Reputation and Reality Matter in City Governance
When entrepreneurs and job seekers consider where to live or invest, they don’t rely solely on tax rates or housing...
Kansas City’s Data Center Boom: Another Costly Gamble
Kansas City has offered billions in incentives to attract massive data centers from Meta and Google, hoping to secure long-term...
Reporting on Housing Fails to Ask Basic Question
The Kansas City Star recently published a piece on investor-owned housing that seeks to raise the alarm on corporate landlords,...
Jackson County Assessment Disputes Will (Hopefully) Lead to Real Change This Time
A version of this commentary appeared in the Examiner. It’s an obscure state law that every article about government and politics...
March 26: Insider’s Hour in Kansas City
What’s Happening in Jefferson City? Get the inside scoop on the Missouri legislative session and policies that could directly impact...
Mega Events Fail to Deliver: World Cup Edition
Every few years, cities fall into the same trap. A major event—whether it’s the World Cup, the Olympics, or the...
The Salad Days in Sugar Creek
The Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek is considering selling off its water system to Missouri American Water. The proposal...
Can We Handle the Truth . . . of Our Cities’ Financial Status?
The “Financial State of the Cities 2025” report by Truth in Accounting provides a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health...
Concerns about Kansas City Animal Control Operations
There is a lot of controversy regarding animal control operations in Kansas City. Animal control in Kansas City has gone...
St. Louis County is Right to Be Concerned about Volunteers at the Animal Shelter
There are major changes coming to the St. Louis County animal control operation. The Animal Protective Association (APA) of Missouri...
Some Good News for Kansas City and St. Louis
For years, many who sought to excel in a creative or professional field headed to the coasts. Cities like New...
HB 1044 and Expanding Charter Schools in Missouri
Senate Bill (SB) 727, passed into law last year, allows any state-approved sponsor to authorize a charter school in Boone...
The Super Bowl Is a Bad Bet for New Orleans
The Wall Street Journal reports that New Orleans is betting big on the Super Bowl, hoping the game will spark...
An Update on Land Banks in Missouri: From Bad to Worse
What do you do with a program that has failed repeatedly and led to corruption and cronyism? Well, if you...
Sedalia Doesn’t Need a 353 Redevelopment Plan
There is a lot happening in Sedalia right now. Many local residents are starting to ask questions about the goings-on...
Is Professional, Non-Partisan Management the Solution for St. Louis Government?
Both the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County are debating whether or not to adopt a city manager...
When NGOs Make the Rules: Safeguarding State Sovereignty
State policymakers in Missouri and elsewhere often face the daunting task of crafting complex regulations. Enter nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), ready...
The Last Thing Missouri Needs Is More Urban Planning
A recent op-ed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called for substantially increasing the power of urban planners in St. Louis and...
KC’s Corporate Welfare: JE Dunn’s HQ Renovation Gets Public Support
Thomas Friestad of the Kansas City Business Journal writes that JE Dunn Construction has secured public incentives through Port KC...
Civil Service Reforms Can Go Too Far
Tom Pendergast (and to a lesser extent his brother, James) cast a huge shadow over Missouri government and politics, both...
