Thursday, January 10, 2008

Talk Back w/ Steve Rose

The Mayors had "Thee Interview" with Steve Rose last night and this has been critiqued/re-hashed by Tony's KC and Prime Buzz among others. Steve Rose has tempered with age, absolutely no hard questions or attitude that one usually gets from him. It's reassuring to know that Independence and Olathe are such big fan bases for the Mayors - they can't vote and don't pay property taxes and probably little in sales tax in KC so their voice is critical to KC's business. All we can say is - it's mortifying.
Moving beyond the bare feet, they continue to downplay the fact that Gloria is Theee Gatekeeper, many consider her the de-factor Chief of Staff - in which case, looking at our budget short fall we could do salary savings and elimnate Ed Wolf; it isn't just that she sits in on meetings - we hear that she has sat on the arm of his chair with her arm wrapped around him, she's patting his knee. Don't you think that is disconcerting for people trying to discuss their business with this adolescent behavior? What kind of an impression does this leave? How many people decide to forego talking to the Mayor because they don't want to deal with Gloria or can't get pass Gloria? It's not only where does Mark end and she begin, it's also where does Ed begin and end versus Gloria? And if the lap dance thing is not true - it's become part of the story and is perceived to be true, perception is reality.
This is very serious. We think it is time to call Dr. Phil. - Dr. Phil come home, leave Brittany and come home to help us with our developmentally delayed, tweeny Mayors with exhibitionist tendancies. You can bring your wife to talk to Gloria too.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Butt Musings

Musings
It seems the international readers of the Washington Post are now up to speed on KCMO proctologists with 'sausage like fingers' and can rest easy that our Mayor has the prostate of a 30 year old. This surely will be a positive check mark on the assets column to those industries and businesses contemplating moving to the City of Fountains. And we can face the mortification of being the butt of jokes in international syndication or on national late night tv. However, how seriously are we going to be taken when the Mayor heads to Jefferson City to advocate for dollars or legislation. Will the Mayor be able to discern whether or not the smile on the politicians face is because they've struck a favorable deal for KC or is the smile because the politician is envisioning the Mayor's arse in the air. After 20-25 years of marriage Funk is inurred to his wife's social gaffs and lack of couth; it's unfortunate that the he's subjecting the rest of us. It's all just so mortifying.

Actions & Consequences

Here is another example of a municipality's swift action to inappropriate behavior. What is wrong with punishing people who steal (items or time) - it's morally and ethically wrong - so why are the ne'er do wells not punished? Perhaps if we show enough examples those who should act will find the guts to do so.

http://www.kctv5.com/news/15012425/detail.html?rss=kan&psp=news

More Queries To Ponder

From Anonymous 1/8/2008 10:13pm

Regaring the KSHB story, I wonder if HR even bothered getting around to pulling a background check on the alleged molester?
Has anyone asked GOB what his department's response time is on checking salary, employement, and criminal backgrounds?
After someone starts working, is that an industry best practice?
Didn't only the HR and the HRD departments (paper pushing departments) receive salary adjustments to keep up with the market when we can't seem to get the right planning, finance, accountant, or engineering professionals who control the majority of the City's budget?
How many people have been fired for inappropriate sexual materials on their computers in the past 5 years?
There was at least one.
Who gets free parking and who doesn't?
Why do some employees pay to subsidize the parking of others since the City owns the garage and it's full on a daily basis?

Punishment Befitting The Crime - But not in KC

A fan of the Garden Party Skunks forwarded this news article about Jefferson City Parks & Recreations swift and substantive punishment of their Director for misuse of City property. Our leadership should take heed. We thought you might like to know that it is possible to have a municipal government that doesn't cover up employee misdeeds.

http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/01/06/news_local/360local02lockwood.txt

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Following up on the LT Porn Melodrama

Who on the Council is following up with The City Manager on the results of the investigation? Apparently somebody has to ask for the report and nobody has bothered to ask and The City Manager is not forthcoming. We understand that it is quite an interesting read who sent the violating emails, and to whom these offensive emails were sent. (And, this of course begs the question - why didn't more receivers report this and to whom did they forward the inappropriate emails. This is causing a back log, particularly in HRD (with the suspended boss) where others' fates rest upon the The City Manager's decision on policy on this issue. The Manager is NOT moving to make a decision; will he be granting the other violators with the same largesse he bestowed upon LT? And if he does let them off the hook then does that leave the City vulnerable to yet another lawsuit because others were fired and escorted out the door for less?
Mayor Pro-Tem - you asked for the investigtion, now ask for the report - Or Councilman Ford - Wayne's your boy - get him to cough up the report and make a decision on policy. Maybe we need to help provide deadlines, so let's say - by next council meeting, Thursday, January 17 - let's have the report and a policy decision. I think this would be appropriate Ed, since you like grandstanding at full Council meetings.

Monday, January 7, 2008

LT - In Charge

Today, Cauthen is in the fine Texas capitol city of Austin, interviewing for the City Manager’s position and I know many, many, many, many who wish him well. The interview is Tuesday and Wednesday we understand that he’s staying a week? Curious, don’t you think? Maybe it’s a vacation. Or, maybe he’s holding court with other head hunters or ‘talent scouts’ from other cities. He is a sly and devious being.
However, the ‘thumbing the nose’ at ya’ – is the fact that LT has been left in charge in his absence. We find this appallingly disrespectful to City Council – this includes you, Ed The Cheerleader. It is incredibly disrespectful to the employees of City Hall and to the citizens of this community. It is absurd. The only person he could think of to leave in charge is someone who is a lame duck employee of questionable character, moral and ethics. Wayne sure does think highly of us all doesn’t he?

