Strange . . . I found this classic pic of Grace Jones goofing around with Arnold and it seems as if there is a Conan The Barbarian Theme developing as we end the week. Ironically or not, that fits in well with life during The Great Recession in Kansas City.
To wit, let's look at some of the power players who made their mark this historic Kansas City week . .
POLITICOS
1. Jason Kander - The Kansas City Kingmaker. Maybe a Congressman. Certainly, still garnering forward momentum at breakneck speed.
2. Sly James - This town has granted him a clean slate after four years of Mayoral disaster. It's his to screw up or endure amid the greatest economic decline in U.S. history.
3. Council Dude Ed Ford - Maybe the new Mayor of Kansas City. Certainly the political strong arm and leader of The City Council.
4. Russ Johnson - If Mayor Sly is smart . . . Russ will go back to leading Transit. Now with more experience and a solid margin of victory, expect to see big things from this ambitious and intelligent Northlander looking to move forward.
5. Jan Marcason - Maybe the new Mayor of Kansas City. If they freeze her out of committees it will only make her stronger and give her a chance to build her brand as Kansas City's idea of white lady goodness.
6. Jermaine Reed - A big upset victory for this 26 year-old man who is the youngest member of The New City Council. He starts making his reputation as an elected official right now and his potential seems limitless at this starting point of his career.
7. Jim Glover - His campaign was small on money and personnel but NAME RECOGNITION AND LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WON BIG for this returning Kansas City Council dude and his career as a public servant.
NEWSIES
1. Hey Cameraman - Behind the scenes and on his podcast. He is a local leader when it comes to digital newsgathering.
2. Chris Hernandez - He was everywhere during this election and explaining the details to the masses during the confusing political season.
3. Mike Mahoney - The Grand Marshall of Kansas City's News Scene as well.
4. Eric Wesson - Working as a leader, advocate and journalist at Kansas City's paper-of-record on the Eastside of Troost.
5. Ryan Kath - KSHB's investigative reporter starting to make some serious news and waves in Kansas City.
POLITICAL CONSULTANTS
1. Jason Parson - Remember that batting 1 in 3 puts you in the Hall of Fame in baseball. He won with Scott Wagner and in the Mayoral Race and in the Ken Bacchus Council race he kept it clean and classy. Parson has now moved past petty criticism that dogged him and he is certainly a Kansas City political player; look for even more from this young man.
2. Katie Daily - She made a name for herself and got defeat out of the way early in her career. More importantly, the Kansas City political scene was able to get a look and feel of her two biggest assets: Katie's passion and hard work.
3. Chris Moreno - A Kansas City political consultant comeback story. Now in business with his brother Nick, Moreno participated in "the Kansas City grand incumbent reelect" and returned to controversial elections mixing it up with victories and defeats.
4. Steve Glorioso - It looks like Mr. Glorioso has his E-Tax opponents on the ropes and yesterday all of the City Council and Mayor came out to support his effort. Some might label him a local, political Machiavelli but so much work going his way along with his ideas an analysis on KCTV5 . . . This longtime denizen of the cowtown scene could be more accurately described as Kansas City's Cicero.
5. Jeff Roe - He nearly polished the turd of the Funky Administration into the Primary but now he's keeping the E-Tax fight close. Nobody has a bigger rep for being a powerful force in Missouri and National politics.
As always, this list has been compiled according to scientific TKC polling and market research data and it's a weekly comprehensive guide to local powerful people.
Nice work Poncho.
ReplyDeleteKander beats Sly? wow. Burke not even mentioned for being a class act and for facilitate one of the most issues-based campaign in KC history. But yet again, Chris Moreno makes the list for being a nobody. Extraordinary...
ReplyDeleteJason Parsons, Jermaine Reed, Jason Kander, Chris Moreno. All nice young me Tony. Good job
ReplyDeleteLove the lists! Jeff Roe, Chris Moreno, Diana Kander and Jason Parsons are the new leaders in local political consulting .
ReplyDeleteHey, add TKC to the list for all the Conan imagery. CLEVER!! As for the e-tax guys, there is NO reason for the average KCMO citizen to vote that thing out. They benefit from it. It should be a cake walk for the glorioso.
ReplyDeleteDick Davis has 1000x the Transit experience of Russ Johnson and won't be taken over by special interest.
ReplyDeleteEd Ford will find an entirely different result if he tries the same BS on Sly as he pulled on Funk.
Mayor Pro Tem? Johnson and Ford can't be trusted and Davis and Wagner are new, which may take it untraditionally South. Look for Sharp and Marcuson if such occurs.
With a south of the river Mayor it would be fair to appoint a north mayor pro-tem. Unfortunately there isnt a worthy canidate. Davis will be good for transpo.
ReplyDeleteMoreno lost again with Brooks he is good at losing. What a guy if losing is your goal hire him.
ReplyDeleteMoreno went 1 and 1 in Freedoms backyard and was part of several winning teams. 926 it sucks being run out of town don't it?
ReplyDeleteMoreno is a republican whore now. Needs to be ran out of town
ReplyDelete926: 3-1 is a pretty good municipal.
ReplyDelete929: you are a 50 year old spending a friday attacking Chris Moreno. Its obvious you have issues. Chris Moreno won, eat it. You like it don't you
ReplyDeleteSame old 2010 attacks on Chris Moreno by the same old losers.
ReplyDeleteChris Moreno was all over the political scene this year and did a nice job of flying under the radar in a lot of races. Like Parsons and the Kanders deserves his success and recognition.
