MD PoliBlog

Promotion at KC City Hall

Bob Langenkamp, a veteran eco devo champion at City Hall in Kansas City, has been promoted to the position of assistant city manager for economic development, effective immediately.

Acting City Manager Troy Schulte made the appointment.

Langenkamp has been with the city for 21 years and has served as the assistant director for the planning and development department since December 1998. He holds a masters degree in regional and community planning from Kansas State University.

Schulte lauded Langenkamp for serving as the citys point person with the Missouri Development Finance Board on more than $85 million in successful tax credit applications. He also has years of experience working with the KC Economic Development Corp. on major business attraction and retention efforts.

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(Via KansasCity.com Prime Buzz - Today's political intelligence and insight.)

Sanders runs "marathon" for regional rail

Mike Sanders took his regional rail shtick to the Central Exchange on Tuesday, a day before he says he travels to Washington, D.C., to court the areas congressional delegation for transit funding.

Sanders told the lunch crowd that the race for regional rail is a slog or marathon that will likely take up to two years to secure support and funds.

'All members of the delegation are very interested in this plan,' he told the crowd. 'We have time and time again been told this is the most detailed and cost effective (rail) plan in America.'

The plan, of course, originates with Jim Terry of TranSystems, the local railroad and engineering firm, that has proposed employing existing and underutilized rail lines to build a 134-mile reigonal rail system.

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(Via KansasCity.com Prime Buzz - Today's political intelligence and insight.)

Charlotte O'Hara in Kansas 3rd District GOP race

Charlotte OHara says she is running for the Republican nomination for the 3rd district House seat Rep. Dennis Moore is leaving.

‘President Obama has clearly shown us what happens to our economy when Washington is run by people with no real world experience creating jobs and growing our economy,' she said in her statement announcing the campaign. 'I have hands-on experience creating jobs and opportunities for the people of our district, and that skill set is desperately needed in Washington, D.C.’

OHara is considered a conservative candidate although she did cross swords with Phill Kline when he sought the nod as the Joco D.A.

(Via KansasCity.com Prime Buzz - Today's political intelligence and insight.)

Missouri government ethics under the microscope

While consensus has pretty well settled on the need for ethics reform in Missouri government, the details of those reforms are anything but decided.

That was in evidence today, in the Houses recently formed special committee on government accountability and ethics reform.

The committee heard four bills, two each from Democrats and Republicans, and in every case, members of both parties fired off specific, probing questions about the bills inner workings and practical effects.

Rep. Rachel Bringer, a Palmyra Democrat, presented bills banning gifts from lobbyists and reinstating campaign finance limits.

And just as quickly as she presented each bill, lawmakers like Vandalia Democrat Terry Witte and Jackson Republican Scott Lipke had specific queries zeroing on exact lines within the bill and particular language in the statute.

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(Via KansasCity.com Prime Buzz - Today's political intelligence and insight.)

Millions of dollars amassed in Colorado campaign donations

Millions of dollars amassed in Colorado campaign donations: "State candidates, stealth political groups and special-interest political committees in Colorado have amassed millions of dollars in campaign donations to kick off the 2010 elections.

(Via Denver Post: All Political News.)

Douglas Bruce tied to 3 Colorado anti-tax initiatives

Anti-tax advocate Douglas Bruce has sought to distance himself from three statewide initiatives that could limit the ability of local and state governments to raise taxes or borrow money.

(Via Denver Post: All Political News.)

Voters would decide on bonds

The City of Omaha is expected to ask voters this spring for permission to borrow up to $79.3 million to fund street projects, sewer improvements and work on city buildings.

(Via Omaha World-Herald > Metro/Region.)

Road building lobby groups descend on Iowa Statehouse

Groups lobbying for four-lane highway expansion projects plan to visit the Iowa Capitol Wednesday to oppose Gov. Culver’s proposal to use road construction money to pay for the badly depleted Iowa State Patrol, which has lost more than 70 troopers amid repeated budget cuts over the past decade.

(Via RSSMix.com Mix ID 341638.)

New Senate projections: GOP picks up 5

Nate Silver over at FiveThirtyEight.com has crunched the numbers and currently projects Republicans could pick up five to six seats in this November’s mid-term elections. A few factors are in play:(1) DELAWARE: Beau Biden, the vice president’s son, announced he will not run for his father’s seat. That increases the chances for Republican Rep. Mike Castle, [...]

(Via RSSMix.com Mix ID 341638.)

Could lawsuit jeopardize stimulus money for Gardner rail hub?

The lawsuit probably couldn’t have come at a worse time for BNSF Railway.

The federal government is getting close to announcing whether BNSF will get $50 million in federal stimulus money to start building a massive rail hub in Johnson County.

The project has to be ‘shovel ready’ to get the money, but its environmental permit is the target of a lawsuit, which could delay one of the area’s biggest development projects.

The state and BNSF believe the rail hub is ready to go since there’s been no court ruling affecting the project. Critics, meanwhile, question whether the project could be ready since its environmental permit is being challenged.

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(Via KansasCity.com Prime Buzz - Today's political intelligence and insight.)