Northeast News
July 29, 2015

Read it and weep folks. Your outgoing Kansas City Council unanimously decided last week that the most important project for your tax dollars was a $300 million downtown hotel instead of shoring up the crumbling neighborhood infrastructure.

This barking news-dog is proud to be what Councilman Russ “Mensa Boy” Johnson calls, “a rock thrower.” This lil’ canine will continue to throw all the rocks necessary until this council “gets it” and starts to keep promises made at press events about taking care of sorely needed infrastructure needs. Note to Mr. Johnson, a toy train streetcar is not an infrastructure improvement. This dog would argue to the contrary, given all the torn up streets and traffic snarls it has, and will continue to create after its launch later this year. Neither will a taxpayer funded downtown hotel for that matter. This train-wreck of an ordinance, introduced by noted Development Attorney Ed Ford has a title that is 400 plus words and took five minutes to read during the council session. Think about that for a minute. The title of the ordinance itself is over 400 words long. Cue the Nancy Pelosi footage, “we have to pass it to know what’s in it.”

Sadly, the hotel project is just another on the list of legacy projects the council and Mayor will try and rush through prior to Aug. 1, when the new City Council is seated. Next on the legacy project agenda will undoubtedly be a spankin’ new airport with a hefty billion dollar price tag. More taxpayer funded legacy TIF projects approved while the urban core infrastructure continues to rot.

“We are starting our renewal here because we hope it will send a message of what we intend to do over the next several months” was what one Councilman said over three years ago at a press event near an abandon, burnt out shell of a house near Sixth Street and Spruce Avenue. Apparently that “four pronged policy” to bring “new vitality to the area” went south with about $300 million in taxpayer money for a new hotel downtown. We’re waiting, Councilman Wagner, for those prongs. So far, all we seem to be getting is the shaft.