At this time a year ago, Kansas City, Missouri, City Councilwoman Saundra McFadden-Weaver looked like a one-term wonder. Residents in the 3rd District complained that she was unresponsive, and the mayor stripped McFadden-Weaver of her meaningful committee assignments after feeling double-crossed on the arena. (McFadden-Weaver's support for the publicly financed arena was, shall we say, fluid.) But the councilwoman, like Bill Clinton, proved lucky in her adversaries. An ill-conceived effort to recall McFadden-Weaver, led by Kansas City, Missouri, School District bully Clinton Adams Jr., failed at the polls. Having beat back the challenge, McFadden-Weaver will stand for re-election in 2007 with something resembling a clean slate. Her experience goes to show that sometimes in politics, good enemies are more precious than good friends.
