Another Funkhouser Fail

Seriously, I'm not just writing this to "dog-pile", in effect, on the Mayor.

This morning, I went to the Star, expecting a front page article--with pictures--of the Mayor's self-promotional giveaway party last evening that cost us all $6300.00.

No pic.

No story.

No nothing.

On further searching, buried on A4 of the local section was a picture, for sure, and a short 9 paragraph story on his "town hall meeting" he threw for us last evening.

Man, is this guy out of touch. Whew.

First things first, though. The Star's picture was unfair to us, the public, and pretty distorted of the event and its attendees.

If you saw the picture as I did, it looked like the Sprint Center was packed.

But it wasn't.

Check this out--go to the Pitch website and see their pictures of the same event: http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/05/mayor_mark_funkhousers_sparsely_attended_carnivaltown_hall_meeting_at_sprint_center_slideshow.php

Not packed at all.

So, Star, you've upped your game concerning local coverage and it's much better and I salute that and you now for it but this was badly represented to us, your readers. You need to give us a good, representational picture of public events like these and this was off the mark.

Now, back to the Mayor.

Don't you know he's got to be feeling a bit like Jay Leno right now?

I mean, nobody likes him. Nobody wants him. Nobody thinks he's a success. But the show keeps going on. Ouch. It's gotta hurt.

I love the fact that the story was covered and written by Dave Helling and that's all in got in the paper. If Dave gave it little note, you know it's not important.

And what is important?

How about the fact that Kansas City, Missouri is up to 39 homicides this year?

Sure, it's not Chicago, with their record-breaking killings but it's not even Summer and hot weather and we keep getting senseless, needless shootings and killings in town and still, THE MAYOR AND HIS OFFICE HAVE DONE NOTHING--ZIP, NADA--TO ADDRESS IT.

I had to attend my daughter's graduation last night or I was going to attend this thing. Had I gone, I wanted to ask him what, if anything, he EVER intended to do about the murder rate in town.

I've said, here, time and again that he should announce that he is going to align with church and community leaders, neighborhood groups, etc., to address this problem in the city.

I was going to ask him last night if he could/would do that and if he didn't think it was long overdue.

No, instead he wants to borrow "$100 million to fix sidewalks, streets and curbs near schools..." as well as get "a renewed quarter-cent sales tax to provide more police officers near school buildings."

Terrific. His answers are--both--to raise taxes. Great idea.

Is there anyone out there who thinks getting new sidewalks, streets and curbs near public schools is going to improve the learning that's going on in the schools?

Let's ask Superintendent Covington. And the teachers, let's ask the teachers.

And why hasn't the city--already--been taking care of the streets, curbs and sidewalks anyway, as they're supposed to be doing, instead of trying to come up with yet another tax and program to do all this?

But the Mayor doesn't get all this. He thinks it's a great idea and wants us to join him.

Not gonna' happen. Sorry, there, Funk. It just isn't going to happen.

Besides being a poor and poorly thought program--THAT ALSO RAISES 2 TAXES, in effect--he doesn't have enough time to get this through, who is he kidding, besides the Squirt and himself?

So if it were a grade, Mayor, you'd get an "F" for that assignment you turned in last night.

Could you forget about this now, stop embarassing yourself and maybe address the murders and murder rate in town?

You probably have time enough for that.