The Co-Mayor Weekly Funky Family Report

As a candidate in the upcoming election, Mayor Funkhouser is completely irrelevant.

However, that's not to say that for the remainder of his term his administration isn't good for some laughs.

The upcoming "First Wedding" that Co-Mayor Gloria Squitiro writes about is far more entertaining and insightful than anything Mayor Funky is proposing.

Take a look:

"ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

Our daughter Tara's engagement has been a happy topic of conversation in our home these days. Although there is no wedding date set, (I haven't given my blessing on that yet), that doesn't mean that dreaming and planning for the wedding isn't being talked about.

Funk has been a trooper though. He's shown enthusiasm for each of the hundreds of pictures of wedding dresses that Tara has held up for him to comment on. And with each new possibility, he's been able to respond as if it were the first dress that she's ever shown him.

I'm grateful that Funk hasn't lost his father skills when dealing with his 25-year-old baby."

WEIRDER STILL . . .  Mayor Funky is talking about Kansas looting KC Proper companies like we did yesterday. Proving once again that TKC READERS are smart than the current failure of a Co-Mayor Administration.

Thanks to TKC TIPSTERS for sending the note my way . . . Read the weekly Mayoral Newsletter fail in full after the jump.



THIS WEEKS CITY BUSINESS

The Mayor and City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a corporate incentives package designed to keep the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and its 430 employees in Crown Center office space.

The Mayor is optimistic that the $1.5 million package, which reimburses 50 percent of the earnings taxes paid by the association's employees for 10 years, will be incentive enough to convince NAIC to reject an offer believed to be as much as $5 million to move the company to Kansas.

"The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is a valuable Kansas City business," the Mayor said. "I want them to want to stay here, even if we can't match other incentive packages."

The State of Kansas recently has lured several Kansas City businesses across the state line, offering enormous incentive packages to convince companies to move a mile or two to the west. The Mayor is concerned that increasingly predatory actions by Kansas could hurt both Kansas City and the entire western half of Missouri.

Tax incentives, the Mayor said, require the city to walk a fine line.

"It is critical to balance effective job retention and careful use of incentives," the Mayor said. "In the case of NAIC, the incentive offered meets many of the elements of our economic incentive policy."
But the Mayor said the city can't regularly waive even a portion of the city's earnings tax. "The earnings tax remains a critical piece of our revenue stream," he said.

"Long term, Kansas City, as a city, cannot compete head-to-head with the state of Kansas," the Mayor said. "For now we need more tools from the Missouri state government in Jefferson City. And ultimately the region needs to come to an agreement and stop fighting each other just to transfer jobs from one entity to another."
"No one can win this war."

On Wednesday, the Mayor had a great time talking with residents from south Kansas City during a Town Hall meeting at Grand Court Kansas City. More than 100 folks attended, asking questions about the city earnings tax election, police, immigration, schools, the Public Safety Sales Tax and other issues.
The Mayor told the crowd the city and its partners received about $200 million in federal stimulus funds. "We spent it on cops, we spent it on infrastructure. We were smart with the money. We spent it on the highest priorities of our residents ," the Mayor said.

While the Mayor had a great time at Grand Court Kansas City, he's already looking ahead to Oct. 7. That evening, in the Northland, he'll hold his 100th Town Hall meeting.

The Mayor has spoken with thousands of residents all over the city since his first Town Hall session in June, 2007.

"I continue to enjoy the opportunity to hear from the residents of Kansas City," the Mayor said. "Residents are concerned about how their tax dollars are being spent, and about how responsible Kansas City government has been with their money. They deserve a chance to talk directly to city leaders."

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

Our daughter Tara's engagement has been a happy topic of conversation in our home these days. Although there is no wedding date set, (I haven't given my blessing on that yet), that doesn't mean that dreaming and planning for the wedding isn't being talked about.

Funk has been a trooper though. He's shown enthusiasm for each of the hundreds of pictures of wedding dresses that Tara has held up for him to comment on. And with each new possibility, he's been able to respond as if it were the first dress that she's ever shown him.

I'm grateful that Funk hasn't lost his father skills when dealing with his 25-year-old baby.

Do you have a comment or question? Email us at funksfrontporch@gmail.com.

In Faith,
Gloria & Mark
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