City Hall, 22nd floor • 414 E. 12th St. • Kansas City, MO 64106
Phone: (816) 513-1629 • Fax: (816) 513-1612
Assistant: Schylon Clayton • schylon_clayton@kcmo.org
"I've always wanted to serve on the council, because it's where you can have the greatest impact on the day-to-day lives of people. Working with neighborhoods and community associations, making sure citizens receive City services in the manner they should, that's what makes a difference in people's lives." – Terry Riley
Councilman Terry Riley was elected to the City Council on Oct. 10, 2000, to represent Kansas City's 5th District. He was recently appointed to the National League of Cities' Community and Economic Development Committee.
A Kansas City, Mo., native, the councilman has been actively involved in community organizing since his high school years at Southeast High School. Riley also is an advocate of working class families, youth and education, he first entered electoral office as a member of the Kansas City Missouri School Board where he was the youngest board member on record.
During his tenure on the school board, a statehouse representative vacancy became available in the 43rd Legislative District. Wanting to take community concerns to the state capital, Riley pursued the vacant seat and was elected in a landslide victory. As a statehouse representative, he passed an amendment focusing on racial profiling and was involved in activities highlighting a continued interest in education, health care, economic development and mental health care.
As a member of the City Council, Riley focuses on improving Kansas City and the quality of life in the 5th District. The Riley Plan includes:
- Flood control and Brush Creek - ensuring the continued progress of the Brush Creek Flood Control Project.
- Police and community relations - increasing the number of minorities on the police force and community policing.
- Blighted housing - addressing the dangers of vacant houses and saving valuable housing stock. The councilman hopes to increase the demolishment of condemned houses and move families into those houses that can be rehabilitated.
- Revitalizing Prospect Avenue corridor - continuing the work he began as a state representative, by working with the Community Development Corporation to develop the intersections of 63rd, 55th, and 47th streets (along Prospect Avenue and the Bruce Watkins Roadway) with shopping centers. He also will continue his effort to increase the economic promise of the 5th District.
Other initiatives Riley is involved in include:
The councilman is involved in a number of civic organizations, some of which include:
- The NAACP
- Former national vice president, National Association of Black School Board Members
- Board member, Boys and Girls Club
- Advisory board member, Greater Kansas City Job Corps
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
- East Meyer Community Association
- Operation PUSH
- Good Samaritan Project
- Genesis School
Councilman Riley has received numerous awards. Among them are the National Brick Award, The Friends of Yates Inc. 2001 Black Man of Distinction, the United Minority Media Association's Time Well Spent Award, Top 30 Under 30 Young Up and Coming Community Leaders in America, and was named among The Kansas City Globe's 100 Most Influential African-Americans.
