Funk's Front Porch

Mayor to Respond to Today’s Finance and Audit Committee Meeting

Today at 4:10 p.m. Mayor Mark Funkhouser will address the events that took place at this morning’s City Council Finance and Audit Committee meeting regarding the proposed Volunteer Ordinance.

Mayor Funkhouser feels the process has been dishonest, rushed and opaque as exhibited by the following events from today’s meeting:

The process in which public testimony is allowed requires those who testify to sign up and be present. Two weeks ago, at the first public hearing, names of influential individuals were put on the top of the list by Councilwoman Marcason to testify on behalf of the ordinance.

“These actions violate the very spirit in which we allow our citizens to voice their concerns and is an insult to all who come to honestly be a part of the democratic process. We need to hold our elected officials accountable,” said Mayor Funkhouser.

Two weeks ago, Councilwoman Gottstein stated “I would not think that we would be so small to create a policy around one person because the voters entrusted us with something much larger than that.” After much public prodding, Councilmember Marcason admitted the policy was developed in response to a single person.

Some councilmembers were stepping into the back room throughout today’s testimony, ignoring the words of those who took time out of their schedule to have their voices and opinions heard. Significant changes were made to the proposed ordinance behind those doors.

“It was obvious to all that critical changes were made to the legislation in the span of today’s meeting,” said Mayor Funkhouser. “This is the type of behind closed doors dealing that I ran against and will continue fighting.”

Mayor Funkhouser commends Finance and Audit Chairperson, Deb Hermann, for her attempts to hold her colleagues accountable and the rest of the committee for not participating in the dishonest discussion.

Below is a video link of today’s Finance and Audit Committee meeting.

http://kansascity.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

Mayor Funkhouser will address this morning’s meeting at a press conference today on the 22nd Floor of City Hall at 4:10 p.m.

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in the Mayor’s Office at 513-3513.

Funkhouser to Host Meeting of Mayors to Discuss Alliance

Mayor Mark Funkhouser will host a meeting of mayors from the Missouri side of the metropolitan area this Friday, August 8, to discuss the creation of a caucus of metropolitan mayors. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until noon in the Walnut Room at the Clubhouse on Baltimore, 1228 Baltimore Ave. There will be a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting, shortly after noon.

“Our cities are separated by legal boundaries, but together we are one metropolitan community,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “We share some of the same challenges. By working together, we can do a better job of meeting those challenges and succeeding far into the future.

“Many of us have already been working together in the current, ongoing discussions about regional transit,” Mayor Funkhouser added. “I believe we can take these efforts to another level by forming a caucus.”

Mayor Funkhouser proposes the creation of a caucus of mayors from the Missouri side of the metropolitan area. This group would meet several times each year to develop and refine a shared agenda which they would then push for legislators to support at the state and federal level.

The concept mirrors initiatives that have already been undertaken in the Chicago and Denver metropolitan areas. The chairmen of those caucuses – Mayor Jeffery Schielke of Batavia, Illinois, and Mayor Randy Pye of Centennial, Colorado – will give presentations at Friday’s meeting.

“These initiatives have been very successful in Chicago and Denver,” Mayor Funkhouser said. Earlier this year, Mayor Funkhouser attended a conference hosted by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, at which Daley said the formation of their caucus was a major turning point for their city and region. And in June, the Mayor attended an event in Washington D.C. hosted by the Brookings Institution where Mayor Pye spoke about how Denver’s caucus has allowed cities to better work together on issues that impact their entire region.

“These mayors have confirmed for me the power of mayors working together,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “I’m eager for my colleagues from across the metro area to hear what these mayors have to say.”

The cities whose mayors have confirmed that they will attend the meeting include Independence, Blue Springs, Liberty, Gladstone, Raytown, Belton, Raymore, Parkville, Weatherby Lake, Greenwood, Oak Grove, Sugar Creek, Platte Woods and Pleasant Hill.

For more information, please contact Joe Miller in the Mayor’s Office, 513-3508.

Mayor to Announce Plan to Join National Coalition Against Illegal Guns

Standing behind a cache of recently confiscated fire arms, Mayor Mark Funkhouser will join city officials and fellow Mayors from across the metro to announce his intention to join the National Coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The press conference will be today, August 5, at 11:45 a.m. outside Police Headquarters, 1125 Locust.

Mayor Funkhouser will be joined by Councilmember Cathy Jolly, Chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee and Chief of Police Jim Corwin, as well as several area mayors who are already members of the coalition: Mayor Joe Reardon of Kansas City, Kansas; Mayor William Rodgers of Edwardsville, Kansas; and Mayor Carl Wilkes of Merriam, Kansas.

“I think people will be shocked when they see – all piled up in one place – the kind of illegal fire power our police have removed from the hands of criminals,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “But I want people to see these guns to underscore the importance of cities and city officials working together to reduce illegal gun violence.”

Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns was formed in 2006 by Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston and Mayor Bloomberg of New York City to allow mayors from across the country to work together to find innovative new ways to reduce illegal gun violence. The Coalition's bipartisan ranks have now grown to over 300 mayors from more than 40 states, and its statement of principles has been endorsed by major national organizations such as the US Conference of Mayors and the National Conference of Black Mayors.

Mayors typically join the coalition by signing its statement of principles. However, Mayor Funkhouser will be co-sponsoring with Councilmember Jolly a resolution which would direct the Mayor to join the coalition by signing its principles. The resolution will be formally introduced at the City Council Legislative Session this Thursday.

“As a former assistant prosecutor, I’ve seen the damage illegal guns can do to communities,” Councilmember Jolly said. “Now, as chair of Public Safety and Neighborhoods, I appreciate that the Mayor is taking this a step further and asking for City Council support in joining the coalition. This is a step we can take together as a city in our ongoing effort to ensure the safety of Kansas Citians.”

Mayor Funkhouser has also invited other mayors from across the metro area to join the coalition, some of whom may be attending the press event this afternoon.

The announcement will be made in conjunction with the 25th Annual National Night Out Against Crime, in which thousands of communities across the nation will host crime prevention and awareness events this evening.

For more information, please contact Joe Miller in the Mayor’s Office, 816-513-3508. To learn more about Mayors Against Illegal Guns, visit their website at

www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

Mayor Funkhouser to Pump Gas to Build Support for Public Transit

Mayor Funkhouser will pump gas at a Midtown gas station today to build support for transit alternatives. He will be at the QuikTrip at 43^rd and Main St. at 10:45 a.m. filling motorists’ tanks and urging attendance at several public hearings regarding transit. The Mayor will be joined by Councilman Russ Johnson and has invited regional leaders to participate.

In addition to pumping gas, the Mayor will hand out flyers with details about several upcoming public meetings regarding transit. The meetings are:

Hosted by MARC
Wednesday, July 23
7-8:30 p.m.
North Kansas City Community Center: 1999 N. Iron Rd. North Kansas, MO

City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Thursday, July 24^th 
10:00 a.m.
City Hall, 10^th Floor

Hosted by MARC
Thursday, July 24
7-8:30 p.m.
Liberty Community Center: 1600 S. Withers Rd. Liberty, MO

Regional Leaders’ Meeting
Friday, July 25
8:30 a.m.
Gladstone Community Center: 6901 N. Holmes.

“Everywhere I go, folks tell me they need transportation options,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “As Mayor, I’m working very hard to make those choices possible. But now it’s time for the people to speak up. I urge everyone to come out and show their support for more transit options.”

“This will be an opportunity for citizens to talk directly to the region’s decision makers and tell them how much Kansas City needs an excellent transit system,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “I’ll do just about anything I can to get the word out and encourage people to attend – even pump gas.”

Mayor to Hold Town Hall Meeting with Blind Community

 

Mayor Mark Funkhouser will hold a town hall meeting, tomorrow July 23^rd at Alphapointe Association for the Blind: 7501 Prospect. The hour-long town hall meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with a 15-minute introductory address followed by 45 minutes of questions and comments from the audience.

The town hall meeting comes in the middle of an effort to increase communication between the Mayor’s Office and Kansas City’s blind community. Through Alphapointe Association for the Blind and the Audio Reader Network, the Mayor’s Priorities in Progress and other important information is reaching thousands of Kansas Citians who are visually impaired. The town hall meeting will allow Mayor Funkhouser to communicate directly with those who are blind or work in the blind community.

“I look forward to hearing the issues and concerns of our visually impaired residents.” Mayor Funkhouser said. “I expect to hear much about transportation needs as well as other issues of importance.”

As the Mayor pushes for a regional transit system, adequate transportation is expected to be a major topic.

If you are interested in hosting a Town Hall Meeting, please contact Crispin Rea in the Mayor's office: 816-513-3503, or crispin_rea@kcmo.org.

Mayor Appoints Lajuana Counts as Chair of the Municipal Officials Ethics Commission

Mayor Mark Funkhouser has appointed Lajuana Counts as chair of the Municipal Officials Ethics Commission.

Lajuana Counts is an attorney who was a recent finalist for a municipal judge position. She serves on the Missouri Bar Association’s Disciplinary Hearing Committee, the board of trustees for Legal Aid of Western Missouri and on the board of directors for the UMKC Law Foundation, Operation Breakthrough and Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association.

The Ethics Commission has the power and duty to investigate and report on allegations of violations of the City’s charter, and to render advice and opinions on ordinance provisions concerning conflict of interest. There are seven members of the Commission. The Mayor appoints the Chair and each council district appoints one representative. The term of service is for five years.

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513.

