Prime Buzz: "Kansas City's Port Authority is looking to replace William Session as its general counsel. The Authority decided to replace Session as its overall lawyer, although it may still use his firm for environmental services."
TKC Observation . . . The people who cried wolf over the Port Authority are now going to vote for Sly James. It's not an issue that Sly James supporters really care to over-analyze . . . More of a Funky thing.
TKC Observation . . . The people who cried wolf over the Port Authority are now going to vote for Sly James. It's not an issue that Sly James supporters really care to over-analyze . . . More of a Funky thing.
Feb 2010
ReplyDeleteBurke announced he was running for Mayor.
Funky told the PA to fire Burke as general counsel.
When the PA told Burke of what Funky had instructed them to do, Burke said he'd just as soon resign as general counsel to pursue his campaign as continue to work for Funky.
PA, having only one other law firm qualified to perform general counsel services, asked Session, their environmental counsel, if he would serve as general counsel.
Session said he had other clients to tend to and was plenty busy, but after some persuasion (and based on Sessions nearly 20 year history of providing legal services to the PA) Session agreed.
May 2010
Funky, EDC Chair Chesser and EDC President Kaczmarek tell the PA to leave the EDC. And the sooner the better.
PA, and Session, then worked their asses off to make a plan to return to self-managed operation as Mayor Funky had instructed.
July 2010
As PA was ready to unveil the separation plan, Funky told the PA to wait just a minute here. Seems Funky wanted a little help from Mr. Runnion raising some cash for his upcoming re-election campaign. Funky told Runnion it would probably go well with Runnion's reappointment to the PA board to make a little donation a la Funky's other pay-to-play friends.
Runnion balked at the deal, told Funky "that wouldn't be appropriate" and declined Funky's offer to pay-to-play.
Funky got pissed and began waging his "bully pulpit" war against Runnion and the PA.
Appointed his hack lackey Winterowd to the PA board to stir things up. (Winterowd, who despite a PhD in Ethics from a Christian college, was more than happy to exchange his campaign donations for a seat on the Ethics Commission and then on the PA Board. Even got his wife appointed to the Neighborhood Advisory Council as a nice little kicker).
Session and the City Council defended Runnion and the PA.
Funky called Runnion, Session, the PA, and the Council names ("crooks, squatters"). Funky cried about legitimate work that had been thoroughly vetted and put to bed 2 years prior. Funky cried to the media, cried cover-up, cried whitewash, cried to the City Council, cried to (and strong-armed) the EDC Executive Committee, cried, cried and cried some more.
And in his campaign-driven crescendo, Funky cried to the US Attorney and FBI to investigate the PA. And they did. And they found nothing. And they publicly stated that they found nothing. Seems Funky had actually been crying wolf all along.
Shown the fool that Funky was, one week later the KC Star and Yael started telling how Funky did not deserve to be re-elected.
And in what would be the next crescendo, and in spite of having arguably the best campaign consultant in the area, Funky summarily lost his bid for re-election. In the PRIMARIES. Something that had not happened in KC since 1924. OUCH!!!
Now it was time for Funky's Flunky Winterowd to get a little payback for his boss. Winterowd threw a lunatics' fit and directed his vitriol at Session in an effort to get Session removed as the PA's general council.
ReplyDeleteWinterowd enlisted Funky patsy Burnett and ex-Session Law firm employee Fowler (both on the PA board) and everybody's grandmother Sandy Kaufman to vote Session out of the general counsel role.
But, recognizing they still needed Session for his 20 years of knowledge of the complicated environmental agreements done by the PA on the riverfront and at RG over the last 20 years (not to mention his relationships with all the key players in those deals), they kept Session on as environmental counsel- exactly the same role Session was serving in before Funky demanded Burke's ouster one year earlier.
Stupid, yes, but that's the fucking truth.
And there will be more drama like this with other boards and commissions as Funky and his minion's thrash about in their death throes as their hold on the seats of power slowly wain away.
May 2nd, Kansas City, May 2nd.
There is much hope in Burke and James.
This sad tale is just the latest chapter of KCMO government: egos, personalities, insider dealing, consultants, spouses getting deals, and most of all, the taxpayers being ignored and ripped off simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteExplain to me again why so few people vote!
2:21/2:22 sounds like Runnion the spin doctor. De ole game, mix the bs with the truth.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things the new mayor should address is dissolving many of these quai-public taxpayer-finanaced "eco devo" agencies. The process in KCMO is way too complicated than it is in KCK and there are many more opportunities for insiders to get deals and consulting contracts completely out of public view.
ReplyDeleteAnd the difference in results of actual development between KCK and KCMO is very clear.
Should be high on the priority list and will be a really good test of whether the new folks are seious about getting things done, or just happy feeding the same old sacred cows.
There is a difference in not finding anything and not looking. If you don't look you won't find anything. The FBI didn't look so they didn't find anything. Sorry Trey, that spin might work with some people but not all the people.
ReplyDeleteSay Good Night Vince,
Say Good Night Trey,
Say Good Night Bill.
So Funkhouser was lying when he said FBI agents were at the EDC?
ReplyDeleteAnd the US Attorney is lying that the FBI investigated?
Funkhouser made some pretty serious accusations about an organization where his appointees represented 5/7ths of the board- including one board member who it appears was one of his close advisors.
ReplyDeleteI think the US Attorney took VERY seriously the accusations of the Mayor of the 30th largest City in America- and especially when they were about a board that consisted mainly of HIS OWN APPOINTEES.
3:05- Please do tell- which part is BS and which part is truth?
ReplyDeleteSince we're writing in Chapters, I think the Port Authority is close to the final chapter. As soon as Sen. Bond's boy was hired by the Port Authority the FBI left town without ever looking at any records. GO FIGURE! Coincidence. I think not.
ReplyDelete10:26 You have the order of events reversed.
ReplyDeleteTry again.
So a former GOP Senator convinced an OBAMA-appointed US Attorney, who is sworn to uphold the law, to ignore the pleas of a DEM Mayor to investigate potential wrong-doing by the Mayor's own appointees?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem to make much sense there 10:26.