Notes from Funk's Front Porch

31 October 2008

Dear Folks,

This Week’s City News:

The Mayor will hold his light rail watch party at the Westport Flea Market on Tuesday evening, November 4th. He hopes that all light rail enthusiasts will join him to usher in what is bound to be one of the more historic election nights that this country has seen in many years. The Flea Market is where the Mayor held his first election night watch party back in February of 2007. We hope that you will join us Tuesday evening to help usher in the momentous occasion.

Funk has stated that his main focus for the rest of the year will be on finding innovative solutions to crime, education, housing and transit. To that regard, he met with many people this week to come up with bold short and long-term solutions to the problems that Kansas City faces in each of these four areas. The meetings have been productive, with the proposed helpers excited about joining hands with the Mayor to solve the more pressing issues facing many of our residents on a daily basis.

The New Tools task force is entering phase two of its existence. There has been so much interest in serving on this task force that the Mayor had to ask the Council to extend the number of members who can serve from 20 to 30 people. That request passed unanimously in legislative session last Thursday. With that behind us, the first meeting of this group will take place on Monday, November 3rd. The task force will then have six months to come up with "new tools" of economic development that can be used in the distressed areas of our city. In effect, this group will also be helping the Mayor to succeed in his overall goal of "being smart with the money so that we can increase citizen satisfaction and, ultimately, repopulate the urban core."

On a More Personal Note:

Funk came home for a meeting on Wednesday to find a Kansas City Star photographer parked in front of our home. Funk knew the photographer as he’s worked with him for many years at city hall. But the poor guy looked sheepish on this occasion as he was following orders to stake out the Mayor’s home and photograph the comings and goings of people that the Mayor was meeting with that day. And then before 7 a.m. this morning a radio reporter pounded on our door, sending pitiable Maria The Poodle into guard-dog fits. Fortunately, they only woke up the Poodle and me as the Mayor was already out the door for the day. Are meetings at the Mayor’s home unusual? No. Funk has been holding meetings here since the beginning of his term in office. It’s just that no one has cared to notice before. Some people have told us that an old-fashioned witch-hunt is going on. We wouldn’t know about that. Call this old-fashioned on our part, but the Mayor just has his sleeves rolled up and his nose to the grindstone, trying to solve the city’s crime, education, housing and transit problems.

The next Town Hall Meeting: The Southern Communities Coalition Wednesday, November 19, 2008, at 6 p.m. The location has yet to be determined

In faith, Gloria & Mark

You can respond by email to this newsletter at funksfrontporch@gmail.com.

If you’d like daily news updates, please check the Mayor’s blog site at www.funksfrontporch.com.

The Mayor’s top ten priorities:

 

1. Establishing a good working relationship with the Council

2. Getting the City’s finances in order

3. Making downtown work

4. Tending to our neighborhoods

5. Implementing the Housing Policy task force recommendations

6. Improving the perception and the reality of public education in Kansas City

7. Reducing Crime

8. Repairing our sewer systems

9. Establishing an excellent regional transit system, which includes light rail

10. Improving citizen satisfaction with City services