
There is no question that Co-Mayors Funkhouser and Squitiro are ruling over City Hall like King and Queen. The
recent firing of Ruth Bates (the victim of the "Mammy" slur by the Mayor's wife) is simply the most recent example of their arrogance, vindictiveness and stubborness when it comes their mostly wrongheaded decision making process. Even the Mayor's closest supporters have said time and again that he and his wife have become insulated and no longer reach out to former friends for advice. The cowardly firing of Bates,
WHILE THE CO-MAYORS WERE OUT OF TOWN, seems like the poor decision of an scared couple on the run rather than leadership in the face of controversy.
Sadly, strangely every dumb joke I've written about the Mayor now has a even more merit given the lack of character and unqualified support he has shown for his unpaid, volunteer, and foul mouthed wife. The excuse the Mayor initially used for the slur was equally awkward and lacking of any kind of merit:
Let's not forget that Funkhouser explained on KMBZ that his wife regularly used nicknames for employees and added an "e" to the end of their names.
THIS "MAM-EE" EXCUSE IS SO LAME, SO SLAPDASH AND RIDICULOUS THAT IT NOT ONLY GIVES CREDENCE TO THE CLAIMS MADE BY BATES BUT ALSO REVEALS KANSAS CITY'S MAYOR TO BE HOPELESSLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH HIS MINORITY CONSTITUENTS AND REALITY!!!Even worse, the Mayor has been going around town basically calling Bates a liar. He has been using the office of Mayor to quash a legitimate complaint against his unpaid, volunteer wife who doesn't belong within 10 feet of City Hall. Mayor Funky has also recruited columnists and conservative talk radio scumbags from sinking stations to support his position. Still, one question remains:
DOES ANYBODY BUT BILL DRUMMOND, THE GLASS ETCHER GUY, BELIEVE THAT THE MAYOR'S ACTIONS CONCERNING BATES AND HIS SHOELESS WIFE IN CITY HALL ARE APPROPRIATE?I don't wanna talk crap on Drummond because he's basically a nice guy and the kind of crazy civic activist that makes Kansas City so hilarious but
he has his own problems in the Crossroads that probably should concern him more than online debates regarding Mayor Funky; besides I don't think a white dude who tirelessly advocates for a luxury living space really brings that much to the table in a discussion of Kansas City's divisive racial politics.
And speaking of the sordid subject of racial disparity in Kansas City . . . Let's not forget that Mayor Funky is once again relying on bigots from around the metro to back his cause.
Sadly, these racists don't know that the move to switch Bates to the Water Department (literally throwing her down the well) was out of line and probably an abuse of power in and of itself. A line from the Mayor's press release regarding the subject also gives a bit of perspective on the employment of Bates:
"All positions in the mayor's office are political appointments in the city's unclassified system and mayoral staffers serve at the pleasure of the mayor,"
Therefore, a lateral move to the Water Department would have been inappropriate for political appointment and it's just another sign that the Funkhouser's have no problem abusing power to try and save their neck. More importantly, "serving at the pleasure of the Mayor" is not a justification for racial slurs to be thrown around the Mayor's office in Kansas City. Let's make this simple:
EVERYONE EARNING A PAYCHECK HAS THE RIGHT TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITHOUT FEAR OF REPRISAL OR RETRIBUTION! MAYOR FUNKY'S RETALIATION AGAINST BATES CLEARLY INDICATES HE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE WORKING AT CITY HALL!!!Obviously, the Mayor Funky's few remaining loyalists will be out goose stepping across town to prove their loyalty to the Co-Mayors but their propaganda is uninspiring and out of mainstream political thought in Kansas City.
THERE IS NO ONE WITH ANY CREDIBILITY IN KANSAS CITY WHO WILL DEFEND MAYOR FUNKY'S MISHANDLING OF THIS CASE OR THE USE OF THE RACIAL SLUR BY GLORIA SQUITIRO!!!.It is a clear cut case of retaliation, nothing more.
TKC reported on the ongoing attacks against Bates last week but I honestly didn't think it was this bad. With this action, Mayor Funky has lost any hopes of credibility within the minority community for the remainder of his first term.
This example of how poorly Mayor Funky treats minorities in his own house is indicative of his lack of sensitivity and skill when it comes to his overall grasp (or lack thereof) of community relations in this diverse city.
Finally, Internet denizens are on the top of their game when they ask an important question which Mayor Funky and the mainstream media have overlooked:
WILL KANSAS CITY BE FORCED TO PAY FOR THE DEFENSE OF GLORIA SQUITIRO (A VOLUNTEER) IN THE INEVITABLE AND JUSTIFIABLE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE MAYOR'S OFFICE?!!! Squitiro's presence is unsanctioned and has been the source of ridicule on my part since last year given the woman's penchant to go barefoot in Kansas City's highest office . . . When it eventually gets out, this case will once again demonstrate that Squitiro doesn't belong at City Hall despite the Mayor's stubborn insistence. Squitiro has singlehandedly destroyed the Mayor's once promising career as all women seem to do to their husbands. However, the fact that she should be costing Kansas City with her repeated attacks against African-American females is unacceptable. In both the "Mammy-Gate" mess and another instance where she referred to another African-American employee as "
Bernie Mac" her unprofessional, rude and intolerant behavior has damaged her husband's and (more importantly) this town's reputation.
CURRENTLY, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND THE REMAINING MINORITY WORKER IS MERELY A RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE WHO IS NOW THE LOWEST PAID STAFFER IN MAYOR FUNKY'S CAMP . . . The pattern of discrimination, contempt and lack of consideration for Kansas City's people of color is now clear.
I don't know how this mess will play out but it's not going to be pretty. In the end, most reasonable people understand that
GLORIA SQUITIRO MUST GET OUT OF CITY HALL and concerns over the actions of this out of control woman are going not only going to lead to a financial setback for Kansas City but also damage our reputation when this becomes yet another racially divisive issue that embroils the metro area.
To avoid this conflict TKC and people who don't live in their mom's basement are
begging the City Council to pass some kind of resolution or ordinance (whatever works) to end Gloria Squitiro's reign of terror. Squitiro's actions have led to a potentially costly lawsuit soon to be filed against Kansas City and with no clear definition of her role in the Mayor's office, future actions against this town are inevitable from the Mayor's foul mouthed spouse who apparently can't get along with African-American females. There needs to be some documentation of where Squitiro stands, and for the good of Kansas City it's obvious that
GLORIA MUST GO!!!