ReplyDeleteJohnson did a great job on the transportation committee and he knows the PIAC system better than anyone. He also wrote the TIGR grant that scored the city millions. Davis is a good guy but running the ATA does not make you a transportation expert. It makes you a bus expert. Look for Circo to be mayor pro tem.
ReplyDeleteGlorioso is still a digesting spitting ass who smells like a goat. Johnson has never sold a vote on anything. Ford has, as Tony pointed out recently. Sharp always sells his vote. Jan would be great on Finance or as mayor pro tem.
ReplyDeletePeople who front against the eTax and putting their fragile reputations on the line, IMHO. Especially those who just lost the election just concluded.
ReplyDeleteCourse if they win, well the opposite will be true. It strikes me that repealing the eTax is a long shot, no matter the out of town money. City employees and unions will fight and vote to keep it and scare the shit out of the little old lady voters.
Just tell em they'll be paying their own trash and water and fewer paramedics and police. Yup, they'll be lyin like Republicans. We're in a time, and elderly especially, will vote for safety rather than common sense.
Especially those who don't pay the earnings tax. Its a tax OTHERS pay and in the privacy of the voting booth, they'll vote to keep it.
Much as it bothers me to having read from someone else who has it figured it out.
The Etax will have to be replaced. And this might be scary for seniors but it's the truth: pensions aren't subject to Etax. But those folks WILL pay if the tax goes away.
ReplyDeleteEd Ford didn't even win his own district! It's hard to believe he'll be a leader on the new council. He won't be.
That picture of Grace Jones depicts want Sharon would like to do to Jermaine!
ReplyDeleteHey 9:48 TKC specified "Transit" and this is why the 1000X Dick Davis comment was added. Johnson is smart but he's already been bought by several special interest and is a stubborn, vindictive trouble maker who was overall a huge disappointment on the last Council.
ReplyDeleteFord and Johnson are Burke's boys who will cause trouble for Sly. You heard it here.
ReplyDeleteParsons? Are you kidding me? He lost 2 of 3 and Wagner won that race on his own because he didn't have any real competition. That race was a cake walk. Parsons made all the wrong moves for Burke and was just using that campaign as a personal vehicle for himself. Shameless. The worst kind of campaign consultant. He never put in the work necessary to win from the day he started and relied on old school tactics like spreading rumors about your opponent and promising people everything under the Sun just to get their support. Everyone in Burke's campaign is blaming him for the loss. He should seriously think about making a living doing something else-for his own sake.
ReplyDelete10:20 you sound like Johnson's totally whipped opponent. One thing people know about Russ is that he can't be bought, not by Burke or anyone else. Can you name one special interest he has sold out to? As far as being a "disappointment" on the council, the guy won with 75% of the vote, so his constituents obviously don't agree with you. Stubborn, maybe. Vindictive, hardly. You want to see vindictive, check out the first time Glover doesn't get his way. He gets very vindictive.
ReplyDeleteAnd 10:21, I don't think Ford and Johnson are looking to cause trouble for Sly. They are looking forward to a productive four years, as opposed to the previous horrible four years we've had with the Funk.
Things is be good the next four years. There will not be a repeat of the Funky years. Voters will not have it. Relax
ReplyDelete10:20 is correct re Johnson and Ford. Totally unscrupulous.
ReplyDeletewrong on Sharp. Always out for the people of the 6th District. Thankfully he is there to protect us from those who would use any means possible to screw the citizens of this area.
ReplyDeleteLots of posts from candidates and consultsnts, but as usual, nothing of substance about any of the "power players". KCMO had better hope that this round of PPs use at tleast some of their breathtakingly exalted positions to try to do some good for the community. There are a whole bunch of things that need fixing, not to mention taking on some strategic intitiatives to move the city forward.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what do all these high-powered "consultants" do for money during odd-numbered years?
See Moreno, there are alot of other peopel that think you are a self congratulating d-bag.
ReplyDeleteChecking Ford and Sharp's disclosures, I did not see any checks written out to you or your company. Since you were soooo instrumental in these campaigns, who did they write the check to???
I just saw you following SSB around like a greasy fart all over the 3rd district. And we know you got your ass handed to you there.
Moreno is still a fat ass loser who sucks ass, get over it, you forgot to give praise to Danny Powell and Chris Benjamin for firing him so he could lead more losers!
ReplyDeleteSharp is owned by special interests. Sharp is the one screwing the 6th.
ReplyDeleteTrue that, 9:25.
ReplyDeleteProps to Jason and Diana Kander, Chris Moreno and Kim Carlos. Regardless of your opinion of them, they have really changed local political consulting as we know it and have helped open doors for young politicos in the future.
ReplyDeleteCharles is a coke snorting idiot. It is a good thing Moreno kicked his brother out of politics.
ReplyDeleteCharles your attacks on Chris Moreno only help his cause. And him being screwed over by RGC was probably the best thing for his career. Chris Moreno is a awesome guy!! Keep it up Chris!!
ReplyDeleteCharles we get it. You are obsessed with Moreno because he beat your brother. He was part of several winning teams and he did a great job this cycle. Get over it. 1:43 is right.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing Hernandez is really good at is fletching your año. Seriously T - are you in love with that fa**ot or what? Enough already. Just cause he has shit colored skin like you,doesn't make him good at anything. Cause he aint.
ReplyDeleteNo me chingues, pendejo.
All sad and untrue...jealousy is a toxic trait.
ReplyDelete