By Leilani Haywood
Tribune Reporter
Foundations for our Future has $5,250 on hand according to a recent quarterly financial disclosure filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission. The political action committee led by local businessman and developer Mike Atcheson is gearing up to interview candidates running for office. Atcheson is also the past-chairman of the Lee’s Summit Tax Increment Financing Commission and past vice-chairman of the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council. Currently he serves on the Lee’s Summit Water Utilities Board.
The PAC is gearing up for the April 2018 election which includes the election of the mayor and five council members. “We intend to interview all of candidates within the next two weeks,” says Atcheson. “We want to pick someone from each district to support. We’re a great group of people from diverse backgrounds and we could split on a certain candidate, so we may choose to not support someone from that district.”
Atcheson explained what drove the formation of the PAC. “Most citizens are frustrated with what’s been happening the last two years on city council. When you look at some of the chaos that happened within the school district two years ago and it appeared at times that council spent more time fighting each other than taking up the interest of the city.”
The PAC which is bi-partisan will research candidates. “We will interview them and research their background to figure out if they’re running to do what’s best for the city or they just want to argue and don’t care about the city,” says Atcheson.
Businesses that donated to the PAC include Signature Builders KC LLC, Lovell Insurance Group, Hertzog Clinic Properties and Quality Aggregates LLC. Individual donors are Daniel Rexroth, CEO of John Knox Village; Carl Grigsby, associate professor at the University of Central Missouri; Todd Haynes, first vice president of RBC Wealth Management and Alan Flory, president and CEO of ReDiscover. Haynes also serves as a board member on the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council with Atcheson. Emaline Ballroom with in-kind donations, Bradley Cox, Julia Hampton, Richard Viar, Robert Handley, Nancy Bruns, Brad Culbertson, Kenneth Stremming, J. Thomas Lovell, Gene Gamber, Paula Derks, Fred Grogan, Jane Monroe, Vic Cundiff, and Mike Atcheson.
The PAC paid $950 to John Beaudoin, owner of KC Communications & Media Matters for Facebook advertising between October 1, 2017 and December 1, 2017, according to that report. A previously filed report shows that the PAC paid him an additional $900 between July 1, 2017 and September 1, 2017. Beaudoin filed a lawsuit against the city and two councilmembers in February 2017, which is still in litigation. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Lee’s Summit Healthcare Foundation.
Foundations for our Future’s adopted mission statement reads: “Encouraging and supporting talented individuals, without personal agendas, to run for elected offices in the City of Lee’s Summit to which the interests of the Community are best served.” Find Foundations for our Future on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/foundationsforourfuture/.
