Topic: Mark Funkhouser

Mark Funkhouser (born October 4, 1949) is the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He took office on May 1, 2007. Prior to being elected mayor, Funkhouser served as the City Auditor of Kansas City. Funkhouser was elected mayor based on his being a fiscal conservative and social liberal. He promised to pay more attention to neighborhoods and to stop pampering developers. During his mayoral campaign in 2007, he took the nickname that his friends have always called him, "The Funk." Funkhouser was determined to run, he explained because he felt under Mayor Kay Barnes the city's government was coddling downtown developers at the expense of neighborhoods. His motto in his 2007 campaign was, "A city that works for regular folks." His opponents have started a recall movement. If it succeeds he will be the first Mayor to be recalled in Kansas City history.

Funkhouser grew up in Wetzel County, West Virginia and graduated from Paden City High School. He stands at 6-foot 8 inches tall. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Thiel College, his M.A. in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Funkhouser became the city auditor in 1988 and relinquished his post in 2006. He also contributes to Local Government Auditing Quarterly and has taught in a number of regional universities, including Park University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas.