Look for the next chapter in the North Kansas City Hospital saga to be written next week.
The new version of the City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The nine-person panel includes three newly elected members who oppose selling the hospital. Don Stielow supplanted Bill Biggerstaff as mayor, H.J. “Bear” Kistler beat out Dave Wood, and Tom Farr defeated Denise Lambert as a write-in candidate by one vote.
Meanwhile, the city has beefed up its lobbying presence in Jefferson City to fight a bill sponsored by Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, that could make the hospital independent of the city.
North Kansas City has hired lobbyists Michael Grote, Jim Farrell and Phil LeVota, brother of Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, in the past two weeks.
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In December, the hospital hired prolific lobbyist Jewell Patek, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Sam Graves who also represents Cerner Corp., the hospital’s neighbor.
The next meeting of the hospital’s board of trustees is April 22. It has a different complexion, too, because the city expanded the board and appointed eight new members.