Kansas City rallies to save former mayor’s home from auction

At the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo, local folks are chipping in to help former mayor Charles Wheeler pay back taxes on his home.

As the Kansas City Star reported recently, Wheeler’s home on West 53^rd Street was set to be auctioned off on the steps of the Jackson County Courthouse. The former mayor, 88 years old, said he got behind due to his wife’s illness, and owes about $40,000 in tax and insurance payments dating back at least two years.

Wheeler, both a doctor and lawyer by training, was elected mayor in 1971 and served two terms. During his tenure, Crown Center, Kansas City International Airport and Worlds of Fun opened. The downtown airport is named after him. He’s also a former state senator.

Wheeler and his wife plan to move to a duplex on July 1.

Fox4 reported that mortgage company James B. Nutter suspended the auction of the house on the courthouse steps, which had been scheduled for today. Nutter told the TV station it has suspended the action until the Wheelers can find another home.