Everybody Must Get Buzzed!

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post I have been one of the fortunate ones. I signed up for a free trial of Prime Buzz months ago and they never turned it off. Either it was a glitch, a mistake or the folks at the Star decided to give a broken down failed politician a break; but I have enjoyed full subscriber access the whole time. I like the Prime Buzz. They break up to the minute stuff throughout the day. Even though I never made their blogroll I can't complain because they send me a lot of traffic, pretty much linking every post I write. So this morning I finally received the email we've all been waiting for. Check it... Mark, What’s that buzzing? You asked for it; we listened. Starting Tuesday afternoon, Prime Buzz is free! When we say free, we mean all of Prime Buzz, The Kansas City Star’s political blog that formerly was subscription-only. Access to local and regional political coverage, FREE. Political commentary and municipal agenda previews, FREE. And we’re continuing to offer, FREE, the weekday e-mailed Prime Buzz summary — one of many enhancements over The Star’s former free political blog, the KC Buzz Blog. “We built the best political Web site in the Midwest, and we appreciate those who recognized the value of Prime Buzz by subscribing to it, signing up for a free trial or otherwise figuring out a way to access it,” said Mark Zieman, The Star’s editor. “But covering our democratic process is at the core of what we do. Coming into an election year, we decided to trade the extra subscription revenue for a chance to bring that important content to a much greater audience.” To join the conversation, go to KansasCity.com starting Tuesday afternoon and click Prime Buzz. You won’t need a username to read content. But if you want to comment and receive the Prime Buzz summary, you’ll need to register and supply a valid e-mail address. That’s also necessary for former Prime Buzz users. Those who purchased a Prime Buzz subscription will be able to receive a partial refund, prorated to reflect the unused portion of the subscription. An e-mail to each subscriber supplied details. Because some site changes are needed, Prime Buzz will be shut down Monday, Sept. 3, and Tuesday morning, Sept. 4. Grab a front-row seat in an election cycle that’s already running hot. Find it fast, get it first — Prime Buzz. *************** Do you do politics for a living? So does Prime Buzz. Get in-depth local and regional political news and insight before it’s available anywhere else. Check out Prime Buzz, The Star’s political Web site, at http://primebuzz.kcstar.com. Find it fast, get it first. Prime Buzz. **************

