TKC EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! CORRUPT ROCK ISLAND CORRIDOR AT RISK AFTER FORMER JACKSON COUNTY EXECUTIVE MIKE SANDERS PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD!!!



The guilty plea of Mike Sanders endangers a controversial Kansas City rail transit development program that he championed during his corrupt tenure as County Executive and then as a consultant after he resigned from office under curious circumstances.

To wit . . .

BEHIND THE SCENES MISSOURI STATEWIDE REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS THREATEN THE FUTURE OF ROCK ISLAND CORRIDOR PLANS NOW THAT THE FORMER DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAMPION OF THIS EFFORT HAS BEEN DISGRACED!!!

More than any other public official, Mike Sanders pushed the Rock Island Corridor as part of a transit vision for Eastern Jackson County and earned support from gullible urban planners.



In fact, even after leaving office under suspicious circumstances, Mike Sanders continued to earn cash from Jackson County to work on the Rock Island Corridor.

Sanders was awarded a $60,000 contract to continue working for the county and that contract has been renewed time and time again.

The price tag keeps growing from there . . .

Jackson County and the KCATA contracted with Union Pacific to pay $52 million for the Rock Island Rail Corridor, the cost increased to $84-million over time because the county is issuing 30-year debt to finance the transaction.

The kicker . . .



THE ROCK ISLAND CORRIDOR HAS SERVED AS NOTHING MORE THAN A POLITICAL SLUSH FUND WITH VERY LITTLE DEVELOPMENT OR PROGRESS BESIDES PRESS RELEASES!!! MEANWHILE TAXPAYER CASH IS CONTINUALLY FUNNELED TO THIS SCHEME!!!

From our vantage . . .

The corruption of Mike Sanders and his wire fraud guilty plea has implications for current policies at Jackson County that cost taxpayers MILLIONS with little benefit.

Mike Sanders was the political architect of Rock Island Corridor and his disgrace merits an examination of his pet project which many suspect only served as questionable political patronage. 

Before the guilty plea, crooked local media and allies strained to tacitly back this sketchy deal and now, if these politicos have one shred of decency they will join forces with skeptics to encourage a full examination and accounting of the its questionable merits and lackluster progress.

Sadly, KC rail transit boosters are content to downplay the role of Mike Sanders in order to keep the cash flowing and Missouri statewide Republican officials are now the only hope of offering checks and balances to this runaway train and its vaporware promises that have been unfulfilled for years.

While the rest of the local media is navel gazing with silly personal essays offering Mike Sanders reflections or simply recycling our FIRST NEWS -- The denizens of the TKC blog community support an examination into the IMPACT OF MIKE SANDERS CORRUPTION THAT MUST BE WEEDED OUT and start with a reality check for the Rock Island Corridor.

Developing . . .

Comments

  1. Give it another 5 years before anybody notices that there hasn't been any progress on a simple bike trail and the passenger rail option is not viable.

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    1. It's a nice sentiment TKC but it's not going to happen.

      Greitens was the only guy to take a swipe at this project but now he'll be lucky to even stay in office. The money train will keep rolling. Would't be surprised to see Sly step in and keep the project alive with a nice speech or maybe another song.

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    2. Money train will keep rolling.

      Frank is on board too. I'm sure he has more relatives that need a job.

      This is how government in KC works.

      Even after a guilty plea, the party never stops.

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  2. the sad thing this is the 50 million corridor to no where, does any reader know where it ends? it’s not downtown as promised mike cut that out

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  3. They're working on it now.

    Are you that out of touch? Or do you just like making false statements?

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  4. I'm really surprised they haven't used COMBAT money for it.

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  5. What makes you think they haven’t! Lol!

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  6. The rock island killing zone is what it will end up being, the coloreds can hide on the trail and knock people off left and right

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  7. You Property Tax Dollars At Work!!!

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  8. Where are they working on it and what are they doing?

