Well, We Can’t Let Just Anyone on the KC TIF Commission, Now Can We?
I am definitely with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser on this one. The Star has the story here. The dispute over whether an artist and entrepreneur in Kansas City is “qualified” to sit on the city’s “prestigious” (said sarcastically) tax increment financing (TIF) commission is absurd. Apparently, the fact that the artist currently known as Stretch didn’t know every government acronym off the top of his head is some sort of disqualification:
[City Councilwoman Jan] Marcason said she had to explain to him that the terms MBE and WBE meant “minority business enterprise” and “ women’s business enterprise” and that the city set goals for each in awarding public contracts.
I guess he would have been a terrible bureaucrat during the New Deal. It is also apparently being held against Stretch that he understands the economic laws of labor and prices, and is, incomprehensibly, not 100-percent committed to having the government determine the price of labor:
Marcason said she also was unsure of Stretch’s commitment to contractors paying “prevailing wages,” which means the standard pay and benefits to laborers in the largest city of a county.
Oh, the horror! The last thing the TIF Commission should possibly have is one person looking out for taxpayer value. God forbid that government funds don’t get properly spent placating every interest group in town.
The business community is also unhappy that someone might not plan on going along with the tax incentive gravy train:
Some in the business community say the Stretch and Lindsay nominations continue a pattern of replacing experienced board members on development agencies wholesale with newcomers who at best are unfamiliar with incentive programs and at worst, hostile.
Stretch may or may not have known what MBE and WBE meant, but I wonder whether those opposed to his appointment have any idea what “regulatory capture” means. Commissions like this desperately need independent voices like his.
Great post. I’m rooting for him.
Comment by Sarah Brodsky — September 16, 2009 @ 4:59 p.m.
Their will be opposition to renewal of the public safety tax next year if it is not tif exempt. Jan Marcason is the sponsor of the worst CID – Skelly CID on the Plaza.
Comment by southkc — September 17, 2009 @ 7:44 p.m.
I get the impression that some think the job of the TIF commission is to help projects go through and not to call out developers when they present nonsense. I don’t know why anyone would think that someone who has created a successful business without TIF would be a bad choice for the commission.
I only know Stretch well enough to say “hi”, but I was willing to withhold judgement on the MBE/WBE thing. It smelled like bullshit to me.
Comment by Joe Medley — September 18, 2009 @ 7:58 a.m.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Stretch is clearly qualified to be on the commission if for no other reason than being an active citizen, but the fact that he is a successful business owner makes this dispute all the more insane.
Comment by David Stokes — September 18, 2009 @ 4:14 p.m.
anybody and almost everybody knows that stretch did not build those restaurants into what they are today including the crossroads venue.He has a partner thats the financial mind over everything. also lets not forget the dufus was going to build condoswhere the venue now stands until his partner and brett mosiman and mike edmondson talk him out of it to build what we know now as the best venue in kansas city.Ive even heard him take credit for the duct work in grinders which was the brainchild and work of a local heat and cooling guy by the name of bruce smith.This guy is the biggest fraud ever portayed in this city. he has never payed taxes (fica or city or state) on anyone who has ever worked for him do metal fab or his house projects or any of his private projects. I happen to know his partner spends most of his day tring to stop him from luting the restarants and driving them in to the ground.The guy is a train wreck with money and i for one can tell you doesnt even own a suit is why he wont where one when appropriate
Comment by George — February 17, 2010 @ 9:51 a.m.