{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-passing-mayor-richard-berkley", "Congressman Cleaver\u2019s Statement on the Passing of Mayor Richard Berkley", "2023-11-29", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", "cleaver", "https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement after the passing of former Kansas City Mayor and City Councilmember Richard Berkley.\n\n\u201cToday, I\u2019ve lost a dear friend and Kansas City has lost an iconic leader.\n\n\u201cFor 12 years as Mayor, and 10 more on the City Council, Dick Berkley offered the calm, collected, and utterly effective leadership that helped transform Kansas City into the major metropolitan area it is today.\n\n\u201cFrom the expansion of Bartle Hall to the revitalization and economic development of neighborhoods across Kansas City, the impact of Dick Berkley can be felt in every zip code of our great city. While I was proud to honor his legacy through the Berkley Riverfront, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his lifelong devotion and public service to our community.\n\n\u201cThere are countless things I could say to honor the memory and legacy of Mayor Berkley\u2014the first Jewish Mayor in Kansas City\u2019s history or his Harvard-educated business acumen to name just a few\u2014but in this moment of bitter polarization, I\u2019ll always remember his refusal to look at life through a partisan lens. Although he was a Republican, and I a Democrat, I cannot recall a single moment when Mayor Berkley was anything less than helpful, supportive, and committed to the progress and unity of our communities\u2014because that was all that mattered in his eyes. I believe that is something to be treasured, and something that will be sorely missed.\n\n\u201cI pray for comfort for the entire Berkley family as they grieve such a monumental loss, and I pray that our community will take the lessons and legacy of Mayor Berkley to be used as a guiding light on our march toward a better future for all of Kansas City. May his memory be our blessing.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-passing-mayor-richard-berkley"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.602433156222105, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}