Saturday, January 5, 2008

6th District - Names To Ponder

6th District - Names To Toss Around

1. John Sharp

2nd District - Names To Ponder

2nd District - Names To Discuss

1. Michael Short - Former Platte County Commissioner
2. Terry Ward

1st District - Names To Ponder

1st District Names Tossed Into The Hypothetical Ring

1. Trent Skaggs - (If he moves into KCMO) - currently a State Rep. Some of our non-skunk friends have worked with him in Jefferson City on various pieces of legislation and find him to have integrity, talent, caring, bright

2. Becky Nace-Schumacher
3.
4.

Query: What are you going to do with all these names?

The Question posed: "Question is what are you going to do with all these names? Somebody throws a name out in the Comments and you post it. So what?"

Three years is not very far away. We want people to start thinking about running for City Council more than six months before the elections.

We want to have a discussion of those persons whose names are tossed into the hypothetical ring to discuss their qualifications, merits, foibles and warts. It takes a lot of time and energy to raise $150,000.00 plus for a campaign run. A lot of good people decline to face that daunting task because they are approached too late in the game for a political novice.

We want to plant the seeds of possibilities; perhaps people who never thought of running for City Council may consider doing so.

And we want the current “F” Troop to have no doubts about the discontent there is for their demeanor (prima donas and dons); their middle school shenanigans, lack of creativity, lack of productivity, lack of sense, lack of research into issues, lack of commitment to the job they were elected to do vs working towards their next job or appointment.

Or do we want to recycle former councilpeople? Do we want Rowland or Glover or whomever back? Because it's easy, we know what we're getting? How is that democracy? How is that good for Kansas City?

And if we're not getting good candidates stepping forward why not? Should being a councilmember be a full time job with an appropriate pay scale? And if the current set up is a deterrent how do we fix it?

How can we help elect the kind of City Council we deserve? The City deserves, often times in spite of itself. How do we re-engage the electorate? Hopefully with a slate of fantastic candidates.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Nominations for 1st, 2nd, 5th & 6th

Surely you folks in planning and codes have tripped over some decent folk who could make for good city council people; Let's hear from you

Thursday, January 3, 2008

3rd District - Names To Ponder

1. Brandon Ellington
2. Airick Leonard West
3.
4.

Feel free to elaborate why you think someone would make a good candidate - so the rest of us may learn about them.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The Man Behind The Curtain

Exactly how much influence does Steve Glorioso have over Cathy Jolly? Is she inititing legislation that she believes in or is she executing old business from the old guard?

4th Council District - Names To Ponder for 2011

We have nominations for 4th District
1. Deth Im
2. Mark Forsythe
3. Doug Gamble
4. Ezekiel Amador
5. Kate Corwin? Active in South Moreland Neighborhood Association
6.

If the average Council campaign takes about $150,000.00 - candidates need all the time they can get to raise the money. We want people thinking about this seriously

Post from zzzz8888

This post was emailed to GPS/NRFPB from zzzz8888 January 1, 2008 10:59pm

This week on Leave it to Funkhouser…. Mike Burke and Tim Kristl decide to play a trick on their ol’ pal Funk. And why wouldn’t they?

Consider:-
both were working the phones and Burke was keeping post in the Council’s chambers during Infamous Thursday.-
both are developer attorneys that supported Al Brooks.-
both are on the board of the Citizens Association (there was a draft “position paper” from the Citizens Association floating around City Hall regarding Cauthen.)-
both are self-anointed “Northland Leaders.”-
both just got snubbed by Funkhouser (Kristl didn’t get his $1 million subsidy for Liberty Memorial from the Parks Board and Burke didn’t get the GSA for his client, the Port Authority, which means his firm won’t get $$$ in legal fees).

And if that doesn’t make for good TV, how about the newspaper?

The Thursday (12/27) Falling Star editorial (“Council members must explain decisions”) states, “That’s causing some (Northland) leaders to worry that breakaway votes on important issues will cause the region to appear politically isolated from the rest of the city.” Really? Could these so-called “Northland leaders” be, perhaps, Burke and Kristl up to business-as-usual?

It’s not that the Falling Star needs any outside encouragement to support Cauthen from any pretend leaders, North or South….it is already on the bandwagon: -

Dave Helling put in a Sunshine request for the e-mails with LT’s porn and they were given to him on Tuesday, 12/18, but his story on it is “held” for 10 days until the Falling Star is scooped by Mahoney.-Barb Shelly, a member of the Star E-Board, loves Cauthen, hates Funkhouser, can’t write worth a damn, and happens to be married to the Fallings Star’s Publisher. (So Funkhouser can’t have his wife at City Hall but the Star’s publisher can have his wife….wait, I’m confused.)-Last I heard, diverting public funds for personal use is a FELONY in Missouri. So the Pitch writes the article on Travelgate, but nothing from the Falling Star? (Even worse, the Council says, “It’s OK that Wayne did it, we do it too!”)-And oh, by the way, if anyone from the Falling Star is reading this, everyone at City Hall knows you got the dirt on MWH and CIMO and are censoring that story too. Are you interested Mahoney?

Which brings us to this episode’s typical conclusion, Just who is pulling Eddie “Haskell” Ford’s strings? Could it be Pat Gray?

Gray has been hungry since Kay Barnes left office. I hear her campaign for Congress isn’t using him because the D.C. Democrats said, “Go ahead and use Gray but you won’t get a dime from us.” (Sorry Pat. Is working out of your home not fun?)

Just who used Gray this last election? Seven of the Nasty Nine…that’s who: Ford, Jolly, Marcason, Riley, Curls, Sharp, & Gottstein.

“Gee Wally, that's swell!” Thanks for joining us! Tune in next week for another episode of Leave it to Funkhouser!