Kansas City Pork Fest (Ew)

City Manager Wayne Cauthen outplays Mayor Funky on a recent move to get Obama stimulus money:

City Manager Wayne Cauthen is creating an ad hoc committee to help come up with a list of projects for the federal stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama.

“The cities that are the most prepared and organized will have the best opportunity to receive the maximum amount of potential funds from a federal stimulus package,” Cauthen said in a news release Thursday.

He also wants to move forward more quickly with city-funded projects, which he said will keep residents employed and businesses running. He wants to streamline the bid process to get dirt turned sooner.

DeAnn Smith reports that the 7 person committee will be made up of labor and construction folks (i.e. people with money) . . . Meanwhile Mayor Funky is still paying off "community organizers" while Cauthen is continually adding to his power base.

The bad news . . . This "New Deal" Strategy may not pay off for all the people of Kansas City considering that folks in Red Bridge don't want a pork project to destroy their neighborhood . . . And in reality, just like people, the government can't spend and borrow it's way out of debt or hard times.

Still, on the political front when it comes to handing out money the Advantage goes to Cauthen.