Biz Journal: Regional plan gets ‘mixed reviews’
A brief from the Kansas City Business Journal touts "mixed reviews" of Mayor Funkhouser's draft regional light rail legislation. Area mayors attended a meeting at Union Station this morning to review the plan, which would require legislative support in Kansas and Missouri. Unfortunately, Johnson County biggies Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, and Shawnee didn't attend. Do you live in one of these cities? If so, please click on the city name to send a message to your respective mayor. Please include your own personal message and contact information. Following up with a phone call is even better, as well as a note to your council representative.
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the summit was better received than i expected. on the other hand, the nay-sayers simply stayed away.
phelps murdoch, one of the meeting’s speakers and ceo of bridging the gap, asked if a facilitated meeting of regional officials to discuss the matter further would be useful. the apparent consensus was that it would be helpful, so funk asked murdoch to set up such a meeting. maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t.
it’s great to have a visionary mayor. on the other hand, the mayor’s regional initiative is a distraction from the bus tax, and from the ata’s light rail alternatives analysis that’ll be kicked off with a formal scoping hearing on february 27.
realistically — and the impressive presentation at today’s summit by denver rtd director cal marsella notwithstanding — it’s hard to believe that a $4 billion light rail system could catch on in a region where today we literally have just one bus making one round trip linking our two most populous counties between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm. weekdays only.
I once told Mayor Funkhouser at a public meeting that I like his regional plan, but that he should think regional and act local. A regional system has to start somewhere, doesn’t it?
I’d suggest that anyone who thinks Funkhousers regional efforts are a distraction from getting started should dog the mayor with this single question: where is it going to start?