In revoking support for Mayor Mark Funkhouser (11/8, Opinion, “In a funk about KC mayor’s misguided priorities”), The Star misidentified the battle involving his wife as his top priority. This battle has been represented by sensationalist journalism as his sole agendum, and his real work has gone unreported.
Rather than obsessing over Gloria Squitiro, a piece could have been written about Funkhouser’s New Tools for Economic Development program, which he worked on all last weekend with other government leaders in Charleston, S.C.
The Star’s previous support for Funkhouser was based upon his challenge to “politics as usual.” His legal actions (11/8, A-1, “Mayor takes council to court”) are a necessary response to an unlawful attack by those opposed to destruction of the status quo, those nostalgic for the days of limitless tax increment financing.
This will not distract Funkhouser from his top priority. He will continue to abandon the quid pro quo network that exists in City Hall and work toward better governance, even if it taints his reputation.
Andrew Squitiro
(Son of Mayor Mark Funkhouser and Gloria Squitiro)
Kansas City
Mayor Funkhouser looked to be such a great choice for Kansas City mayor, promising to focus on improving streets, sewers and infrastructure. Now that he has been shown to be petty, immature and self-centered (with Gloria-gate, moving his office to his home, continuing to pursue light rail instead of sewer repairs and filing a lawsuit against the city), it may be time for Kansas Citians to pursue a recall effort and take back the office that they gave to him in good faith.
After all, he’s only a year and a half into his four-year term. What’s going to happen in the next two and a half years? I don’t know if there is a provision for a recall in the Kansas City bylaws, but if there is, it certainly is time to use it.
Tucker Johnston
Lenexa
We are in a recession, at war, losing homes, jobs and retirement incomes, and Mayor Funkhouser’s priority is his wife’s ability to volunteer in his office? He has moved his office to his house in a residentially zoned area and has aides and council members commuting to him rather than going to City Hall. Now he has filed suit against the very council that should be part of our Kansas City team.
Funkhouser was a bean counter, is a bean counter and will always be a bean counter without any visionary talents whatsoever. His priorities are in the wrong place based upon the very real challenges facing Kansas City today, and he is an embarrassment to us all.
He should be removed from office immediately so he can spend all of his time with his wife without his job getting in the way. Separation anxiety problem solved.
Brian Thompson
Raytown
Gloria Squitiro's "Son"-renfro
I know Gloria thinks a lot of herself, but "Son"?
Where is zenozac when you need him?
Posted by: solomon | November 12, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Congratulations to “Letters” for acknowledging Mayor Mark Funkhouser and Gloria Squitiro’s Son for his thoughts and rather mild criticism of the Star’s success in bringing a political malaise to any meaningful endeavor or improvement the Mayor could have contributed to Kansas City.
In agreement or approval of the Star’s editorial bent “Letters” again offers two earlier opinions from the thriving Metropolis’s of Raytown and Lenexa on how to run their Kansa City suburb. – Hopefully the Star will have to seek subscriptions and support from many more of these “big town” political mavens?
Andrew Squitiro’s observation -- “The Star misidentified the battle involving his wife as his top priority” is appropriate and unwarranted!
( For Andrew Squitiro’s “misidentified battle” a re-post! ) ------ More garbage from the KC Star and their lemmings in an attempt to force a public referendum or re-call of the Mayor. -- The same group of malcontents that accuse Funkhouser of hiding behind his wife’s skirts or being a “mommies boy” accept a city Council dominated by women apparently running rough shod over their male counterparts. All we hear from the “Star” and their displaced lady homemakers on the council is an echo of what the Star’s editorial "nannies" believe is best for “THEIR CITY”! -- We’ve either got a bunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger “Girlie boys” on the council or the Kansas City Star chooses to ignore their presence? This newspaper or PAC mistakenly endorsed an independent Mayor rather than another puppet politician and will use any means or method to regain control of City Hall!
Give it a rest – KC’s “NEWS” paper has begun to resemble a second rate rag at a checkout stand!
Posted by: renfro | November 12, 2008 at 11:01 AM
The Red Star, aka the Hammer and Sickle, deserves to fail as business entity. They have sold out totally to the far left in this city. I canceled my subscription long ago and only read it online to get my blood boiling in the AM.
They even, along with fellow traveler the New York Times, failed to make any mention of Veteran's Day yesterday. That is simply disgusting, and un-American IMHO.
Posted by: Rogue | November 12, 2008 at 08:12 AM
....and all this time I thought renfro was Gloria....
I would expect this young man to be supportive of his parents. He is to be commended for his love and devotion.
Too bad he fails to see what his mom and dad are doing.
Posted by: solomon | November 12, 2008 at 07:13 AM
The Kansas City Star's manufactured controversies as a business model to attract more readers and more revenue is back firing!
Big time!
From
Kansas Liberty: 11 November 2008
In the last five months alone, more than 300 staffers cut loose as readers, advertisers bail.
Kansas City Star to sack 50 more employees as stock hits new low
In a memo to employees Monday, The Kansas City Star's publisher, Mark Zieman, announced that 50 more employees would soon be facing unemployment. Zieman blamed the layoffs on a "harsh economic downturn" during "one of the most challenging years in Star history."
It may also be the last year in Star history if Zieman is unsuccessful in turning around the failing newspaper.
Zieman's memo was just the latest piece of bad news in what has been a very bad week for the Star and for the company that publishes the paper, the McClatchy Company.
A week ago, Fitch Ratings reported that McClatchy is likely to run into cash-flow problems trying to keep its pension fund afloat.
And on November 3, Editor & Publisher, an industry newsletter, reported that McClatchy stock was already suffering from a "low credit rating, which Fitch has assigned deep in 'junk bond' territory with a 'negative outlook' suggesting further downgrades."
Also on Monday, the company's stock price hit a 52-week low, closing at $1.85. Three years ago, the McClatchy's stock was priced above $60 a share.
The job cuts are just the latest round of belt-tightening moves by the paper's owners as the Star seeks a way out of its downward spiral. In June, the paper laid off 120 employees, and in September, another 65 staffers were let go.
Posted by: Dan Beyer | November 12, 2008 at 12:04 AM