HAS MAYOR SLY BETRAYED 'NICE GUY' IMAGE WITH CORRUPT BURNS & MAC NO-BID NEW KANSAS CITY AIRPORT SCHEME?!?



Kansas City will fight about a proposed plan for a new airport today but most of the arguments will overlook at critical component that has dominated the local discourse for more than half a decade: The highly touted charm and charisma of Mayor Sly James employed to sell a litany of taxes and questionable public projects now pushing the biggest local gamble of all time.

Today that image persona might finally confront real questions from the public.

Why???

MAYOR SLY SELLING A NO-BID SWEETHEART DEAL FOR LONGTIME CORPORATE PATRONS IS THE MOST CORRUPT ENDEAVOR UNDERTAKEN IN KANSAS CITY HISTORY!!!

Nice guy or not, forgive the optimism but, Kansas City voters and residents aren't stupid.



The merits of the new airport scheme and criticism of MCI in its current configuration will be the focus of the discussion but the more important fact is that even Mayor Sly's most strident allies must admit that this NO-BID KANSAS CITY $2.5 BILLION CORRUPTION IS INDEFENSIBLE and a sign of corporate welfare graft at its worst.

The deets of the "private financing" seem like they're written on a cocktail napkin and in the end, as always, Kansas City cash will end up paying for this disaster in the making . . . As always. 

Also, the designs for the new airport have all been disappointing so far and selling this project that Kansas City will own but not manage is a sketchy proposition at best.



Still, this is debate isn't about the merits of the new airport vs. fixing something that locals already like and depend upon . . . The struggle is obvious for locals who have even a modicum of understanding about local politics:

CAN MAYOR SLY MAINTAIN HIS GOOD GUY IMAGE WHILE SELLING THIS SHADY NO-BID NEW AIRPORT PLAN???

You decide . . .

Check the links . . .

Kansas City carries $2.6 billion in debt. That's $5,500 per resident - KC Biz Journal: Why a KCI plan that looks bad to some looks so good to City Hall

KCUR: Concerns Remain Despite Latest Plan For Single Terminal At KCI

KSHB: City leader advises caution with KCI proposal

NPR: Kansas City Leaders Want To Make Sure New KCI Plan Is The Right Deal — But Time Is Short

Developing . . .

Comments

  1. Plan is already in place.

    Shift responsibility to the council.

    Highlight union jobs.

    Depend on Chamber, Civic Council and business community support from those who have already secured their deals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. $2.5 billion should make Pendergast cement deals look like small potatoes.

      Delete
    2. If this makes it past council, the fix is in.

      Delete
  2. Where do I sign up to get my payoff or campaign contribution?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Who's going to serve Latte's to construction workers if there is no construction?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Why is "the time short" for this ridiculous fiasco, but not for doing something about homicides, fixing the streets, auditing the water department, or all the other messes that actually affect KCMO residents each and every day?
    Whenever politicos try to trick the public that a major decision has to be made RIGHT AWAY, you can be sure that they know the details of how the proposal will actually work and who will benefit, and they don't want people to find out until it's too late.
    This insider deal makes a public vote pretty much worthless and puts ownership and financial benefits of the airport with a private company forever.
    If Burns and Mac are so interested in the city, why don't they offer to privatize the water or sewer departments?
    No money there. That's why.
    This really is a poke in the public's eye by the gang at 12th and Oak which has become arrogant and completely jerked around by the usual insider suspects.
    And, as usual, the local media slobber along as they do little more than read press releases from city hall.
    Sly likes to talk about a world class city.
    KCMO is a Third World amateur joke.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Follow the money trail

    ReplyDelete
  6. LET'S TALK FACTS

    1) Sylvester James is essentially on Burns and McDonnell's payroll when it comes to generous campaign contributions, which are the lifeblood for political parasites like James.