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  9. A friend of mine said that corruption usually happens because of drugs, wild women, or gambling. Was it one or all three. What about the other guy?

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  10. If you are doing one you are doing the others.

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  11. Corruption in the private sector may happen because of drugs, women or gambling but with politicians they don't need a reason. Politics attracts low lifes like moths to a flame.

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  12. To freshen some of the historical detail, 58 million was expended on a ill conceived vision, with Sanders and many of the regional politicos cheerleading a mostly unfunded, and poorly prepared plan (sounds almost like the Airport doesn't it). So now a review of the 58 million that went to Union Pacific (which we thought was horrific and contrasted so terribly with how Katy trail was established).

    Cleaver was cheerleading, even emphasizing he thought it was great to proceed without funding being known. Then "problems" show up in the planning. The money is gone, we will get little accounting. If you recall Klicko and Sanders and Cleaver were at the front, but Sanders was getting capital from ATA for some of the payments via the backscratch deal with Robbie Maakinon if memory serves correctly. Robbie and Reardon did the backscratch too. The ATA thinks they are a real estate developer, a tech innovator, a big hitter on visions. They are an old school bus operation with political cronies at the helm.

    Now that Sanders is apparently going to the slammer, time to pull the string of events and evidence to undress how that ill considered deal went forward. You can assume it was pork all around.

    This is going to get interesting. Feds, we will do our best to get you on the trail. At the very least, the ATA leadership should be required to quickly tell us what happened to their money, why they made the ill considered investment, where the money went. Of course, Sanders had a role in placing Robbie so that could get very interesting and deserves being undressed. Lot's of interesting ways these pool balls can break, but a new lead to the ATA and a full undressing sounds in order.

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  13. On the bright side, 2:16 (to the extent there is one), Cleaver might be able to pay off his SBA loan with his share of the graft.

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  14. Prison is the answer.

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  15. What's that old saying, from the Wild West?-- "he should be run out of town on a rail..."

    Well, Sanders should, but NOT on the Rock Island Railroad corridor. Which should have the plug pulled.

    2:16, great refresher. Keep up the good comments. Especially the ATA is an old school bus operation with cronies at the helm.

    So out of touch.

    What this town needs is not a toy train--The Clockwork Orange Express for violent yutes from P&L to the Plaza, and not a bike path to nowhere. KCMO needs to prepare for driverless cars. Read some of Fritz Maffrey's articles. He gets it.

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  16. How about some golf course facility on the Illinois border that could house the Mo. and Illinois politicians. seems to be a pattern here with these scandals.

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  17. Nah--they'd just expect a mulligan when they got out!

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  18. “Integrity in Law Enforcement,” Hill said, “is about the biggest oxymoron ever.”
    KCPD is a part of no integrity.

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  19. sanders is now a convicted felon, does that mean when he applies at mcdonalds when he gets out that he doesn't have to check "the box" LMAO!!!!

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  20. The Rock Island Line will be a mighty good road, the Rock Island Line will be the road to ride. Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line.

    Great song, bad project.

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  21. Maybe there's something about that office, the County Executive Office, that just turns whoever occupies it into a crook. Frank White is corrupt as hell, but he's not going to be getting away with it as long as Sanders did. Frank needs to explain why he signed off on this Rock Island deal, why he robbed from the COMBAT fund, and who it was Sanders got to bail Frank out from his foreclosure mess (and how he, Frank, is paying back this mystery person).

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  22. Tracy is fucking nuts anymore . When she lives in KCMO maybe she can pop off. She is a stunk.

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  23. 6:08 Jackson County has "banned the box." Maybe Sanders can reapply.

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  24. What about poor Calvin?

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  25. Cleaver did not know Mike was crooked. Claire did not know Mike was crooked. On and on. Let's give them the airport!

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  26. I'd say it's time to start using Jackustan for Jackson County but that's what they are already calling Jackson Mississippi.

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  27. Anyone know who Skippy made Director of the money train before he resigned like a thief in the night?

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