Jon Copaken for Mayor

[GRID]

What's it going to take to get this guy into City Hall?

Seriously, KC would be the city many of us dream of within ten years.  Too bad he's probably too smart to put himself in such a dilemma of trying to run such a fragmented city.  But maybe, just maybe his passion will push him over the edge.

Spend some time and go through these videos and if you don't think this guy knows his stuff and knows how a city works, then I can't help you.

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/624824.html

[Highlander]

I watched those.  Copaken seems like an earnest guy whose interest in DT goes well beyond any potential for self gain from a successfull and vital downtown.  I liked his comment that dollars spent downtown are disproportional in terms of what they can do for a city (i.e, a dollar spent downtown has a much greater overall benefit than a dollar spent in Red Bridge or some far fung corner of the city).   

While I was continually unimpressed by Funk in those videos, I was impressed at least by his understanding of what is to be gained by light rail.  He certainly understood that public transportation was key to continual improvement downtown.     

[beautyfromashes]

Notice Funk didn't even stay for the entire meeting.  Shows how much he cares about downtown. 

[MidtownCat]

Notice Funk didn't even stay for the entire meeting.  Shows how much he cares about downtown. 

The economy made him leave early.

[mean]

The economy made him leave early.

Actually, he had to flog some developers in the torture chamber.

[MidtownCat]

Those sausage-like fingers scare the living hell out of me.

[mean]

He uses them to poke out the eyes of anyone who suggests a new development.

[GRID]

His basic ideas are good though.  I think he gets big picture and may have even learned a thing or two since then.  You also have to remember that right after the town pavilion went up, downtown built a few million sq ft of office towers, mostly due to Frank Morgan and proposals were alive and well up till the early 90's for more.

Thank god KC didn't miss that office building boom of the 80's like we missed the stadium boom of the 90's and transit/condo tower boom of the 00's or we would be doing everything we can today to be Buffalo or Memphis not Denver or Minneapolis.  And if you look back, KC didn't need those towers then either.  But they helped grow the market and keep KC competitive with other large class A markets.

Anyway, I was being sarcastic about Jon, I think he would be a great mayor, but again sarcastic.  I have always liked him since he stepped up when nobody else would and said, we should build a downtown stadium.  But him and the downtown council alone would simply never be able to pull it off.

[DaveKCMO]

interesting thing the council passed last week: requiring any non-recurring revenue to be used for non-recurring expenses. basically, if we get a windfall we can't pad the existing budget to hide an imbalance.

[aknowledgeableperson]

And if you look back, KC didn't need those towers then either. 

Those towers were not speculative.  Major tenants and a commitment to space were in hand before they were built.

[Czar]

Jon would be an excellent Mayor...  too bad he has too much sense to purse such an endeavor.

[medleyj]

Jon would be an excellent Mayor...  too bad he has too much sense to purse such an endeavor.

Let's get a little perspective on Jon Copaken. This is the same Jon Copaken who got his buddies at the Economic Developement Corporation to use the city's power of eminent domain to intimidate Danny Edwards, owner of Lil Jake's Eat it and Beat it into fleeing a location on Grand. Copaken did this to a man who had done nothing more than build a successful business in downtown at a time when nobody was interested in downtown. Supposedly, Copaken wanted to build an office tower on the location. In case anybody wonders why he didn't offer Edwards a location inside his new tower, I think he did. Because of the fires he needs to smoke his meat, Edwards needs his own place. If only Copaken could have offered him some kind of trade.

Oh, wait. Copaken did own a restaurant space. He owned the old Italian Gardens building, which he tore down to build parking garage. Then last month I noticed a sign near the corner of Copaken's parking garage at 13th and Grand. It appears that he's going to build a retail space into the corner of that building. Not just any retail space, but a restaurant space. The sign says so specifically. When I saw the sign, I walked across the street to the beauty supply store that had been under the same threat as Danny Edwards where I learned that Copaken's friends at the EDC had dropped their attempts to take his property.

This is the same Jon Copaken who couldn't offer his golfing buddies at AMU a good enough deal on the Boley building to prevent them from asking the city for a generous tax break for the interior decoration of a mechanically renovated building. This is the same Jon Copaken whose company wouldn't answer a phone call from a tenant whose business was being disrupted by downtown construction (http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2007/07/res ... ver_is.php).

Copaken is not a nice man. I don't want a person like him coming anywhere near city hall.

[medleyj]

One other thing. I noticed from the Copaken, White, and Blitt web site that said firm has more projects in Johnson County than in KC. If he were mayor, whose interests would he be looking out for?

[dangerboy]

Despite being a big Downtown booster, I am pretty sure that he Jon Copaken lives in Johnson County and can't be mayor.

[taxi]

This thread is so typical of KCRag. Tons of speculation, hearsay, rumors and BS. No big deal when you're talking about actual rumors or speculation, but here you're slinging shit at a man you apparently know nothing about.

