Mayor Funky just as good as fired!!!

People who don't know much about Kansas City politics might not understand that this town isn't ruled by Democracy per se, instead local government is mostly elected by a series of special interest groups and voting blocs led by people who do the thinking for their constituents in much the same way that Oprah and Fox News do the vast majority of the mental heavy lifting when it comes to their massive audiences.

It's not a theoretical notion or some angsty polemic when I write that special interest voting blocs run Kansas City, it's fact. And in all of this, people who understand the harsh political reality in Kansas City understand one very important thing:

DON'T EVER PISS OFF KANSAS CITY FIREFIGHTERS!!!

There is no group in Kansas City who are better organized, have more access to a vast army of campaign workers and generally don't suffer from as much negative perception as, say, minority voting concerns.

Recently, the firefighters showed up at City Hall and most likely sent a cold chill up the spine of Mayor Funky while fighting against changes proposed to their phat pensions.



The message was loud and clear, and the dour charisma and (silly) scholarly self-assuredness of the Mayor was lost on this crowd that could have the guy replaced with the snap of their fingers if the Mayor seriously wants to put their pensions on the chopping block.

More than 100 Kansas City firefighters and other city employees packed a City Council meeting Thursday to protest Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s proposal to explore changing the city’s pension system . . . In the meeting, firefighters hoisted placards with messages such as, “Keep Your Funky Hands Off My Pension” and “Local Unions #42, 3808 and 500 Support Retirement with Dignity and Security.”

Louie Wright, president of Local 42 of the International Association of Fire Fighters argued a move away from a defined benefit program would not be cheaper. He gave council members packets of information stating that, “Taxpayers will foot the bill for the high costs to change from a proven traditional pension system to a radical new system of millions of private accounts.”

“It’s off the table. It’s not negotiable,” Wright said. “We’ll not make that change as long as I’m the leader of Local 42.”

Really, risking the kind of backlash from the firefighters is a move for a politico with a lot more savvy and popular support than Mayor Funky. A guy who has spent the last year making nothing but mistakes might want to think twice before he takes on the strongest voting bloc in the city. And when I say strong, I just don't mean numbers - Rumor has it these dudes will show up at your house if you really screw with them. On this one Mayor Funky naively, stupidly and stubbornly stands alone because his last remaining political allies are smart enough to stay far, far away from this fight.

Fact is, even making a peep on this front has put Mayor Funkhouser at a strong disadvantage when it comes to next election. Once again Mayor Funky has managed to piss off yet another important Kansas City constituency as his inexperience and inability to form anything resembling a consensus have his Administration going down in flames.