Mark Funkhouser

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Mark Funkhouser
Mark Funkhouser
Mayor of the City of Kansas City, Missouri
In office
May 1, 2007 – May 2011
Preceded by Kay Barnes
Political party Democratic
Spouse Gloria Squitiro
Children Andrew and Tara
Residence Kansas City, Missouri
Website http://www.kcmo.org/Mayor

Mark Funkhouser (born circa 1950 [1]) is the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He took office on May 1, 2007. Prior to being elected mayor, Funkhouser served as Kansas City, Missouri's city auditor.

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[edit] Background

Funkhouser grew up in Wetzel County, West Virginia and graduated from Paden City High School[2]. He stands at 6 foot 8 inches tall. [3]. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Thiel College, his M.A. in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.[4]

Funkhouser became the city auditor in 1988 and relinquished his post in 2006. He also contributes to Local Government Auditing Quarterly and has taught in a number of regional universities, including Park University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas.[4]

[edit] 2007 mayoral race

Announcing his candidacy for mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in late 2006, Funkhouser was eventually endorsed by the Kansas City Star and emerged as one of two candidates following the February mayoral primary for 13 candidates.[5]

Funkhouser won the mayoral election on March 27, 2007 narrowly defeating his opponent Alvin Brooks, the Mayor Pro Tempore. Funkhouser won by 850 votes, down from the initial reports of 1,010 votes after a ballot box was discovered to have been locked in a polling site overnight. [5]

During the campaign Funkhouser, wore an orange tie as a reference to the Ukraine Orange Revolution and as a symbol for change.[6] From his campaign website: "I've chosen orange as my official campaign color because it is fast becoming a symbol for change in politics -- a shift away from back-room deal making and toward an open style of governance that respects and listens to citizens." He had been very critical of some of the massive spending on big projects during the Kay Barnes administration which has resulted in a surge of construction in Downtown Kansas City including the Sprint Center which still does not have a professional hockey or basketball team. One of his campaign advertisements depicted "Pigs at the trough." He was quoted on KCTV:

"We've been buying stuff," he said. "What we don't know is whether what we bought is what is worth what we paid for it."[6]

One notable feature of the mayoral race was an anonymous postcard mailed to city residents, describing Funkhouser as being cold-hearted on the subject of indigent health care. The postcards took a quote from the mayoral candidate questionnaire conducted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. No source of the illegal anonymous postcards was discovered before the election. [7]

His opponent in the contest, Alvin Brooks, had focused on the city's high crime rate and said that lack of education was the root of the problem and was going to encourage corporations to adopt public schools if he became mayor.

[edit] Term as mayor

[edit] Controversies as Mayor

Implementation of Funkhouser's campaign pledges of fiscal conservatism while cleaning up local government received national headlines early in his administration when it was revealed he had accepted the free lease of a Honda Civic Hybrid from a dealer in the Northland of Kansas City, Missouri. On 19 June 2007, Funkhouser announced his decision to decline the offer.[8]

The Mayor had already discontinued the utilization of a leased Lincoln Town Car with a double-officer police escort and chauffeur, which was funded at the city's expense. Funkhouser stated that the change saves the city $160,000 a year.[9] Funkhouser was quoted:

I just did not want to ride around in the back seat of the big Lincoln Town Car with a couple of cops driving me.

Funkhouser instead chose to use his own car, a 10-year old Toyota Corolla in the effort to save the city money. [3] In June 2007, Funkhouser disclosed that Honda of Tiffany Springs had offered him a free Honda Civic Hybrid - at no cost to the city - to replace his Corolla, an offer he initially accepted. Funkhouser stated that the offer was not solicited. The city's law department approved the offer, it would have been reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission.[3]

The action was not without criticism, which included charges from city politicians and ethics pundits of improper gift acceptance and unethical behavior. City Councilman John Sharp said:

It sure doesn't pass the smell test...It's nice that the mayor is providing so much free publicity to a foreign auto company.[10]

Funkhouser became embroiled in controversy when it was discovered that his co-commissioner for the Parks and Recreation Board Frances Semler was a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. A number of people and groups have objected to Semler's position, and have insisted that she resign the Board or leave the Minutemen.

The controversy has attracted national attention, and Semler was on Laura Ingraham's radio program.[11] On Oct. 20, 2007, the National Council of La Raza voted to remove it's 2009 national convention from Kansas City in protest of Funkhouser's refusal to ask for Semler's resignation.[12] The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has also threatened to pull their 2010 convention.[13] Defenders of Funkhouser's appointment decision point to another commissioner, Ajamu Webster, who is the founder of the local National Black United Front (NBUF), an organization that advocates reparations and separatist education for Black Americans. They also point out that Funkhouser made the changes to increase diversity on the Parks and Recreations board, that the Minutemen are not racialist but La Raza and the NAACP are, and that Semler's views on immigration were not germane to her service as a commissioner.[14]

[edit] Hobbies

Funkhouser, an avid chess player, celebrated his election night party at the Westport Flea Market, a neighborhood tavern where he regularly meets with the Westport Chess Club to play.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ News reports on his election indicated he was 57. The exact date of his birth is not stated online
  2. ^ W.Va. native pushes city services to become Kansas City mayor: Paden City High, WVU graduate claims 1,000-vote victory - Charleston Daily Mail - March 29, 2007
  3. ^ a b c KC mayor trades up to a Honda hybrid - Kansas City Star - June 8, 2007
  4. ^ a b Official biography at kcmo.org, retrieved May 22, 2007
  5. ^ a b Brooks, Funkhouser Prevail in Kansas City Mayoral Primary, KCTV5, February 28, 2007. Last accessed May 22, 2007.
  6. ^ a b Kansas City heads to polls Tuesday to pick next mayor, KCTV. Last accessed May 22, 2007.
  7. ^ Anonymous Mudslinger Targets Funkhouser, The Pitch Weekly, 2007-02-15. Last accessed on 2007-05-22.
  8. ^ Mayor changes mind: no free car - Kansas City Star 19 June, 2007
  9. ^ Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser Accepts Free Car - myfoxkc.com June 13, 2007
  10. ^ Kansas City Mayor Has No Problem Accepting Free Car - Fox News - June 13, 2007
  11. ^ The Real Mrs. Semler - The Pitch - October 11, 2007
  12. ^ La Raza pulls its KC convention - The Kansas City Star - October 11, 2007
  13. ^ The Real Mrs. Semler - The Pitch - October 11, 2007
  14. ^ Funkhouser's Frances Semler under pressure to resign for being Minutemen member - The Audacious Epigone - June 14, 2007
  15. ^ Tim Steiner. Interview with a Mayor Chess Player. Retrieved on 2007-08-28.


[edit] External links

Preceded by
Kay Waldo Barnes		 Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
2007-present		 Succeeded by
incumbent
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