The Kansas City Star is running "breaking news" about Councilwoman Cindy Circo's deposition on its Web site. DeAnn Smith reports what, to some City Hall watchers, will come as old news: Circo thinks Mayor Mark Funkhouser was punishing her for her vote on the volunteer ordinance when he took away her role as chair of the city's Housing Committee.
Funkhouser then awarded the chair to Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks, who was the only councilperson absent from the September 25, 2008, meeting in which council members voted to overturn the mayor's veto against the volunteer ordinance, aimed at booting Funkhouser's wife, Gloria Squitiro, out of the Mayor's Office.
When I interviewed Circo for this story, she told me that Funkhouser had to wait to demote her until after November's election, in which his pet project, light rail, was on the ballot. "He waited until after light rail," Circo told me. "And I was told that he would. He didn't want to jeopardize light rail. And as soon as it was done, I was done." Funkhouser let Circo know that she was no longer the Housing Committee chair via a cell phone message on November 7.
I asked Councilwoman Brooks whether she'd made a deal with Funkhouser over the volunteer ordinance via e-mail on December 11, 2008. Did she miss the September 25 meeting and vote to please the mayor?
"I am insulted by your question," Brooks replied in an e-mail. "I was attending the Annual Congressional Black Caucus' Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. This conference had been scheduled for months. I had purchased a non-refundable airline and hotel reservations online in advance before the volunteer ordinance had ever been introduced. My colleagues were well aware of my travel plans during the time frame you mentioned. I was not going to waste taxpayers dollars by not using the airline ticket and hotel accommodations."
What can we take away from all of this? That there's no love lost among Funkhouser, Circo and Brooks, for one. Also: Sharon Sanders Brooks is insulted by questions.
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She's not insulted by "questions" in general. Just this one. She gave a reasonable explanation, and you're taking it out of context.
What's with you people, anyway?
Can a City's government be put into receivership? The KCMO government is clearly grossly incompetent and a VERY immediate threat to others.
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