Hallmark Cards, one of the city's biggest employers, this week came out in support of Kansasas City's light rail initiative.
The card company on Monday kicked in $15,000 to the campaign for a three-eighth cent sales tax for a 14-mile starter line that woud run from near I-29 and Vivion Road south through downton and the Plaza, ending at U.S. 71 and 63rd Street in south Kansas City.
Part of the light rail route could run through Crown Center next to Hallmark where there are thousands of jobs and potentially thousands of light-rail riders.
"Hallmark has a history of supporting ballot issues that we think are important to the community," Hallmark spokeswoman Kristi Ernsting told PrimeBuzz today.
"We believe that this proposed light rail starter line is going to enhance the positive business development and economic activity that we're seeing happening in downtown Kansas City," Ernsting said. "Public transportation is an important part of our city's infrastructure and light rail could be a good addition to that."
The Hallmark contribution gives Citizens for Light Rail a total of $53,000 toward its goal of raising $600,000. Other contributions include $10,000 from the Polsinelli law firm, $10,000 from the Shook, Hardy & Bacon law firm and $8,000 from Lathrop & Gage. The Downtown Council contributed $10,000, campaign finance reports show.
While light rail supporters are fully expecting opposition to surface, it's still cloudy about who that might be.
The heavy contractors, who opposed light rail in 2001, are still mulling the matter, a spokesman said. The group may not make a decision until sometime next week.
Meanwhile, a handful of city officials met with the heavies Thursday to win them over to the light rail side. City
Councilman Ed Ford was among the city leaders who met with the representatives of the contractors group. Ford said he couldn't get a sense there the group might come down.
"It was very cordial meeting," Ford said today. "Traditionally, they have been a very good partner with the city on many campaigns. The heavies have also traditionally opposed light-rail initiatives."
In 2001, the heavies gave more than $70,000 to efforts to defeat light rail.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chamber is supposed to decide Monday what it will do about light rail.
The chamber's public transit committee has endorsed light rail and so has its executive committte. On Monday afternoon, the full board will decide. Oh, light rail needs support from two-thirds of the chamber board members to get its backing.
Stay tuned.....
