Northeast News
May 20, 2015

Last week, our illustrious Mayor stood near the corner of 17th and Wyandotte Streets to announce a grand scheme, er, plan to build an 800-room downtown convention hotel. The end result will be a Hyatt property with all the glitz and glam that goes along with it. But the sad truth is that you, the taxpayer, will be on the hook for roughly $35 million, right out of the gate. No mention if infrastructure change costs are included in the project numbers, but we’re guessing no. That should add a pretty penny to the already inflated ticket the taxpayers will be on the hook for. No doubt, the Mayor and his henchmen will claim that the streetcar brought this development too, despite the fact that train hasn’t even hit the rails yet.

This news-dog has boned up on the convention biz and it’s not a pretty picture. A number of sources indicate that the convention business on a national level is in decline, hitting its peak in the mid 1990’s and declining steadily ever since. With more cities competing for fewer convention events, Kansas City, with this project, is entering an already crowded market and will face stiff competition for the few conventions that still exist. Add to the mix that current downtown hotels are rarely at full or even close to full and you’ve got yet another project that is doomed to failure, all on the taxpayers dime.

This fiscally conservative pooch wants to know when the tax and spend gravy train stops? When will this administration and council stop shaking down the city taxpayers to pay for their pet projects? In a free market economy, market conditions dictate when a project like this comes online. To that end, this lil’ doggie wonders why it didn’t get proposed sooner if there’s such a acute need for 800 additional hotel rooms downtown. The fact of the matter is this – they’re not needed, pure and simple. But to listen to the Mayor speak of the issue, we gotta build this now because we’re losing out on this business. Note to the Mayor: Ya don’t lose what you never had in the first place.

Infrastructure is boring, we get that. There’s no glitz in pothole patching and nobody cuts the ribbon on the newly completed sidewalk and curb. But those infrastructure improvements play a vital role in contributing to the quality of life in the city. Instead, we get a toy train to nowhere and an 800 room white elephant downtown. Party on dudes. The tax and spend gravy train is leavin’ the station. All aboard!