Gloria vs. City Hall

I am disgusted that the City Council approved a city ordinance prohibiting relatives of public officials from volunteering in their offices (9/12, A-2, “KC council OKs limits on use of volunteers”).

This ordinance is an attack on the mayor and his wife, and I think there are better things our elected officials could be doing with their time other than finding ways to attack the mayor and his wife.

I think it’s admirable that Gloria Squitiro wants to volunteer her time for the city. This is obviously a team approach to governing, so the council needs to accept it.

The City Council members need to do the people’s work that they were elected to do and stop fighting with the mayor.

Randy Hite
Kansas City

When my daughter was small, she would come home from school and tell me, “Caitlin didn’t want to play with me today.” I would tell my daughter, “Maybe she was having a bad day, and tomorrow could be totally different.” Then the next day she would come home and tell me not just Caitlin but Kathleen didn’t want to play with her, either.

I told my child then, “Sweetheart, you need to maybe look at yourself and why this is happening. Perhaps there is something you are doing wrong.”

Gloria, there is a reason the elected employees of City Hall don’t want you on their playground, and it’s time for you to go to time out and leave the office.

It truly is endearing how Mayor Funkhouser, your husband, comes to your defense, and I mean that sincerely. Yet volunteering just isn’t working out.

Here’s an option: Perhaps they will let Mark work from home, and you two can continue to be together all day long, and peace can abound for all.

Debi Dreiling
Kansas City

Tacky, tacky! Using the power of the City Council to personally target a city employee, mayor’s wife or not, makes you folks look like the Kansas City school board — not pretty.

Even out here in the Kansas suburbs, away from your “jurisdiction,” this is embarrassing. Lighten up.

Beverly Evans
Overland Park

Comments

[Engineer]

As Missouri citizens follow this "Tempest in a Thimble" it should help them reach an understanding as to why we in Johnson County are so reluctant to enter into any agreement in which KCMO pols have a large voice.

[solomon]

Jeff H,

You've got it right.

[Jeff H]

Note: that was meant to say that a person in leadership position should never put a spouse or family member who is volunteering in a position of authority over others.

[Jeff H]

A major challenge that must be considered by anyone in a position of authority when a family member volunteers: if that person acts inappropriately, or in a manner that someone thinks as inappropriate, how likely is it that someone will approach the person in charge with a complaint about the volunteer?

A person in a leadership position (especially working in any form of government) should never put a spouse or other family member in a position where they supervise staff members, as it puts an unfair challenge both on the employees and on the volunteer. The volunteer is always seen as someone who was put in charge because of their relationship to "the boss", and the employees will never fill comfortable going up the appropriate chain of command with concerns and complaints for fear of retaliation for "going after the boss's wife".

[solomon]

A "volunteer" has no business doing the things Gloria has been reported to have done. I am not speaking of the accusations of the lawsuit, which have to be proven in court, but the things she has done and attempted to justify. Maybe now my Mayor can work towards his goals without this distraction.

[Gary]

Only the City Council can make the School Board appear efficient and effective.

[renfro]

Both Funkhouser and Kansas City could expect more progress and cooperation from a High School Student Council than we’ll get from district representatives who are preoccupied with removing the Mayors wife from an unpaid position at City Hall! -- As a reason or pretense to enact an inane ordinance they suggest a fear of law suits from delicate people or employees with “hurt feelings” heading for the City Coffers or Money Tree to bilk the public out of a bunch of Bucks? --- Hey, spend the money, take a chance; address those problems in court. Even a loss is more palatable than submitting to allegations or blackmail from professional parasites and their lawyers without a fight.
Funkhouser should just research the legal ramifications and options under the new “Volunteer” Ordinance, hire Gloria for a Dollar a Day and send the City Council back to their $2.1 million refurbished offices to Hibernate and watch reruns of Sesame Street on their big 32” TV’s.
An Afterthought -- The Council often appears in concert with the political and social crusades or ambitions of our local newspaper; Perhaps the Kansas City Star could acknowledge that support with a Charitable contribution to City Government or partial responsibility for the council’s collective salaries?

[dolcemusica1]

Apparently, we have quite a few individuals who have not experienced corporate life and are not familiar with standard employment practices regarding relatives.

Ms. Squitiro is not only "volunteering" in a desk right outside of her husband's office - she's also attending staff meetings, etc. I've had temps help out occasionally in our department. They NEVER attended staff meetings - that was for EMPLOYEES only.

Another possible legal problem is - if she is acting as if she was an employee (more so than a regular volunteer) - would she be classified as a form of contract labor? The laws regarding temp/contract labor are very strict. Once one is employed over a certain length of time, they are considered as an employee in the labor laws and certain taxes, etc are to be paid.

I'm sure a labor law attorney could explain the vast areas of possible legal issues the city might have with Gloria's "position". Unfortunately, Gloria could care less about the legal negative impact she is creating with the city or her husband - she's in it for herself ONLY and the power associated with it! Because of her extreme selfish behavior, the city had to come up with some type of ordinance to protect the city from her inconsiderate actions and stand.

[Marctnts]

...

[Marctnts]

The city council, as well as a good portion of the "old order", had it in for Funkhouser from the moment he was elected. He's not part of the "inner circle", and his election threatened the power brokers and their pet projects.

That being said, the mayor has bent over backwards to hand his opponents the ammunition they need to sink him, or at least stall him for the rest of his term. Between his car, his wife, his park board appointments, and his campaign finances, he's giving the other side enough small issues to drag him down and keep him from accomplishing the very types of reform that got him elected.

[TinyAlice]

We appear to be obfuscating the issue.
If Gloria Squitiro is "volunteering," she should of course not interfere with actual city employees, many of whom depend on their jobs to support families, supply medical and dental care, retirement, u.s.w.
As a volunteer, she should be under the direct supervision and control of a full-time city employee, to whom she's not related, of course.

Ms. Evans-she's not an employee. Out there in the Kansas suburbs, do you read the paper at all?