Notes From Funk’s Front Porch - 21 November 2009
Funk’s Front Porch
21 November 2009
Dear Folks,
This Week’s City Business
The following is the text of a statement issued by the Mayor after Thursday’s removal of the City Manager:
This afternoon I suspended and removed the City Manager. Following that suspension, the City Council ratified his removal in a public vote.
I have named Troy Schulte as the Interim City Manager. Troy has the depth of knowledge needed to guide our city departments through this transition period. I have full faith in Troy’s ability to lead your city government.
For the citizens of Kansas City this transition will be seamless. The working of your government will continue with this new leadership. I look forward to working with the Interim City Manager and the City Council to serve all our residents.
It was a dramatic and difficult day, but the Mayor has learned that this is a part of politics.
“That’s what the process is like. It’s a bruising deal, where we elbow and shove each other a bit, but that’s OK,” the Mayor told reporters on Friday, where he was participating in a legislative luncheon with other elected officials.
At that luncheon, the Mayor stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Councilman John Sharp, chairman of the Council Legislative Committee, as the two of them talked about how Kansas City will approach the state delegation in Jefferson City next year. Councilman Sharp had been critical of the change in city management only the day before.
It seems that the Mayor and President Obama continue to be a part of the new politics that Americans so desperately seek from their leaders today. In the Mayor’s case, he made a conscious decision when he took office to make significant changes in our city government - changes that would improve the lives of those of us living in Kansas City - and to not make decisions that would only serve him in his re-election. Based on the media hype that he’s received, it’s easy to see that he’s been true to his word. Whenever big change is in the making, great resistance always comes on its heels.
It seems that our President is also true to his word, and no matter what your politics are, for the President’s integrity alone, we should try to be more supportive of him, instead of tearing him down at every twist and turn. Courage, honesty and conviction are in short supply in American politics, yet that is what the new politics is really all about. It’s easy to stand by and criticize. It’s much harder to hold firm to a vision and to continually make the right choices, especially when you consider that the right choices are not the easy path to re-election. Most politicians that are interested in making big changes are aware that it takes an entire first term to build the foundation that needs a second term to bear fruit. In that regard, the Mayor hopes that you will encourage our President to continue on the path that he laid out for us during his campaign.
The telephone town hall meeting was an absolute success this past Wednesday evening. More than 4,000 callers listened in to hear the Mayor speak about his initiatives, and then they had a chance to ask the Mayor a question. The Mayor spoke about his highest initiatives: crime, education, and basic services, and most of the caller questions were in regard to their concerns with these issues. No matter what part of the city a resident resides in, they all seem to feel that they are the stepchildren of the city. This is a typical feeling on behalf of our residents, and the Mayor’s goal is to eventually make them feel that they are getting their fair share from their city government.
The Mayor attended nearly all of his City Council committee meetings this week as they began the important discussion of next year’s budget. The Mayor supports this kind of early, transparent discussion of important issues. It is exactly the approach that he recommended the city take when he was the City Auditor. Because the city budget is so unwieldy, yet so vitally important to making this a city where people will want to live, the Mayor will keep a close watch at every stage of its development until the Council adopts it next March.
The Mayor is gearing up for the 131st Mayor’s Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at Crown Center on Friday, November 27th. The theme of this year’s event is: a toy or a coat, a book or a buck, and it speaks to the many ways that you can help make the holiday season special for those in need. The Master of Ceremony is Kansas City’s number one talk radio host, Chris Stigall of KCMO Talk Radio 710. And Eric Stonestreet, a Kansas City native, better known as Cameron from ABC’s Modern Family, will be helping the Mayor to flip the switch for the Tree Lighting. In addition to the Kansas City Symphony, the Mayor has a lot of other wonderful entertainment planned for the evening. To end the evening, the winner of a two-year lease on a Smart car will be announced. For more information, or to donate to the fund or to buy a raffle ticket for the Smart Car, please visit, http://mayortreefund.com/index.php.
On A More Personal Note
The Mayor has made-do with a greatly reduced office budget this year. But in order to maintain quality standards, he has made good use of unpaid interns. In fact, Funk has been so “smart with the money” that he moved one of his interns in to live with us. This makes the house a little snug these days, as we have three stray children living with us now, and when our children come home from college, it makes five kids, plus their friends. I long for a jaunt down to the cabin, where we can find peace, and sleep.
The Mayor’s Public Appearances This Week
Saturday
2:00 p.m. Make a Wish Foundation’s Wish for Julie Brock
Guardian Angel’s Food Pantry, 1310 Westport Road
Sunday
Nightly News Broadcasts
KMBC-TV-9
Monday
1:00 p.m. Convention Hotel Steering Committee
Convention Center Lobby, 13th St. between Broadway and Central Ave.
Tuesday
10:30 a.m. Council Committee Chairs Meeting
Mayor’s Office, 414 E. 12th St. 29th Floor
11:30 a.m. Police Board Meeting
1125 Locust
3:30 p.m. A City that Works Weekly Public Meeting: Business Licensing
414 E. 12th St. 10th Floor
6:00 p.m. The Chamber’s 122nd Annual Dinner
Hyatt Regency Crown Center
Friday
7:40 a.m. Fridays with Funk
710 KCMO AM
5:30 p.m. Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Crown Center
Sunday
7:00 a.m. First News on KMBC Channel 9 with Kris Ketz
KMBC 9
The Next Town Hall Meetings
December 4, 2009 - 6:30 PM
Host: Clay County Economic Development Council
December 9, 2009 - 6:30 p.m.
Host: Riverstone Adult Lifestlye Community
9000 N. Congress Avenue
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
Related Posts:
- Notes From Funk’s Front Porch
- Recent Funk’s Front Porch
- News from the Funk
- News from Funkhouser
- Funk’s Front Porch - 6 November 2009
