Mark Funkhouser tells disabled group: ‘You are in a battle’

When he ran for mayor of Kansas City, Mark Funkhouser said he was not a happy-talk kind of guy. Staying true to his word, His Heightness used an event sponsored by the Whole Person, a group that works to improve the lives of the disabled, to lay out the cold calculus of urban politics.

Wednesday night’s town hall meeting took place at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. Presented with the disabled’s concerns about snow-packed sidewalks and the lack of audible traffic signals, Funkhouser said he would be an advocate.

He also lectured. Funkhouser told the audience that change comes as a result of constant pressure. At one point, the mayor chastised the people in the room for not pushing their agenda with enough force. “I didn’t see any of you talking at the budget meetings,” he said.