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Stan the Man Is back…
KansasCity mayor Mark Funkhouser has appointed two-time mayoral candidate Stan Glazer – as in my dad – to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Stan met with the four other potential appointees and gave them his thoughts on making Kansas City more prominent in the minds of convention folks and visitors.
Stan – who was mentioned in yesterday’s front page Star story on the Mayor not wanting bodyguards – is excited to help. The story said it was Glazer who first refused police protection when he ran against Kay Barnes. Stan said then, "If elected, I will not have a police officer with me to save the city $200,000 in expenses over my four year term."
Funk agreed with Stan. And Stan spoke highly of Funk during his first run for Mayor in the early 2000’s.
He felt Funkhouser would make a great city manager or chief of staff based on his’s concerns about wasteful spending by Barnes.
This created good will between the two over the next several years including the past four with Funk as Mayor.
Stan’s not been directly involved with city politics since he moved to Mission, Kansas in 2008. And while he can’t run for mayor now, he can hold a position on the chamber’s board.
And most chamber members want Glazer because of his strong marketing background.
Stan founded Stanford and Sons. At one time there were several Stanford’s across the country in five states. Some are still owned by the former managers. Stan retired from comedy in the late 90’s.
And while he’s’s now in his 70’s, Stan looks and feels great.
One of his main concerns is the city’s inability to attract families and conventions to move here. And a lack of promotion outside of Kansas City spead the message of what we have to offer. We need TV commercials and radio spots to sell Kansas City.
If you travel much and mention you’re from KC, most people don’t have a clue what that really means.
This is a excellent place to raise a family or visit. We need TV spots showing off the Plaza, Power & Light, our beautiful, affordable neighborhoods. And yes, we need to show off parts of the Kansas side as well. The Legends is a nice tourist or convention zone destination with all it has to offer.
We know what’s here, we just need to sell that to the rest of America.
Stan’s a wonderful speaker. He has charisma. That’s something lacking from too many of the our leaders.
By the way, my dad and I are very much back together with the entire family. We talk daily. He visits the new club at Legends often and we celebrate the holidays together with my brothers.
Stan was a key figure in my last book, THE KING OF STING, and will be a major character in the new book, COMEDY CONFIDENTIAL, since he and I worked together for many years.
Today the comedy club is run by my brothers, I focus on hiring the acts and promoting the club in the media. I too live in Kansas, Fairway, so can’t get involved in running for any KCMO office either. But I still pull for Kansas City, Missouri to do well and am a big fan of the Plaza, Westport, Brookside and Waldo areas,
Just like Stan.
Best wishes!
.
Happy To Have Met Your Dad
I was at the same meeting (Re: Convention and Visitors Association) yesterday as another of the Mayoral appointees. It was my first chance to visit with Stan and it was very enjoyable. We visited for a long time about my childhood buddy, actor Les “Arlis” Howard who you guys know so well. We grew up in the same ‘hood in Indy. In spite of the controversy surrounding our appointments, its a great group of people with good ideas and what you’ve said about your Dad is true. He looks great and is full of positive ideas for the city.
You’re way off base again…
and out of your league. I will send in my analysis of this article soon. Stick to hookers and hotties…the subject
you know well. when you try to overreach yourself you don’t look good.
The areas you mentioned as reasons for making this town attractive are nothing but bars. that’s not what makes
a city attractive. Maybe for guys like you but you are wrong again.
KC is DOA. Kansas will lure the last few companies left in kcmo across the state line. funk is a failure.
The city does not need any more con men telling them how to run the city..it has enough of them
already.
Smart/successful/ businessmen are what it needs..don’t take it personally but stan does not fit that criteria
according to the kansas city star.
And most importantly the chamber of commerce does not care about the city. They only care about their
big money corporations who contribute to their coffers so they can support the loss of jobs to
companies who send them overseas.
I will be giving you my full and complete report on this subject that will detail the financial and economic
future for kcmo…its not pretty…especially with the coming collapse of the municipal bond market
and cities across the nation declaring bankruptcy. KC is in serious trouble….funk has kicked the
can down the road.
