It's quiet, almost too quiet...

Like a calm before the storm.

The heated rivalry between State Rep. John Burnett and John Joseph Rizzo is no big secret. The two have gone back and forth for years in an exchanges of political left hooks and right jabs.

Already some political watchers throughout Kansas City are predicting that Northeast’s State House race is one of the hot races to watch as the two will undoubtedly duke it out for the chance to represent us in the Missouri house. The attack ads, we are sure, are merely waiting in the shadows before being sprung on one or both candidates.

Some of the attacks, which have mostly remained said behind closed doors or in confidence, have even bordered on eerily personal.

In their last go around for the seat, Burnett beat Rizzo by only seven votes — and don’t think that has not gotten some in the Rizzo camp fired-up for this next round and vice versa for Burnett.

Tonight (Wednesday, July 9) though, is the first chance the two will square off publicly and once again open the flood gates of what could become another bloody political season for Northeast.

This pup has only one dog in this fight and it is the neighborhoods that these two claim they can better represent.

But let’s cut though the fur and get to the heart of what is at stake here: the success or failure of these neighborhoods that more than 30,000 call home. Northeast as a whole stands in a very unique position as major projects and some help begins to trickle in through neighborhood revitalization and crime prevention.

At the same time, though, the city is shrinking its support and the neighborhood groups that already give their hearts to this area are going to start looking to county and state leaders to keep that success rolling.

Reducing this seat of authority into a pile of hateful mailers and vindictive ads is not going to serve anyone any good.

Now, this dog has some years in her and is not naive enough to think one editorial is going to make every politician fly straight this election season.

Still, we hope through this we can maybe remind every candidate that there are still a lot of good people counting on whomever takes this seat to turn right around after the campaign party and get to work. The winner will be expected to immediately begin giving every last bit they can to get resources, projects and money to flow from the State to the streets of Northeast.

As we ride this calm before the storm, it might be good to ask how any candidate for any position representing Northeast will accomplish this though another hateful flyer clogging our mailboxes.

Eleventh Ward Committee race heats up at city park and recreation board meeting - really?

It was a celebration that brought together two political adversaries for a brisk handshake and a chuckle-chocked conversation.

11th Ward Democratic Committee candidates Will Royster and John "JJ" Rizzo shared a brief moment in the lobby of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department.

What could bring the offspring of two political dynasties together? Well, it was definitley not their shared vision for who should fill the Northeast's house seat. No, Rizzo was there to show his support for Royster's plan to make Cliff Drive car free on the weekends this summer.

The Parks board on Tuesday approved the plan, which Royster has been working on with parks staff since the fall.

Rizzo is currently running against incumbent John Burnett for a third time for Northeast's house seat. Royster dropped out of that race last month to focus on the committee race where he will also face Rizzo.

Before the meeting started Rizzo dropped in and sat near the back while Royster presented his plan. Afterward Rizzo sought out Royster and congratulated him and said that even he, an avid cyclist, looked forward to using Cliff Drive on the weekends.

The parks board unanimously approved the Cliff Drive plan. The Scenic byway is expected to be closed to vehicle traffic starting May 16.

For more on this check The Northeast News on Wedneday

Return to sender

The Buzz for Wednesday, March 19

This explanation needs to be returned to sender, ASAP.

When moving trucks arrived Friday morning at the Hardesty Post Office, neighborhood leaders and this newspaper feared the worst.

It was almost like Northeast was about to get its own version of “The Move.”

In 1984, semi-trucks pulled up to the Baltimore Colts’ stadium in the middle of the night and loaded everything up and moved out without saying a word. Stunned football fans woke up the next morning to find their hometown team had found another home in Indianapolis.

On Friday morning last week, Northeast residents feared they were getting the same cloak and dagger treatment as trucks pulled up to the Hardesty post office and postal employees began hauling out the furniture, wall decorations and all “non-essential” equipment.

Employees there even told customers that they had been told earlier that March 31 was the last day the old post office would be open.

Pack it up, this circus is moving on down the road.

But once again the postal service was left pointing fingers in circles attempting to divert the fervor their own early morning move was causing.

Officials say no final decision has been made, but from all appearances those decisions have been made and carried out — along with all the furniture. It’s a lot easier to close a post office that you have already cleared out for your “structural study.”

But through this whole process the Postal Service has been a little too tight-lipped for comfort. If this truly was something the post office wanted to do honestly and cleanly they should have involved neighborhood leaders, activists and others in the process from the beginning.

The integrity of any report, structural study or engineer’s report is going to be questioned because it was done while leaving residents in the dark.

The Postal Service has already lost the trust of the neighborhoods though their actions leading up to the possible closing of the Hardesty sub-station. To close it now will leave neighborhoods all over Northeast simply angry and bitter at another government organization short-changing this area.

™ ™ ™

John “JJ” Rizzo wanted to set the record straight this week.

Last week, this little Newshound took a swipe at the political shenanigans from the Jay Nixon fundraiser held in Northeast. In this column we made a joke about how State Rep. John Burnett and his former political challenger Will Royster were shaking hands and offering glowing comments about each other at the event. We also took note of how Rizzo, another challenger in the 40th District House race was nowhere to be found.

That is because, Rizzo said, he was not invited.

“It was not because I did not want to be there to represent Northeast. It was a private event and I was not invited,” Rizzo said this week.

But Rizzo said he was not upset; just perplexed. Maybe his invite got lost in the mail as the post office attempted to flee Northeast.

™ ™ ™

Can’t get enough Bunny the Newshound? Do you yearn for daily Bunny or your breaking Northeast News? Then check out the newest Web site brought to you by The Northeast News: The Northeast Buzz Blog at www.nebuzz.blogspot.com

The Buzz Blog is your place for breaking news in Historic Northeast and daily updates on the big stories that are affecting you.

Check in on politics and the twists in the State house race in you own backyard. Find updates on the Museum, post office and Old Northeast. The Buzz Blog is your conduit to Northeast and the movers and shakers that live here.

The Northeast Buzz Blog: your neighborhoods, your blog.

Burnett, Rizzo and Royster make three

Mike Ekey/The Northeast News

Community activist Will Royster has firmly planted his foot into the seat of the political status quo in Northeast.

Less than a week after announcing he wanted to challenge State Rep John Burnett to his own seat, Royster then opened his house to Democratic big-wig Jay Nixon, who is making his own run for Missouri Governor.

But what caught this knee-high Newshoud's eye was when Burnett and Royster — supposedly political rivals — standing on the stairs together and introducing Nixon at a Northeast fundraiser.

The only thing missing from this Gubernatorial Group Hug for Democrats was John "JJ" Rizzo, who is also challenging Burnett for his Missouri House seat — again.

But things are bound to change in these politically savvy neighborhoods.