Kansas City elects a new mayor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City voters on Tuesday were choosing between a former city auditor critical of tax breaks for development and a councilman turned anti-crime activist who believes education can overcome the city's crime woes.

Either former auditor Mark Funkhouser or councilman Alvin Brooks will replace two-term Mayor Kay Barnes, who Democratic leaders in Congress hope will challenge Republican Rep. Sam Graves in 2008. Barnes has said she has not made a decision whether to seek another elected office.

During her tenure, Barnes spearheaded a contentious downtown redevelopment effort that has transformed vacant lots and abandoned buildings into gleaming office towers, loft-style housing with the $272 million Sprint Center arena as its centerpiece.

But the downtown renaissance, dubbed the "Kansas City Power and Light District," became a major battleground for Funkhouser, who stepped down as the city's appointed auditor last year to run for mayor, and Brooks, whose years of public service have seen him become a popular anti-crime crusader.

Funkhouser, who served 18 years as auditor, has been a staunch critic of the city granting tax breaks to private developers. He argues the incentives may not have been in the city's best interest, and that the redevelopment comes at a time when the city's infrastructure is crumbling.

Funkhouser, 57, supports spending $80 million a year to pay off a deferred maintenance backlog totaling about $1 billion.

Brooks, meanwhile, has the support of Barnes and has been labeled by Funkhouser the "candidate for the status quo" -- a tag that Brooks proudly accepts.

The 74-year-old councilman helped to plan the downtown revival. He argues the Power and Light District has become an "economic engine" that will generate money that can be used to repair struggling neighborhoods.

A familiar face at vigils for victims of violent crime, Brooks blames a lack of education on the city's high crime rate. He backs an initiative that would call on businesses to adopt schools and help improve their performance.

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On the Net:

Brooks campaign: http://brooks4kc.com/

Funkhouser campaign: http://www.markfunkhouser.com/