STATEMENT FROM MAYOR JAMES:
It’s unfortunate that we have gone through this wasteful and destructive bidding war that doesn’t result in any additional new jobs added to the area. I hope the political climate and business environment continues to evolve so that we can spend more time and resources welcoming companies and entrepreneurs to Kansas City, Missouri, who truly want to be here.
I am hopeful that we will get there. In the meantime, we have built an international award-winning business environment for entrepreneurs who see the value of being in the economic heart of this region. The announcement last week that the Global Entrepreneurship Congress named Kansas City one of the top five entrepreneurial cities in the world, and one of two in the United States in its Cities Challenge is evidence of that.
We can no longer define economic development as engaging in self-destructive bidding wars with our neighbors who, like us, could put these funds to more productive purposes.
Note: More information about the GEC2015 Cities Challenge can be found at http://www.gew.co/blog/buenos-
