Festival Licensing Bill

Below is the unedited email from Councilwoman Beth Gottstein regarding KC Festival Licensing. Please contact Senators Koster and Callahan today and tell them to support Democratic Senator Jolie Justus' bill, SB 1001.

You live, work or play in KCMO. You contribute to the Missouri taxbase and have a stake in our quality of life issues. You are a stakeholder. I ask that you exercise your voice.

The clock is ticking. Please help us pass the festival licensing. Please contact the following and urge your family and friends to do the same. Remind them that when the Kansas City local tax base grows, it strengthens Missouri's revenues. Ask them to stop placing the interests of Baltimore big business before Missourians.

Senator Koster:
chris.koster@senate.mo.gov
Capitol Phone: 573-751-1430/ Capitol Fax: 573-751-9751

Senator Callahan:
victor.callahan@senate.mo.gov
Capitol Phone: 573- 751-3074/ Capitol Fax: 573- 751-4551

Other senators contact information:

http://www.senate.mo.gov/08info/senalpha.htm

With housing starts dipping, gas prices climbing and the highest percentage of Missourians without health insurance since the great depression, the proposed festival licensing might not seem like a high priority to the Council and to me. Yet, for these reasons, and others, I am fighting for it in Jefferson City. The Baltimore-based Cordish Company is a crucial player for Kansas City's economic future. However, it is not the lone player. If we cannot protect our local businesses, and merely shift revenues from other parts of the City, to downtown, there is no net gain for KCMO. It is essential that our Power and Light district succeeds, but not at the expense of our local business community's progress.

Our local businesses pay earnings, profits and sales taxes, encourage dollars from regional communities, provide employment opportunities, and supplement our basic services. Festival designation could offer support to Kansas City entertainment districts Local, established entrepreneurs, like those in the West Side, 18th & Vine, Crossroads, Shoal Creek, Martin City and Waldo. With input and oversight from the City Council and our neighborhoods, the designation creates a means for established Kansas City business districts, to reduce administration and direct resources to pressing demands, such as security and service. Yet, state passage is not a simple endeavor. Our efforts have failed in the past.

Predictably, as we get closer to achieving our goal, we are now faced with serious claims and the threat of a lawsuit from the Cordish Company. They incorrectly allege its established festival legislation is exclusive to Kansas City's Power and Light district and was guaranteed by the City of KCMO. Furthering the debate, Cordish has engaged a powerful, experienced lobbyist to fight us in Jefferson City, with traction. While our Baltimore partner has significantly invested in our downtown, so has the City.

The Power and Light district is a unique experience. Nothing can threaten this. I traveled to Baltimore and met w the Cordishes on the matter. I spoke with leaders from St Louis, Louisville, Pittsburg and others areas with Cordish development. Many factors contribute to the promise of the Power and Light district, the least of which is its festival designation. If our other business districts obtain the festival designation, the result will create a environment which raises the overall attractiveness of Kansas City, but does not mirror the Power and Light district's. It will not upset the Power and Light district's competitive advantage or distinctive qualities.

As you may have read, Cordish has contacted the City alleging that:

*the City's supp of the Festival Dist Bill may lead to a lawsuit from Cordish;

*the City remains bound to support an exclusive legislative privilege to Cordish; although this exceptional promise is not outlined or suggested in the entire development agreement or subsequent amendments;

*the current City Council cannot supp a bill which bens the City's numerous small business districts, although both the prior and current Council resolved that the festival designation for all KCMO business districts is one of our priorities; and

*the Festival District Bill is "motivated solely by individual political contributions to individual Council persons." This one is so far-fetched, it does not merit comment.

A sustainable competitive advantage based on Missouri statute is not a right that the City could have offered during negotiations, and it was not. The Festival District legislation provides, separate and apart from the P&L Entertainment District Statute, subject to City approval, limited but important opportunities for the numerous small KCMO business districts. In no way does the proposed legislation impact the state statute upon which Cordish relies.

I encourage you to contact your Senators and especially Senators Koster and Callahan. It must be impressed on them to support local business, the Missouri taxbase and ultimately, their constituents. It is crucial that the senators understand their efforts place Baltimore big business profits ahead of Missourians'. If they do not understand that Cordish has benefited from millions in KCMO and state TIF support, please help send the message. For Cordish to prevent KC's local businesses from receiving the same designation that it enjoys, counters the collaborative spirit on which the Power and Light district plan was generated.

Again, please contact your state legislators, and urge your friends to do the same. Let them know that while Cordish is a valued player in KCMO, Jefferson City should not let them call the shots for all of KCMO's businesses.

