The indictment that was the Governors' Summit

The fifth annual bistate Governors’ Summit sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce was held this past week and what a doozy it was. It was "spot on" for and about the city.

It told what the Missouri and Kansas Governor thought about the area and covered, then, of course, in The Kansas City Star:

"Area residents on both sides of the state line think Kansas City, Mo., is sick — riddled with crime, bad schools and a squabbling City Hall."

Yeah, no kidding.

"Armed with those views from a metrowide survey of residents, business leaders on Wednesday put a stethoscope to the community’s heart."

"The diagnosis: It’s time for business to play doctor."

Well, somebody ought to.

And to me, one of the glaring conclusions of both the Governor's Conference and this article from The Star for me is this: our inglorious mayor is a horribly poor leader and he has not been giving us the vision and leadership we need or expected--and that he promised.

It needs to be said, yet again.

"...Gov. Mark Parkinson of Kansas and Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri emphasized that the area must coalesce around a specific agenda, something it now lacks."

"Parkinson said it was sobering to hear how poorly area residents thought of Kansas City and he feared 'a malaise of mediocrity.'”

"Nixon said it was important for the area’s population to believe it could “get educated and grow a business here because we can never import enough to grow” otherwise."

"The governors said their state legislatures seem more focused on 'bumper sticker' issues partly because Kansas City area representatives do not speak with clear priorities."

Boy, as citizens of Kansas City, can't we relate to that?

This conference and the attendant article The Star wrote on it were both excellent and important for the city and shouldn't be overlooked, discounted, ignored or forgotten.

Note to Mayor Funkhouser: you don't have a lot of time left but you do have time. Start doing good things for the city and stop just taking care of yourself--and your wife.

Important side note, too: While it may be thought, rightly or wrongly, that we are suffering from a "malaise", watch what happens when the Center for the Performing Arts opens downtown (in the Fall of 2011).

Kansas City won't be thought of as suffering any such thing then.

And we'll have the Kauffmans to thank--greatly--for that.

(More about the Center tomorrow).