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"Mike White" Another Kansas City Gem
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Story by Stephanie Perry Photo by Chuck Eddy
usician. Attorney. Harley Davidson fan. County Executive. Author. What else does Mike White have up his sleeve? One thing is for certain, Kansas City has definitely benefited from his achievements and contributions. What has kept White loyal to Kansas City? “This is a great city. It has everything. Major league sports, great restaurants, a symphony, ballet, and best of all, a historic role in the creation of the only original American art form: Jazz.” His love of jazz has reflected in his 40 years of playing music, particularly the saxophone and clarinet. “It just looked really cool to be able to make music,” he added, “It turned out that I was able to work my way through college and law school by driving a cab during the day and playing at night in a band.” Since then, White has played in bands at local venues such as his favorite Jardine’s because of its “great vibe”; the Blue Room located at the epicenter of Jazz (18th and Vine); the Majestic Steakhouse and the Phoenix. He enjoys the chance to play “straight ahead jazz and the kind of jazz they played in K.C. in the ‘30s and ‘40s, which is blues-oriented,” he said. White was also excited to mention that on January 13, 2009, the one-millionth motorcycle rolled off the line at the Harley Davidson Kansas City Plant. He is also very proud of his involvement with the Kansas City Plant development project. “The company had narrowed the search to Louisville and K.C.,” he added, “We put together an economic incentive package that got us over the hump, including some last-minute legislation, thanks to Henry Rizzo, which was particularly sweet since Louisville had just beat us in the competition to bring the headquarters of a major religious group to K.C. and also stole the FFA convention from us.” Other local real estate development programs White has been instrumental in conceiving or producing are the International Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas; Branson Landing in Branson, Missouri; Summit Woods; and now Three Trails (located at the former Bannister Mall site). In fact, his law firm White Goss Bowers March Schulte and Weisenfels specializes in areas of law such as Planning and Land Use, Zoning, Eminent Domain, Public Finance, and Tax Incentives. Other impressive accomplishments include his win in 1972 by a one-vote margin for the first-elected Jackson County legislative position; his win in 1974 as the first-elected County Executive under the Jackson County charter; his publication of two books on Land Use Law and Economic Incentives; and his dedication and commitment to such organizations as DeLaSalle Center, American Jazz Museum, K.C. Youth Band, and FINCA International.
Kansas City Celebrates Magazine
February
15