AN AMERICAN LESSON: KANSAS CITY MAYOR FUNKHOUSER'S ARROGANCE, INTOLERANCE AND STUBBORNNESS TOWARD THE LATINO COMMUNITY DETERMINED HIS INEVITABLE DOWNFALL!!!

Think back to the promising days of Mayor Mark Funkhouser's early career as Kansas City's Mayor.

Kansas City was filled with hope at the prospect of a political outsider working toward fixing the budget and dealing with infrastructure in decline. Mark Funkhouser had simple goals that so many people in Kansas City seemed to support. It was odd that his wife set up shop in his office and an early foible with a car deal was a minor hiccup. But it was a Park Board Appointment of Frances Semler who belonged to an intolerant and now mostly defunct Minuteman organization that sparked a controversy which ultimately signaled Funkhouser's inability to lead in a diverse community.

KANSAS CITY'S LATINO COMMUNITY FIRST DISCOVERED MAYOR FUNKHOUSER'S PATHOLOGICAL STUBBORNNESS, ARROGANCE AND WILLINGNESS TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE INTOLERANT THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO HIS POLITICAL DOWNFALL!!!

In one meeting after the next the Mayor's inability to admit a mistake or cope with a bad decision was apparent. His arrogant behavior was quickly followed with another, more sinister character trait. He quickly sought comfort from whatever wingnut pledged their unquestioning allegiance against a perceived enemy. This desperate tactic kept Mayor Funky in the company of talk show hosts and conspiracy theorists who had absolutely no influence in local, political matters and only served to exacerbate problems for their own ratings or sense of importance.

THROUGHOUT MAYOR FUNKHOUSER'S FAILED TENURE HE CONTINUED TO EMPLOY THE SAME LOSING STRATEGY THAT FOCUSED ON DIVISIVE RHETORIC, A STUBBORN REFUSAL TO ENGAGE IN REAL COMPROMISE AND AN INABILITY TO HUMBLE HIMSELF ENOUGH TO LISTEN RATHER THAN MERELY LECTURE!!!

Thing is, Latinos (other than TKC) are some of the most humble people in the world and the Mayor's arrogance toward this community seemed exceptionally insulting. When dealing with Kansas City's Latino Community he tried to divide and conquer, he employed hate radio and finally just ignored us all together and avoid seriously addressing a disagreement. Local Latino Activist Charlie Lona warned that it was the Mayor's attitude that really needed to be adjusted if he expected to be effective and the Funkhouser needed to turn around his self-righteous manner. The Mayor unwisely ignored this stern but insightful warning.

So many other controversies followed but Mayor Funkhouser feel into the same routine. He would deny any mistake, refuse to make any change, attack an opponent from a friendly media outlet and then ultimately lose whatever debate or issue in which he was engaged. From The Volunteer Ordinance to Wayne Cauthen's employment to Schools First and then The Budget; the Mayor was simply unable to deal with so many City Hall personalities with any strategy other than an unyielding, inflexible and ultimately doomed worldview.

THE LESSON: THE REST OF THE NATION SHOULD LEARN THAT MAYOR FUNKY'S ARROGANT, INTOLERANT AND STUBBORN WAY OF DEALING WITH LATINOS ONLY FORESHADOWED HIS DOOMED POLITICAL FATE!!! 

LIKEWISE, THE PERSECUTION OF LATINOS ACROSS THE NATION WILL YIELD THE SAME RESULT!!!

Bottom Line: It never pays to beat up on the little guy.

Currently, opportunists and racists enjoy the wave of Latino persecution disguised as immigration concerns but ultimately taking the form of racial profiling. The fact that Latinos face the danger of death from anti-immigrant activists shouldn't be ignored. This vigor to crack down on people with no legal recourse represents the very same arrogance, intolerance and stubbornness that brought down Mayor Funky. Rather than work toward a viable system based on comprehensive immigration reform there is nothing less than a vendetta encouraged by so many political factions motivated primarily by fear and other sinister shortcomings.

Susan Ramirez first discovered the Mayor's failings during the "Mammy-Gate" drama and subsequently dedicated herself to Funkhouser's defeat.

"I knew he wasn't a good man," Ramirez said. "I understood at a very basic level that he suffered from an inability to lead or function like a decent public official."

Through the course of the Mayor's short career he succeeded only at amassing opponents. Finally, the burden of his own bad reputation became too heavy. In addition to lawsuits and damages to the City's budget directly due to his wife's behavior, Funkhouser simply had too much baggage to run an effective campaign for re-election. Sadly, Funkhouser's old tricks and rhetoric simply spoke to so much unfulfilled promise.

So, this Funky allegory isn't just about bare feet, bad decisions and horrible tactics. It's a story that shows great promise squandered because of an inability to treat people as equals despite disparate power relationship. Mayor Funky seemingly believed that Kansas City's Latino Community was too small or insignificant to damage his political career and in adopting this attitude he sealed his fate and doomed his administration to failure. It's my sincere hope that this nation WILL NOT follow suit with a similar strategy employed against undocumented immigrants and Latinos in particular.

LINKS:

Immigration activist gets death sentence in Arizona murders

KCMO Mayor defeated after one term

Funkhouser Loses Re-Election Bid

The short, unhappy stint of Mayor Mark Funkhouser