the current rule for foster families that are supporting the shelter. Whitley favors the city's current tethering restrictions and also believes the city's breed neutral approach to dangerous dogs is appropriate. He would also like for the city to somehow address the training classes that are sponsored by the Parks & Rec department so that they no longer prevent owners of 'pit bulls' or "wolf breeds' from being part of the class. Whitley supports TNR efforts for feral cats (and has even done the research to see the impact on song birds to note that feral cats have only a small impact on songbirds) and while he does support the city's mandatory spay/neuter ordinance (which we don't support), he does like the exceptions for law enforcement dogs, registered breeders, pets used in competition and qualified assistance dogs. Whitley does believe that achieving no kill is a noble goal and is interested in working with the animal welfare community to see what changes could be made to make that possible.
Allan S. Gray II* - Gray is a long-time pet owner. He believes that owners should be encouraged to spay/neuter their animals through differential licensing. Would also like to see the tethering ordinance adjusted to allow for supervised tethering (ie are quickly responsive to their animals) to be sure dogs are not a threat. Gray does not favor breed specific legislation because these ordinances have no worked in other areas due to enforcement and breed ID issues. He does believe owners should be held responsible for the actions of their dogs. Gray favors SB886 and evaluating additional land be dedicated to dog parks. He recognizes the natural bonds between humans and their dogs and thinks policies should reflect these bonds. He not only is open to meeting with KCDA members and other dog enthusiasts, but wants to be kept regularly informed on activites and how city programs can be implemented or improved to help dog owners.
District 3
Ed Cockrell - We hesitate to give Mr. Cockrell a rating as he went from one extreme to the other during the BSL discussions in Lee's Summit. Cockrell was the clear champion for a pit bull ban during most of the 8 months that this issue was discussed. He steamrolled the Community Development Committee into a 2-2 tie on a recommendation and, at one point, called the information against BSL provided by KCDA, the KCVMA, and the unanimous decision of the 12-person Public Safety Advisory Board to be the work of "Academic Pinheads". Without Cockrell, the issue would have died in mid July 2006 and may not have been an issue at all. In the end, however, Cockrell was part of the special committee that proposed non-BSL to the Lees Summit Council saying "There isn't enough evidence to support a breed ban at this time" and made mention to the fact that pit bull bites were obviously over reported and exaggerated by the media. Did he have a change of heart? Did he actually finally listen to our testimonies? Or was he trying to save face knowing that he didn't have enough votes at the council level? We're not sure, but with Cockrell's tenacity, we'd welcome him to our side at any time. No rating at this time.
Joseph Spallo* -- 
Said very little during all the hearings other than acting as a side kick to Cockrell during the early part of the process. Voted in favor of a pit bull ban. Spallo was not willing to review the information that was provided by KCDA and other anti-BSL advocates because all it was to him was useless rhetoric that went against his emotional arguments. Spent one entire council meeting, along with Cockrell joking about "pit bulls".
District 4
April 2010 Contested Election
Dave Mosby -- KCDA met with Mr. Mosby when he ran for this position two years ago, and he remains extremely approachable and willing to work with the animal welfare community in the city. Mosby has two dogs of his own, a Pug and a mix breed, and genuinely cares about animals. Mr. Mosby is opposed to breed specific legislation and believes that irresponsible owners should be held accountable, regardless of breed.
Prior to our meeting, Mosby had already brainstormed about options for the old shelter including using it to do training classes that would teach residents how to be responsible pet owners, obedience training, and is open to the option of using it for rescue. Since the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance is so new, he did not have an opinion one way or the other on it but seemed to get the fact that statistics needed to be gathered and the ordinance should be reviewed to make sure it’s intended purpose was being met. He supports the anti-tethering ordinance but agrees that it could be better defined as enforcing it in its current state could be troublesome.
Mosby’s neighbor uses Happy Tails Dog Park frequently so Dave sees the importance of dog parks and would be open to the possibility of additional dog parks in Lee’s Summit. He has even commented about the large number of pet owners he's met on the campaign trail and how important pets have become to people in the community -- and admitted that he has seen cases where he knows the city's low pet limit may be a problem.
Mosby seems to be a great guy, genuinely interested in the ideas and concerns of his constituents, is willing to make decisions based on fact, and cares about how animals are treated. Dave has attended several animal welfare fundraisers including a Draws 4 Paws Events cohosted by KCDA & Furry Kids Refuge and recently took his daughter to Furry Kids Refuge Pancake Breakfast. Most importantly, Dave is very easy to talk to and we believe he would continue to be highly approachable if elected.
Robert Thane (Bob) Johnson* -- Mr. Johnson responded immediately to KCDA's political questionnaire and recently met with KCDA members, in his home. Mr. Johnson is a long time friend of Dr. Bud Hertzog, the city veterinarian who adamantly opposed and spoke out against BSL in Lee's Summit. Evidently, Mr. Johnson & Dr. Hertzog had several conversations regarding the proposed breed specific ordinance and, as a result, Mr. Johnson is opposed to BSL. He is also concerned with the MSN ordinance, as he is with anything that is "mandated", and would like to revisit that ordinance if he is elected. Mr. Johnson showed a lot of interest in transitioning the old animal shelter into something that would benefit a non profit animal welfare group and is very open to ideas regarding this issue. A former state representative, he seems to "get it". His willingness to meet with us so quickly is even more of a good sign.