Kansas City Councilmember Andrea Bough made one of the most revealing statements about Kansas City’s economic development policy I’ve read in years.
In a story about $235 million in taxpayer subsidies for an expansion of the KC Current stadium, Bough said, “We can’t say how much economic development has provided in benefits to the city. That is information that we need to have so that we can make an educated decision on projects moving forward. That’s something I hope that we will have soon.”
Bough is not merely a two-term member of the Council. She chairs the city’s finance committee. She serves as board leader for the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. She is the mayor’s appointee to both the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority and the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board. Her elected and appointed positions require her to oversee evaluation of subsidy applications and pass judgment on them several different ways…