    2) Burns and McDonnell is to arrange the financing for an airport terminal project estimated at $2.5 billion dollars, yet they were unable to handle the financing for their very own headquarters expansion? WTF is up with that? Why did Mayor James make sure that KCMO actually financed their headquarters expansion, and then leased the building back to the developer, who then leased it to Burns and McDonnell?
    ANSWER: see item 1 above

    3) Understand this is a TERRIBLE, ILLEGAL, and UNPRECEDENTED CRONY deal. Under Sylvester James leadership, KCMO is teetering toward insolvency. After years of corporate welfare giveaways, irresponsible spending, purposeful neglect of infrastructure, and failing to heed the wishes of taxpayers, KCMO has a threatened credit rating, record crime, the largest general obligation bond borrowing in city history, rising taxes, an out-of-control public-safety budget, and leadership (James/Schulte) that secretly schemes for the benefit of non-resident developers while ignoring residents.

    4) Mayor James has NO RESPECT for his fellow Councilmembers, believing that he can once again force a bad deal down their throats by using intimidation, threats, and his bullying persona. The Council needs to wake up and realize that each member has one vote, just the same as Mayor James.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beware! Councilman Quinton Lucas is playing games again.

    After speaking in favor of the Burns and McDonnell terminal proposal during a Tuesday morning radio interview, now Lucas is reverting to his old tricks whereby he cautions a need to examine all the details, take enough time, cross the "t's" and dot the "i's"!

    Here's a bet I'll make publicly: Councilman Lucas will vote to accept and enter into the MOU between KCMO and Burns and McDonnell.....it's a guaranteed winning bet!

    Lucas' favorite ploy on most all issues is to excessively run his mouth, spouting cliches, the need for careful study, and balancing all aspects of stakeholders, when in fact, he IS A YES-MAN FOR THE STATUS QUO AND DEVELOPER AGENDA.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @8:52 nails it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Slie was originally elected in 2011 over Mike Burke as a rejection of special interest and insider deals; with many pages of free promotion by the Star.

    Slie was quickly shown where the big money comes from.

    Pendergast dealt in thousands of dollars. Slie and Burke deal in hundreds of millions that grows to billions with the airport.

    ReplyDelete
  10. crony tool.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If you build it they will come.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Greedy Democrats and Welfare trolls.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The KCMO voters will be the last remaining firewall to prevent this incendiary fiasco from engulfing the sovereignty of KCMO democracy.

    Sylvester James and Troy Schulte are arson co-conspirators with their corporate benefactor Burns and McDonnell.

    Expect the following Councilmembers to put down their water hoses and cheer on James/Schulte as they ignite the inferno:

    Wagner
    Fowler
    Lucas
    Reed
    Justus
    Barnes
    Canady
    Taylor
    McManus

    I hope I'm wrong, but I only see 3 Councilmembers who are smart enough to ask questions and put the brakes on this boondoggle:
    Hall
    Loar
    Shields

    ReplyDelete
  14. Of these 3 women, 12:16, one is excellent, one is acceptable, and the remaining one is better than the other nine named above--
    --to be KC's next mayor!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What about B and M?

    They're the impetus.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Teresa Loar for mayor! Just what KC needs, a washed up money launderer who's primary accomplishments include low-rent schemes, graft, cronyism, snitching, old lady cocktail hours, animal prints, and spending more time playing on her phone during public meetings than all other elected officials combined. Northland on the Rise!

    The only good thing she ever did was double cross Local 42 without their genius union bosses knowing...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nobody was buying the May Day Sly's Block Party

    ReplyDelete
  18. I don't know what you expect from S'lie James, He is a lawyer after all.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Why can't we have an airport that doesn't suck balls?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Slie is the biggest scum bag in the whole state of Mo. A lying piece of shit. He will never change. Wait until he becomes a senator or Congress man. Poor Missouri will be screwed even more.

    ReplyDelete
  21. 4:39's post smells strongly of bullshit. Another failed graduate of an on line creative writing class.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This plan is a loser. Glad it was put on hold today!

    ReplyDelete
  23. The mayor from burns & mac?

    No thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  24. What??? Sly has a nice guy image? That's a new one. SMH I always thought he was kind of a bully. Go figure!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

TKC COMMENT POLICY:

Be percipient, be nice. Don't be a spammer. BE WELL!!!

- The Management