And something elese…did all of you see what has been declared by both repubs and dems as the
incredible speech made by Prez Obama in Tucson. The best speech he ever made…and I saw
many of them before he was ever in the senate. I will tell you this…change is a coming!
Stan Is The Man
Love the Glazers, they are the best entertainment in this city, period. And have been for decades, Don’t ever leave Glazers.
what a mayor is supposed to be
KC needs more Glazers… and less Barnes, Cleaver, Funkhouser types… If you can make a bar and restaurant or entertainment venue successsful for decades… you can do anything… I mean that… That is a TOUGH business and most people don’t last 5 minutes in there.
Rainbow Man is right.
I owned a bar in 1977 and 1978–Jesus I HATED it!! It was fuckin brutal.
My analysis of what KCMO really needs.
Stan Glazer is not what KC needs. His past speaks for itself. I will not waste time on that because Funk is
a failure and is about to be run out of the city quickly.
1. MUNICIPAL BOND FAILURES: We are about to see a massive catastrophe occur. Cities across the nation
are about to default on their bonds. Tax revenues are down. Services including health care/police/life saving services
and other essential services are being cut. Pensions are illegally being cut. Cities and states face massive
deficits that can not be avoided. Some cities will declare bankruptcy. It will be a major problem.
For those idiots who were against tarp they failed to realize that one third of that money went to state and
local governments to continue operating. I wouldnt expect the glazers or the other fools on this site to
understand this. But it is pending unless the feds pay some bills which they will not do. If the tsunami
of this occurs expect investors to flee these bonds. Once that happens all hell will break loose. Essentially
Funk has kicked the can down the road and the new mayor will have immense budget cuts to institute because
the money won’t be there. This may be avoided but now the major money players are preparing for this
to occur. KCMO will be broke. There is not enough money to carry the city and its services thru the next 2 years.
2. Earnings tax. If they vote out the earnings tax…shut the doors and turn out the lights in kcmo.
I believe this is the final nail in the coffin for kc. They can make contingency plans for raising money but theres
no way the city can make up the 200 million dollars in lost revenue and anyone who believe that believes
in the tooth fairy.
3. KANSAS: The vultures in kansas are luring companies across the state line with tax breaks.
Missouri can’t match that. Its just a matter of time till few large companies are left in kcmo and
have moved to kansas. The tax base is eroding and once that is decimated the bottom falls out.
Cerner and others see the economic advantage of this move and others will follow. The tax base
of kcmo will dwindle and all that will be left will be the few stragglers who kansas wouldn’t want.
4. suburbs: more and more people are mvoing out of kcmo. Property taxes in kcmo are reaching
those in joco…and its starting to hurt the taxpayers. With a horrible school system…rising taxes….
more crime seeping into once crime free areas…kcmo is essentially doomed.
5. ADS : “HEY LETS ADVERTISE THE BARS WE HAVE IN KC…WESTPORT…P AND L….
BROOKSIDE…..” right…thats the way to put a city on the map. Lets do what glazer suggests
“show the afordable neighborhoods”…the ones with the horrible streets…unplowed snow….
schools that are dying….an infrastructure that is falling apart…..”lets run radio and tv spots”..
lets show them all the bars…..but when they come here for a convention theres no hookers
or strippers”……great idea….WRONG!
6. STAN: HAS KC REACHED SUCH A LOW POINT THAT THEY HAVE TO TURN TO THIS
GUY TO RESCUE THEIR CITY. ARE YOU SERIOUS? ARE YOU KIDDING? Are there no
successful business people who have a “clean” “successful” “great track record” that funk
the failure could turn to instead of stan the man. Funk is a failure and this only illustrates the
stupidty and total ignorance of this worhtless mayor.
7. KCMO: RUNNING A strip joint/a bar/a comedy club that went broke does not mean
you can run a city. A bar/comdy clubhas no unions…no contracts…no pensions…no health care…
no roads/no bridges/to think running a small comedy store is anything near running a city is
absolute stupidity. Sure we al sit around and can give our wild ass opinions about what needs
to be done but the reality is that it takes mountains to reshape this city.
