Kansas City, MO mayor Mark Funkhouser is going to be on Paw Prints Radio next Monday, July 26. The program is from 3-4 on KCTO 1160 AM. You can listen live here.
Mayor Funkhouser will be live, in studio, talking about Kansas City Pet-related issues - -and will also be taking phone calls on the show.
This is a great time for pet owners in the city to bring up pet-related issues with the mayor.
Don't know what to ask, here are some idea-starters:
Ask for his thoughts on the newly-privatized shelter now being operated by Half Way Home Pet Adoption (or, give him your thoughts)
Ask him why the city is suffering from major financial issues and yet has enough animal control staff for them to make weekly sweeps through neighborhoods enforcing pet licensing -- while major issues like stray dogs and animal cruelty remain under-enforced.
Ask him if the city will consider repealing it's four year old law that mandates that all 'pit bull' type dogs be spayed or neutered -- a law that has had no impact on dog bites in the city and has directly led to the killing of over 2000 pit bull type dogs in the past 4 years -- including be the sole reason for 25% of the total 'pit bulls' impounded into the shelter last year.
Ask him why city hall has remained silent while the leaders of animal control have put into place 'performance standards" that require animal control officers to impound a minimum number of animals each month -- a policy that has increased impounds (by about 420 dogs per year) -as I predicted when they policy was announced, and has yet to lead to the firing of a single officer (the policy's stated goal) -- here are some better alternatives to recommend.
Ask him if there is any considerations for adjusting leadership over animal control after the department has consistently performed poorly in the Citizen Satisfaction Survey -Only 38% of people approved of the job they were doing in the most recent survey -- down 7 percentage points from only 6 months ago.
Ask why his he stood silent while his appointed Parks Board shot down a citizen-led proposal for a new dog park, then ignored the recommendation provided by the Park's Board's own appointed citizen's advisory group, and still has yet to produce a much needed, and wanted, dog park in the community. Even Funkhouser himself promise 3 years ago at the Waldo Neighborhood meeting that "You will get your dog park" before he was out of office - which looks to be about 6 months away if current approval ratings hold true come election time.
Ask him if the city would be open to a comprehensive plan to create a no kill community in Kansas City that would include some major changes to the animal control ordinances and whether he thinks solidifying KC as a pet-friendly city would help strengthen its position in the Animal Health Corridor.
Or, asking him if the city can change some policies to allow for more pet-friendly restaurants, safer parks, or whatever your heart desires.
I think in many ways the animal welfare community helped Mayor Funkhouser win the election 3 1/2 years ago (his opponent was the one who proposed a breed ban back in 2006) -- so it's good that he is at least making himself available to take questions next week. Let's make the best of it.
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