An open letter regarding the proposed Waldo Dog Park

The following is a letter from Deb Hipp, Chairman of WOOF (Well-Organized Off-leash Friends). It is published in its entirety for your information. Dear Dog Lovers, Today, the parks board that was appointed to increase parks usage and serve the citizens totally screwed us and shut down our entire dog park plan in the most flagrant display of disregard and rudeness to the public that I have ever witnessed. I am saddened and outraged. This is what happened: When I called to check on the parks board agenda, which I couldn’t find online, I was told that there was an “amendment” to the city’s dog park guidelines on the agenda. When I asked Parks Department Director Mark McHenry what the amendment was, he would not tell me and told me that I was “welcome to come” to the meeting and find out. That is when I sent out my urgent e-mail that you received yesterday, urging people to come and speak at the “public hearing” portion of the parks board meeting, which is ALWAYS open to the public. This amendment was news to me, which led me to believe that they were trying to slip it in and screw us over with little attention. What I feared was true, and when I tell you what happened next, you will be as outraged as I am. About 40 dog park supporters showed up and at least a dozen signed up to speak during this “open” public hearing portion. The room was packed. As the parks commissioners walked in, Commissioner Aggie Stackhaus, who has made no secret of her friendship with Eula Inloes (opponent to our park and president emeritus of Here’s Waldo Neighborhood Association) or her opposition to our dog park, walked by me and gleefully said, “I’m loving every minute of this.” As the PUBLIC hearing began, Commissioner John Fierro announced that NO off-leash dog park testimony would be ALLOWED and that they would be making an announcement pertaining to the proposed dog park. I objected to this, and several other people, who had taken off work to testify, also objected. One supporter raised her hand and said, “I’d like to talk about transparency in government” but was told that NO, she would not be allowed to speak about that!! They rushed through the reading of this policy change – which excludes any dog park from being in a neighborhood park, near homes – in other words, OUR dog park, voted hurriedly on it and then, as people shouted out their dissatisfaction, just went on with the meeting as if none of the forty of us were even present. We kept on talking, though, and managed to get on the news. Several reporters were there, and you can read the Star story here. As a crowd of us gathered in the lobby and discussed this obvious back-room deal struck up by parks commissioners who seemingly –and blatantly-- believe that they are above answering to the public that they were appointed to serve, the Parks Department actually called the police! On a bunch of people wearing WOOF t-shirts discussing this denial of the public process – after all, we were promised a public hearing from day one. We have followed every procedure, been polite, professional, courteous, thorough and honest – something our few opponents (less than a dozen outspoken people) have never demonstrated…..and this is what has happened. I believe that this parks board cheated us out of our public hearing (the big one that we were PROMISED) because they knew that with the overwhelming show of public support for our project, they would have looked foolish to not approve it. Now they have chosen to look foolish anyway, and callously disregard what the public wants – in full view of news cameras and citizens. I have not had time to plan our next move, but trust me, there is one. For now, you can meet with me and others at Jakes Barbecue, 83rd and Wornall (by Big Lots) on Thursday, August 30 at 7 p.m. Come, have a beer, vent and strategize. Tell the Mayor who Appointed These People What You Think We need to FLOOD the mayor’s office with e-mails of outrage. Mayor Funkhouser appointed these people to do what is right – not make up the rules, the newest one being NOT ALLOWING the public to speak and denying citizens the right to due process – and he needs to know how his new appointees are behaving. Here is the e-mail: mayor@kcmo.org Oh, and be sure to CC these people below too when you send your e-mail to the mayor. Everyone needs to know about this underhanded move by the KCMO parks board and parks department: susan_borge@kcmo.org; karmen_bradley@kcmo.org; jim_giles@kcmo.org; news@nbcactionnews.com; mmahoney@hearst.com; iler@nbcactionnews.com; kaut@nbcactionnews.com; david.martin@pitch.com; eric.barton@pitch.com; leslie.carto@foxtv.com; cj.janovy@pitch.com; khoux@dispatchtribune.com; mcampbell@kcstar.com; melba_curls@kcmo.org; kimberly_randolph@kcmo.org; gina_boucher@kcmo.org; dyanne_bean@kcmo.org Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore? If you’d like to express your opinion to the five parks commissioners who made this disgraceful decision, CALL THEM. They were appointed to serve their constituency – that’s us. Editor's Note: I removed the phone numbers provided in the email since they are not readily available on the Parks Board website. The phone numbers are however listed in the phone book. John Fierro, Executive Director Mattie Rhodes Center Aggie Stackhaus Tyrone Aiken, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey Ajamu Webster, DuBois Consultants Civil and Structural Engineering Frances Semler If you’re against back-room deals, and “amendments” slipped in and rammed through over cries of outrage from people who were NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK about that very amendment at a PUBLIC hearing, tell the mayor today. Also, if you are an attorney, and would like to talk about the possible illegality of what the parks board did today, please contact me. I will be in touch soon. It ain’t over yet. Deb

Diversity, Assimilation and Civic Engagement

By Durwin Rice The Kansas City Post Diversity. Is it really dead in America? Pull up a chair. Screw political correctness and let's talk about a prickly subject. Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam now tells us that diversity is not paying out the societal dividends we all assumed it embodied. His researchers studied the effects of ethnic diversity in 41 U.S communities interviewing 30,000 participants and found out that diversity creates citizens who: 1) distrust their neighbors more; 2) withdraw from even their closest friends; 3) expect the worst from their community leaders; 4) volunteer less; 5) give less to charity; 6) work less on community projects; 7) register to vote less; 8) agitate for social reform more but with less faith that they can make a real difference; and 9) hunker down in front of their televisions more. Now, don't shoot the messenger here...but that does sound a bit like the status quo of the local blogosphere. Could it be that promoting cultural assimilation is just as important as promoting diversity? Of course immediately, the "But what about New York?" thought leaps into most of our heads. That vibrant-in-everyone's-mind-town is diversity and that, of course, proves the worth of diversity despite contrary facts. Or, is it just the "flip side" paradox of the Yin and Yang of diversity? Diversity may well cause societal malaise but at the same time it is challenging us to be more productive and innovative as suggested by The Boston Globe. At the minimum it is worth reading and talking about while you're trying to turn out thousands of volunteers (in what appears to be a dispirited community) to help you plant a million Tulips on Troost . But The Better Together Report points out that another plant species is a better metaphor for dealing with our diversity along with our assimilation and civic engagement issues: "The Saguaro. [pronounced sah-WAH-ro] is a cactus that grows in the Sonora desert in the Southwestern United States. There are rich parallels between the saguaro and social capital (or civic engagement). Saguaros were for some time undervalued by modern American society and often razed. Saguaros are bellwether indicators of the health of the ecosystem, and play the role of welcoming host for an environmentally-rich community: vines grow on its trunk; birds make nests in it; Native Americans have lived off its fruit and celebrate its blossoms in festivals; and animals use it for precious shade. And, like most social capital, saguaros grow slowly and are tough, long-term survivors."

