I really can't believe Fart Louderdale got our money.

That stinks.

http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_view ... X=1&REC=12



three cable cars in view.

and you know what we need to go with our modern streetcar? hats. a cool starting to the streetcar would be a photo with people in old time outfits and hats.

So, what does this mean for our streetcar hopes and dreams?

Basically that we have to pay for all of it.

Aren't we getting 16 million from a different Federal program?

Yes, plus a potential $1.7 million from another federal program (CMAQ). The funding gap has been closed.

TDD Board voted today to put the maximum levies on a mail-in ballot that would wrap by Dec. 11. Bond sale would begin shortly after.

Was hoping it wouldn't have to be an entire cent...I think that freaks voters out.

Also hoped this could be an actual election...feels slimy doing this mail-in stuff....

My only issue with the mail-in election is that we told a lot of folks the second vote would be on the November ballot. Obviously it isn't going to be. I don't like saying one thing and then doing another. But, given that, I still think most downtown voters understand that this is just process and that the outcome remains the same: after this vote we finally will have the beginnings of a great streetcar system in KC.

We've seen this fail probably 50 times already at the ballot box, so if the best chance of this passing is to utilize the mail in process I'm for whatever means necessary to get light rail going.

I agree that this will help get what I want accomplished but still feels slimy and circumventing the process to me.

A casual observer asked me yesterday if doing mail-in prevented a citywide vote. The answer, of course, is no. TDDs are always voted on by those within it's boundaries -- whether via mail or live election. However, the TDD was chosen for this smaller starter line because previous sales tax only votes had failed citywide. The streetcar TDD spreads some of the cost on those who will benefit most: property owners near the route. It also assesses public surface pay lots, which is something I'm pretty sure NO ONE ELSE IS DOING FOR TRANSIT ANYWHERE. A progressive angle that has gone virtually unnoticed.

The Plaza TDD was voted on by only two entities -- not people -- and it was likely done by this same mail-in process. Yet no one complains about that extra half cent you pay because you get something in return when you visit: free, reasonably well-kept parking garages. Eventually, the streetcar will be the same when it's operating.

Property owners complain this should be a citywide vote because they would never be directly affected by a sales tax... you can always go somewhere else to buy anything these days (and nearly all of downtown's major commercial interests are owned by suburbanites).

The TDD is targeted, just like the route, to get KC investing in transit. Screw the teams and conventions. If we don't nail transit soon and repopulate the core, DSM and OMA will continue to eat our lunch regionally.

By the way, can anyone count the number of downtown residential projects announced since the streetcar got serious? 100% streetcar? You'd have to ask each developer.

Any idea what time we'll hear from the court today?

the master timeline has been updated to reflect the second mail-in election: http://forum.kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18087

vote results prediction based on gut feeling

only 600 ballots requested. 550 returned.
60% yes on both. sales tax passes but at a slightly higher rate

Sounds generous.

Anybody aware of a concerted effort to stop this? Besides the star's editorial grumbling and the wacky filter queen?

"Kickass tipsters".

yes, but it won't be people that know these voters personally. conversely, they're likely to be people who aren't at all influential with these same voters (assuming they reveal their identities before voting ends). on top of that, the people who participated have been confirmed as generally more informed than typical municipal voters and will thus make appropriate judgments about opposition mailers that appear right before voting ends (which is a 6-week window, per state statute, not a single day).

and then on top of all of THAT, they'd have to find a consultant that can risk pissing off the mayor and the entire council to run this opposition campaign.

i predict that they'll be able to cobble together something for an anonymous mailer, which everyone will see as clear fabrication or something they've already heard and understood as fact (OMG rents might rise! OMG sales tax! OMG mail-in election! street closures!). they will have wasted about the same amount of money they'll be paying next year in assessments. the sources, if ever revealed, will all be johnson county residents who own commercial property in the TDD and are already known assholes.

a real-life example from the first election was the resident reaction to the old town lofts flyer: they were livid and, thus, more motivated to vote yes.

exactly. think of why big elections fail.

let's say you have something 46% yes, 46% yes and 8% unsure.

a big media campaign doesn't know who these people are. each side's goal is to increase their number from the unsure, maintain their side and take some from the other side.

a good campaign can do this with big numbers. who cares if 1000 people ignore the ad if the right percentage swing your way.

with a small election this is still doable but with big town halls. with a city of 10K you can get enough people together at once to answer questions. you can use this to get the "me too" people voting with the group. A lot of people do vote with their peers.

with a mail in election for a small group it gets personal. media time is just as expensive so it's out. meetings will never line up with enough people at once to do big group question sessions. mailings lose their scale and the cost per vote change increases rapidly. it's not like you can ignore a 25% toss rate with less than 1000 voters. groups need to do more work to target their advertising more based on demographics. advertising becomes personal.

and that's what the pro-streetcar group did. they became personally available.

and the opposition never appeared. notice how the Star kept using the same two people over and over. these two people were so uninterested in getting a no vote that they never filed a formal complaint when the district hearings were held. they tried to get NOs with pleas that would work with a bigger election, but it didn't this time. It's hard to peddle "poor me" when your audience knows what the situation is.