Michael Burke’s interest in the Missouri River goes back at least to the 1980s and his service on the Kansas City Port Authority. That interest led to his leadership in the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration in 2004, and continues with Riverfest, the city’s largest 4th of July observance that will bring 50,000 people this weekend to Richard L. Berkley Park.
“The Missouri River is beautiful,” Burke, an attorney and likely mayoral candidate, said in an interview this week. “All great cities have developed on bodies of water, and Kansas City is no exception. But most other cities would die to have a waterfront with the potential ours has.”
Burke, managing partner in the King Hershey law firm and a former councilman, said that Kansas City’s riverfront is unimpeded by extensive railroad tracks and ideal for real estate development. Another asset is that the city owns 100 acres of land that is ready for development.
Burke, who lives in the Park Plaza neighborhood in the Northland and has a 21st floor corner office at 2345 Grand Blvd. in Crown Center, is a second generation attorney. His father was James E. Burke, whose clients included Tom Pendergast; the senior Burke represented the deposed political boss in civil matters following Pendergast’s indictment on tax evasion charges.
Michael Burke said his father invested in land north of the river that was mined for limestone rock used as aggregate in road construction. James Burke and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt formed a mining and underground real estate company that later became Hunt Midwest.
Stemming from James Burke’s interest in Kansas City’s vast underground space from Bethany Falls limestone mining, Michael Burke said, the elder Burke was instrumental in formation of the city’s Foreign Trade Zone. This led to James Burke’s appointment as Honorary Consul of Japan in Kansas City.
Michael Burke grew up in the Crestwood neighborhood at 5300 Holmes adjacent to the UMKC campus. He attended St. Francis Xavier elementary school and went on to Rockhurst High School, graduating in 1967.
He went on to attend Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he majored in history and completed a four-year program of study in three years. His extracurricular activities including service as chair of students for Humphrey-Muskie in 1968. He also worked in Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s presidential campaign headquarters. He graduated in 1970.
He then attended Georgetown’s School of Law, graduating in 1973 with a Juris Doctorate. He was Research Editor and Editorial Board Member of the journal Law and Policy in International in International Business. He passed the Missouri Bar in September of 1973.
Back in Kansas City, Burke was an associate at his father’s firm, Burke Jackson and Hoffman, from 1973 to 1982. He then was a partner in Feldhausen and Burke from 1982 to 1987 and as a partner in Epstein and Burke in 1987-1988. That was followed by a partnership in King Hershey (under several firm names) from 1988 to the present.
Burke’s resume includes a wide range of civic activities, ranging from the Platte County Democratic Central Committee to the Japan America Society of Kansas City to chairmanship of the Kansas City Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) to the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City to Chairman of the Citizens Association of Kansas City, among many others.
Burke served two years on the Kansas City Council, from 1985 to 1987, when he filled out the unexpired term of Ed Quick, who was elected to the Missouri Senate. As a councilman, Burke helped push through a resolution that provided for televising City Council meetings on Channel 2, which has sparked interest in city government.
After growing up in Kansas City south of the Missouri, Burke, now 60 years old, moved to the Northland after he met and married Melinda Stoeger, who had attended Park Hill High School and St. Mary College, Leavenworth, now the University of St. Mary. They will celebrate 35 years of marriage in November. They have a son, John Burke, a surveyor for the Harvey Jones Co.
A Catholic, Burke has maintained his ties to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish near Crown Center.
As to his unannounced candidacy for mayor, Burke said, “My heart’s always been with the city and in this city. I probably spend 50 percent of my time working for the betterment of Kansas City. Right now City Hall is in desperate need of new leadership.
“The mayor’s role in Kansas City is collaborative,” Burke continued. “All my 36 years experience in the practice of law has been in bringing people together, building an agenda and getting things done. If I run, my goal will be to take the drama out of the mayor’s office and make it quietly effective.”
Burke would likely face Sly James, another downtown attorney and unannounced mayoral candidate, in the spring 2011 city primary elections. Burke said he considers James to be a friend and colleague.
Incumbent mayor Mark Funkhouser, who recently survived a recall campaign against him by the skin of his teeth, has already announced that he will seek re-election. It is early, and other potential candidates could throw their hats into the ring. The two top vote-getters in the primary elections will face off in the general election.
|
 |
 |