Williams questions funding decisions of legislators; Rizzo seeks second term
by joe arce and tony balandran

A veteran public servant, Henry C. Rizzo, and a veteran family and child advocate, Crystal Williams, are vying for Jackson County Legislature’s 2nd District at-large seat.

Williams, a consultant through Policy Matters, said she decided to seek the county seat to make the budget process more transparent and to be strong advocate for families and children – a passion that has been throughout her professional life.

Williams, who said she has questioned Jackson County’s spending for years, has served as vice president of a regional child advocacy organization, Partnership for Children, and as vice president of the management team for Swope Health Services and Swope Community Enterprises, a nonprofit.

“We really need to look at what we are doing,” she said. “And we need to make that (budget) process open so we can really evaluate it.”
Rizzo, who has served on the Jackson County Legislature since 2003 when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term, told Hispanic News that he did not want to be interviewed for this article. He is seeking his second term in that seat and serves currently as the Legislature’s chairman.

A familiar name in regional political and business circles, Rizzo served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1985 until 2002. During that time, he served on several committees, including the Commerce and Economic Development, Local Government and Related Matters and Utilities Regulation. He also served previously on the Jackson County Legislature in 1983 and 1984.

“He has had a lot of years of elected experience,” Williams said about her opponent. “I have had a lot of years of advocacy experience.”
Williams said her experience with advocacy organizations and with nonprofits has allowed her to work with state and federal policies and budgets that help make families and children become more safe and prosperous.

She said she has worked for years to make sure people who are uninsured or underinsured have access to health care. “You can be elected but that doesn’t mean you get everything accomplished or anything accomplished.”

Williams said that as a newly elected legislator she would use her 20 years of advocacy experience “to ask the right questions” when the county’s budget is coming together.

There have been several time, she said, “I have not been able to figure out why many of the funding decisions were made.”

She said the budget process should be more open to the public as well as community groups and agencies so constituents can comment on proposals and priorities in front of the county legislators.

“You see that on the state level. You see that on the city level,” Williams said. “It’s the way it’s done. It’s not the way it’s done in Jackson County.”

The county’s budget process is one complaint that she heard many residents complain about while campaigning door-to-door during the past five months.

“I’ve met a lot of people who are losing trust in the leadership,” she said. “My intentions when I first get there is to really dig into that budget.”

Another goal as a legislator, she said, is to work more closely with municipalities in the county to form a better strategy for economic development.

“We can work better with them, and there is power in working together,” she said.