Dispute pits tennis club vs. Nelson museum
- 05/07/2008 07:54 PM CDT
There’s not a lot of love right now in the serve-and-volley game going on between the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and nearby neighborhoods.
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Yael T. Abouhalkah writes about Kansas City metropolitan issues and his columns are published on Thursday. To reach him, write in care of the Opinion desk at 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108, call (816) 234-4887 or send e-mail to abouhalkah@kcstar.com. |
There’s not a lot of love right now in the serve-and-volley game going on between the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and nearby neighborhoods.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser will have to decide which of the 10 challenges ought to receive the most attention — from him, other elected officials and Kansas Citians.
As one of its premier events draws near, Kansas City’s long-distance running community deserves a little attention. And, yes, a few comments on possible improvements to make.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser undoubtedly will use his State of the City speech to highlight the positive things going on in Kansas City. But he also should take the opportunity to lay out his plan to help deal with the tough times facing city government.
People with positive goals and forward-looking attitudes help create a more vibrant metropolitan area. Let’s see who’s in that category now — as well as who will have the chance to exhibit that leadership in coming weeks.
So the battle over smoking in Kansas City’s public places comes down to this. Big Tobacco is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to bully voters into allowing the industry to sell more cigarettes that kill people.
Kansas City’s elected officials today are scheduled to approve a $1.3 billion budget for 2008-09. But no one knows exactly what it will look like.
Sure, it’s tempting to ignore the budget woes. Elected officials have done that for years. But that irresponsible attitude won’t pay the bills. Practical decisions to spend tax money wisely will.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser has done his part to win the budget war for Kansas City taxpayers. Now political reality sinks in: He needs at least six more City Council members to have the political courage to step forward with him.
Kansas City’s Water Services Department long has been plagued by ineffectual leadership and too many employees unwilling to improve their performances. Yet for years mayors, City Council members and city managers have been content to let it meander along. That inexcusable attitude has to end.
