KCMO Council Dude Kevin O'Neil Crafts EPIC Developer Giveaway

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To wit . . . 

AN EPIC INSIDER NOTE REVEALS COUNCIL DUDE KEVIN IS WORKING OVERTIME FOR DEVELOPERS IN A DEAL THAT COULD COST TAXPAYERS BIG BUCKS!!!

 Here's a peek at sitch and one more reminder about why so many people REALLY run for council.

Check-it . . .  

Kansas City’s Council Cash Cow: Kevin O’Neil’s Latest Giveaway to Developer Crony – And Guess Who Foots the Bill?

In the shadowy corridors of Kansas City’s City Hall, where taxpayer dollars flow like cheap beer at a Royals tailgate, Councilman Kevin O’Neil has once again proven he’s less a public servant and more a personal concierge for deep-pocketed developers. The latest exhibit in this parade of pandering? Ordinance File #250914, a sweetheart deal that greenlights a cooperative agreement for a massive water transmission main upgrade at the so-called “Mandacina First Plat” development in Clay County.

Sponsored solely by O’Neil, this ordinance isn’t about public good – it’s about padding the profits of a connected real estate player, while Kansas City’s working families get stuck with the plumbing bill.

Let’s cut through the bureaucratic fog: This isn’t some altruistic infrastructure fix. The ordinance authorizes the city’s Water Services Department to execute an agreement that lets THE DEVELOPER and his partner dodge a chunk of their mandatory water main improvement costs for a sprawling project at 96th and Brooklyn north. We’re talking a 30-inch water transmission line snaking through “challenging terrain” to pave the way for a future arterial street – all on the public dime, or at least with the city assuming responsibilities that are always part of the development cost. The preliminary plat for this boondoggle was already dismissed by the City Plan Commission once because THE DEVELOPER couldn’t even meet basic infrastructure benchmarks. Now, thanks to O’Neil’s legislative sleight of hand, the city swoops in to “satisfy a portion of the owner’s required obligations.” Translation: Taxpayers subsidize the pipes so THE DEVELOPERS can flip dirt into dollars.

This isn’t an isolated slip-up; it’s O’Neil’s modus operandi. Elected in 2019 as a fifth-generation Kansas Citian with a folksy Labor Beacon newspaper gig on his résumé, O’Neil campaigned on neighborhood sidewalks and school support – noble enough on paper. But peel back the layers, and you’ll find a councilman who’s made “being developer-friendly” his personal brand. He’s pushed to shuffle the city’s permitting process under Public Works – a department already drowning in pothole complaints.

O’Neil’s track record reads like a developer’s wish list. O’Neil stayed mum as numerous attempts to limit the amount and time of tax deferrals, content to let the gravy train chug on. And now, with this Mandacina deal, he’s back at it, ensuring that public infrastructure – water mains that every Kansas City household relies on – becomes a bargaining chip for private profit.

Enter the developer darling at the heart of this mess. He isn’t your stereotypical KC developer – he’s a homegrown operator with fingers in multiple pies.

The taxpayer hit? Brutal and ongoing. Kansas City’s already hemorrhaging cash on developer incentives favoring “politically connected entities” over everyday residents. This cooperative agreement? It’s a stealth subsidy, shifting water infrastructure burdens from THE DEVELOPER'S ledger to the city’s, potentially tapping ratepayer funds or future bonds just to unlock his development dreams. Schools starve, streets crumble, and water bills creep up – all so one guy can subdivide and sell. TKC readers remember that he doesn’t answer phone calls but somehow he answers THIS DEVELOPER'S call to action.

O’Neil’s defenders might whine about “economic growth” or “necessary partnerships,” but let’s call it what it is: crony capitalism on steroids. For someone who claims to love labor and rank and file middle Americans, he appears to have no problem making them pay so millionaires can make more money.  

Kansas City deserves better than a council lapdog for developers. Demand O’Neil make THESE DEVELOPERS do what every other developer is required to do and stop playing favorites.   Pull the ordinance and if he won’t, Kansas Citians need to note which Councilmembers vote to approve it.   When the water main bursts or the tax bill spikes, it won’t be developers twisting the wrench. It’ll be you. 
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Developing . . .