TKC Undercover: A bit of info on how Gloria Squitiro's "Mammy" comment went down

TKC likes to look at Brit glam model Lucy Pinder

Here's the hardest part about being the most gully blogger in Kansas City . . . Sometimes I'm so far ahead of the curve that people think I'm crazy, lying or just can't believe the sheer strength, power and skill of this fully armed and operational battle station blog. Thankfully, it's not me . . . It's simply a manifestation of citizen media, AWESOME TKC Tipsters and the fact that my primary motivation is to entertain and enlighten rather than just push my agenda - Which is almost completely related to bikini models anyway.

Therefore . . . Since the local media have yet to pick up on it . . . I thought I'd provide a bit of background on "Gloria Squitiro's Mammy Slur" pieced together from a variety of different sources, hearsay and gossip that's going around City Hall along with some very accurate sources that have never led me astray. Again, I'm not using the names of the alleged victims in question but I will be going into a little bit more detail . . .

First things first: By now, loyal readers of this blog should know that Gloria Squitiro used the term "Mammy" to describe two African-American Female City Hall Employees.

Both of these employees work in the Mayor's office . . . Obviously, City Hall watchers and every political reporter in Kansas City already knows who I'm talking about but the layperson won't really know the names so I'm not going write them until they decide to come forward . . . Which might happen sooner rather than later.

To begin, the salary part of the EEOC complaint, that's already been documented in the pages of The Star, relates to the fact that one of these women is really at the low end of the scale in Mayor Funky's office in comparison the younger, less qualified and incompetent workers (i.e. Joe Miller) and isn't taking home anything close to the QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS that Ed Wolf is banking annually at the behest of Funkhouser. It's sad because this woman's support during the campaign was integral to Mayor Funky's narrow victory and SHE TOOK A PAY CUT TO JOIN HIM IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.

Her payback gets even worse . . . One day she decides to come into work wearing a head scarf. The Mayor's wife then refers to her as "Mammy" in a cheerful and completely ignorant manner. In what some people are describing as an attempt to "cover" the mistake, Ms. Squitiro then calls another female African-American employee in the Mayor's office "Mammy" who she believes she is "closer to" and wouldn't mind the insensitive remark. Ms. Squitiro ALSO uses the nickname "Bernie Mac" to address a Black female employee with a similar sounding name and that's just in bad taste given that Bernie Mac is a really great entertainer but has a rough edge, is a 50 year-old man and NOT a professional woman trying to be taken seriously in a field that hasn't historically been accessible to African-American females.

I can't verify whether or not the mammy slur took place during the course of one day or over a longer span but the use of the derogatory term was REPEATED by Squitiro after it was made clear that her knee jerk reaction to a Black woman in a headscarf was inappropriate.

That's kind of sad given that she could have totally gotten away with calling both of them Erykah Badu if she had kept a little more current with African-American culture and not relied on bigoted caricatures from the days of way back.



Also, anyone who knows anything at all about EEOC complaints knows that it's absolutely the LAST STEP for a professional person of color to file and it really represents a breakdown in communication and understanding in the Mayor's office.

A minor prediction: When leaders in the African-American community decide to pursue this issue, they're going to find out that Mayor Funky is every bit as stubborn as Latinos and Light Rail supporters have claimed.

The insistence that the Mayor "sticks to his guns" or "is a man of principle" is really just public relations spin regarding the fact that MAYOR FUNKY'S STUBBORNNESS IS A CHARACTER FLAW THAT HAS CONTINUALLY COST HIM AND THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS CITY!!!

Look at the situation objectively: The Mayor allowed a highly qualified African-American female employee to linger at the bottom of the pay scale and then an insult by an unpaid volunteer finally motivates the woman to complain . . . Throughout the entire situation Funkhouser couldn't allay her concerns or resolve the matter internally.

Since the offending action was taken by an unpaid volunteer who happens to be the Mayor's wife . . . Things really start to get interesting.

Word is that Black leaders in KC Proper have already got a hold of the story and are working to formulate a response. One of their main concerns will be Squitiro's unsanctioned, unregulated and improper role in the Mayor's office which smacks of nepotism. Remember that a so-called unpaid volunteer has NEVER held such a high ranking position in the Mayor's office and SINCE SHE'S NOT AN EMPLOYEE THERE'S ALMOST NO REGULATIONS RELATED TO HER CONDUCT. So far, the Mayor has not taken responsibility for her alleged actions. Therefore it has been rumored that a few leaders in the African-American community will also call for Gloria Squitiro to step down from her duties in the Mayor's office.

The lifespan of EEOC complaints can range anywhere from 6 weeks to 2 years. From what I'm hearing . . . African-American leaders in Kansas City are urging the victims in this case to come forward given that secrecy only helps to continue bigoted behavior from elected officals (and those with influence over them).

I can't say when any of this information is going to be distributed by the mainstream media but what has always given me comfort is that it's nearly impossible to keep a secret in this day and age and the stubbornness and insensitivity to so many members of KC's minority community on the part of the Funkhouser Administration is now becoming legendary.