Developers have Southmoreland Neighborhood in a TIF

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post One of my favorite running routes passes through a beautiful little enclave at the southern edge of the Southmoreland neighborhood. From the Kemper Museum I head down Walnut, past the bed and breakfast and The Simpson House; then around the curve and east on 46th Street in front of the early 20th century brick apartment buildings before spilling out at Southmoreland Park. These little brick apartment buildings have served as home for many college students; Plaza restaurant wait staff; retail workers; young singles as well as retirees who can't afford the luxurious confines of Oak Tower or The Sophian. They are of the same vintage as the apartments torn down at the opposite end of the Plaza for the West Edge development and are more or less the last of their kind in the Plaza area still available as rentals. In this morning's Kansas City Star we read that once again our diminishing stock of affordable housing is being assaulted by developers looking to make a quick buck at the expense of a charming neighborhood. The Wilson Development Group consists of siblings swimming in Texas oil money looking to level the entire block of apartment buildings so they can erect a luxury hotel; condos with an average $360,000 asking price; a 400-space parking garage; and two restaurants. And what better project manager to hire than Ray Braswell? Mr. Braswell has experience with tearing down friendly little brick apartment buildings. He was the developer on the aforementioned West Edge project. Councilperson Beth Gottstein is "impressed" that the Wilson brothers and Ray Braswell "came to the neighborhood and asked, 'What do you think?'" She must be easily impressed. Perhaps Ms. Gottstein should ask the West Plaza neighborhood "What they think?" about their experiences in the exact same situation. They too were asked 'What do you think?' before West Edge Development went ahead and did what they were going to do anyway. There's a big difference between "What do you think?" and "We will defer to the wishes of the neighborhood." Beware developers bearing foam board renderings and asking "What do you think?" History tells us that there's already a bulldozer parked outside. So not only does the Wilson Group want to tear down some more of Kansas City's history and evict the very people who work in neighborhood businesses, they want the taxpayers to help them do it. In a neighborhood that principal Andrew Wilson describes as "one of the best places in the country for this kind of project" in almost the same breath asks us to chip in about $15 million in TIF for a parking garage. If "one of the best places in the country" needs a $15 million handout to make the numbers work, maybe we should all just pack it in and go home. There's no hope for any of us. How much taxpayer assistance would a project need in a "least desirable area?" Has everyone forgotten what TIF is for?! I'm told that at the the July meeting with the neighborhood, Mr. Braswell implied that TIF would not work on the east side of Kansas City right now but this project was a logical "bridge towards Troost" to enable TIF-backed development to gradually work its way east. That's a bit of a stretch. I'm also told that perhaps the biggest open mouth insert foot moment of the evening was when Mr. Braswell implied that the current residents of the apartments were somehow less than desirable for the Southmoreland neighborhood. It was at that point that the associate pastor of the Community Christian Church where the meeting was being held informed the developers that she is one of the "riff raff" of which they were so magnanimously offering to rid the neighborhood. I would say that moment must have been "priceless" but at the tune of $15 million I it's more appropriate to say "pricey." This should be an easy "no" for the current TIF Commission and City Council. No to tearing down affordable housing; No to wiping out part of the historic charm of Southmoreland and the Plaza; and a great big NO to using taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of insensitive developers. And one final note to the people casting aspersions on the "riff raff" living in the 46th Street apartments? A lot of those people work in the see and be seen restaurants you love to frequent. Just about everyone I know, myself included has at one time or another worked in the service industry and can tell you it is never, NEVER a good idea to insult the people that handle your food. Just my own little piece of free advice. No TIF required...

Joining the team at kclightrail.com

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post Obviously I'm going to be learning a lot about light rail over the next few weeks as I participate in the Citizens Task Force on Light Rail. I didn't want to turn TheKansasCityPost.com into a house organ for light rail issues, nor did I want to take away the personal aspect of My Town, My Take. Fortunately, the fine folks over at kclightrail.com have invited me to chronicle my task force experiences over there. I have decided to take them up on their extremely lucrative offer. I get an upfront signing bonus of nothing and a per-post payout of nothing. How could I pass on a deal like that? So while I'll still have light rail issues here from time to time, the bulk of my "railing" will go on over there. Maybe as the weeks go by I will be able to influence some of my fellow task force members to chime in. I'm sure we'll have some lively discussions!