Memo From Councilwoman Beth Gottstein

TO: Ken Franklin
Executive Director, Missouri Democrats

CC: John Temporiti
Chair, Missouri Democratic State Party Chair

FR: Beth Gottstein
Councilwoman, 4th District at Large, City of KCMO

RE: Victory 2008

DATE: April 12, 2008

Ken, I am grateful to you for your dedication to the party, our principles and to raising participation. I believe that we Democrats are on the verge of a great victory, if we do not defeat ourselves with petty infighting. We must conduct ourselves with discipline. We must foster solidarity. Only then will we earn our victories at the polls.

The current passion, energy and engagement that I sense from the public for Democratic candidates and policies carry echoes of 1992. Voters had tired of failed promises and excuses from the Republican Party. Democrats, especially Young Democrats, found their voice and worked to send Mel Carnahan to the Governor’s Mansion and Bill Clinton to the White House. In those heady days, Democrats set aside our differences and focused on the priorities that united us: healthcare, education, jobs and a living wage, and safe communities. Our Party was rewarded on Election Day.

Yet there are other echoes in the air. In recent days and weeks, I have been reminded of times when our Party should have won, but was defeated because dissident personalities and factions put their agenda ahead of the Party’s interest. The forces of discord have already made themselves felt through ugly attacks.

I know you will agree when I state that it is imperative that we keep our primaries clean and civil. The Republicans, at all levels in the party, are banking that we will emerge from August, muddied, bloodied, and divided. It is vital that we do not permit our primaries to become so ugly that we damage our prevailing candidates and weaken his or her General Election viability. It is equally crucial that we do not tear each other apart so that we cannot unite for the General Election. Primary elections should be spirited competitions in which we elevate the best qualities of our chosen candidates. If a team must resort to nameless lies, what does it say about the merits of its candidate? It doesn’t bode well for anyone in our Party.

I am not unrealistic in my concerns when I call for solidarity, respect and discipline in our primary campaigns. As Democrats, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Candidates are fair game, but the game must be fair. When I decided to run for City Council, I recognized that seeking public office opens your life for attacks. As a candidate, I focused on a debate of policies and politics. I was realistic when I entered the race. I was surprised by how quickly the contest became ugly when my critics resorted to anti-Semitism, sexism, exaggeration and absolute lies to defeat me. I remain truly grateful to my supporters who buoyed and believed in me. I have moved on, but many continue to speak of the brutal nature of those who took the spineless, dark road against me.

The same could be said about the 2006 Jackson County Executive primary. Mike Sanders and the most vulnerable members of his family suffered painful attacks from nameless, faceless assailants. Voters rejected the attacks, but they left deep scars within our Jackson County Democratic Party.

You can imagine my disappointment on Friday, when I received several copies of an email that merely repeated the ugliness of the 2006 primaries. Again, anonymous assaults attempted to soil the reputation and question the integrity of our Democratic leaders using innuendo, exaggeration and false charges. Ashamed to show their faces in a public forum, they again chose to hide behind unsigned emails and blog comments. Employing the acid of doubt, fear and even hate, they tried to weaken the credibility of our Democratic institutions and leaders. The homophobic, angry nature of these outlaws’ statements does not merit recitation for correction, but we cannot just write off their actions, either. We have experienced this type of effort in the past. If we do not condemn it, we are sure to see it again.

I would ask that the leadership of the party send a strong message that the party condemns negative campaigning of any kind, and will censure anyone caught anonymously attacking our colleagues with lies or exaggerations. Primaries should be spirited, but we should practice ethical self-discipline. We need to save our energy for November.

Thank you very much.

Support Voters Deciding the Smoking Ban

City Council is going to decide whether or not to put Beth Gottstein's proposal to allow voters to decide on the smoking ban to a vote this week. They need to hear from voters.

Here's the easiest way to get them council@kcmo.org and mayor@kcmo.org

I emailed this letter earlier today

I write to you to express my support for Ordinance 071066, sponsored by Councilwoman Beth Gottstein.

This Ordinance does nothing more than take this hotly charged issue and put a smoking ban in front of the voters. These are the voters that elected you, so we must have a little wisdom. Give us voters the chance to decide this one.

If given the chance, I will be voting for the smoking ban. Even tobacco companies have given up arguing that second hand smoke isn't bad for people. Now we hear about property rights, freedoms and a host of other arguments on why people should be able to spread cancerous smoke to innocent bystanders. If someone wants to smoke at the airport, let them go to the smoking room or outside. That option is not available in many public places, including restaurants. The end of time will not come; people still eat at restaurants in Chicago, New York City and California.

Smoking kills people and I don't want to expose my children to second hand smoke. Adults can do what they want in their homes. Please allow the voters to decide this issue.

Here's a link to a great poster that says "A non-smoking section in a restaurant is like a non-urinating section in a swimming pool." Pretty clever.