The question is how does kcmo revive itself. It missed the boat when it became the “prime time:
city. It scared off the large ag companies that were located here. The people running the city
hatted that cowtown image…which if they had continued KCMO would be not onlyu one of the
most important cities in the nation but also in the world. But everyone wants the uptown fun image
for kc….and to the glazers who are dreamers it will just not ever happen.
Putting bars on every corner will not make the city great again. You guys want to promote this
huge bar area in midtown….factis that is the worst thing kcmo can do. Not one candidate has
given us a glimpseof how to save this city…and frankly if it dies and people move to the kansas
side it might be beter for the entire region. We really don’t need kcmo. The sprint center could have
been built out south and been a major drawing card. The airport is about all kcmo could have that
is required of the metro area….but until some new thinking comes in with successful businessmen
who are honest (not clowns) kcmo is doomed.
Put al the bar owners/failed businessmen/in to the chamber and you’ll end up with shit.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE : FACT…they don’t give a fuck about anyone but their big dollar
corporate donors who keep them afloat. They only care about sucking the4 dick of big business
and large money donors. THEY ARE A FAILURE! They have fialed kc and its residents. why anyone
believes that this pack of selfish liars gives a damn about the city is beyond me. ITS ALL ABOUT THE
MONEY TO THE GUYS. Their conterparts nationally are going to starve every city. Over the last
10 years they’ve made a point of helping corporations get huge tax breaks for moving jobs overseas
at the expense of every american. These guys need to be shut down now. Their agenda is not to
imprve the city…their agenda is to make surte their cohorts get all the money they can while the
city falls apart. Until we realize this we are fooling ourselves. Now they want to dismantle via their
paid for legislators laws on the books for years…this is not an organization that has this cities best
interest at heart….they only care about money flowing to their big contributors.
MY PLAN TO RESTORE KC.
1. shut down all public schools. billions have been wasted on these worthless schools. How much more
do they waste? Use a voucher system for residents to send their kids to the school of their choice.
Sell the buildings…..for whatever you can get and bring in cash. The 20,000 students can either
go to a private school or parochial school whatever they decide and get the city out of the education business
immediately. Noone can change this….its esssential that the billions wastedcin trying to make these
schools acceptable is going down the drain. Cut a deal with teachers unions….maybe convert existing
buidling for free to private companies if they hire current teachers. Cut the administration of this district..
and save millions of dollars….its the only way to make this city come back. People moving here could give
a shit about glazers ideas of bars/strip clubs/comedy clubs etc….they want solid schools and until
kcmo does this its a waste of time.
2. DECLARE WAR ON CRIME: kCMO is one of the top murdercities. Eventually people will flee the
crime. Its moving into brookside and other areas. Once it inflitrate that area….people will flee.
Begin a anti crime surge. We know where the crime is…order the national guard…police…and all
other government agencies to begin a surge into those crime areas. I don’t care if you have to positioin
police cars on every corner of those areas…crime will go down. Set up a special task force of
retired law enforcement people and litterally invade these areas. Clean up the garbage. IN probably
one week you take offf the street the gangs/the hoodlums/ arrest those with warrants…literally
break down the ccrime in the city. Who ythe fuck would want to loive in the murder capital of the
nation. You can’t attract business as long as they see this happening.
3. FORGET TYRING TO ATTACT CONVENTIONS AND BUILDING MORE BARS AND ENTERTAINMENT
AREAS….WE’VE LOST THAT. We’ve got some great attractions to offer conventions but we’re no where
near any other cities that we compete with. focus on small to medium size gatherings. Large conventions
can’t come here….not enough rooms. We’ve lost ffa/walmart and others because of various reasons.
If you try to be all things to everyone…you’re nothing to everyone.
4. Refocus on agricultural. Trying to become a medical or bioscience hub is fine….but we don’t have
the anxilliary businesses for that. It may be too late…but central location could bring the ag biz back.
And best of all its growing and has few downturns during slow economic times. We may have blown
the opportunity…but the ag center of the world could be done…but the previous people may have killed it.
