TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! QUESTIONS BLOWUP OVER STUABIO CONNECTIONS TO TOY TRAIN STREETCAR AUTHORITY AND THEN NEW GIG WITH FIRM NAMED TO MARKETING COMMITTEE!!!
The business of the Kansas City Toy Train Streetcar is on track but seemingly getting a bit more twisted and strange as we move forward.
To wit . . .
HIPSTER STAUBIO'S NEW GIG HAS RAISED THE EYEBROWS OF KANSAS CITY TOY TRAIN STREETCAR CRITICS!!!
Let's reveal the latest breaking gossip (i.e. news before it happens) and then wait for journalists to translate and publish later . . .
The sitch according to the most KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS . . .
"Staubio was on a panel that awarded/oversaw/was the final vote on "A LAME-ASS DESIGN FIRM" streetcar marketing contract, which means they will be receiving large sums of income from tax payers in exchange for promoting the streetcar. Within a few months of awarding that contract to "THE LAME-ASS DESIGN FIRM", STAUBIO makes the transition to PARTNER at THE AFOREMENTIONED LAME-ASS DESIGN FIRM. Is that illegal? No. Is it unethical? I believe it is."
Fact check . . .
THE SLEAZY CONTRACT AWARDING PROCESS IN KANSAS CITY MIGHT RAISE EVEN MORE EYEBROWS CONSIDERING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MONEY FROM THE FEDS!!!
What's most important here is to mythbust the tired notion that hipsters and "Downtown Neighborhood Activists" were ever doing anything out of the goodness of their heart or concern for Kansas City Proper.
First of all . . . There's no such thing as a Downtown neighborhood because people in condo/lofts don't believe in community.
More importantly . . .
As always, "advocates" for the streetcar seem to be first in line when it comes to getting sweet contracts and the toy train seems less about transit nowadays and more about getting paid.
Developing . . .
This should make the streetcar that much better!
ReplyDeleteYep, he's quite the douchebag. He give up his H&R Block gig?
ReplyDeleteDavid Johnson is also on the "take".
ReplyDelete“The stated goal of this project is economic development. That’s the dominant goal,” Johnson said. “The dominant goal is not to have a lot of people ride it. The dominant goal is to develop the city.”
ReplyDelete(More like loot the taxpayers to fatten their personal bank accounts and portfolios.)
Poor tony. If only he could get a real job too.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing new. Kansas City is a friends and family type operation.
ReplyDeleteYes we taxpayers now own a piece of Graphicmachine Inc. with Stauby Boy added to the roster.
ReplyDeleteSo let me get this straight. City jams their funnels in anything that smells like taxpayer money, than they pay this outfit to promote more taxpayer ripoffs?
ReplyDeleteWow that's diabolical
Well, when the Mayor can appoint a City Plan Commissioner to to the City Plan Commission who publicly endorses several projects and then turns right around and votes in favor of the projects she already publicly endorsed, its no surprise that other appointment by this same Mayor get enriched with lucrative contracts by doing the exact same thing. That was the goal. Who is going to bring up the ethics question and press the issue?
ReplyDeleteThis kind of crap has been going on for decades in this town. Why? The dumb asses of KC must love it, they haven't don shit about it EVER.
ReplyDeleteLook at who is on the streetcar authority, making the decisions. Every single one of those people are going to benefit financially from the decisions they make. They are going to make decisions that enhance their own interests/personal wealth and not what is best for the taxpayers who are financing the toy train. This is the very definition of crony capitalism.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that nobody is denying this is true, just that it's no big deal. KC is screwed up.
ReplyDeleteChairman Tom Trabon of Trabon & Co.; Russ Johnson of the Kansas City Council; David Johnson of OneLouder Apps Inc.; Jeff Krum of Boulevard Brewing Co.; Michael Collins of the Port Authority of Kansas City; Michael Hagedorn of UMB Financial Corp.; Jon Copaken of Copaken Brooks; Teri Rogers of T2 Studios; Matt Staub of H&R Block Inc.; Nick Benjamin and Liz Serpa-Flook of The Cordish Co.; and Jim Miller of DST Realty Inc.
ReplyDeleteNow just who benefits from a system they don't expect people to use?
Pigs feeding at the trough.
ReplyDeleteYou think this crap is expensive?
ReplyDeleteJust wait for Change Order One!
Can we get Staubio to visit with the ethics board? Why doesn't he explain himself on this one. The money train just keeps on rolling.
ReplyDelete12:01 could have been me. I've been saying this for a year and this is just the first glaring example of it coming to fruition.
ReplyDelete2:12 knows what's coming next. Streetcar averages 44% over the original estimated cost. They can only renegotiate bus driver salaries so much before they start tapping into the general fund. Hopefully it doesn't snow too much in KC for the next 25 years.
Tony (and myself) have clearly pointed out the problems with this project top to bottom. Even if you're excited about streetcar, I'm not sure how you can allow this kind of shit to happen right under our noses.
"I told you so," isn't going to be a solution in five years when all these guys have catapulted their careers on our dime, by lying to us. And when the city is struggling to provide basic services or keep the fountains running because they're paying for this and so many other projects that never quite panned out.
No guaranteed cost on building it. All open ended.
ReplyDeleteIt might be helpful if the "committee" gave us a current budget figure instead of using the original $102m figure forever.
ReplyDeleteStaubio did what his handlers told him to do and for playing along nicely, received his payoff.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the big deal?
The big deal is that I'm paying for it and you are too if you live in KCMO.
ReplyDelete