KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mayor Mark Funkhouser reshuffled Monday afternoon his council committee assignments, yanking Russ Johnson's transportation committee chairmanship and putting John Sharp on six of seven committees.
Funkhouser ordered Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs to replace Councilman Terry Riley as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee. Skaggs told the mayor he was declining the post, but Funkhouser said he has no choice but to show up for the 1:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
"I told him I don't want the job. I haven't accepted the job," Skaggs told NBC Action News Monday afternoon. "I told him, 'Leave well enough alone.'"
Skaggs said he was weighing what to do. Some of his colleagues have told Skaggs that the mayor has given him no choice, but they too have turned down the zoning chairmanship post.
Tuesday, Skaggs canceled the Wednesday zoning meeting. He had a prior engagement he had made several weeks to participate on a committee picking a engineering company for a construction contract.
Canceling the meeting also gives him additional time to consider his options and if he decides to accept the post time to get up to speed on zoning issues.
In a letter to his colleagues Monday afternoon, Funkhouser wrote that he was making the changes to ensure his efforts outlined in his State of the City address are successful.
"There remain significant challenges, however, and I believe these committee changes will best serve our residents as we go forward," he wrote. "I look forward to working with you to address our most significant issues of depopulation, public safety and basic service delivery to our residents."
In addition to promoting Skaggs from a member of zoning to chairman, the other changes are:
- Riley is being switched as zoning chair to replace Johnson as chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee. Riley said he told Funkhouser he didn't want the post but is reluctantly accepting it.
- Johnson loses both his chairmanship and his membership on the powerful Finance and Audit Committee. He joins the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee.
- Cathy Jolly, chair of public safety, joins the transportation committee.
- Sharp replaces Johnson on finance. He is now on every committee, including chairman of legislative, but transportation.
Johnson told NBC Action News he wasn't surprised to lose his transportation committee chairmanship. He said Funkhouser had expected him to attend regular Tuesday afternoon "City that Works" meetings, but Johnson said he couldn't because he has to pick up his young daughters from school.
"I saw this coming a long time ago. I am not surprised," he said. "I don't take it personally."
Johnson said he has heard the speculation from some of his colleagues and others that Funkhouser punished him because of his close allegiance to political strategist Jeff Roe who some believe is mounting a slate of people to run for council in 2011. Johnson said there may be some validity to that, particularly since he didn't understand why Funkhouser pulled him from the finance committee.
Johnson noted he has agreed with Funkhouser on virtually ever major issue while serving on the finance committee.
Johnson discounts some of his colleague's theory that Funkhouser was also punishing him for comments he made during last year's light-rail campaign that upset Funkhouser supporter Jim Nutter, a local mortgage banker and political kingpin.
Johnson became transportation chairman in early 2008 after Funkhouser sought to publicly punish Councilman Ed Ford for helping undercut Funkhouser's efforts to fire City Manager Wayne Cauthen. Funkhouser recently asked Ford to retake the committee chairmanship but Ford turned it down.
Several council members turned Funkhouser down in recent weeks as he sought to reshuffle committees. In recent days, Beth Gottstein met with Funkhouser and wife Gloria Squitiro at their Brookside home and rejected the zoning committee chairmanship.
Funkhouser first offered it to Cindy Circo but Circo refused to meet with Funkhouser and his wife at their home. That prompted Funkhouser to drop Circo from consideration. Last November, Funkhouser yanked Circo as chairwoman of the housing committee after she publicly berated him for insisting on having Squitiro serve as a full-time volunteer in his office despite the legal costs to the city. Funkhouser maintains Squitiro is a key advisor.
Circo told NBC Action News Monday afternoon that she wasn't surprised by Funkhouser's moves.
"The mayor punishes those who he believes is not on his political agenda," she said. "But what he fails to understand is all of us are here to serve the citizens of Kansas City and not his political agenda."
Circo said Roe and Funkhouser are trying to "build a Funkhouser slate" to run for council seats and undermining Johnson would help those efforts. Roe advised Johnson's opponent in his successful 2007 race.
In his letter, Funkhouser said the changes will bring strong and experienced voices to the committees.
News Release from the Mayor's Office
Mayor Funkhouser Announces Committee Changes
Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser today announced changes to four City Council Committees. The changes are a continuation of Mayor Funkhouser’s efforts to support an agenda around the initiatives that were outlined in his State of the City speech in May.
Councilman Terry Riley will leave the Planning and Zoning committee to chair the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Councilmember Cathy Jolly will also be added to the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.
Mayor Pro-Tem Bill Skaggs will be made Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee.
Councilmember John Sharp will take a seat on the Finance and Audit Committee.
Councilman Russ Johnson will be added as a fifth member to the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee.
“These changes come after detailed discussions with council members,” said Mayor Funkhouser. “We have been looking for the best fit for various committees, and I think we have found them with the changes we are making today.”
Later this week the City Council committees will begin detailed discussions about the 2010-2011 budget. These committee changes were timed to allow the new members to participate in those discussions immediately.