Prejudice against developers, prejudice against people because they live in JOCO (he doesn't), prejudice about the use of ED. The stuff about Eat it and Beat it is so wrong that I don't even know where to start.

And, of course, JC has never said that he had any plans to run for mayor, and I'd be very surprised if he would ever entertain the idea. Why would he?

[DaveKCMO]

This thread is so typical of KCRag. Tons of speculation, hearsay, rumors and BS.

isn't that why we're all here? maybe you should take your truth stick and go home.  &&&

[zonk]

CWB didn't own the Italian Gardens building.....That would be Time Equities out of New York....(lesson...if on a mindless rant, make sure and get your facts straight).

[lock+load]

Let's get a little perspective on Jon Copaken. This is the same Jon Copaken who got his buddies at the Economic Developement Corporation to use the city's power of eminent domain to intimidate Danny Edwards, owner of Lil Jake's Eat it and Beat it into fleeing a location on Grand. Copaken did this to a man who had done nothing more than build a successful business in downtown at a time when nobody was interested in downtown. Supposedly, Copaken wanted to build an office tower on the location. In case anybody wonders why he didn't offer Edwards a location inside his new tower, I think he did. Because of the fires he needs to smoke his meat, Edwards needs his own place. If only Copaken could have offered him some kind of trade.

Oh, wait. Copaken did own a restaurant space. He owned the old Italian Gardens building, which he tore down to build parking garage. Then last month I noticed a sign near the corner of Copaken's parking garage at 13th and Grand. It appears that he's going to build a retail space into the corner of that building. Not just any retail space, but a restaurant space. The sign says so specifically. When I saw the sign, I walked across the street to the beauty supply store that had been under the same threat as Danny Edwards where I learned that Copaken's friends at the EDC had dropped their attempts to take his property.

This is the same Jon Copaken who couldn't offer his golfing buddies at AMU a good enough deal on the Boley building to prevent them from asking the city for a generous tax break for the interior decoration of a mechanically renovated building. This is the same Jon Copaken whose company wouldn't answer a phone call from a tenant whose business was being disrupted by downtown construction (http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2007/07/res ... ver_is.php).

Copaken is not a nice man. I don't want a person like him coming anywhere near city hall.

Great post.  Don't forget Copaken is also responsible for the absloutely hideous Transamerica garage on the site of the old Macy's.  What a terrible waste of space, and all for a few hundred jobs that lasted only 10 years.

[loftguy]

Let's get a little perspective on Jon Copaken. This is the same Jon Copaken who got his buddies at the Economic Developement Corporation to use the city's power of eminent domain to intimidate Danny Edwards, owner of Lil Jake's Eat it and Beat it into fleeing a location on Grand. Copaken did this to a man who had done nothing more than build a successful business in downtown at a time when nobody was interested in downtown. Supposedly, Copaken wanted to build an office tower on the location. In case anybody wonders why he didn't offer Edwards a location inside his new tower, I think he did. Because of the fires he needs to smoke his meat, Edwards needs his own place. If only Copaken could have offered him some kind of trade.

Oh, wait. Copaken did own a restaurant space. He owned the old Italian Gardens building, which he tore down to build parking garage. Then last month I noticed a sign near the corner of Copaken's parking garage at 13th and Grand. It appears that he's going to build a retail space into the corner of that building. Not just any retail space, but a restaurant space. The sign says so specifically. When I saw the sign, I walked across the street to the beauty supply store that had been under the same threat as Danny Edwards where I learned that Copaken's friends at the EDC had dropped their attempts to take his property.

This is the same Jon Copaken who couldn't offer his golfing buddies at AMU a good enough deal on the Boley building to prevent them from asking the city for a generous tax break for the interior decoration of a mechanically renovated building. This is the same Jon Copaken whose company wouldn't answer a phone call from a tenant whose business was being disrupted by downtown construction (http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2007/07/res ... ver_is.php).

Copaken is not a nice man. I don't want a person like him coming anywhere near city hall.

Sleazy slam job.  You've got a pretty obvious axe to grind.  I'm not intimate with all the deals, but I know enough details about the Danny Edwards deal, and the AMU deal to know that you are attacking with twisted and bad information, at best.  Yeah, the Transamerica garage sucks, but John was not the driving force on that project. 

Jon has done several things that I disagree with, but he is a net asset in our community and your portrayal is unfair and inappropriate.

It is my opinion that when people feel compelled to make personal attacks on others, even when their facts are straight, they should not do so under cover of a pseudonym. 

[lock+load]

Sleazy slam job.  You've got a pretty obvious axe to grind.  I'm not intimate with all the deals, but I know enough details about the Danny Edwards deal, and the AMU deal to know that you are attacking with twisted and bad information, at best.   Yeah, the Transamerica garage sucks, but John was not the driving force on that project. 

What details then?  Danny Edwards was kicked out for what?  Nothing, it appears at this point.