TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! HARRIS WILDER AND A FEW OTHER LOCAL ELITES CLAIM THEY'LL LEAVE KANSAS CITY IF MAYOR FUNKY WINS RE-ELECTION!!!



It's important to clear up any kind of erroneous rumor that Mayor Mark Funkhouser is gaining traction or support in the last remaining days of his lame duck tenure.

Get it straight . . .

THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THIS TOWN ONLY GIVE MAYOR FUNKY A CHANCE AT WINNING RE-ELECTION BY ACCIDENT!!!

Smart people acknowledge that in a crowded field with no clear front runner the privileges of an incumbent could be enough to give Co-Mayors Funkhouser & Squitiro another close victory.

In light of this fact, I'm officially bestowing THE KANSAS CITY HONOR OF "LESSER OF ALL EVILS" ON MIKE BURKE!!!

Over the course of the race, the title might go to someone else but in the early running Burke seems like the best hope to end Kansas City's long running nightmare if the Mayoral race was held today. Regular TKC readers should note this isn't an endorsement just a biased observation aimed at making Gloria Squitiro's daily foot massage just a tad uncomfortable.

But I digress . . .

The point here is that Harris Wilder is a hardcore denizens of Kansas City's political scene. He shows up to all of the fundraisers, politicos seek his advice and as one of the big time attorneys in town there are a great many people who want him in their corner. Close media watchers might remember him as the spokesman for the "Recall Funkhouser" campaign.

I had a brief opportunity to talk with Mr. Wilder recently and he showed a great concern for the direction that Kansas City was taking in light of recent job losses and this town's mounting budget deficit. Most of the conversation was off the record but one tidbit Mr. Wilder shared was his reluctance to stay in Kansas City if Mayor Funkhouser earns another term.

"I'm outta here," he said. "We're talking about a worst case scenario where the voters of Kansas City admit that they don't care about the budget, small business or the reputation of our city. I would seriously think about leaving and so would other people I've spoken with . . ."

It's a bold statement but something that I'm sure Wilder isn't keeping secret. And he really isn't alone . . . In just the past few months Cerner, The Wizards, J. P. Morgan have bailed out on Kansas City Proper under Mayor Funky's reign. So, while leaving town if Mayor Funky beats the odds and wins re-election seems like an EXTREME step . . . Just remember that a mass exodus from this town already took place in 2009.

Comments

  1. fortunately, seriously, this just isn't going to happen, without doubt. there is no way Mr. and Mrs. Funkenstein are going to be re-elected as Mayor, thank the universe.

    No way.

    Even Kansas City people aren't that remarkably ignorant.

    Mo Rage

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  2. I agree 8;56 Funk and Squid are done

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  3. Orphan of the Road12/30/09, 9:57 AM

    No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.
    H. L. Mencken

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  4. "Harris Wilder promising to leave"

    I wonder if this promise alone just earned Funky a thousand or more votes.

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  5. I would vote for Funk twice if Harris would get his idiot ass out of this city.

    Political dirtbags like Harris are what makes Kansas City such a shit hole. They are all completely self serving and Harris is at the top of the selfish shit heap.

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  6. "It's a bold statement but something that I'm sure Wilder isn't keeping secret." Well T, it's no longer a secret now.

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  7. Predicting that Funkhouser cannot be re-elected is shockingly ignorant. It could happen easily. In a fractured field, he will probably make it into the general election. His opponent may not even have city-wide appeal. The result is very much in doubt.

    I suspect the posters are expressing their wish more than their experience.

    And as for threatening to leave if Funk wins. Why Funk? Hey, I'm gonna leave Kansas City if Cathy Jolly wins!! Or Terry Riley!! Or Albert Riederer!!

    Face it: we have no political leaders of integrity and ability. NONE. 10:14 is right.

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  8. It's dirtbags like Wilder, who represents America's Pub, that are hurting the image of Kansas City more.

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  9. anon 10:04..."a thousand" try ten thousand Wilder is jerk.

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  10. Wilder is a good guy. He's definitely more important than most of the readers of this blog.

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  11. Harris Wilder "a big time attorney"...seriously I wouldn't ask him for advice on a parking ticket. He is a self-annointed insider. No one cares what he thinks about anything.

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  12. big time attorney? really? LMAROF

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  13. Is Wilder collecting money for a fund that will help him move?

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  14. I'm hearing rumors of a westside Cordish style redevelopment funded by more tif money. They are just waiting for Mayor Funky to get out of the way and for a pro-development mayor to come in. Isn't it ironic that Tony is actually fighting for gentrification of his own neighborhood into a power and light II?

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  15. Harris is looking for relevance here. He is not a sought out advisor, but rather the other way around - lurking around trying to pretend to be a relevant player when in fact he's not. let him move to johnson county.

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  16. All Funk needs is 8,9 or 10, thousand votes to be in the general, you have to remember that.

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  17. inafunkaboutthefunk12/30/09, 1:56 PM

    P&L II? Wake up! Even if the next Mayor were a commercial real estate lender, there isn't a bank on the planet that would lend money for a venture such as this. And the City doesn't have enough money available to fund another $10-12 million dollars a year in subsidies... So even if we get a pro-development Mayor and Cordish bribes every single Council Person (remember the 1990's) we are not going to see another P&L District or any other District for a long time to come.

    If we happen to get really lucky, some civic minded peron will come up with the money to knock down Bob Bernstein's Palazzo, the West Bottoms, and turn it from a partially completed vacant eyesore into a park or a swimming pool.

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  18. It's ironic that Harris is complaining about the city's budget deficit. That deficit is partly a result of the crushing debt load that was foisted on us by the tax breaks doled out to Harris' establishment crowd.

    If Harris wants to leave the city, I will volunteer to drive his moving van to Lee's Summit or whatever beigeville he chooses for his exile.

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  19. The second Funkhouser Term will be a very energetic one. Just wait.

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  20. Maybe the Mayor's Office can be moved to your trailer home. eh You Know Who Said...

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  21. Tony -

    When you make comments like Harris is a "big time attorney," you lose credibility. Harris is a nice guy who contributes $25-100 to multiple candidates, but I don't see how that equates to "big time attorney." Tony, just do some fact checking next time.

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  22. Another Midtown Mom12/30/09, 8:20 PM

    I think it's obvious that Tony likes Harris. I've never seen him treat somebody so nicely. Be careful of the company you keep dude.

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  23. The second term will determine history. History cannot end. The second term is necessary.

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  24. You are sitting too close to that smudge stick Gloria.

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  25. What I never understood is how he was the spokesperson and leader of the Funkhouser Recall campaign, and is an attorney, but the were forced to abort their efforts because they could not raise the money to fight the recount in court. They were only a hundred and some odd questionable signatures from reaching their goal. Way too close to abort the mission in mid stream, IMO. Wilder is an attorney with money or has friends with money... Am I missing something here?

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  26. Has friends with money. He is a Big Al Riederer minion.

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