http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-863745.mp3
Kansas City, MO – Two weeks ago it looked like the city council might limit the mayor's power over appointments to boards and commissions. But support for the idea vanished Thursday.
Three weeks ago councilman Ed Ford proposed requiring that nominations to commissions that make spending recommendations be in the form of ordinances. (Proposed ordinances automatically go to committee.)
But by the time the proposal came up for a vote Thursday, most council members agreed with the mayor that the plan would intimidate people out of volunteering.
Ford made one last impassioned speech, in which he strongly implied that the mayor's appointees are negative on tax breaks for business development.
At one point, Ford addressed Funkhouser: "Mayor, at this point you own the TIF commission. You own the PIEA. But the job development and redevelopment - the jobs that are created or not created by these two commissions are on your shoulders because these are your appointments, not mine - and not this council's. We read in this morning's paper about jobs going to Kansas. We heard at the last EDC meeting that we have very little in the pipeline now. So... if this is what you want, this is what you got."
Ford was the only council member that felt that way... or at least that voted that way. His proposal was sidelined indefinitely by an 11-1 vote.