Mayor Funkhouser’s Statement on the Release of the Final Report of the KCMSD Education Reform Task Force

 The following is an official statement from Mayor Mark Funkhouser regarding the final report of the KCMSD Education Reform Task Force. A copy of the report can be downloaded from the Mayor’s weblog, funksfrontporch.com.

It is time for our community to put aside our differences and come together in support of our school system and our children. That’s the most important message I get from the final report of the KCMSD Education Reform Task Force.

I’m proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve on this Task Force. Though I was unable to attend every meeting, I found our discussion and work to be constructive and insightful. Likewise, our final report is an important document that I intend to lean on for guidance as I continue to support, in every way possible, our city’s largest district and our entire education system.

Many people have told me that I shouldn’t get involved with education. After all, as mayor, I have no formal authority over our school system. But I simply cannot ignore an issue that is of such great importance to Kansas City.

Indeed, none of us can, if we truly care about our city’s future.

So long as our school system lags behind others in the metro area, folks will continue to choose to live elsewhere. And our city won’t reach its full potential so long as it suffers from such chronic disinvestment. And if our city – the flagship for the metropolitan area – fails to thrive as it should, the entire region will suffer.

Clearly, there’s a vicious cycle at play here. Our disinvestment worsens conditions in our schools, causing still more disinvestment. It’s a cycle that has played out for more than half a century, since Brown vs. the Board of Education ended legal segregation, and most acutely since the riots of 1968. The following year, 1969, was the last year we approved a tax increase for the school district, and it was no coincidence that it was also the last year that the majority of its students were white.

Forty years have passed, but it’s not too late to start mending our community and doing right by our kids. Other cities have been able to do it. Cities like Philadelphia, Charlotte and Richmond have built community consensuses around their urban education systems and are beginning to see real results.

There is no reason why we can’t make the same thing happen here.

We have all the knowledge and resources that we need. What we need is commitment and action.

I pledge both.

And armed with this report and the experience of our work on this task force, I intend to push for communitywide commitment and action.

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513.

Mayor to host New Tools tour and celebration

Mayor Mark Funkhouser will host the inaugural “Seeing Is Believing” tour and celebration this coming Saturday, June 21, at the corner of 27th and Prospect.

The event is part of an ongoing collaborative effort undertaken by the Mayor, fellow members of the City Council and other local leaders and experts from a diverse range of backgrounds to devise “New Tools” for economic development in distressed areas of the city. The event will begin with a guided bus tour that will showcase prospective projects that New Tools can be used for and will highlight an established, successful business. The tour will conclude with a celebration party that will include food, music and dancing.

“This is a way for the larger community to come together to see first-hand the potential for and challenges to economic development in distressed areas of the city,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “And to rally around those neighborhoods as a way of showing that they have not been forgotten.”

The bus tour will begin at 5 p.m. at Morningstar Baptist Church, 2411 E. 27th St., at 27th and Prospect, with the celebratory party from 7 p.m. until midnight on the church’s adjacent property. Seats on the bus tour are available by invitation only, but the community celebration is free and open to the public. Printed tickets to the community celebration are necessary and can be picked up at the following community centers. Limit 4 per person. This will be the first of several similiar events that the Mayor plans to host in other parts of town.

Tony Aguirre Community Center
Brush Creek Community Center
Garrison Community Center
Gregg Community Center and Arrington Klice Fitness Center
Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513.

Mayor to Attend Central City Neighborhood Fair

Mayor Mark Funkhouser will attend the first-ever Central City Neighborhood Fair hosted by the Kansas City Missouri School District. The fair runs from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 7 at Central High School, 3221 Indiana. Mayor Funkhouser will attend from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Visitors to the Central High School campus will learn about KCMSD while enjoying an exciting and family-friendly mix of food, carnival games and entertainment.

There will be booths offering information on enrollment, K-8 Neighborhood Schools, and free preschool. Vendors and community groups will also be present to share information on important school-related activities. This is the first of three fairs scheduled throughout the summer.

Funkhouser to Launch Mayor’s Night Hoops Program for 2008

Funkhouser to Launch Mayor’s Night Hoops Program for 2008

Mayor Mark Funkhouser will participate in a "tip off" event on Saturday, June 7, for the Mayor’s Night Hoops program. The Mayor’s Night Hoops is a youth based program initiated by former Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver to engage at-risk youth through basketball. This year Mayor Funkhouser has led an initiative to reenergize the program.

"Congressman Cleaver created a great program when he was mayor,” Mayor Funkhouser said. "I'm proud be a part of it now as mayor."

The tip-off event will take begin at 4:30 p.m., at Central High School, 3221 Indiana. The program will include words form Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Councilmember Sharon Sanders-Brooks and Parks Board President John Fierro. At 5:15, an official passing of the ball will take place between Mayor Funkhouser and Congressman Cleaver to symbolize the passage of leadership from one mayor to another. The Marching Wildcats Drill Team will also perform.