By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The poll results on regional light rail reportedly are in, but Mayor Mark Funkhouser ("Mr. Transparency") won't release them, at least yet.

Spokesman Kendrick Blackwood said Tuesday morning, "For the moment, I have nothing to share with you."

Meanwhile, the mayor's staff and others are working behind the scenes on the regional light-rail plan that Funkhouser has promised to unveil later this week to selected public officials before a scheduled May 30 summit.

Uh, but where's the mayor?

Not in KC, trying to whip into shape a regional light-rail plan that has become a source of much controversy, given the alternative of a starter-line system for the November ballot.

Instead, here's a press release Tuesday from the mayor's staff:

"Mayor Mark Funkhouser will be in Philadelphia and Miami this week to speak at three national governing conferences.

"On Tuesday, May 20, he will deliver a speech titled “New Perspectives: From City Auditor to Mayor” to the Association of Local Government Auditors.

"On Wednesday, May 21, he will address the 17th Biennial Forum of Government Auditors in a plenary session titled “Societal Progress and Government Performance: The Development of Key National Indicator Systems.”

"Both of these conferences are in Philadelphia.

"On Friday, the Mayor will be in Miami, giving a speech on comparative government auditing to the International Consortium of Governmental Financial Management.

"The Mayor’s travels will be paid for entirely by the hosts of the conferences."

It's good news that the mayor is such a sought-after speaker for his former role as city auditor.

Then again, he has a city to run, a city where taxpayers pay him a full-time salary to lead on important matters (such as light rail) at crucial times (such as 10 days before a summit that Funkhouser himself called).