5. GET MONEY TO KEEP COMPANIES IN KC. …..THEY WILL BE LEAVING IN DROVES…the state
must help …..if not kc goes down the drain. I can only imagine every major corp left in kc is being
courted by kansas to move there. The bleeding must stop…if not kc is shut down.
Where is the chamber of ocmmerce on this. they must fight to keep business in kc. Are they?
Are they being prostitutes to their donors who are on the kansas side. Is it the GREATER KANSAS CITY
CHAMBER OF COMMMERCE…OR THE KANSAS CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE…and if the
robbing goes on why sit and lose billions in tax base revenue to kansas…someone show some balls
and stop this.
6. UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES A CITY GREAT….not bars/strip clubs/comedy clubs/etc. KC has
some unique advantages that are not being used. Right…lets advertise westport/brookside….p and l
….that will bring them coming. WRONG. The city has major league sports/kauffman center/an incredible
parks system/one of the best places to raise a family/but its dying because ecnomic opportunity is
declining because of the base of business we forgot about. We can’t copete with dallas or chicago
or denver….but we can compete with st. louis…desmoinse…omaha (which kicked our ass while we
were asleep)….ok city (how the fuck did they get a bball team and we’re not even considered….because
we got hoodwinked again by the liewickes!)……..wichita…springfield///joplin…..tulsa….knwo your compettition
…find your niche and own thatg niche instead kc tried to be all things to everyone.
KCMO needs new blood. The same old money is going to control this election. it will be business
as usual with the insiders.
The only thing kc will have vleft are a base of low income city resdients who will be requiring increased servbices
to survive.
I live in joco. I believe joco will be the future center of this city. There’s plenty of land left to develope south.
times are going to be very tough for the next 3-4 years. It’s going to take a new fresh mind (not a bar owner)
to turn the city around. as revenues dwindle it will be even harder. Major cities are headed for disaster more so
because the government allows the 2% of rich in this nation to control all the resources and money.
The rest of us 98% get whats left of the crumbs.
What we really need is anorther economic/political/educational revolution in this nation. The once great american
exceptionalism is being sent elsewhere…as the governor of pa. said “we’re a nation of wussies”……
he was right and until we understand the battle we are facing….we’re headed into some very tough times.
Wish a Glazer was mayor
I agree with you guys. Either Glazer would have been major great for this city. We need someone with guts, gile and balls. Someone who knows business and has been around. Someone who doesn’t just live in KC and is a ‘nice person.’ That would be our last six mayors who drove us into BROKE! Nobody knows KC with Stan or Craig they would. Please move back to Kansas City Missouri guys.
Harley they aren’t perfect men, you are right, but who needs that right now. Done with the do gooders, bring on the Glazers.
Sans Harley’s mysterious antipathy for Glaze-
and he makes some uncomfortable, but accurate points.
The problem, imo, with his ideas, are not the ideas at all. I really like his emphasis on KC as an more of an Agricultural hub than it is now. I also am not smart enough to remember a time when we, as a city, were embarrassed by being an agricultural center in the US, but…, ok.
How will these idea’s be enacted? Any ideas for that matter. Our form of city govt. is not like Chicago, and the mayor is almost a fugure head. Until this city id able to focus real time power, in the hands of ONE individual, we will be polarized and inefectual.
Any politician that calls for an end to public education, will soon be returning to his old job. Me personally, having at one time in my life taught in public schools, I can tell ya, imo, shuttin down the KCSD would be a great idea. It is not gonna happen, but the teachers union and the KCSD are living testaments to greed, stupidity and malfeasance over the last 30 years. KCSD kids can barely read at a 2nd grade level, no matter what lies you are hearing. How could it be any worse? Vouchers, and accountable teachers and parents. A dream, but a nice one.
Fact is, this city is dying. It IS Detroit, writ a little smaller, but…
The form of city govt. will not change, and the ever quickening decline of Kansas City proper is at hand.
I grew up here, and I love KC. But its time has come and gone. JMO. Wish I was wrong.
