On Thursday, March 30th, I attended the Town Hall Forum sponsored by KMBZ News Radio 980. It was interesting and boring all at the same time. I was dumbfounded by the panelists 'dancing' skills. I can honestly say that I was more confused when I left the Central Library than when I got there. Here are some of the things I remember from the debate:

• I was able to sit in the middle of the save our stadiums cheerleading squad, a bunch of young girls with special shirts. I am not sure what that was all about. Are these the same girls that were wearing schoolgirl outfits a couple of weeks ago trying to sway patrons at downtown bars? I don't know. Sitting in front of me were a couple of red coaters that I saw yelling at a Chiefs season ticket holder who was talking out of line. That was kind of funny, given that the red coaters are the Chiefs' "ambassadors to the community". This shocked me because every red coater I have met has been a great individual. Well, I guess it takes all kinds.
• The opponent side was represented by Jerry Agar, Richard Tolbert, and Craig Davis. These guys did a good job of opposing the new tax hike request. I found Mr. Tolbert's angle the most appealing. We do have time to go back and put together a better plan. This is exactly what needs to happen.
• The proponent panelists were Marty Wall, Steve Glorioso, and Sly James. It was kind of funny seeing these guys, we had a sports talk show host, a paid political person, and a guy named "Sly". At any rate, here is what I recall:
  • Marty Wall - If you listened to Marty when he first began on 610 Sports, he was the "fan" representative. He would not sit in the press box at Chiefs' games, no locker room visits, or any other special perks of the mainstream media. He made a huge deal of it. This was how he chose to relate to the fans. Well Marty, how many average fans sit on a political panel to discuss issues? I guess the average fan thing has worn off. His major point was "What is wrong with 30,000 people coming and spending their money in Kansas City?" This is what he said he would say and it is exactly what he said. Marty, nothing is wrong with this, but is it really that brilliant to spend more than $1.3 Billion to lure people to town to spend money at companies with their corporate homes, and bank accounts, in other cities and states? This is the same guy that compared the money spent on public parks to the proposed money for the stadiums. He said that he did not mind paying public subsidies for the parks, because it was entertainment, just like the stadiums. Marty, I do not know what park you go to, but all of the parks I have attended did not cost, on average, $73.00 per person for admission. Bad comparison. One other interesting thing he did was take two unwarranted, unasked, and inappropriate jabs at Sports Radio 810. He did this early so that his credibility was in question from the get go.
  • Steve Glorioso - This guy is a paid political consultant. Take that for what it is worth. All he did was hold up a cup of coffee and say this is all it will cost. He also questioned the morals and ethics of the opponents side. Wow! I do have a question for Mr. Glorioso. If we could break down the support for illegal aliens in the USA into a couple cups of coffee from every American per month, would it make that right too?
  • Sly James - First off, is it a good move to use a nickname like "sly" when trying to raise someone's taxes? This guy could also be called "Mr. Feelgood Guy". He spoke of his visit to the Super Bowl in Jacksonville. He said he had a blast as he spent $289.00 a night at a Super 8 that was 90 miles outside of Jacksonville. Have you seen a Super 8? It was also brought up that Jacksonville lost money when they hosted the Super Bowl. His reply was incredible. It went something like - yeah, but they were asked if they would do it again, and they said absolutely! So I guess this guy is all about having a good time at any cost. That is irresponsible and this kind of thinking will send this community right to the poor house. You have to understand, this is the same guy that said he moved back to Kansas City because of the Chiefs and the Royals. Wow, seriously?. What does this guy do anyway? Oh yeah, he does his best to take advantage of unfortunate events. Well, I guess that makes him a perfect fit for the save our stadiums people.
• Another interesting point that I heard at the Town Hall was that a billion dollar sewer problem is currently on the Kansas City horizon. All I could do was visualize the following:
  • Marty Wall standing in knee deep waste saying look at all of the out-of-towners.
  • Steve Glorioso boating around in sewage, still holding his coffee cup.
  • Sly James overlooking the city and saying something like yep, I would do it all again.
  • Don't worry though, Lamar Hunt and David Glass would be watching from the cities they live in. You know, the cities that will get a hefty economic impact if this passes.

All in all, the forum showed me one thing. A straight answer is hard to come by with this issue. The one thing that really stuck out at this forum was this. The save our stadiums people were selling emotions and good feelings. The opponents were selling principle and good business sense. Now, I ask, which is more important to you?