KANSAS CITY, Kan. — David Alvey is the new mayor-elect of Kansas City, Kansas, and he’s not used to his new title just yet.
“It'll sink in,” Alvey said.
On Wednesday, he spent some time with his youngest daughter as he comes to terms with his new term in the mayor’s office.
"I'm looking forward to it. I'm also very aware of the magnitude of the work ahead of us,” Alvey said.
While the title has yet to sink in, talks on improving the city are already taking place, one being development.
“Economic development in Kansas City, Kansas will continue,” Alvey said. “I think the difficulty for us is to find a way for this development to generate revenues that can then be invested in neighborhoods around Kansas City, Kansas.”
Deferred maintenance and lowering taxes were also on the list as the the mayor’s top priorities.
Some people in KCK hope Alvey addresses the food desert issue.
“Us shoppers in the city have to go way out to the Legends or Price Chopper on 78, you know it just don't make no sense,” KCK native Tomasha Carter said. “We need a grocery store right here in the inner city.”
“This is a low-income area, a food desert area,” Yolandra Brockman said. “You closed down the last store and replace it with a Family Dollar, so I really hopes he addresses that issue.”
Alvey said this is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
“That's a fundamental human need,” Alvey said. “That's a fundamental need for families, for neighborhoods to have easy access to quality food. We have to treat that differently than let's say development out west.”
And when it comes to lowering crime in the city, Alvey said it starts with families.
“You can't put enough police presence when families are broken down and if we don't find a way to show care to our children, that teaches them how to care, then we're going to continue to have this problem with crime and that's a fundamental crime,” he said.
Alvey will be sworn in as the new mayor in the beginning of January.