KCMo proper is terminally ill
They are living in an old historical houses and sipping BLVD beer in neighborhoods like Valentine and Brookside to numb their fears of the ever-encroaching crime plague that will eventually devour them. They send their kids to St. Teresa’s, Rockhurst, Sion, etc… because they are committing child abuse if they send their kids to public schools. Unless you are a fully painted 20-35 something with a penchant for Broadway Cafe and body piercings… there is no place for you in Midtown. Yes… Kansas has been a great competitor. As long as that State-Line border is there, the life will continually be sucked out of KCMO until it is a dead shell.
STAN THE ASSHOLE
No one remembers what an asshole Stan was, is, and will be the rest of his piece of shit life. He uses people, women, business men, and media. Look up fraud, you will find Stan Glazer! Look up bragger, you will find Stan Glazer! Look up failure, you will find Stan Glazer! Look up womanizer, you will find Stan Glazer (till they found out he only has 2 1/2 inches). And you think he would be good for the city, just look at his reputation. He has screwed over friends, relatives, (including his son), and anyone he comes in contact with. He has failed all of his businesses and lives off of other people. Great! We stand behind shit? We will remain shit! Check his background and you will see he is also listed under ASSHOLE!
I read where stan
would live in nice houses without any furntirue til he was kicked out. Again…its nothing personal
but kc does not need this guy. Robert and probably everyone who did business with stan probably
can tell some horror stories….its just that funk the failure turned to a guy with no credibility
and a terrible business record to tell hm what to do with the city. The city of kcmo is already
busted…they don’t need another guy telling them what to do.
Harley is 100% right!
Until something dramatic is done, KCMO is a dead city.
Stan Would have Been A Great Mayor
I was Stan’s lawyer for years, do pretty well, most of these attacks on him are not true. The guy was never convicted or arrested for any crime. Ever. He is a showboat for sure. I backed him in the last election. I am nobody’s fool. Stan is just what this sleepy town needed and needs. I know he had run ins with his family and such, but he fixed all that. It happens to anyone who tries to be on top. Without doubt we would be better off with Stan or Craig. Craig did have legal issues, but the guy is sharp and does care about making this city better, or did. Hey its too late now, they both live in Kansas so enough alreay on the Glazers.
PETE…I WOULD NOT WANT YOU AS AN ATTORNEY
your comments were pure bullshit. and we know it. But thats what a lawyer like yourself is
paid to do….defend his client to the fullest extent then take his money (as much as you can).
I did not attack these 2 personally…i gave pertinent facts about how stupid it is for funk the
failure to turn to a guy with a sordid past to try to correct the city’s problems.
I could care less. Funk the failure should have appointed the mob to this bullshit chamber
because they know how to get things done…and done right…the first time.
I could care less about their past…their current ideas are wrong and misplaced.
I wrote a book into what to do. There must b e someone out there with true vision and
a success record to come to the aid of this city.
Kansas city is not a sleepy town…it is a “dead” town. Only a miracle and a massive shift
will change it. and this guy is not one to have any idea on what to do.
I say bring the brightest financial/business/civic/leaders together. Bring in some free thinkers
not burdened by their own private slefish needs. Hiring comics and hot waitresses to serve drinks
does not qualify you to rtun a large city. You can think all the great ideas you want…iuts so different
trying to make them reality in todays world.
I hope you didnt charge mr. glazer your usualy $250 an hour to print this comment because i know
how attorneys work…and that was one horrible presentation you made. Are you sure you’re an
attorney. I know you’re not. No attorney would print this crap with the words and slang used.
I know the best attorneys in this city…and pete…you are no attorney! No attorney writes like this
and i am guessing this is another bogus comment.
Glazer Was Put On Visitors Bureau Not Chamber
Stan is nominated for heading the Visitors Bureau not Chamber. I met with Stan, followed his career, we think he will be great. I like the fact he is not the usual suspect in the sense he is about spotlight on the city and not furthering his own career. The fact he is too old to really be a politico is a good thing. We will get his best. Craig Glazer is one of my favorite KC media people, funny and always into some crazy things, movies, tv,so on, and you can’t argue with how great their comedy club is and has been.