TKC FACT CHECK!!! LIKE IT OR NOT, TRANSIT ACTIVIST CLAY CHASTIAN WON LAST NIGHT'S KANSAS CITY MAYORAL DEBATE!!!

Kansas City desperately wants to think of itself as a big city but our provincial politics suggest otherwise.

Last night transit activist Clay Chastain came to town and taught Mayor Sly James a lesson about major metropolitain political debate.

To wit . . .

KANSAS CITY CHEERLEADERS MIGHT NOT LIKE IT BUT CLAY CHASTAIN DESTROYED MAYOR SLY JAMES WITH RELENTLESS ATTACKS ON CITY HALL MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND OVERALL VISION FOR THIS TOWN!!!

It wasn't even close . . . The Mayor was playing defense all night and simply didn't have an answer for one fiscal fact check after the next.



Kansas City residents might not agree with Mr. Chastain's light rail advocacy but there's no doubting his passion or the fact that he's the only guy to ever win a citywide transit election.

Last night the Mayor was simply going through the motions and the crowd was bemused by the style of Vincent "General" Lee who played the role of preacher, grandpa and fool.



Seriously, I know we're all supposed to be nice and play along with this kindly old man but that's part of Kansas City's amateur night politics. Clearly this guy didn't have anybody who loved him or wanted to keep him from embarrassing himself and his public debate spectacle was nearly as embarrassing as the fact that some satirical boobie blog breaks more news than any other metro columnist in town . . . Now can we all see the real consequences of Kansas City political amateur night???

But I digress . . .

This was a nice political event for nice people put together by the local League Of Women Voter and the fact that Kansas City is more comfortable with keeping our politics non-competitive isn't just about civility . . . It's part of the pathological politeness that poisons the culture of this city and also keeps our pro-sports teams from any kind of meaningful victory.  



Still there were a lot of good people in the crowd who have devoted their careers and lives to public service. Here's a look @ Richard Tolbert talking it up . . .



Our pal Tracy was in good spirits and probably talking about her new blog project with Phil Cardarella . . .



Of course the forum was heavily moderated and the crowd couldn't ask direct questions.



Mayor Sly played the celebrity as always. .



Again, point by point at least when it came to conservative fiscal policy . . . Clay knew his stuff and really offered a conservative approach to Kansas City governance.



Mayor Sly played it cool, which again, might have been smart.

He's hoping that people are satisfied with the status quo or at least he's counting on pundits and politicos who claim his Administration is exceptionally popular.



3/4ths of the way through the event more than half the crowd had abandoned the debate suggesting the very real prospect that voter turnout this election could be less than 10% which is what most experts are predicting.

Developing . . .