K.C. voters rebuff light-rail proposal

A proposal to build a 24-mile light-rail system in Kansas City was overwhelmingly defeated at the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The $793 million plan, drawn up by city officials, failed by a wide margin, garnering only 40% of the vote in the special summer election. "The voters have said they don't think a billion-dollar gamble was worth it," Councilman Paul Danaher told the Kansas City Star. It was the fourth straight year that a light-rail plan has been turned away by the Kansas City electorate. But Mayor Kay Barnes said another light-rail proposal could be served up next year. She said public opinion was shifting in the final days of the campaign as voters "grasped what this was about."