By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
KC Council member Ed Ford continues to snipe away at Mayor Mark Funkhouser. This week on national TV Ford intimated Funkhouser would be forced out of office before his term ends.
It's fair commentary, given some of Funkhouser's odd decisions to try to keep his wife working in his office.
However, Ford's latest idea -- strip the mayor's office of money to pay the legal bills associated with a lawsuit involving the mayor and his wife -- isn't logical.
Ford thinks the money should be taken from the mayor because his staff has shrunk this year and the office has some savings. Plus, he argues, the lawsuit should be paid by the people causing the problem -- the people in the mayor's office.
Sorry, but by that twisted logic, Ford and his council colleagues should be forking over their office funds to defend themselves every time the council gets sued for an action it takes or one that it might take.
Or take it a step further. The volunteers who sit on the police and park boards, plus other city-sponsored groups, can be sued at any time for their actions or potential actions.
Yet the city doesn't strip funds from the boards or commissions to pay to defend the lawsuit.
The City Council should stay out of the business of yanking funds away from another branch of elected government.
It would make the council look immature and petty. Kansas Citians don't deserve more of that kind of behavior at City Hall. We need less.
Delicious
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Consequences.............
Consequences.............
Why not take away money from the Mayor's office account. It's there because of the people quitting and not being replaced and there should be SOME INCENTIVE for this lunatic to settle the Bates Lawsuit Debacle before KCMO is set up to lose a million or so dollars.
If not this money, what other item can we take away from him or what can we do to give him a consequence for his and the Squid's actions????
I challenge you again Yael... give an alternative!!!
Also, tomorrow, I will write another note to the Z Man offering to send my IT guy down to fix the subject line/title problem.
Are you not able to feign even the slightest bit of concern for your readers?
What say ye Yael T Abouhalkah?????
Have to agree with you here,
Have to agree with you here, Yael (though that pains me ( :).
Ed wants to penalize the Mayor's office for saving money??? Really? That is twisted logic ... and business as usual in the political-grandstanding, race-baiting, influence-peddling, vitriolic KC Council.
Too bad the voters don't care.
I think Councilman Ford is
I think Councilman Ford is just bucking for the mayor's job. He has been the major thorn in the Mayor's side since they both took office.
I will never again support Ford for any office.