"Funkomania" epidemic sweeps through Kansas City

For Immediate Release:  17 February 2011              Mayor Mark Funkhouser Releases "Funkomania"  A Humorous Get Out The Vote Video “You've just got a good case of the Funkomania.” It's T-minus five days and counting, and the future of Kansas City will be in the hands of voters on Tuesday the 22nd. In a new spoof video, the Campaign to Re-elect Mayor Mark Funkhouser is urging voters to get to the polls and vote yes to keep Funkomania alive in Kansas City. What's Funkomania you ask? It all started with a comment from Mayoral challenger Jim Rowland at a candidate forum. In a short video by photographer/filmmaker Stephen Locke, the Mayor's re-election campaign takes a light-hearted look at Funkomania and the affliction that could well be ailing some of the Mayor's challengers. “Rightly so, political campaigns are focused on the important issues,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “That doesn't mean we can't have some fun along the way.” The Mayor noted that the video has an underlying serious message. Every four years, voters in Kansas City have the opportunity to voice their opinion about how their city's future should be shaped. Four years ago, voters chose an auditor – a candidate with decades of experience in finding ways for city government to be more efficient – to be Mayor. In those four years, Mark Funkhouser led the City Council through a dramatic metamorphosis – turning the city's finances around, reducing government tax giveaways, cutting the cost of government, adding police officers, and assuring that Kansas City is among the most successful cities in the U.S. But what is Funkomania? “A persistent impulse to tell the truth, even in the face of adversity; a chronic case of being smart with the money.” For More Information, Gloria Squitiro, Campaign Manager, 816-820-9751