Does it come with a sidecar?

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post Last night at the Light Rail Community Input forum I had a chance to chat with Mark Huffer of the KCATA. As usual I was pitching one of my wild ideas which I will write about at a later date. Mark and I were talking about new technologies and I was heartened to hear we share similar beliefs that transit technology is advancing at such a rapid pace it staggers (or in my case excites) the imagination to think what will be available ten, or even five years from now. I watch EV (Electric Vehicle) technology very closely. I monitor press releases from startup firms like A123Systems and Altair Technologies. Despite what the lumbering automotive manufacturers would have you believe, the day is fast approaching when we will all have the means to own a plug-in vehicle. To the "I have to see it to believe it" crowd? Check out this bad boy. The KillaCycle. The current world record holder for the quarter mile by an EV. 8.168 seconds @ 155.78MPH. This is not your kid's electric scooter. And the really cool part? One quarter mile run costs about ten cents, including the two mile drive back to the pit area! As I've said before, racing brings about a lot of innovation. If only the transit industry would be so bold. Or maybe they are. Stay tuned gentle readers...

Take Me To Your Leader

By Durwin Rice The Kansas City Post Finally something that makes sense from a city leader regarding light rail. The KC Star reports on Bill George, Jr.'s recent advice to Clay Chastain... "support the immediate planning for a starter line that can be built from the funds that exist through the current tax". What say you Clay? That sounds reasonable to me and you told us, at least once, that you are a reasonable man. Personally, I once thought I cared if a starter line went down Broadway or Main Street. But today, in the hopes of finding some leadership out of the current morass, I can truthfully tell you that I don't think it really matters. Of course, it's a shame nobody's suggesting that the starter line involve Troost Avenue, which currently is the highest trafficked commuter route in the city. And, it's also too bad that Mr. Nutter and Mr. Patterson don't want the starter line on Broadway. Broadway needs mass transit too, whether it goes through Penn Valley Park or not. Main Street would be a great line and so would Prospect, the city's 2nd highest traveled bus route. But Chastain maintains (correctly) that he doesn't have the authority to change the voter approved route on Broadway. Well, perhaps if we would all understand that a regional plan has got to begin somewhere we might just be able to find the leadership to ask whoever has that authority which street we dig up first? Maybe instead of asking the voters to vote against what they already voted for we ask them on which street or avenue they want to take their virgin light rail ride in Kansas City. If that turns out to, again, be Broadway, welcome to democracy Mr. Nutter and Mr. Patterson. Our Mayor likes to talk about a "well-thought-out regional plan". In "A Splendid Ride: The Streetcars of Kansas City" published in 2002 by Kansas City Star Books we learn that "At its peak, the cable car system of Kansas City was the third largest in the entire country, after only San Francisco and Chicago." There's also a nice map of that obviously successful regional plan on pages 174 and 175. It's kind of simple. Kansas City voters want light rail. A regional plan begins on one block. The city needs leadership so, what say you City Council?

Share the road. Or at least the car.

By Kevin Klinkenberg The Kansas City Post One problem that I frequently have with discussions on transportation is that issues are presented as black-and-white, either-or options. You know the arguments: we must have parking because people will drive no matter what. Or, we must ban parking to force people to use transit and walk more. The real world is full of far more shades of grey. To wit: the phenomenon of car sharing. No, this is not some free-love, leftover idea from the 1960’s. It’s a bona fide business geared towards urban dwellers and workers, and one that Kansas City should find ways to encourage. Three companies operate nationally that I’m aware of (Zipcar, Flexcar and I-go), and I’m sure others are in the works. These businesses work on a simple philosophy: some people may need a car, but not all the time. So, why not rent one by the hour as the need arises? Each of the companies have slightly different ways of distributing their cars. It can be anything from swiping a reader on the car with a "smart card", to making a reservation online for the time you need it. Car sharing frees some individuals from the expense of owning a seldom needed car but still gives them the freedom of having easy access to a vehicle for important errands or meetings. In many communities, car sharing is not only available, it’s actively encouraged by city government. And, for obvious reasons. If, for example, only 10 urban dwellers share a single car, that’s 10 fewer expensive parking spaces to be built, often at taxpayer expense. In some cities, it’s also considered a “public benefit” for developers, who are then rewarded with either lower parking ratios or more density. Kansas City is certainly a car city, and we’re a long ways from having a functional transit system that gets us where we need to go at all times. So why not encourage car sharing now as a step in the right direction? Less parking, more usable land, “green” cars, and market forces – what’s not to like?

