Port Authority Chair Resigns

Kansas City, MO – After several months of controversy, the board chairman of the agency in charge of development of the Riverfront area and the old Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base is resigning.

Councilman John Sharp made the announcement at the council business session, adding praise for Trey Runnion and a comment on the situation.

" I'm glad that he's staying on the board, but I think all of this stuff that's going on now and the politics that's gotten involved in the port authority is a shame because they've done good work for Kansas City and created a lot of jobs for our city.

The controversy began with the council's reappointment of Runnion over the mayor's objections and has accelerated into a city audit of the agency's contract letting policies and a federal probe called for by the mayor.

The council again postponed confirming Funkhouser's latest appointees to the board pending the outcome of the investigations.