Kansas City needs more than just big talk from Mayor Funky and his supporters when it comes to cutting Stadium Funding!!!

This town is beginning to calm from Mayor Funky's $2 million temper tantrum regarding Truman Sports Complex Funding.

I like Dan from Gone Mild but he makes the common blogger mistake of thinking that he's the first to stumble upon the fact KC funding commitments to The Chiefs and Royals are tenuous at best. He even offers proof from sacred documents that actually show City Funding discussed in lease contracts - Which kinda doesn't help his point.

Anyhoo . . .

I'd like to point out that, yet again, TKC noted this first. Check it:

TKC from January 22, 2009:

"Even worse, in the middle of a budget crisis, well informed TKC TIPSTERS are doing their best to draw attention to the fact that at least $2 Million from Kansas City's budget goes to the Chiefs for reasons that aren't readily identifiable."

From a TKC post on Wednesday, January 28, 2009:

"The City of Kansas City still gives $2,000,000.00 --yes TWO MILLION --yes GIVES no strings attached 2 Million Dollars to the "teams". It is still in this budget that we are all worried about. It is a line item with no ballot measure ever submitted to substantiate it.

In other words it is given because someone years and years ago slipped it into the budget and NO ONE has the cajones to say NO." Yes, yes, it's a comment but I'm taking credit for it because anonny Internet people don't deserve credit for jack.

On a serious note, real neighborhood activists like the folks behind the KC NAG NEWSLETTER have e-mailed thousands upon thousands of people regarding this issue for the past year and a half.

As always, the question isn't about funding or the silly talk of "principles" . . . A Mayor that has backed his shoeless wife and supported racism at every turn has no moral credibility.

Here are a few reasons why Mayor Funky fails even when he comes up with a good idea:

The Mayor didn't consult or partner with any politico in town upon his announcement . . . As usual, it's came from nowhere and provided nothing but a series of smackdowns from other politicos.

Again, great idea but won't look so good in retrospect when The Chiefs and/or Royals pick up and leave . . . And don't think the teams can't leave. Playing in an old and busted stadium in a better market is always a better option being comfortable in the middle of nowhere.

Just like most of Mayor Funky's bright ideas . . . IT'S ALL NOTHING BUT BIG TALK!!! This is yet another bit of political theater that amounts to nothing but people getting frustrated with a Mayor that loves to make big pronouncements but doesn't seem to know how to do the real work of governing. Mayor Funky's bright ideas have all failed . . . This one won't be the exception. In fact, the Mayor with no constituency did nothing more than secure the $2 million for the Chiefs and Royals with his petulant antics.

Even worse, Mayor Funky's political instincts are so inept and out of line he's giving the guy who is going to replace him the spotlight this afternoon:

Today, March 9, Mayor Mark Funkhouser and Kansas City Chief of Police Jim Corwin will hold a press conference to discuss his budget priorities and his recommendations regarding funding for the Truman Sports Complex.

That's cute and it's good he's giving the far more qualified to be Mayor, Jim Corwin some free publicity . . . But Corwin, as of yet, has no legislative say or ability to do anything but give a speech.

Right now Corwin says, he "doesn't know" if he'll run for Mayor . . . But I'm glad to see Mayor Funky helping to push him in the right direction . . . Meanwhile when it comes to garnering meaningful partnerships with the people who could really help to make this idea a reality (i.e. the City Council) . . . Once again, Mayor Funky has made very little real progress on his big talk.