City Council: Please Pass New Property Maintenance Ordinance

By Joe Medley The Kansas City Post Back in May, Mark Forsythe wrote an editorial suggesting changes to the City’s nuisance and property maintenance codes (Kansas City Must Toughen Its Property Code Laws ). I agree with what amounted to Mark's wish list of items that would help save many of the city’s deteriorating buildings. Last week the City Council referred a new nuisance and property maintenance codes ordinance to the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee. The ordinance changes aren’t exactly what Mark proposed in his column, but they’re still a vast improvement over what we have now. During the most recent state legislative session in Jefferson City, a law was passed that allows municipalities to establish something called “administrative penalties” for municipal code violations. Using the new powers granted by the state, the proposed City ordinance would impose administrative enforcement providing “an alternative method for the city to gain compliance with provisions of the code prior to any formal court action." In other words, rather than going to court, a person cited under this proposed ordinance could request a hearing with city officials. At first glance, this doesn’t sound like much of an improvement. Yet surprisingly, this ordinance seems to have some teeth. For starters, recurring offenses are counted against the property owner rather than the property. This means that slumlords who continually buy and sell property do not get a clean slate. The City can also place liens on the properties of owners who don’t pay their fines. Fines can also be imposed on corporations, which was previously not allowed. In the past, City officials had to identify an individual within a corporation to hold responsible for nuisance and maintenance violations. My favorite part of this new ordinance is the following line. “Every day that a violation continues shall be considered a separate offense, for which the violator may be arrested, tried and convicted without necessity of further notice." Even though the maximum fine is a paltry $1000, this clause means that in many cases it will be cheaper to fix the property than to pay the fine. The downside is that since it is cheaper to demolish than repair, this new ordinance may lead to the destruction of more historic buildings. Will it pass? That remains to be seen. The ordinance was introduced at the August 2 City Council meeting and referred to the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee. I am trying to contact the members of that committee to find out what chance the ordinance has of making it to the full council in its original form. So far, I’ve only spoken to 6th District Councilman John Sharp. From that conversation it seemed to me that Councilman Sharp's chief concern was to make concessions for out-of-town developers. He even cautioned me that things can change in committee. Given what I know about Councilman Sharp, I’m going to guess that he’s the one who wants to change the ordinance. Do not let Councilman Sharp, or any other councilperson water down this ordinance. Please contact your city council members, particularly the ones that serve on the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee before this Wednesday's PS&N Committee meeting. Let them know you support Ordinance No. 070851 as written. It does not need to be "softened" or made "more friendly" to developers. It may not be a perfect piece of legislation, but it certainly does not need to be made "less perfect."

The Great American Race

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post The Automotive X Prize. A yet to be determined cash prize for a team that can win a long-distance race with a production-ready vehicle that exceeds the equivalent of 100 MPG and meets specified maximum emissions criteria. This is a highly anticipated contest by both environmentalists and techno-geeks alike. I happen to fall in both categories. The AXP states their main goal is "To inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change." Pretty lofty goal, but a similar contest already inspired a private consortium to put a man in space. If we can reach outer space I think we can reach 100 MPG. 31 teams have already signed up for a contest that has yet to define the exact criteria or give the amount of the prize. Rumor has it an additional 300 teams have inquired about entering. That's the kind of excitement this contest is generating. So what does all this have to do with Kansas City? They haven't determined the race route yet. From an August 1st press release: The competition is expected to travel through multiple cities while broadcast to a global audience in 2009 and 2010, building consumer demand for vehicles in the competition and demonstrating many practical, clean and affordable vehicle options. Cities involved in the competition route have not yet been chosen. Another chance to showcase Kansas City! The mid-way point of a cross-country race. Television. A world audience. Why not? This shouldn't cost any money. No TIF. No tax abatement. We shouldn't even have to resurface the streets like we would have to for my American Le Mans Series idea. So here's your chance loyal Post readers! Let's start an email campaign to make sure the AXP will Consider Kansas City™. I don't want to post individuals' email addresses but I will post a link to the Automotive X PRIZE management team so you can email them yourselves. Don't want to go to that much work? Just click here and send to their info address. Use your own words. Sell them on Kansas City. Just let them know we want to see those vehicles come through KC. Contact your council representatives and the mayor's office. Maybe an elected official extending an invitation to the AXP will carry a little more weight. We have nothing to lose, except maybe our dependence on the internal combustion engine.