TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! MAYOR FUNKY NEEDLESSLY WHINING IN LIEU OF REAL LEADERSHIP ON CITADEL PLAZA!!!

I'm no fan of City Manager Wayne Cauthen.

But I recognize a cheap political stunt when I see it . . .

To wit, AMAZING TKC TIPSTERS were recently able to obtain a silly little Mayor Funkhouser memo that features your fearless leader complaining like a tactless Prima donna.

Check it:



I'll simply transcribe the message in its entirety from The Mayor to Cauthen:

"I am amazed at how close this city came to making what may be shown to be a grave mistake yesterday regarding the Citadel property and its pending development. As City Manager, it is your job to provide us with complete information so we can make and informed decision. Yet when there was reason for caution, you and your staff encouraged this City Council to approve a last minute and understudied arrangement involving millions of public dollars. That put this council and mayor in a terrible position. Thank goodness Council woman Cindy Circo spoke up with the needed voice of reason. I believe her actions will be proven prescient as the situation continues to unfold."

Tough talk. Here are some tougher questions:

Was Citadel Plaza a disaster in its configuration before the City Council on Thursday?

Yes.

However . . . If that's the case then why did the Mayor send the project back to Terry Riley's Planning and Zoning Committee rather than the much more appropriate Finance and Audit Committee?

Also . . . If the Mayor is so up in arms about the project . . . Why didn't he make his opinion known to the public before the vote? He was mum about the project when it might have had the votes to succeed.

It gets worse . . .

CITY HALL WATCHERS SAY THAT THE MAYOR'S CHIEF OF STAFF KENDRICK BLACKWOOD WAS TOUTING CITADEL PLAZA FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS AND ONLY WHEN THE PROJECT WENT DOWN IN FLAMES DID FUNKHOUSER CHANGE HIS TUNE!!!

Sadly, TKC TIPSTERS are much more informed than Star reporters living in JoCo regarding City Hall issues and they know for a fact . . .

IT WAS COUNCIL LADY DEB HERMANN WHO SHOWED REAL LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE BY ASKING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS!!!

On the other side, future Mayor of Kansas City -- Councilman Terry Riley was the driving force behind Citadel's momentum up to this point. But Riley's planning along with the incomprehensible financial maneuvers of Jeff Yates came up short . . . Partly because they were counting on Mayor Funky.

And now the Mayor sends it back to Riley with a wink and a cheap shot at Cauthen in lieu of any real leadership.

Let's be clear . . . There was an opportunity for Mayor Funkhouser to ask real questions, to show that he was committed to fiscal responsibility and to garner some kind of consensus . . . Funkhouser only made an unconvincing show of PRETENDING TO DO THOSE THINGS once he knew the project wasn't going through on the day of the vote . . . Deb Hermann did the real work opposing the project, Funkhouser played for the cameras . . . And offered second rate political tricks.

The unfortuante thing about all of this is that Funkhouser thinks that his incompetence will be kept secret. He can count on Yael to start cheerleading again but the word is out at City Hall . . .

Mark Funkhouser is now nothing but a cheap, political opportunist who doesn't believe in fiscal responsibility any more than he believes in a dress code that requires shoes in the Mayor's office.

If the Mayor was serious about Citadel Plaza he would have sent it to Finance and Audit.

His sickening leadership style is now in full re-election mode and trading favors is his top priority.

Yes . . . Cauthen and staff deserve derision for their part in the Citadel Plaza mess but not from Funkhouser, a wimp who provided absolutely NO LEADERSHIP in the debate.