Northeast News
February 26, 2014

Congratulations Kansas City, Mo. You, the voter, will have a hand in the future of the Kansas City International Airport. Thanks to Dan Coffey and the Friends of KCI grassroots group, Mayor Sly James and aviation director Mark Van Loh can’t railroad, pardon the pun, the taxpayers into shellin’ out over a billion dollars (with a “B”) for a new, single terminal design airport.

This newsdog thinks the measure, which will appear on the ballot next fall, should and will go down in flames. The mayor, Van Loh and their minions did everything in their power to dissuade the public from the truth. The inconvenient truth that we don’t need a new airport, just a little sprucing up and a few new amenities. The other inconvenient truth is that JD Power and Associates, a global marketing firm, continually ranks KCI in the top 10 for user satisfaction and ease of use.

But, Mayor James and Van Loh pushed that aside and began the hype, truth be damned here, for the new single terminal design. Truth, however, has a way of leaking out when it needs to. Last Thursday, the mayor and city council had to acknowledge the truth and voted to send the matter to the voters and rightfully so. Kansas City needs a new airport like a fish needs a bicycle. Maybe now that it won’t be jammed down our throats without a vote, the mayor and city council can get back to the boring business of fixing our broken and antiquated infrastructure.