Best Wet Blanket

Historically, greater Kansas Citians rally behind big projects -- Liberty Memorial, the Truman Sports Complex, Bartle Hall, Union Station, the Sprint Center. Of course, residents do not always get a good bang for their buck (stay tuned for the Union Station bailout), a notion not lost on Overland Park Mayor Ed Eilert. He was among a group of mayors to criticize the stadium-lease deal Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields negotiated with the owners of the Chiefs and the Royals -- Eilert called it too team-friendly, and after the mayors complained, Shields made the deal slightly less terrible. Lately Eilert has questioned the ability of a railroad collection to improve paid attendance at Union Station. The community benefits from his raining on parades that often prove costly in the end.