Tax Foes Stay Silent as Election Nears

BY DAVID MARTIN

The mystery man behind the ad campaign against the bus tax chooses to remain in the shadows.

A lawyer named Philip N. Krause incorporated American Democracy Alliance, the outfit that reportedly gave $75,000 to the last-minute campaign against the sales tax that benefits the bus system. The tax is up for a renewal on Tuesday.

Krause has an office on the fifth floor of the handsome New England Building in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The door was open to Krause’s office, so I walked in and stood by a reception desk.

Seconds after I arrived, a casually dressed man in his late 40s or 50s walked through the door. He said he was Philip Krause, but he declined to answer any questions about himself or the alliance. And with a friendly pat on the shoulder, I was on my way.

American Democracy Alliance made the one and apparently only contribution to Kansas Citians Against Taxpayer Abuse, a heretofore unheard from group that began a television ad campaign this week. Advocates for the bus tax are complaining about all the anonymity, as well the content of the group’s message. The television spot mentions that tax-increment financing captures some of the money raised by the 0.375 percent sales tax for the buses. The ad says the money is being diverted to “wealthy developers and City Hall pork-barrel projects.”

City Councilman Ed Ford said on Thursday that if TIF is the opponents’ beef, they should try to change the state law that created it.

Records indicate that Krause incorporated American Democracy Alliance last summer. He filed paperwork on behalf of a group called Missouri Limited Government Alliance at the same time.