KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mayor Mark Funkhouser won a lawsuit Friday against Kansas City’s volunteer ordinance, which had prohibited his wife, Gloria Squitiro, from working inside City Hall.
On the same day, a gag order was lifted for the lawsuit against Funkhouser and the city, filed by former city employee Ruth Bates. The city approved a $550,000 settlement last week. Bates had accused Squitiro of creating a hostile work environment inside City Hall.
So is the City Council ready to put the issue to rest?
“We are all glad that this episode is behind us,” Funkhouser and six of 12 City Council members said in a joint statement. “The lawsuit created a distraction that none of us wanted.”
Friday’s statement was signed by Funkhouser and City Council members Melba Curls, Beth Gottstein, Bill Skaggs, Russ Johnson and Sharon Sanders Brooks. Deb Hermann agreed to the statement by phone.
Skaggs told NBC Action News he does not want to appeal Friday’s ruling on the volunteer ordinance, even though the judge spelled out how to tighten up the wording to make it constitutional.
“The City might do well to consider amending this provision to allow the council to terminate persons regardless of who has designated them as volunteers, under the at will doctrine, especially where, as in this case, a volunteer disrupts the day-to-day business of the city and/or whose conduct has resulted in litigation at the city’s expense,” wrote Judge Justine Del Muro.
“We need to get this thing behind us and concentrate on moving our city ahead,” said Skaggs.
Council member Ed Ford acknowledged that residents are likely feeling fatigued about the ongoing issue. When asked why he voted against the Bates settlement, Ford said he thought it was too much money, and he knew Friday’s ruling about the volunteer ordinance was still hanging in the balance.
“I didn’t want to be in a position of voting for a half-million dollar settlement and bring the person who caused the problem in the first place back to City Hall,” he said.
On Friday, Mayor Funkhouser’s reaction to the ruling was restrained, saying he and Gloria needed “digest it for a bit.” He would not comment on whether Gloria will be back at City Hall soon.
Ford said it would not surprise him, though he is hoping for a different result.
“The Mayor ought to declare victory and indicate that Gloria will continue working for the taxpayers from the front porch,” he said.
