File under: oldest profession.

PR pro Kay Stewart has been constructing quite a resume as of late as the metro area's foremost spokesperson for increased oil dependence and decreased transportation options and against just about any rational point made about mobility that can be answered with "no comment" and a wink. I've wondered aloud more than once if she actually believes anything she says.

And there's only one thing one you can do with someone like that: Hire them. Again. To trumpet the exact opposite.

TARC Hires Bridges Coalition's Kay Stewart, by Curtis Morrison, Louisville Courant

Mayor Jerry Abramson announced at this evening's "Community Meeting" that TARC has hired Kay Stewart, the Executive Director of the Bridges Coalition, as it's new Marketing Director a job which pays about $87,000/ year. Stewart's current employer is the Bridges Coalition, an Astro-turf organization organized by the Mayor to counter the authentic grassroot efforts first of the 8664 organization, and more recently the "Say No to Tolls" organization. In June, I reported the DL on Stewart, the Bridges Coalition, and their real agenda. (It's in Jerry's voice- I was experimenting- Don't worry, I don't want to do that anymore, either.) LINK.

One detail that is interesting is Stewart is currently only part-time for TARC, while she wraps up her responsiblity with the Bridges Coalition. There's obviously a conflict of interest with Stewart being an employee of the city and the Bridges Coalition non-profit at the same time.

Mayor will run for state office.

Mayor Abramson, that is:

Done Deal — Abramson Joins Beshear (The 'Ville Voice blog).

For once, the rumors are true. Sunday night Jerry Abramson and Steve Beshear announced they’ll be running for Governor and Lt. Gov. in 2011, and that Jerry won’t be seeking an additional term in 2011.

Down with Cordish chain welfare - up with locally owned business!

As a prelude to the following, know that I heartily dislike the Cordish corporate-only vibe.

A decade or more ago, when I first visited Baltimore, the Cordish strategy seemed like something positive. Give them huge sums of cash, and they ensure tenants for ready-made entertainment districts.

Trouble is, the tenants are cookie-cutter chains, and there's nothing unique or local about any of it.

At some point I realized that locally owned businesses could achieve precisely the same desired end if they were awarded a like sum of money, with none of the money flowing through a pipeline to corporate headquarters elsewhere. Given the conceptual sterility of the typical Cordish project (Fourth Street Live springs to mind in this context), keeping the money local makes sense from aesthetic as well as fiscal rationales.

Thus, I'm delighted to read Rick at The 'Ville Voice blog tear into Mayor Jer with respect to Cordish's latest outrage. And congrats to the C-J for sticking to the story.

Jerry Needs to Get Away

... But the bigger blow came Saturday, when the C-J led with news that Cordish has kind of told city officials that, well, no, they’re not going to explain what they did with all that taxpayer money they took to re-design a bowling alley on Fourth Street.

Pressured by the newspaper to explain how it spent the extra $950,000 that Abramson championed giving them to remodel the failed Lucky Strike, Cordish said it had given all the detail it was required to do, and then the Mayor said the explanation was good enough for him.

Now we can confirm what we’ve known all along. Cordish might have, maybe, possibly, spent half that money on remodeling the space, but most of it went in the Cordish profit center. They sure aren’t producing any drywall receipts, and no one’s willing to admit what the facility paid to get Paris Hilton to show up for a few minutes Derby Eve.

Everyone’s outraged, and Abramson’s growing list of detractors has a bunch of new ammunition. The Mayor’s race is looking a lot more do-able for potential candidates like Jim King, David Tandy and Greg Fischer. And there’s bound to be a Republican out there ready to step up.

Abramson has promised a decision on his future soon. But right now he’s just hit one in the lake and is scrambling to make par.

Additional Reading: C.D. Kaplan recounts some of the Mayor’s history of love for Cordish. And Eric Crawford explains why Cordish’s track record in places like St. Louis spells more trouble for us.